I also know enough to be dangerous and I think you are talking two completely different wireless technologies. A cell phone operates on broadband cell towers and that’s how it gets connected to the internet. That’s the same technology that the car is using to talk to the mobile cloud connected applications. A key FOB uses RFID to talk to something in the car listening (a required box with its own antenna) to interface with the car’s CAN bus system to start it.
While many TV shows and movies spoof how easy it is to clone a phone, I can’t see how someone could easily impersonate a cell tower and the various levels of secure encryption simply enough to be able to have a pocket sized device to start a car by impersonating the servers interacting with the mobile application. If mimicking a UVO app secure communication were an option that would likely be a hacking car thief’s favorite tool. Which brings you back to an RFID car start that can use the key FOB. Hackers might be able to recreate a key FOB. The 2020 doesn’t have RFID from Kia only the UVO paid option. The 2021 has the box that can talk over RFID and UVO option.
If
CarPlay (and likely an Android equivalent) becomes available with UVO, that could make expensive key FOBs obsolete. The replacement option could be a phone app that works with your car to identify an authorized driver by using other forms of authentication like fingerprints would make your car far less likely to be stolen as easily as someone stealing your key chain or cloning your FOB. Then you enter the possibilty of giving other people a temporary virtual key token to drive you car time limited and you have a ton of new possibilities without having to hand over the FOB. (Teen driver management, loaning the car without a FOB, turning the car in for temp service, valet, etc)
While it would be nice for Kia to give away an RFID remote system to all 2020 owners, I realistically don’t see that happening (maybe a heavily discounted less than $300 box?). Giving free UVO subscriptions is also highly unlikely because all the major similar services, Hyundai BlueLink, GM OnStar, Toyota Enform, Ford Sync, HondaLink, etc. are all subscription fee based with tiered services. Someone has to pay to light up that broadband signal over the cell towers. RFID is using a free open air radio frequency. THIS IS WHERE I THINK KIA
MISLED EARLY 2020 BUYERS, the early advertising showed Remote Start was included from the Kia FOB and then they changed their narrative to say it was free from UVO not initially clearly stating that it was free only for a limited time which is not the same as lifetime from the FOB. Maybe someone in marketing was reading a spec that said fee and they got excited and added a “r” to imply it was free? (J/K)
The simplest analogy is RFID remote start is like over the air TV, you need an antenna and a television. But if you want cable channels then you need to connect the television to a network and subscribe to a service package with a cable company and that is not free. In that respect the cable provider is similar to UVO and the cable in the ground connecting your house is the broadband service.
In this case, if Kia were a TV manufacturer they did not include an over the air antenna in their 2020 model but did in the 2021 model.