2.07.2016

Thieves breaking into keyless entry cars, and how to prevent it

I live in Center City Philadelphia and over the past year or two my car has been broken into without any trace of forced entry. After doing some research it seems that there is a simple device thieves can use to amplify the signal from the key fob.

Normally when approaching a car such as a Toyota, and the key fob is on one's person, simply pulling the handle of the door is enough to initiate the unlocking sequence. This has to do with the car sensing the key fob's Radiofrequency right next to it.

It is speculated that thieves have an amplification device that fools the car into thinking the key is closer to the vehicle than it actually is, in my case the keys are actually inside my house.

Fortunately there is a physics principle to contain radio frequency waves called a Faraday Cage. It is constructed by using a non-conducting metal cage to entomb the RF emitting device. This picture demonstrates my take on the faraday cage, but a simple Google search will review other options that can be constructed at home. This one cost me about $12. I tested it by trying to open my car door with the keys inside those cookie tins, and it simply would not work, proving that the faraday cage locked up the signal.

My car has not been broken into since I started using this system six months ago.

1 comment:

Jason James said...

Superb post. I want to appreciate you for sharing, can you please also help me more by suggesting me the Best Car Key Making Company? as I have a bad habit of forgetting keys and because of that I have faced many problems, please let me know. Thanks :)