Compustar announced at KnowledgeFest this month that it will offer free DroneMobile X1 hardware bundled with its remote start remote control transmitters.
Previously, Compustar offered the DroneMobile as a separate module at a price of $199.
Now the company will sell a 2-way keyfob transmitter together with the DroneMobile module that allows consumers to remote start their car from a smartphone from virtually any distance, provided they have cell service. So the phone acts as the remote transmitter for remote start.
“Before we would sell a 2-way remote a with a backup 1-way remote that didn’t have two-way confirmation… How we’re positioning this is to say, ‘With these kits your backup remote is now your phone,'” said Compustar’s Justin Lee.
DroneMobile is now bundled with 12 different transmitters from Compustar, FTX, ArticStart, Compustar PRO and LT brands with a 30 day free trial for its monthly service fees.
“More and more customers have smartphones,” said Compustar’s Tanner Wilson. He noted that already, in most car audio shops, when someone comes in looking for a radio, one of the first questions the salesman asks is “What kind of smartphone do you own.” Now, their phone can more easily become the transmitter for their remote start.
The remote kits with DroneMobile start at $199, so the DroneMobile is basically free. Subscription fees after the 30-day trial start at $3.99 per month. Shipping begins in September.
