Start your Car by sending a text message..!

Do you have an iPhone with you?

This DIYer had a 1st generation iPhone lying around, so he decided to put it to good use. You can use any phone to accomplish this, even a $10 prepaid phone. An SMS to the iPhone goes through an Arduino which tells yours car to start or stop from anywhere. There’s some custom circuitry and programming which is all included in the instructions. When a text message is sent to the iPhone, the iPhone tells the Arduino to start the engine, and the iPhone sends a message back reporting that the start has commenced. Let us check out how to make it on your own.

When the Chevy Volt is finally available, you’ll be able to start your car via your cell phone (if you have a spare $40K). However, you can easily make your own car starter from a $10 disposable cell phone and a few bits and bobs for around $10. If you’re super lazy, you could use it to start your car in the morning so its all warmed up when you leave the house.

This is the same technique used to launch fireworks with your cell phone. Instead of turning on the vibrate motor when someone calls, your car will start instead. The phone can be kept charged by hooking it up to the cigarette lighter of your car (you can do this from behind the dashboard if you want it to be discreet). You can also set alarms via your phone’s calendar.