A system implemented in a vehicle, the system comprises a sensing module, a zone determination module, and an intent determination module. The sensing module is configured to sense a signal from a mobile device proximate to the vehicle. The zone determination module is configured to determine locations of the mobile device in a plurality of zones around the vehicle based on the signal. A sequence of the locations indicates movement of the mobile device in the plurality of zones. The intent determination module is configured to select weights according to a set of rules to apply to successive locations in the sequence, determine an intent indicator of whether a person carrying the mobile device intends to enter the vehicle by applying the selected weights to the successive locations in the sequence, and generate an output to perform one or more operations in the vehicle based on the intent indicator.