[50ShadesOfGrey]

Hey y’all ..

Does anyone use a faraday bag or pouch for their key fob, they’re designed to prevent hackers from stealing cars by cloning or forwarding the signal between the fob and the car…the signal that opens the door.

If so, which brand do you use or would you use for a 2023 X1 fob?

Thanks in advance for your input.

[bluecrabby]

Originally Posted by 50ShadesOfGrey

Hey y’all ..

Does anyone use a faraday bag or pouch for their key fob, they’re designed to prevent hackers from stealing cars by cloning or forwarding the signal between the fob and the car…the signal that opens the door.

If so, which brand do you use or would you use for a 2023 X1 fob?

Thanks in advance for your input.

on my Mercedes, I have a kill switch under the dash and it cuts off the fuel pump relay.(with a safety bypass so once the engine is started, the switch no longer works, to prevent accidentally turning of the fuel pump while the engine is already running) Not a very elegant solution because it was installed a couple of years ago.

a more permanent solution is to have immobilizer installed.... like the IGLA system on this BMW X7:

[BMWZ4]

You don't need the pouch. Assuming your vehicle is not parked in a garage, just leave the fob a fair distance away from the vehicle. My wife parks hers outside and leave her fob in her purse which is usually in the kitchen area, about 40ft from the driveway. Zero issues. Btw, there have been approx ~300 car thefts in a 50km radius around us...and...they're not looking for X1's...oh, and you have insurance presumably? Get a new vehicle if it gets pinched.

[bluecrabby]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

You don't need the pouch. Assuming your vehicle is not parked in a garage, just leave the fob a fair distance away from the vehicle. My wife parks hers outside and leave her fob in her purse which is usually in the kitchen area, about 40ft from the driveway. Zero issues. Btw, there have been approx ~300 car thefts in a 50km radius around us...and...they're not looking for X1's...oh, and you have insurance presumably? Get a new vehicle if it gets pinched.

only 300 cars in a 50km radius? not everybody is lucky enough to live in a relatively crime-free country like Canada!

in the US, 2022 data will probably show more than 1 million vehicles stolen. (up from just over 900,000 in 2021)

as for X1 not being a target.... well.. I don't know about other areas... but in my part of the state, over a dozen Audi A4 AllRoad STATION WAGONS were stolen in the last 4 months alone. Or do we simply have a better class of car thieves around here?


the OP probably just saw this news from a couple of days ago....
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/auto-th...ke-new-report/

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by bluecrabby

only 300 cars in a 50km radius? not everybody is lucky enough to live in a relatively crime-free country like Canada!

in the US, 2022 data will probably show more than 1 million vehicles stolen. (up from just over 900,000 in 2021)

as for X1 not being a target.... well.. I don't know about other areas... but in my part of the state, over a dozen Audi A4 AllRoad STATION WAGONS were stolen in the last 4 months alone. Or do we simply have a better class of car thieves around here?


the OP probably just saw this news from a couple of days ago....
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/auto-th...ke-new-report/

You're comparing an AWD A4 to an X1?....umm ok...and yes, Considering I live in the 4th largest city in N.A. I do consider us quite fortunate we're not a crime ridden country....glad my folks had the smart to foresee the future and move to Canada...paranoia is not alive and well here thankfully

[tex2670]

Honestly, this is a solution in search of a problem. While it may be technically "possible" to clone your key fob, the chances that someone is hanging out at Starbucks cloning fobs, and then following those people home to later come back and steal their cars is so slim.

Does using the digital key resolve this?

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by bluecrabby

only 300 cars in a 50km radius? not everybody is lucky enough to live in a relatively crime-free country like Canada!

in the US, 2022 data will probably show more than 1 million vehicles stolen. (up from just over 900,000 in 2021)

as for X1 not being a target.... well.. I don't know about other areas... but in my part of the state, over a dozen Audi A4 AllRoad STATION WAGONS were stolen in the last 4 months alone. Or do we simply have a better class of car thieves around here?


the OP probably just saw this news from a couple of days ago....
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/auto-th...ke-new-report/

And how does that pouch protect you from the car jackings cited in that article?

[srbs73]

I'm sure it's the same on the X1, but with my MY2020 M340i keys, after 3 minutes of the key not moving, it turns off so can't be boosted.

[huma]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

You're comparing an AWD A4 to an X1?....umm ok...and yes, Considering I live in the 4th largest city in N.A. I do consider us quite fortunate we're not a crime ridden country....glad my folks had the smart to foresee the future and move to Canada...paranoia is not alive and well here thankfully

H-town?

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by huma

H-town?

H-Town? Don't know H-Town...some call it The Big Smoke or The Six

[MontyB1]

The key stops transmitting after it’s not moving so if you put it down when you get it all will be fine. The theft issue is relay theft these days not key cloning. This gets the signal from the key even if it’s deep in the house and relays it to the car.

But as above the key stops this now. However thieves are getting smart. They are now hanging around service stations, supermarkets, etc. and relaying he key when it’s moving and stealing the car when you are shopping. So the risk is worse when you and the key are moving about in a building than when you are at home. So the punch is needed now for you pocket or handbag not the house!

[FlashMonkey929]

I can't speak for other locations, but the chance of someone cloning a key here is slim to none. Thieves here aren't smart or have sophisticated tools, its usually smash and grab or someone left their belongings unattended on the beach. Catalytic converter theft on the other hand, that's the only thing I'm a little worried about. With the digital key plus, I'm fairly positive that the UWA chip makes it harder to steal from what I can gather.

[bluecrabby]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

Catalytic converter theft on the other hand, that's the only thing I'm a little worried about. .

I was just watching this a few minutes ago!

seems like a perfect solution....

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lAT67wIZ8tk

[BMWZ4]

Do you peeps not have insurance? Why would you care if your car, converter etc was ripped off...

[Firebass]

We’ve got a Faraday box. Whatever the well reviewed one on Amazon was at the time we bought it. Took the box with the keys in it out to the car and no unlock or wake up…seemed to work. Around here thieves have had big antenna rigs like MontyB1 was referring to. Guy in a local car group has his M2 stolen out of his driveway and the video has dudes with an antenna rig wandering around his entryway til they picked it up. Relay relayed theft seemed to be not uncommon until Feb-Mar ‘22

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Do you peeps not have insurance? Why would you care if your car, converter etc was ripped off...

Of course we have insurance. So did my neighbor whose car was totaled (not stolen) in July. They JUST got their replacement car, but had to give up their insurance rental when the car was totaled by the ins company in August. 3 driver / 2 car household for 5 months.

Just because insurance pays doesnt mean it's no big deal.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by tex2670

Of course we have insurance. So did my neighbor whose car was totaled (not stolen) in July. They JUST got their replacement car, but had to give up their insurance rental when the car was totaled by the ins company in August. 3 driver / 2 car household for 5 months.

Just because insurance pays doesnt mean it's no big deal.

I didn't say it wasn't a PITA to get ripped off or have your car stolen...it's all the talk of Faraday boxes, lojacks etc...what's the point? Just drive.

Murphy's Law...

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

I didn't say it wasn't a PITA to get ripped off or have your car stolen...it's all the talk of Faraday boxes, lojacks etc...what's the point? Just drive.

Murphy's Law...

Oh, yeah. I'm not worried about every possible fringe method to steal my car. But that's not because I have insurance....it's because it's just so unlikely to happen to my car. It's like worrying you will get struck by lighting without standing under a lone big tree during a ... I just don't stand under a big tree when it's thundering, and I feel like I'm good.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by tex2670

Oh, yeah. I'm not worried about every possible fringe method to steal my car. But that's not because I have insurance....it's because it's just so unlikely to happen to my car. It's like worrying you will get struck by lighting without standing under a lone big tree during a ... I just don't stand under a big tree when it's thundering, and I feel like I'm good.

Ok, my point exactly. I'm not terribly articulate.

[50ShadesOfGrey]

One problem with the whole “what are you worried about, you have insurance” thing is ….when you make a claim, your insurance premium suddenly skyrockets, and I live in a state where car insurance is ridiculously expensive already

[50ShadesOfGrey]

I,m way more concerned about the relay method of car theft than cloning my key.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by 50ShadesOfGrey

One problem with the whole “what are you worried about, you have insurance” thing is ….when you make a claim, your insurance premium suddenly skyrockets, and I live in a state where car insurance is ridiculously expensive already

If that's the way insurance works in the U.S. then everyone has my apologies for saying that...up here it's a bit different. It's considered either vandalism or Comprehensive (can't recall which now), therefore no increase in premiums