# Authentication To Drive



## caseyms (Aug 27, 2018)

Does anyone know if Tesla has plans to beef up the options for authentication to drive the Model 3? I understand how the phone key works with Bluetooth currently. But it would be nice to add another layer of security to that such as a passcode on the center screen, as an option, similar to today’s smartphones. It would be quick and prevent the car from being driveable, just because the owner’s smartphone is connected nearby. Or am I missing something, and this just isn’t necessary?...


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## PNWmisty (Aug 19, 2017)

caseyms said:


> Does anyone know if Tesla has plans to beef up the options for authentication to drive the Model 3? I understand how the phone key works with Bluetooth currently. But it would be nice to add another layer of security to that such as a passcode on the center screen, as an option, similar to today's smartphones. It would be quick and prevent the car from being driveable, just because the owner's smartphone is connected nearby. Or am I missing something, and this just isn't necessary?...


I don't think they could drive off if they didn't have your phone with them. But if they are that brazen, they could just conk you over the head and steal your phone, keys, wallet and then drive off. It's not something that concerns me (but I live in an area with low-normal crime). I guess if they did drive off without your phone, you could set the maximum speed to 50 mph and call the cops.


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## Twiglett (Feb 8, 2017)

Model 3 uses low energy bluetooth for even more limited range.
There is is no more of an issue with this than there is with current remotes in other cars.

I've found I need to be really close before the car will unlock, let alone let me drive it.
Leaving my phone behind just results in requests from the car to provide my keycard.
Why do you think there is an issue or is this supposition?


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## caseyms (Aug 27, 2018)

Twiglett said:


> Model 3 uses low energy bluetooth for even more limited range.
> There is is no more of an issue with this than there is with current remotes in other cars.
> 
> I've found I need to be really close before the car will unlock, let alone let me drive it.
> ...


Just wondering - I'm not really assuming it's an issue. It just seems like a simple feature. Like you said, the current state is similar to other vehicles. This could make the Model 3 better.


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## Twiglett (Feb 8, 2017)

caseyms said:


> Just wondering - I'm not really assuming it's an issue. It just seems like a simple feature. Like you said, the current state is similar to other vehicles. This could make the Model 3 better.


I see what you mean. 
In practice it seems rather more useful though. The range seems shorter than regular car remotes but can also use specific commands from the app using LTE etc
Certainly if I walk away and immediately stop as soon as it locks, it will not allow someone to open the car. 
I have to be almost next to the car for it to unlock.


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## caseyms (Aug 27, 2018)

Awesome - thank you for the info. I should have stated this earlier - I don’t have my M3 yet - expect to take deliver within the next 2 months. It will be parked in my garage on the other side of a wall from my kitchen. I’ve been wondering if I’ll have issues where the phone will connect to the car via Bluetooth when I’m in he kitchen, but don’t really want it connected to the car. I’m not really worried about security in that case, but rather calls or audio switching over to the car. The security thought popped in my head as I was researching other’s experiences. I saw some people will have their phone connect up to 15 feet away with line of sight and no obstacles.


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## Eli (Apr 11, 2018)

caseyms said:


> Awesome - thank you for the info. I should have stated this earlier - I don't have my M3 yet - expect to take deliver within the next 2 months. It will be parked in my garage on the other side of a wall from my kitchen. I've been wondering if I'll have issues where the phone will connect to the car via Bluetooth when I'm in he kitchen, but don't really want it connected to the car. I'm not really worried about security in that case, but rather calls or audio switching over to the car. The security thought popped in my head as I was researching other's experiences. I saw some people will have their phone connect up to 15 feet away with line of sight and no obstacles.


Bluetooth heads-free/music and the BLE beacons for the phone key are separate things. If you close up the car doors with no one inside, it will go to sleep and disconnect Bluetooth. The only thing that stays active is the phone key beacon stuff, that's always on.


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## Bibs (Jun 9, 2018)

I think that the bigger issue with the app is that multiple people need to use the same app login in order to use their phones as keys.

For example, my wife and I both need to use my login and password so that we can both unlock and drive the car. Each user in a household should use their own login, and the interface with the car should be able to link multiple separate logins with it. 

This is because I was the first to reserve a M3. If/when she gets one, then we will both have to logout and login with the other person's info in order to use the other car.

Bottom line, having to share logins and passwords is a bad security habit.


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## Twiglett (Feb 8, 2017)

Bibs said:


> I think that the bigger issue with the app is that multiple people need to use the same app login in order to use their phones as keys.
> 
> For example, my wife and I both need to use my login and password so that we can both unlock and drive the car. Each user in a household should use their own login, and the interface with the car should be able to link multiple separate logins with it.
> 
> ...


Actually you don't have to login to another account. You can put both cars in the same account and just switch inside the app. Although I suppose technically that just compounds the "bad practice" security aspect 
But it also makes things way easier.
If you're using an iPhone just set the app to use TouchID to also make it a bit easier.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

Bibs said:


> I think that the bigger issue with the app is that multiple people need to use the same app login in order to use their phones as keys.
> 
> For example, my wife and I both need to use my login and password so that we can both unlock and drive the car. Each user in a household should use their own login, and the interface with the car should be able to link multiple separate logins with it.
> 
> ...


you can have tesla add a single car to more than one account I 'believe' (been known to be wrong before....)
@SoFlaModel3 before your car was officially showing up under your account, you were able to use your phone-as-a-key with your login info, right? or were you using your dad's login?


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> you can have tesla add a single car to more than one account I 'believe' (been known to be wrong before....)
> @SoFlaModel3 before your car was officially showing up under your account, you were able to use your phone-as-a-key with your login info, right? or were you using your dad's login?


Early days I used my dad's login until the car was officially added to my account


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## lairdb (May 24, 2018)

Bibs said:


> I think that the bigger issue with the app is that multiple people need to use the same app login in order to use their phones as keys.
> 
> For example, my wife and I both need to use my login and password so that we can both unlock and drive the car. Each user in a household should use their own login, and the interface with the car should be able to link multiple separate logins with it.
> 
> This is because I was the first to reserve a M3. If/when she gets one, then we will both have to logout and login with the other person's info in order to use the other car.


No, you don't. You can each have separate logins, and the car owner can ask [email protected] to add car privileges to the other account.


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## Bibs (Jun 9, 2018)

lairdb said:


> No, you don't. You can each have separate logins, and the car owner can ask [email protected] to add car privileges to the other account.


That's good to know. The people at the SC told us that wasn't possible when we took delivery. Can they do anything for the other case mentioned by Twiglett, where one phone's app can switch between cars?

I think maybe a "family system" with several cars linked to several related phones, each with their own login, would both maintain good security habits and reflect daily life in a multi-car, multi-driver household.


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## lairdb (May 24, 2018)

Bibs said:


> That's good to know. The people at the SC told us that wasn't possible when we took delivery. Can they do anything for the other case mentioned by Twiglett, where one phone's app can switch between cars?


I don't really follow what you mean. If an account has multiple cars, whether owner or delegate, it can choose among them. If it does not, it can't.


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## Gary Dz (Jun 14, 2018)

I recently saw a You Tube vid of someone testing a Model 3 by opening and starting, handing his card and phone to his son outside of the car, and proceeded to drive away. He was able to drive around his neighborhood without being connected by bluetooth or WiFi. The software allowed this. My wife became very concerned on seeing this. If her cell and the card are in her purse, she gets into the car and starts it, then for some reason leaves/drops her purse outside of the car. Say someone gets in and accidently knocks the purse out of the door in the process...this has happened. You can drive away.

I am sorry for not remembering who posted the vid. Guys usually don't see this problem because we carry the card in our wallet separately from our cells. Would be nice if a bluetooth connection lost warning would popup on the screen. (Simple software fix.)


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

Gary Dz said:


> I recently saw a You Tube vid of someone testing a Model 3 by opening and starting, handing his card and phone to his son outside of the car, and proceeded to drive away. He was able to drive around his neighborhood without being connected by bluetooth or WiFi. The software allowed this. My wife became very concerned on seeing this. If her cell and the card are in her purse, she gets into the car and starts it, then for some reason leaves/drops her purse outside of the car. Say someone gets in and accidently knocks the purse out of the door in the process...this has happened. You can drive away.
> 
> I am sorry for not remembering who posted the vid. Guys usually don't see this problem because we carry the card in our wallet separately from our cells. Would be nice if a bluetooth connection lost warning would popup on the screen. (Simple software fix.)


My previous car was the same in reality. The key stayed in your pocket. You pressed a button on the door (with key proximity) to get in, then a start button inside the car (again with key proximity) to start the car and then you could leave the key and drive. The problem is when you get where you're going.


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## Bibs (Jun 9, 2018)

lairdb said:


> I don't really follow what you mean. If an account has multiple cars, whether owner or delegate, it can choose among them. If it does not, it can't


What if one account has one car, and another account has another car? And those accounts are two people in the same household who will want the flexibility of using either car w/o having to re-login, etc. That is the case I'm asking about.


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## yaheath (Sep 14, 2017)

Getting back to the original topic, I think that having to type in a password just to drive the car would be really annoying and I would never turn that on.

What I would rather see is the ability to set a password on the “disable remote access” function, so that a car thief would not be able to stop the car uploading its gps coordinates, leading the police right to him.


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## lairdb (May 24, 2018)

Bibs said:


> What if one account has one car, and another account has another car? And those accounts are two people in the same household who will want the flexibility of using either car w/o having to re-login, etc. That is the case I'm asking about.


And by "has", do you mean owner, or grantee?

If
- [email protected] owns VIN 111, and
- [email protected] owns VIN 999,

then

- alice should write to servicehelpna saying "please allow app access to my car, VIN 111, for [email protected]".
- bob should write to servicehelpna saying "please allow app access to my car, VIN 999, for [email protected]".

...and once servicehelpna gets around to it, each of them will have access to both cars.


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## caseyms (Aug 27, 2018)

https://electrek.co/2018/08/29/tesla-new-security-cryptography-pin-to-drive-feature/

And there it is


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## Baymax3 (Jun 6, 2018)

Given that the model 3 has a in cabin camera, it would be really cool if it did some sort of facial recognition
of who was in the driver's seat to set the memory seats, mirrors, ... and to authenticate drivers.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Baymax3 said:


> Given that the model 3 has a in cabin camera, it would be really cool if it did some sort of facial recognition
> of who was in the driver's seat to set the memory seats, mirrors, ... and to authenticate drivers.


Then the thieves just hold up a picture of your face and drive away in the car. No thank you.


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## Baymax3 (Jun 6, 2018)

FYI that would not work. My wife's iPhone X won't unlock with a picture. And best of all, if Telsa can't figure it out, them maybe they can work with Apple on it and at the same time add Apple Car Play to the Model 3!

Besides where would they get your picture? Do you just leave them lying around in your car?


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Baymax3 said:


> FYI that would not work. My wife's iPhone X won't unlock with a picture. And best of all, if Telsa can't figure it out, them maybe they can work with Apple on it and at the same time add Apple Car Play to the Model 3!
> 
> Besides where would they get your picture? Do you just leave them lying around in your car?


An iPhone has a 3D dot projector so it makes a real 3D map of the face and can't be fooled like a camera. You car doesn't


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## woodisgood (Jul 26, 2018)

garsh said:


> Then the thieves just hold up a picture of your face and drive away in the car. No thank you.


Or your severed head...


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