Should I be putting my car's keyless fob in a Faraday cage?

It looks like it mostly happens at home, because it's a pretty large device used to steal the signal, so it's not like someone is going to sidle up to you in a grocery store to get it. Although I guess they could be sitting in a car near the entrance and steal it as you walk in, if they can do it as quickly as the article says.

At home, it's probably not a bad idea if you keep your car outside. Mine is in my garage, so they'd have to get in that as well, and I have Ring cameras looking out from my garage and on a tree looking back toward my garage. Not 100% thief-safe, but enough that they'd look for easier opportunities.

A secondary reason is if you leave you key in or very near the car, because apparently when you are that close the fob uses a lot more power and you will wear its battery down.
 
You could keep your key fob in a Faraday cage, which could be a closed tin box, an RFID blocking wallet/pouch that you can buy on Amazon or even a potato chip bag and a binder clip. However, if someone is nearby when you take the key out of the cage to use it, they could capture the signal. For example, a guy sitting in a car in the grocery parking lot can grab the signal when you pull up next to him. Perhaps the best method is to deactivate the key fob so that you have to push the button on the fob to unlock the car and touch the key the start button to start it.

This guy tells you how to do that.

 
Sadly the key fob deactivation is specific to Toyota/Lexus and not something that Ford offers :(

Supposedly there are some smaller interception . It's easy enough to get a Faraday device from Amazon. I'll test it when I get it.
 
RetMD21 said:
Sadly the key fob deactivation is specific to Toyota/Lexus and not something that Ford offers :(

Supposedly there are some smaller interception . It's easy enough to get a Faraday device from Amazon. I'll test it when I get it.
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I have a Faraday pouch from Amazon and it works great. When I am not using my keys they slip into the pouch and hang on the hook at the bottom of the stairs. When out and about, shopping and such, I don’t bother with the pouch.

I got the pouch when reading about a couple of folks on the same street in a town in England who had their cars stolen during the same night using this technique.
 
Any tin can will work as a faraday cage, like the old coffee/tea/cookie tins.

Whatever a person uses, I think you would be able to test it, by putting the key in the container, then holding the container, walk up to the car and see if it opens.
 
Why sweat this one? It is a no brainer.

Go ahead and get an inexpensive Faraday device from Amazon.

It will take you far less time and effort to order it on line from Amazon than it would to make a stolen vehicle report to the police! And deal with the resulting issues.

Just remember to use it...keep you keys in it every night.
 
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RetMD21 said:
Maybe I am just overly concerned.
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That would be my guess, unless you live in a bad neighborhood and drive a Bentley.

But if it bothers you, a small piece of aluminum foil wrapped around it will shield all emissions and cost essentially nothing.
 
Is your vehicle in the list in the top 10 stolen in your city or area? High end SUVs, Honda CRV's, Lexus, etc, high end pickups

Where we live they are stolen, driven into a container within hours of being stolen, sent to port and exported to countries like Saudi, Nigeria, etc. within days.

Thieves spot a popular vehicle, follow it home. If not security they return in the middle of the night and boost it. Gone in about three minutes flat. In some cases gone for good.

These are pros not joyriders. This is organized crime.
 
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Criminals have been stealing cars at night near us.
Since I have to park my van outside, I now remove the garage door opener from it, and use one of those steering wheel locks.

I have to push the button on my remote to open the car and it starts with old fashioned key, not the button, so I think I don't need a Faraday cage.
 
This is one thing I wouldn't worry about. That's what insurance is for in the very unlikely event it happens.
 
freedomatlast said:
This is one thing I wouldn't worry about. That's what insurance is for in the very unlikely event it happens.
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Insurance is a hassle to claim.

I'm not the pushy type that can badger the insurance company into giving me the largest payout anyone has ever gotten for a comparable theft. So I feel I'll lose money no matter what, at least a few thousand.

So I lock my car, just like I lock my front door, and windows, even if I have insurance on all of it.

Just trying to reduce the odds I'll be a victim, as I don't want to encourage thieves.
 
I don't worry much about signal-stealing thieves, but I do have a faraday pouch from Amazon that prevents my car from turning off and on as I walk around or while sleeping at night near the car. We stay in a room right over our car at one son's house. Nice for hotels if your room is close to the car.
 
I think maybe I just didn't understand the issue. I have a fob that stays in my pocket, but the car does nothing, including unlock, unless I'm within a few feet of it and I physically touch a certain spot on the door handle.
I can unlock it from several yards away by pressing a button on the fob, but I never do that.
Sounds like some cars will unlock/start if you just bring the fob near, and I've not heard of that feature.
 
I have one vehicle that stays outside. I keep my key fob in a pouch when home. I don’t give it much thought when I’m out running errands. My understanding is that thieves can pick up the signal from your fob if it’s close enough to your outside (like hanging up by the back door). They then somehow clone it or convince your vehicle that the fob is close to/inside the vehicle and off they go. Yes insurance would cover the theft but what a hassle that would be. Putting the fob in a pouch is no trouble at all and if it lowers your risk even a little, it’s worth the trouble. Pouches on Amazon are pretty inexpensive.

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Faraday-TICONN-Premium-Protector/dp/B07GDD35GH

It works. I put my fob in the pouch and the vehicle would not function (did not unlock the doors when I pushed the button on the door handle). Took it out and it worked fine.
 
braumeister said:
I think maybe I just didn't understand the issue. I have a fob that stays in my pocket, but the car does nothing, including unlock, unless I'm within a few feet of it and I physically touch a certain spot on the door handle.
I can unlock it from several yards away by pressing a button on the fob, but I never do that.
Sounds like some cars will unlock/start if you just bring the fob near, and I've not heard of that feature.
Click to expand...

Many newer cars have push button start, which only needs the fob (or replicated fob signal) in close proximity to be enabled.
 
GalaxyBoy said:
Meh. Doesn’t look much like a real worry to me.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/code-grabbers-remote-keyless-entry/

OTOH, I could just slip the fob under my tinfoil hat. :)
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A tin hat would help protect your key fob.

At the ending of the article, they describe how a $22 pair of devices can open a car, by a pair of criminals using the relay method.

Stand at front door, and relay the signal to the driveway, open door and start car, hop in and go.

"The attack essentially tricks both the car and real key into thinking they're in close proximity. One hacker holds a device a few feet from the victim's key, while a thief holds the other near the target car. The device near the car spoofs a signal from the key. That elicits a radio signal from the car's keyless entry system, which seeks a certain signal back from the key before it will open. Rather than try to crack that radio code, the hacker's devices instead copy it, then transmit it via radio from one of the hackers' devices to the other, and then to the key. Then they immediately transmit the key's response back along the chain, effectively telling the car that the key is in the driver's hand.

"The attack uses the two devices to extend the effective range of the key fob," "
 
RunningBum said:
Many newer cars have push button start, which only needs the fob (or replicated fob signal) in close proximity to be enabled.
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Our daughter has a VW id.3 and she doesn’t even have to press the start button. I have often driven it, and it is a bit strange to simply walk up to it, open the door with handle, get in, select Drive and set off. A double tap with the fingers on the inside of the door handle when opening the door will open all doors. Similarly, no need to press the start/stop button when you are finished, just press the park button, leave the car and touch the handle in a particular place to lock all doors.

The key fob also stops transmitting when it is left still for a few minutes, and reactivates when picked up.
 
Alan said:
Our daughter has a VW id.3 and she doesn’t even have to press the start button. I have often driven it, and it is a bit strange to simply walk up to it, open the door with handle, get in, select Drive and set off. A double tap with the fingers on the inside of the door handle when opening the door will open all doors. Similarly, no need to press the start/stop button when you are finished, just press the park button, leave the car and touch the handle in a particular place to lock all doors.
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Sounds normal to me! I don’t even have to select drive (it guesses based on surroundings). Walk away lock too.
 
audreyh1 said:
Sounds normal to me! I don’t even have to select drive (it guesses based on surroundings). Walk away lock too.
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Impressive. So if you are on the driveway facing the garage it automatically selects reverse?
 
Yes. If I’m in parking space with something in front of me, it goes into reverse, otherwise it assumes forward. Yes, it’s slick and rarely guesses wrong. This is an enabled feature.
 
audreyh1 said:
Yes. If I’m in parking space with something in front of me, it goes into reverse, otherwise it assumes forward. Yes, it’s slick and rarely guesses wrong. This is an enabled feature.
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Hope you are not parked in front of the garage when it does guess wrong :eek:

On the other hand I've done that once or twice, but caught it before impact. :blush:
 
Sunset said:
Hope you are not parked in front of the garage when it does guess wrong :eek:

On the other hand I've done that once or twice, but caught it before impact. :blush:
Click to expand...
Not likely, as it will detect an obstruction regardless.

The rare “guesses wrong” is when you could drive either direction from where you are parked. It can’t read your mind (yet).
 
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