Faraday pouches yay/nay

Dangermouse

Dangermouse

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There seems to be lots of cars being nicked by scumbags using tech to get codes, the best solution seems to be the Faraday pouches (100s on Amazon)

Has anyone got one and are they a good buy to protect your keyless car, or are they just a gimmick.
 
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Dangermouse said:
There seems to be lots of cars being nicked by scumbags using tech to get codes, the best solution seems to be the Faraday pouches (100s on Amazon)

Has anyone got one and are they a good buy to protect your keyless car, or are they just a gimmick.
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I can see how Faraday cages/pouches or just an ordinary metal tin would ensure the risk of key 'cloning' is reduced.

But and for fear of stating the obvious......on my 69 plate Kuga I set it so that keyless entry is turned off i.e. I have to press the button on the key. This setup means that the car is not actively 'scanning' for keys in entry proximity.
 
So my car which needs a button press to gain entry but once in will start on a button does not need a faraday pouch then, that's put my mind at ease.
 
Dangermouse said:
So my car which needs a button press to gain entry but once in will start on a button does not need a faraday pouch then, that's put my mind at ease.
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That broadly is my understanding.....

AFAIK it is the plethora of 'full' keyless entry where the key is actively transmitting (none too sure if they transmit only once 'challenged' by an interrogatory pulse or not) from the car or the likes of the cloning technology. But when I got the Kuga the door was unlocked by the time I reached the door handle.

And though I thought that was a convenience, I read of the risks of cloning so disabled it in the car controls.........that is why I surmise the car sends out a pulse (all the time?) to know the key is nearby and does not need a key press.

The unknown aspect for keys like mine(and yours?) is whether they can be cloned but by the nature of the system a different pulse is used when the open car button is pressed, compared to the keyless entry pulse/signal ???
 
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Thinking about it I do think you are correct BoxBrownie I do believe my key only transmits when a button is pressed, so wont give the code away if not being used/pressed, once in the car that's a different matter as it needs the key within a certain distance for the car to be started, Range Rover Evoque, which is why I am asking, they do seem to be disappearing rapidly around here and I really want to keep mine, mine, it does have a tracker and steering lock, but if it did go bye bye, I wouldn't want it back sadly seeing what the insurance did to my daughter after hers went missing.
 
I say yes, just in case.
I also use a steering lock.
 
I have a Stoplock pro Peter but will look into a Faraday cage to drop the keys in once home, just in case.
 
Dangermouse said:
I have a Stoplock pro Peter but will look into a Faraday cage to drop the keys in once home, just in case.
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If you have a small metal biscuit tin with lid........IMO no need to buy a Faraday cage/pouch.
 
Range rovers seem to be the no. 1 choice for stealing.
I don't own one.
 
Premium cars have been targeted for years, to disassemble and sent parts to Africa. Strangely, it is now small hatchbacks that are also being targeted for parts to sell closer to home.

My car has keyless entry (proximity sensing) for the boot, but button press for the other doors. Unfortunately I discovered the problem with this when I had two laptops and two camera bags stolen from the boot while I was not far from it but preoccupied with paying for things at a service station. I don't believe I can disable the proximity thing for the boot door (estate car), so I now keep everything of any value on the back seat and covered, which rather defeats the object of having a big boot.
 
lindsay said:
Premium cars have been targeted for years, to disassemble and sent parts to Africa. Strangely, it is now small hatchbacks that are also being targeted for parts to sell closer to home.

My car has keyless entry (proximity sensing) for the boot, but button press for the other doors. Unfortunately I discovered the problem with this when I had two laptops and two camera bags stolen from the boot while I was not far from it but preoccupied with paying for things at a service station. I don't believe I can disable the proximity thing for the boot door (estate car), so I now keep everything of any value on the back seat and covered, which rather defeats the object of having a big boot.
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I am staggered that the keyless entry for the load area cannot be disabled....... that seems a mad oversight by the manufacturer. Can I ask the make &model variant as I would like to look it up as well, if asked, tell folks to avoid that one!!!
 
lindsay said:
Mazda 6 estate (2019)
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Have you asked the dealers? They may be able to reprogram it , if it's not in the user menu.
My Suzuki has options for unlocking drivers only or all doors.
 
I did ask at the time but they acted dumb. I may dig a little deeper now I've been reminded..

Re the pouches, a sweet tin or tinfoil work, I'm told. Get a tin of Kendal Mint Cake from Cotswold Outdoors for £6, eat the mint cake and have a free tin!
 
Better still, pull the fuse and use the emergancy key ;) :exit:
 
lindsay said:
Mazda 6 estate (2019)
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I have looked at the web & pdf versions of the manual.

There is nothing I could find out about disabling the keyless aerial zones. The zones are quite short range but in this era of key cloning crime you would think that Mazda would provide a user choice option of keyless.

In your shoes I might be writing to Mazda UK asking for their answers on the subject and tell them that the dealer does not know or will not tell me how to change this setting!
 
The Kendal mint cake method sounds reeeeely good, in fact I am munching some right now, the tin is very thin though...............LOL

My keys are in that, but it doesn't close
 

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lindsay said:
I did ask at the time but they acted dumb. I may dig a little deeper now I've been reminded..

Re the pouches, a sweet tin or tinfoil work, I'm told. Get a tin of Kendal Mint Cake from Cotswold Outdoors for £6, eat the mint cake and have a free tin!
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We have a faraday pouch, dunno if it works or not.
SO puts it in the bottom draw of the ****** oven....belt and braces stylee.
I'd love a mint cake tin instead of shifting 8 tea towels, bending down to mouse height on the kitchen floor and rummaging through pans, trays and cake stands for a bag of keys.
I suspect though, a cake tin would have cake put in it and the silly key debacle would continue...:mad:
 
If the mint cake tin doesn't work, a tin of barley sugar boiled sweets should do the trick!
 
I’ve also read somewhere that storing the keys in your microwave is just as effective.
 
Yep,
I use faraday pouch's for both keyless keys and also credit/debit cards.
I regularly check the key pouch by trying to start the car with the key in the pouch. In the last 4 years I've had one failure so hence the regular check
 
I use a Golden Syrup tin to keep the key in at home.

I tested it when I first got the car and it works perfectly, I can stand next to the car holding the tin and the keyless entry does not work.

Personally I never would have chose keyless entry, but buying second hand you get less choice. A design that fixes a problem that didn't previously exist and creates other problems in the process.
 
Our car has keyless entry and we have Faraday cages(or more correctly pouches).

If the key is in the pouch the car will not open when I approach.

If what I have read is correct the 'key' transmits a signal and thieves can access it and clone the 'key', if they are relatively close to the 'key'.

I've read it is a good idea not to leave the 'key' close to the front of the house as it might be in the range of thieves, but I have no idea if this is really a problem.

Dave
 
A couple of random pieces of information.....

1. Some people have found out to their cost that the drawer by the front door where they keep their keys is actually within range of their car on the drive. So without a blocking device they can accidentally leave their car unlocked (and sometimes driveable). I simple solution might be to line the drawer with tinfoil. Tinfoil reduces the range a lot - not as much as a faraday device but way cheaper.

2. A few years ago, I saw a proof of concept video done by an insurance firm. It was set up but the tech existed. They showed a driver leave his vehicle at a park and ride. As he got on the bus, somebody passed near him with a bag which contained a scanner and transmitter. This enabled the thief's colleague to open the car which was a couple of hundred metres away. I don't know the details of the tech and it's likely it has been improved since then but at the time this was real.

Personally, having mocked it until I tried it, I love "keyless" entry. I walk up to the car, it unlocks and presents the handles, I get in and drive off. When I arrive at my destination I get out and walk away and it locks itself. But I'd be careful where I did this - also Tesla use a different tech from most firms with a shorter range. I can be pretty much touching the car from the back before it unlocks.
 
I have to be within a metre of the sensor in the door to be opened for the keyless thing to work. Keys stay in my pocket which is far enough away from the car and the ground to make it difficult for anyone to remotely read them. A single thickness of kitchen foil round the key stops the keyless thing from working and also blocks the signal when the buttons are pressed.
 
I've had a keyless car for 20 years now and wouldn't do without one. Most modern cars are keyless and some are touchless too.

I know on new fords the keys stop transmitting when left completely still after a short period of time.

Do Faraday pouches work, that's a simple yes. Will a closed tin box work, again yes.
 
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If you press & hold both buttons (for a few seconds) on my car key fobs they go to sleep and keyless entry doesn't work until you press a fob button again.
 
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