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According to the news today one way to deter vehicle thieves is to keep your keys in the fridge?

 

If I understand this right, apparently the steel casing of the fridge blocks the radio signal that the keys emit even when no button is pressed and prevents the use of a signal booster to open the cab doors?

 

I can't imagine that keeping the keys in the fridge would do the keys much good and if it is true and if it works what's wrong with keeping the keys in a lidded biscuit tin?

 

At least you would be able to find the keys when you wanted them!

 

Or is it false news, media hype or bovine excrement?

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This is an issue not so much for ordinary remote key fobs but for the keyless variety and, yes, keeping them in the fridge does stop an extender from extending the signal so that the vehicle thinks you are in close proximity.

 

They can also be kept in a microwave or a foil lined box or you can actually buy special pouches.

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I would strongly advise NOT to put keys in fridges for the following reasons -

1) Condensation will form on the electronics when you remove the key from the cold environment to warmer, more humid air. This will eventually cause corrosion of the electronics.

2) You will reduce the battery life (depending on the battery technology)

3) A normal domestic fridge will do very little to screen the RF signals from the keyfob in any case. The fridge door will not be electrically bonded to the case all around the perimeter and you will get large "gaps" or "slits" that will happily radiate the RF to the outside of the fridge. For a faraday case to work, you need an RF "seal" all around the perimeter of the box and its door. Your microwave will have a conductive gasket around its door to prevent microwaves leaking out that a fridge door won't have. For the technically minded, actually you only need to bond it every 1/20 of a wavelength so if your keyfob works at a few hundred megahertz or so, this will need bonding at least every 5cm. The material thickeness also has to be more than 10 skindepths to be an effective screen (this also depends on the frequency and conductivity of the box material).

Bottom line is don't use a fridge but if you are really paranoid, the microwave would be better (but don't switch it on!)

 

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tonyishuk - 2017-08-18 8:19 PM

 

Is true news!

 

A frozen battery makes the transponder inoperatable, so car cannot be entered or stolen. In time the damp also acts as a barrier to operation.

 

Can be a little awkward keeping the mhome keys in the mhome fridge.

 

Rgds

 

If a fridge was cold enough to disable the battery, the key wouldn't work on frosty mornings.

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John52 - 2017-08-19 9:37 AM

 

tonyishuk - 2017-08-18 8:19 PM

 

Is true news!

 

A frozen battery makes the transponder inoperatable, so car cannot be entered or stolen. In time the damp also acts as a barrier to operation.

 

Can be a little awkward keeping the mhome keys in the mhome fridge.

 

Rgds

 

If a fridge was cold enough to disable the battery, the key wouldn't work on frosty mornings.

 

Most people keep them in the house where it's (hopefully) much warmer. B-)

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Charles - 2017-08-19 3:31 PM

 

John52 - 2017-08-19 9:37 AM

 

tonyishuk - 2017-08-18 8:19 PM

 

Is true news!

 

A frozen battery makes the transponder inoperatable, so car cannot be entered or stolen. In time the damp also acts as a barrier to operation.

 

Can be a little awkward keeping the mhome keys in the mhome fridge.

 

Rgds

 

If a fridge was cold enough to disable the battery, the key wouldn't work on frosty mornings.

 

Most people keep them in the house where it's (hopefully) much warmer. B-)

 

And how do those who don't have their keys in a warm house start their cars if a fridge temperature (which is above freezing) is cold enough to stop the key working *-)

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  • 1 month later...
crocs - 2017-08-18 8:34 PM

 

This is an issue not so much for ordinary remote key fobs but for the keyless variety and, yes, keeping them in the fridge does stop an extender from extending the signal so that the vehicle thinks you are in close proximity.

 

They can also be kept in a microwave or a foil lined box or you can actually buy special pouches.

 

This is correct according to 'Rip Off Britain' BBC TV programme (series 9 episode 18 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b098nww3 )

Apparently Ford have said the keyless function can be disabled by a couple of clicks - solving this problem.

But crooks can get hold of dealer equipment which enables them to plug into the diagnostic socket under the dash and programme a key in a few seconds.

Hence car thefts are rising after many years of falling - and old fashioned steering locks are making a comeback.

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We have a car with keyless fob. The problem we had , on arriving home after 5 weeks away in van, was

Tried to open car door with fob, Not working, tried the second key, same problem. Needed to move car to get van on drive, in the rain late at night!. There is a key hidden in the fob, but never having used it before , we did not know how to get to it . The car book locked in car!! Having googled it , we found how to get to it. Opened the door with the key, pushed the button the car started first time. So was not a flat battery, as we thought it might be.

All this late at night , after a long ferry journey. Modern technology !! Sooner have a key that did the door and start the engine, personally

PJay

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Saw the program.

 

With keyless tags, the bad guys got between the key tag in the house and the car with a box of tricks and amplified,and replicated the signal so the car opened - and started. Putting the key tag in the fridge was one option so it couldn't send, - another to keep the tag in a biscuit tin lined with foil, - much better option in my opinion.

 

The more scary option was using a jammer, with remote locking, as you walk away and lock the car the bad guy is there jamming the signal so the car isn't actually locked. Doesn't help you start it but gets you in.

 

As for starting, they plug a laptop into the OBD port, once in, it's possible to take control of all manner of things including programming a new key to mate with the car, I know from my car OBD the tech can do all manner of things for test purposes - and presumably our vans are no different.

 

The counter is that if the OBD doesnt recognize your laptop and the software it will wipe everything, you will be going nowhere and there will be a big bill for a new ECU - or at least a re-load from the factory. This piece is something that worries me for those who load new mappings for their engines- could have implications.

 

Then there is the "hard" method, for those who leave their keys in the hall, - a piece of wire through the letter box, - or for the 5 seconds you leave the door open and head for the bins, - or as a friend had, they got slightly pickled and crashed out but left a window open - it was about 30C outside, they never heard a thing but the car and keys were gone.

 

For those with a tracker, - the vehicle is taken by "minors" - it's left somewhere for a week or so to "cool", - if it's discovered then no big deal, - only then do the big guys come come and collect it. Happened my friends motorcycle, the Police got it from it's cooling off spot via monitoring the tracker.

 

The endless battle between the would be thief and the vehicles - getting more technical.

 

 

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Tall_Mike - 2017-10-13 10:33 AM

The more scary option was using a jammer, with remote locking, as you walk away and lock the car the bad guy is there jamming the signal so the car isn't actually locked. Doesn't help you start it but gets you in.

 

Yeah I wondered about that because when I press the key to lock the van it doesn't always work (too far away/something in the way of the signal/whatever). So its advisable to check the hazard lights flash showing its locked. Hopefully the hazard lights would not flash if the signal was being jammed? - so you would know its not locked?

 

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John52 - 2017-10-13 2:41 PM

 

Tall_Mike - 2017-10-13 10:33 AM

The more scary option was using a jammer, with remote locking, as you walk away and lock the car the bad guy is there jamming the signal so the car isn't actually locked. Doesn't help you start it but gets you in.

 

Yeah I wondered about that because when I press the key to lock the van it doesn't always work (too far away/something in the way of the signal/whatever). So its advisable to check the hazard lights flash showing its locked. Hopefully the hazard lights would not flash if the signal was being jammed? - so you would know its not locked?

 

A faulty electrical device in the area can interfere with locking. We got OFCOM to solve our problem and it turned out to be that a neighbour had a duff TV signal booster. But even something like a wireless door bell can do it.

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. But even something like a wireless door bell can do it.

 

Interesting that one

 

In the past we had a problem with the wireless door bell ringing, and it was not our door. Never did find out whose it was, we just changed our bell

PJay

 

Sorry nothing to do with keys I Know

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