The Pros And Cons Of Digital Car Keys
Digital car keys promise a lot but can carry a lot of risks. Knowing the pros and cons can help your customers to decide which is the better option. Today we look at both, and give our expert verdict.
Digital car keys promise a lot but can carry a lot of risks. Knowing the pros and cons can help your customers to decide which is the better option. Today we look at both, and give our expert verdict.
Originally invented in the 1980s, car key transponder chips had become standard by the 2000s. This may sound like ancient tech, but in a digital world full of cybersecurity threats, that’s sometimes the best line of defence. Here’s why car transponder chips are more important than ever.
In 2024, a car key isn’t simply a car key anymore. With software and hardware changes transforming the landscape of the industry, many key fobs now include sophisticated control and security features, which require equally sophisticated tools and software to provide an efficient service.
One of the most popular tools among automotive locksmiths and diagnostic garages is the TDB1000 platform. The TBD1000 car diagnostic tool is an advanced key programming device designed to program a variety of transponder keys, proximity system keys and remote control keys, and can also read security pin codes.
Unlike old fashioned car keys, digital car key fobs prevent unauthorised access to vehicles through a series of unique codes that communicate securely with a vehicle’s immobiliser system. These are often encrypted ‘rolling codes’, which change with each use to thwart hacking attempts. This makes it impossible for a would-be thief to use an intercepted code – using some kind of wireless tracking device – to access a vehicle without the owner’s knowledge, and extremely difficult for a working key to be duplicated should it be stolen.
Automotive security is a complex and evolving field, as each innovation in security technology is matched by various attempts by criminals to counteract and bypass vehicle safeguards. The TDB1000 key programming device is the most efficient and secure security solution on the market, helping to differentiate your garage as a provider of cutting-edge security technology, and giving your customers maximum peace of mind.
Losing car keys can be an incredibly frustrating experience, particularly if the spares are also missing or the motorist is too far from home to retrieve them. Yet it’s a problem that affects many car owners every year: according to research conducted by the RAC, more than two million drivers have admitted to permanently losing their keys, with the majority having no idea where.
As the younger generations become the main drivers on the UK’s roads, fewer motorists will recall the simple flat blades that, until the 1990s, were common across all makes and models of cars. Made from metal and featuring distinctive ridges and grooves that matched the locking mechanisms on the vehicle, these primitive keys were easy to duplicate but, conversely, easy to steal.
Advances in vehicle security have significantly reduced the number of car thefts in the UK in the last 30 years, but car crime is a persistent problem that hasn’t gone away.
When a customer loses their car keys, inconvenience is unavoidable, particularly if they are away from home and, therefore, not within reach of the spares. However, the consequences aren’t limited to disrupted routines, particularly as modern car keys and fobs are equipped with advanced security features that make it challenging to duplicate a lost key.
Before electronic car keys were a thing, flat-bladed keys were the norm and, not coincidentally, rates of vehicle theft were alarmingly high. These keys could be easily duplicated for only a few pounds on the high street, allowing criminals to open and start virtually any car.