OT: Electronic coded car locks

N_Cook Inscribed thus:

This seems to be far more common than people think. I own a "Dagenham Dustbin" and can unlock my neighbours car with my zapper but he can't unlock mine !

And you can unlock many cars remotely using a mobile phone. If you have a spare zapper at home and get someone to operate that zapper close to their phone whilst holding your phone near the lock, it will open.

Ron

Ron Inscribed thus:

Mmm. I wasn't aware of that one ! I'll have to try that.

And the repair shop (garage) accidently programmed the car to the remote thinking they had broken it! No magic, just a typical repair shop mistake. Once they realized they had the wrong set of keys, then they forgot to reset the remote entry on the car.

A common urban legend... Try it, and report back your success. (Cell phones typically work in a different band than the car fob...)

It works, I`ve tried it

Ron

PeterD Inscribed thus:

Thanks ! I suspected something like that. I can hear the tweet from the zapper around 433.3Mhz on the 70cms rig.

Okay. Please name the car model, the cell phone model, and the remote control you used.

Vauxhall Zafira and Vauxhall Astra. My mobile was a Nokia, can`t remember the model, I haven't got it anymore, 3210 sound about right? I don't know what my sons mobile was. We tried it several times at various distances up to several hundred yards, well out of range of the cars keyfob which was indoors anyway. The 'remote control' as you put it was obviously the ones which came with the cars!

The same set up also resets the alarm of wife's Volvo 945 (has central locking but not remote, the keyfob justs disables the alarm)

I don't know how it works, but in some cases it does.

Ron(UK)

So let me get this straight. Someone somewhere else in the world uses a mobile phone to phone you. He uses a keyfob (to a car of the same make as yours) near his phone, in conversation mode, and you place your cell phone close to your car.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

No, it has to be the correct keyfob for the car - the spare one.

I don't know what maximum distance it works over - I doubt country to country but certainly for us it worked over maybe 250 yards - no reason it shouldn't be further unless repeaters affect it. We were on two different networks, so maybe not.

Ron

"N_Cook" wrote in news:hb7jnc$r3t$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

the car door remotes are 300 Mhz RF devices(and code-hopping),I don't see how that would transmit thru a cellphone.

Neither do I, but in my case it does work, I`ve proved it, and I was sceptical when I first heard of it. No doubt it doesnt work with all cars, but certainly with Vauxhalls. Try it for yourself.

Ron

Sounds like this is something to send to Mythbusters and let them try it out.

Either Mythbusters or a similar UK program disproved this a couple of years ago. Martin

Try it for yourself

various

as

phone

So what happens if you try a totally unmodified IR remote control near a cell/mobile? any break through. Nothing I should think but you never know. They sometimes break through into an AM radio if very nearby. I'm thinking of the situation of those non-so-called universal remotes , someone somewhere has an original maker's one and you have a learning mode one.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

I don't see why it should work, but strange things happen. the simple answer is, try it. Don't some mobiles have infra red data ports?

Ron

Well, take 8 bits for the lookahead off the 40 bit code, and you're left with 32 bits, which gives you a 1 in 4 billion chance, near enough, or having a code in common with another vehicle, if it uses the same protocol.

But you may park near several cars, and do so hundreds of times a year. and there are millions of other people doing the same, so the odds of someone encountering this are not so small.

Sylvia.