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ChasingCoral
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Also posted in a new thread about Paak requiring cell service:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/paak-seems-to-require-cellular-service.4231/
Lots of folks on the Forum are indicating that PaaK isn’t ready for prime time. While many folks have indicated they were giving up on it. I’ve gone all-in on Paak and normally leave my fob at home. For this trip to Florida I brought the fob but carried it in the glove compartment wrapped in two faraday bags so Marlin wouldn’t “see” it. Once we got here to Marco I left it in the condo in a suitcase. That means when the 5 March Everglades incidents cropped up, I had no fob to fall back on. It’s now back in the glove box due to the Everglades Incidents below.
General issues:
Sometimes Marlin sees the phone, sometimes he doesn’t. My iPhone 12Pro may be working better for recognition to unlock than my wife’s iPhone 7. However, that may just be because I'm driving most of the time. Unlocking the driver’s door is the most reliable, lift gate second, passenger door the least. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if PaaK is working on the passenger door at all. Often we’ll have to wake up the phone and start or activate the app to get it to work. Sometimes we have to press unlock on the app. Sometimes we have to resort to the key pad to open the car. The phone really needs to be sitting on the charging pad to start the car. Starting almost never works with the phone in a back pocket. Walk-away lock has become unreliable, too. It often works great — probably most of the time. Sometimes it doesn’t. That’s not reliable for locking a vehicle in a city.
The Everglades Incidents:
PaaK failed miserably and consistently when there was no cell coverage. Many parts of the Everglades have absolutely no cell signal. This is true of many big National Parks. First, PaaK wouldn’t work at all at the Shark Valley Visitor Center. It would neither open the doors, nor start the car, even if the phone was connected to the USB. The app would not start on the phone since it couldn’t connect to the mothership (won't get past the first Ford splash screen). We had to use the door and start backup codes. Once in Miami for the charge at the Miami International Mall PaaK was working fine. Then we entered the Park through the main entrance. Once a short distance past the Visitor Center, we had no cell signal again. The rest of the day in Everglades National Park, PaaK would not open doors or start the car. Every hike, every boardwalk, etc., we had to use the door and start codes. If I left Marlin on and got out to the pictures, the security system would require a key to put the car into drive. Since the PaaK wasn’t working, that meant waiting for a minute for the passcode prompt to appear and then entering the start code again -- every, single time.
If you're going to be out of cell phone coverage, I recommend you have your fob with you as a backup.
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/paak-seems-to-require-cellular-service.4231/
Lots of folks on the Forum are indicating that PaaK isn’t ready for prime time. While many folks have indicated they were giving up on it. I’ve gone all-in on Paak and normally leave my fob at home. For this trip to Florida I brought the fob but carried it in the glove compartment wrapped in two faraday bags so Marlin wouldn’t “see” it. Once we got here to Marco I left it in the condo in a suitcase. That means when the 5 March Everglades incidents cropped up, I had no fob to fall back on. It’s now back in the glove box due to the Everglades Incidents below.
General issues:
Sometimes Marlin sees the phone, sometimes he doesn’t. My iPhone 12Pro may be working better for recognition to unlock than my wife’s iPhone 7. However, that may just be because I'm driving most of the time. Unlocking the driver’s door is the most reliable, lift gate second, passenger door the least. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if PaaK is working on the passenger door at all. Often we’ll have to wake up the phone and start or activate the app to get it to work. Sometimes we have to press unlock on the app. Sometimes we have to resort to the key pad to open the car. The phone really needs to be sitting on the charging pad to start the car. Starting almost never works with the phone in a back pocket. Walk-away lock has become unreliable, too. It often works great — probably most of the time. Sometimes it doesn’t. That’s not reliable for locking a vehicle in a city.
The Everglades Incidents:
PaaK failed miserably and consistently when there was no cell coverage. Many parts of the Everglades have absolutely no cell signal. This is true of many big National Parks. First, PaaK wouldn’t work at all at the Shark Valley Visitor Center. It would neither open the doors, nor start the car, even if the phone was connected to the USB. The app would not start on the phone since it couldn’t connect to the mothership (won't get past the first Ford splash screen). We had to use the door and start backup codes. Once in Miami for the charge at the Miami International Mall PaaK was working fine. Then we entered the Park through the main entrance. Once a short distance past the Visitor Center, we had no cell signal again. The rest of the day in Everglades National Park, PaaK would not open doors or start the car. Every hike, every boardwalk, etc., we had to use the door and start codes. If I left Marlin on and got out to the pictures, the security system would require a key to put the car into drive. Since the PaaK wasn’t working, that meant waiting for a minute for the passcode prompt to appear and then entering the start code again -- every, single time.
If you're going to be out of cell phone coverage, I recommend you have your fob with you as a backup.
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