A car key box is an anti-theft cage that blocks RFID (Radio-frequency identification) and electromagnetic fields. Some also call it a faraday key holder and is extremely useful for protecting your vehicle. The box has a metal lining which is responsible for stopping the radio wave signals from spreading and keeps your car protected.
We all want to have a pleasant dinner with our family or have fun with our friends in the evening, but nobody wants extra stress instead of being happy. The problem is neither time management nor money. The biggest challenge here is security. To be more precise, security of our vehicles. Imagine you are having an amazing time with your loved ones at night, suddenly you look through the window but can’t locate your car. This is exactly what happens in most cases. Thieves hack your key fob, steal your vehicle and drive it away without leaving any signs.
Do you think that you want to try creating your very own car keys safe? Fortunately, you can easily make it by combining a box, a metal lining and tin foil. However, the actual product is so cheap (the price is usually around $15) that there is no point in making a new one and wasting your precious time.
What is a relay attack?
Relay attack is copying the signal from your key fob and stealing your vehicles using a cheap device. Hackers take advantage of cars’ new features and break in to a car with a simple signal extender. As technologies are developing every manufacturer tries to make their products more appealing to the customers. Hence, they are adding new features to increase comfort and make your drive even more amusing.
The new technology that is widely used nowadays is Keyless Go. It combines keyless entry (remote entry blogpost) as well as keyless ignition functions. A keyless entry system helps you unlock the whole vehicle by touching the special button on the door. The specifications may vary from one car manufacturer to another. In some cars, you can activate the remote entry system with a single touch on the sensor. It is on the door handle, while others may have a button near the door.
The most important part of the keyless entry system is that you can open your lovely car without even touching or holding your key fob in your hands. On the other hand, Keyless ignition is responsible for starting an engine without placing a key fob. All you need to make both functions workable is to have your key fob in a pocket and stay in range.
Without a car key signal blocking box as much as it sounds fun and relaxing, it also possesses risks. New cars are easy targets for thieves. Two or more people use the tool – key fob signal amplifier (signal amplifier blogpost link). It consists of two parts, one extends the signal range, while another receives the radio magnetic waves.
So, relay theft requires at least two people. One person tries to stand near your key fob to receive the signal from your keys, then extends it with an amplifier. While the other hacker stands next to your vehicle with the device (receiver) in his hands waiting for the signal. As soon as he receives the proper signal, they can unlock the car and even drive it away. This whole process happens within 10 seconds. So, you don’t have enough time to react and before you realize it, your car is already stolen.
What are the advantages of a car key box?
As the protection of your vehicle is becoming more challenging, the car key protection box is more common in practice. It has several advantages that make it appealing to customers:
- Easy to use – using this signal blocking box, you need to put the keys inside the lock box. Just make sure that it is well-locked and your key fob is safe.
- Lock – even though every box has its unique locking system, most of them use a 4-digit code that has 10 000 possible answers. Cracking this password and detecting this one exact combination sounds impossible. However, using a simple program even a beginner can find the correct password. Plus, if they cannot detect the right code, anyone can smash the lock physically within seconds.
- Capacity – maybe it is not the strongest part of this device, but it has the space for 2-6 car keys. Therefore, you don’t need to buy several boxes for your vehicles. But take into consideration that the larger a box is, the more space it will take in your house.
- Price – when it comes to buying a gadget, we all look at the price tag. In the case of the key holder, it is not a big issue. as the prices of a box start from as low as $20 and vary depending on the design, manufacturer and the mechanism. If you consider the fact, that even this lock can be easily cracked or physically smashed by a completely beginner thief, maybe even $20 sounds little bit too expensive.
- Variety – one of the top characteristics of the car key boxes is its variety. There are all types of protection safes available to meet your taste. You will find standing, safe shape or wall mounted versions. You can choose the one that meets your expectations the most. However, if the lock can’t do its one and the only function – to protect the object, variety of the product doesn’t make it worthy of any amount.
Disadvantages of car key box
As everything has advantages, it has its disadvantages as well. Of course, it is great to be sure that your key fob and the care are safe, you are not in danger and you can sleep calmly at night. However, car manufacturers always try to make our life more comfortable and car keys safe doesn’t really make it possible. Once you lock your vehicle you need to always put your keys into the protection box. Also set the pin on the key holder every time to be safe from hackers. This means you should always put an extra effort after your driving to feel safe and this was not the goal of car producers at all. Moreover, you need additional space for the box and for the people who don’t like having extra objects on the surface or on a wall, this will not be an option anymore.
In addition, you, of course, should pay the price to get the car key signal blocking box, but it does not guarantee your security. Even if you have the best key holder you should never forget to put a fob in it, otherwise, your anti-theft tool will be useless. Therefore, you have to buy the faraday protection box, always remember to put the keys inside and in case even once you forget to do so, someone might steal your vehicle in a split of seconds.
Secure FOB – the best solution
A Secure FOB is a small cheap that is fixed around the battery inside the key fob and activates only when you are in motion. Its highly advanced technology guarantees 100% security for your vehicles. The Secure FOB has special motion sensors that continue transmitting radio signals when it detects motion. Otherwise, it blocks all kinds of magnetic waves from spreading. As it doesn’t let the key fob emit any signals, there is practically no chance for hackers (thieves) to interfere with your keys and unlock your car. For example, while you are sleeping or having lunch your key fob is not in motion and it will not transmit signals unless you move the fob. It allows you to rest happy in the knowledge that your vehicle is protected.
Furthermore, the Secure FOB helps the battery to live longer. The main reason for this is that it does not require the fob to be working and transmitting signals constantly. If you know how to change the battery of the key, you will easily install the chip on your own. You can learn how to install Secure FOB without any extra effort.
Most importantly, compared to a car key protection box, the Secure FOB does NOT limit you in comfort. You can fully enjoy the newest features of your car, remote entry or Keyless Go systems and maintain full security at the same time. You need to find out all about keyless protection as this technology is considered to be the best and the most comfortable option for customers. Are you interested in this device? This product is available online. You can always purchase the Secure FOB online from the official website and guarantee the security of your car.
Takeaway
The car key box is an anti-theft key holder that prevents magnetic signals from escaping outside of the box. It is one of the options for our vehicles’ security, however, it has several flaws and requires sacrificing your comfort for the sake of safety. The Secure FOB is the best and most innovative way to respond to modern challenges in a technological era. It maintains your comfort and keeps vehicles safe, so you don’t need to say no to your newest features. And fortunately for all of us, it is available online and you can order one for yourself anytime.