Patent ID: 7944340

Claim:
A system for remote activation of a device, the system comprising: a remote unit comprising a transceiver for transmitting a pilot signal for use in determining a range of the remote unit from the device, wherein the pilot signal lacks a command for activation of the device, receiving a signal indicative of a range from the device, and transmitting a command signal according to one of a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol comprises a first data rate and the second transmission protocol comprises a second data rate different from the first data rate, and a controller for comparing the range to a threshold, selecting the first transmission protocol for use in transmitting a command signal when the range exceeds the threshold, and selecting the second transmission protocol for use in transmitting a command signal when the range fails to exceed the threshold, wherein the controller compares the range to a threshold and selects one of the first and second transmission protocols for an initial command signal transmission following a user input to the remote unit.