Having troubles with vehicle sensor
I installed my iQ3 system yesterday and am having troubles getting the vehicle sensor to work. I was able to add the device as a vehicle in the app (Pixel 3), and the sensor is powered on, but I've tried it a few times and it hasn't closed or opened the garage once. I understand you still need a phone even with the sensor, but I did have my phone with me each time I tested it. I followed the Android phone setup steps, too, though I don't think that should even be needed for the vehicle sensor, right? My distance limits were set to the minimum distances allowed. I've tried it by both walking and biking about 1000' from my house, at which point I can see it's still open so I close it with the app (to test the auto-open when I return, though it's never worked). This morning I threw the sensor in my truck, drove to work, and the garage was still open when I got to work (8 minutes and 1.5 miles later). We'll see if it closes when I get home, but I'm skeptical.
Is there any way to debug this issue? It would be really nice to get some sort of feedback from the system regarding the state/location of the vehicle sensor, because at this point I have no idea if it's a faulty device or if the vehicle sensor is just not very good in general.
I have not tried pairing the system with a vehicle bluetooth yet because I do not park vehicles in my garage, just bikes and motorcycles. I do, however, often use a Sena bluetooth headset on my motorcycle -- is there any reason that wouldn't work as a "vehicle"? Similarly, for bike rides, could a pair of wireless bluetooth headphones achieve the same thing? My preference would still probably be to use the vehicle sensor so I don't always have to use my headset, but if the sensor doesn't work reliably then it's essentially useless.
Thanks!
-
Official comment
Ian,
Sorry you're having trouble with your auto-open. We can help you with that. We have a troubleshooting article here https://gotailwind.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020647092-My-Tailwind-Vehicle-Sensor-Vehicle-Bluetooth-auto-open-auto-close-is-not-working
If, after going through the steps in the troubleshooting article you're still having difficulty, we do have tools at our disposal to diagnose the issue. Please email us at support@gotailwind.com if the troubleshooting article doesn't get things working for you.
Also, the algorithms for the Tailwind system are tuned for driving, not walking. Walking may result in movement that is too slow for the auto-open / close to function properly. A brisk walk, jogging, or riding a bike would certainly be fast enough, but if you walk slowly it may not work.
When using an Android phone, you can choose any Bluetooth device your phone has been paired with to act as the "vehicle". You are basically telling the Tailwind system "if you see a connection to this bluetooth device, I want the auto-open / close to function according to the rules I have set up in the app for this bluetooth device". Motorcycle riders use their helmet headsets for this all the time.
As for modifying the phone settings, that is absolutely critical in Android. The reason is because the Android operating system stops apps from functioning in the background, and it also kills their access to the internet. So whether you use a Tailwind vehicle sensor, a vehicle bluetooth, or anything else, nothing can happen on Android unless you make the recommended phone setting changes because the Tailwind app will be stopped by the Android operating system shortly after you stop actively using it.
Comment actions
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
1 comment