One way thieves can nick your car is to stand beside it with a powerful radio-amplifier receiver-transmitter gadget, then press the door-open button. Car sends out a tiny radio signal, and expects a tiny response back from feeble fob which must therefore be a few feet away so it must be the owner + fob standing there. However the radio booster amplifies this signal, broadcasts it 50m into your house, picks up the incredibly faint response from your fob and boosts that to local-strength level, whereupon the car door opens. Similar trick to start it, and once a car's started it stays running, even if the fob disappears - safety to prevent the car stalling if fob battery dies while you drive.

So the Faraday pouch acts as a radio-shield around the fob, and you need both fobs safely enclosed.

I bought a cheap £5 one on eBay, it worked for maybe a year but the metal foil eventually failed where the cover-flap folds over. So you need to check they're still working on a regular basis. The slightest damage to the mesh seems to let the radio signal through! Or get a solid-aluminium case style one, that should last forever.

 

Thank you for your erudite (I have been waiting to use that word for a while!) response. Have you encountered any unwanted battery drain whilst the key has been in the 'cage'? I have heard reports of this when key gobs have been kept in faraday cages. I am still going to get one though, probably the box.

 

Yes, I've happily used them.

Do you, like me (I'm old) still feel safer by manually checking your car door is actually locked by giving the handle a tug? Well, you can't do that with keyless entry, unless of course you stick the fob into a faraday bag first! And then the debate gets circular because if you stick your fob in a faraday bag, your car is no longer keyless entry. Anyway, it is what it is. 😀 I use them to keep them safe while indoors.

 

Do you, like me (I'm old) still feel safer by manually checking your car door is actually locked by giving the handle a tug? Well, you can't do that with keyless entry, unless of course you stick the fob into a faraday bag first! And then the debate gets circular because if you stick your fob in a faraday bag, your car is no longer keyless entry. Anyway, it is what it is. 😀 I use them to keep them safe while indoors.

I can tell when the Kona is locked because it folds in the mirrors. Also you can give the handle a tug as long as you don't also push the button.

 

Some fobs go to sleep these days and only wake when moved.
Fir mine I have to sometimes move more than is usual to wake it or press the button.

However, I got a nice Faraday box which sits on the mantle so now I know where my keys are, usually.

Gaz

 

Steering lock... A visual deterrent before they start trying to get at your key

 

Steering lock...

I wouldn't bother.
A thief with a key code scanner will be able to defeat a steering lock in less than a minute.

 

Buy a small tin full of posh shortbread, then eat it (the shortbread, not the tin).
Get a dot punch (a nail will do) and tap 2 or 3 pips into the edge of the lid on each side, so they press into the surface around the top of the tin so there is electrical contact all the way round between the lid and tin.
Works fine, and doesn't deteriorate - and if it does, well you'll need to eat a tin of posh shortbread biscuits again, but I'm sure you're up to the challenge.

 

Wow! That's a pretty cool hack

 

I bought a pair from Amazon. There's an inner protected pouch and a sort of outer one which isn't stopping RF, so I always have the key in the pouch. When I want to use the car I move the fob to the unprotected side - the pouch then slips into jeans pockets and protects that rather expensive key from harm. When I get back home the key moves back to the protected part. There was a small chain inside the bag for the idea of attaching keys, but I cut it out as I thought the chain was more likely to scratch the fob and perhaps tear/damage the faraday liner.
The pack of two was perfect for the pair of keys for me and my partner. We sometimes joke "cabin doors to manual" when we get home, meaning: move the fob into the protected part so the car door doesn't automatically unlock if we press a door button.
My Amazon-sourced Faraday pouch twin pack It's been working fine for approaching a year.

 

Love the idea of the outer pouch, I can stick my Apple Air Tag in there

 

Relay thefts are usually conducted by two scumbags. One with a receiver gadget who stands next to the target vehicle, the other scumbag then approaches the front door with the ‘transmitter/ booster’ that relays the signal from inside the house.

Whilst my spare lives permanently in a faraday pouch, I always have my ‘active’ fob with me in the back bedroom at night.

However, near to the front door, I keep an unrelated keyless entry fob, the theory being that the relatively weak signal from my real fob would be drowned out by the strong signal from the fake.

Of course, I have no way to test if my theory is sound, but given that the real fob doesn’t work very well if placed in close proximity to my iPhone, it should do the trick.

 

However, near to the front door, I keep an unrelated keyless entry fob, the theory being that the relatively weak signal from my real fob would be drowned out by the strong signal from the fake.

Now this is extremely clever....if it works of course!

 

Sadly many cars are STILL vulnerable to relay attack despite it being simple for the manufacturers to fit a motion sensor in the key. I use a Faraday pouch for the Zoe (previously Ampera) and it worked once I understood how to put the key in it correctly (It goes inside the silver lining)

 

Amazon.co.uk

I got these recently 2 pouches for a set of keys each for me and the wife and then a box to put them both in when at home so double protection,cheap and they work.

 

So not this?

 

I wouldn't bother. There are far more things to worry about than people steeling your car keycode. Can it happen? Sure... but how many people do you know that have had their car stolen or things stolen from it as a result of this? If you are worried by that then please... don't leave your NFC or Bluetooth active on your mobile. People could do all sorts of things like stealing your money as they walk by. It does happen but so rarely that I am not at all bothered by it.

 

Also, if trying to prevent this means the scumbags then break into your house to steal the actual keys that seems a bad bad idea.

As long as you have both keys insurance Co will pay out

 

That is by far the better option IMO. Not many people would break into a house, if the house is properly secured at night, to steal car keys to take the car. Don't keep your keys in the obvious places (by the door, in a key box etc) and they would have to go through everywhere in your house to get the keys. Just make it difficult to find them and they then either use a scanner or go away empty-handed.

On the point of insurance... you do not need to put your keys into a faraday bag to be insured. It is truly unnecessary IMO on all counts. BTW, I do have one. I bought it out of a fit of sensibleness one day after seeing the idea somewhere online. It was cheap enough. But once I got it and realised the folly of having to put the key into a bag each night instead of just leaving it on my keyring, I never used it. My guess is that the vast majority of people buy these, may be use them for a short while, but then get fed up and never use them again.

 

The BMW ones switch off after a few minutes of not moving, side benefit, the follow home and external door lights come on when they notice the key move, so whenever instep outside they are on so I don't step in puddles 😊

But I'm with others, would rather they nick the car than break into the house and possibly cause bodily harm if they do. Why we all pay insurance after all, touch wood will never need it, but hey...

 

But I'm with others, would rather they nick the car than break into the house and possibly cause bodily harm if they do. Why we all pay insurance after all, touch wood will never need it, but hey...

A faraday pouch reduces chance of theft substantially as most won't break in the house, but move on to another easier opportunity. It is fine saying we all have insurance, but I prefer to minimise the risk as it is a lot of hassle (and likely to increase my premium) if my car is stolen, especially by relay attack. In unlikeIy event they break in to steal our Zoe key, we leave it easy to find so should not need to resort to threats, etc.

Some news here

Stolen vehicle recovery rates plummet to 28% as insurers pay out £1.44bn | Auto Express

Only 28 per cent of stolen vehicles in 2021 were recovered, down from 80% in 2006

www.autoexpress.co.uk

 

Another +1 for a couple of pouches. Had them from my last car too so the usage is now ingrained. I can hold the punch next to the car and it still won't pick it up, so happy to know I'll be very unlikely to get hit with a repeater attack when it's in the other side of the house to the car.

 

We both use Faraday bags
Have done for years, so its second nature now, not the faff it appeared at first
£10 the pair off flea bay

Will it stop the car getting nicked?? Dunno, probably not, but my head is minutely less concerned about it

I also lick the front door of my house when i go out, but I suppose if they really want to nick the Art treasures…they will get in anyway

 

I also lick the front door of my house when i go out, but I suppose if they really want to nick the Art treasures…they will get in anyway

I know it is a spelling mistake, but I just hope you meant it.....

 

Heree's a DIY Faraday pouch.

 

Pukka!

Gaz

 

My car is garaged when at home and I have insurance for theft - Insurance doesn't cover everything since they use a depreciation schema very favorable to themselves but its much cheaper than a self defense attorney.
However, even though I live in a very liberal state it still has relatively strong laws against forcible entry to an occupied dwelling. Those laws are an affirmative defense that state the occupant can lawfully assume person entering intends death or serious bodily injury, giving the occupant the freedom to defend with reasonable deadly force.
In many areas this is enough to make a car thief move on to easier pickings.

More likely is getting attacked on your way out of your house by the thief in order to get your keys (and cell phone to slow down police response). That situation is bad in my state as you have a duty to retreat (you must assume a reasonable risk to retreat before using like force to defend).

Unfortunately we are talking about serious injuries over simple property however, the people willing to take that property care less about your life than their effort to take your property.

 

My car is garaged when at home and I have insurance for theft - Insurance doesn't cover everything since they use a depreciation schema very favorable to themselves but its much cheaper than a self defense attorney.
However, even though I live in a very liberal state it still has relatively strong laws against forcible entry to an occupied dwelling. Those laws are an affirmative defense that state the occupant can lawfully assume person entering intends death or serious bodily injury, giving the occupant the freedom to defend with reasonable deadly force.
In many areas this is enough to make a car thief move on to easier pickings.

More likely is getting attacked on your way out of your house by the thief in order to get your keys (and cell phone to slow down police response). That situation is bad in my state as you have a duty to retreat (you must assume a reasonable risk to retreat before using like force to defend).

Unfortunately we are talking about serious injuries over simple property however, the people willing to take that property care less about your life than their effort to take your property.

Last time I got locked up in Belmarsh it was for removing the hand of a thief.
If only we were allowed to blast them with an AK, sadly we have to use rusty, blunt knives or hammers. Even then the law comes down on the side of the criminal.
In the UK we can't even secure our property in a way that might cause a thieving scumbag injury.

Gaz

 

I use a tea tin (with hinges, so it is easy to open and close), works perfectly. Any box made of metal should work.

 

How can you test it works sufficiently well?

Gaz

 

so…..do you have a Faraday bag ( asking for a friend) ?

 

It's not all black and white.

 

If you're lazy and have £150 spare you can buy a key fob protector:

https://www.hard-off-security.com/product/hard-off-fob-protector-relay-hacking-blocker/

I don't know why this tech isn't incorporated in all the keys, especially as EVs are so expensive!

 

The Fobs for my car have that function built in.
There must be many more cars that have this as Vauxhall are tight as hell it's unlikely they are the only ones.

Of course, there's no easy way to detect if it's actually working apart from leaving the fob in range of the car then trying to unlock the car without touching the fob which isn't practical for most people. However, I have found moving like a ninja the fob doesn't always wake itself up and keyless entry doesn't always operate.

That said, the habit of keeping the keys in a box or pouch which is always kept in the same place has its advantages even if technically there's no need to.

Gaz