http://www.arrl.org/news/view/amateur-radio-sleuthing-pins-d...
And “an inventor” who's make shift doorbell was causing problems on 355MHz:
https://hackaday.com/2019/05/15/the-great-ohio-key-fob-myste...
Trouble with these devices is they rely on all applications just transmitting data very briefly. If someone doesn't it can block everything
Some gate/card readers going crazy maybe...
Wireless chargers that now come inbuilt as standard can also create enough disturbances to mess up the LF RSSI (but limited to single vehicle). Manufacturers are slowly moving to UWB and BLE for localization, as ToF is more robust (especially for relay attacks) than a simple signal strength measurement, plus it provides a common mechanism for both phones and fobs on the vehicle side.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
For some (a lot?) of people, keyless entry seems still to be an advanced technology.
I had a 40 year old oscilloscope open (Tek 465) on my desk a few years back when the in laws came round and it was like watching the monkeys around the monolith in 2001.
A Tesco spokesperson said its garages had a system which allowed disabled drivers to contact a member of staff in the kiosk using a special key fob to call for assistance.
This used a short signal which came on briefly to alert staff that someone needed help. But at Clifton Moor this had become jammed on and had blocked the remote central locking and ignition frequencies used by some cars.
Most car key fobs work in the 433MHz range, if there is something in the area transmitting at said frequency, it will cause the relatively weak signals from keys fobs to be blocked. This it why we have electromechanical compatibility (EMC) certification for any electrical devices being sold.
With the market being flood with cheap electronics from foreign manufacturers who do not care about getting certified, a single misbehaving weather station, 'smart' door bell, or baby monitor can cause disruptions to other wireless devices.
Even at my car dealership this is a common problem. A couple hundred cars with the same keyless entry system parked in the same lot. All those cars are actively scanning for their key fob, which causes all sorts of RF collisions. I've gotten used to having to use my physical key when picking up my car at the dealership.
My bet is that it's a cheap power supply, they are the worst offenders.
Many cars hide their keyholes making them essentially inaccessible. Many drivers probably don't know they have one. Volkswagen has been doing this on some models since 2009. Source: had a Mk6 Golf.
Before I was a licensed ham I put together a little AM transmitter with a 9v battery connected to a portable cd player. I was shocked that I could pick up the signal several miles away (and yes I know hams, very bad behaviour, I was ignorant).
I'll put my money on a new antenna having gone up nearby.
Wonder what the "process" to solve this is if they don't even know the cause?
Pretty much every week a car is stolen this way from my street. I now always take the engine management fuse out of the fusebox when parking my car so at least the car can't start when a thief pulls this... They tried anyway though!
In fact I think it wasn't specifically made to be a jammer, he was just trolling with an accidentally-discovered device causing interference
https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/86895/how-el...
If so, could one of those be repurposed? I suspect they have fairly wideband scanners.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_detector_van
I remember seeing them, when I lived in London, in the 1970s.
New road bad! There's nothing for you here.
Also, if you don’t mind, which city/country are you in? It seems insane that this is a regular problem happening in the same location and law enforcement doesn’t catch on.
Of course, the strategy I've heard outlined is to jam and record one rolling code, then a second one, then to replay the first code so the fob holder sees the system respond to their button press but the attacker has a ready-to-use code. If people are seeing their cars failing to unlock, it's not that specific attack.
[1] Page 63 of https://samy.pl/defcon2015/2015-defcon.pdf
b) use a directional antenna pointed at the fob. You jam everyone but RSSI for the fob signal received through the antenna is still acceptable
c) jamming signal triggered by fob transmission, possible to jam specific packet bytes, like the CRC (recoverable later)
d) jamming signal uses a period that is a little shorter than packet length, repeated packets can be recovered by combining their intact parts
etc..
Does that actually work? I thought the fob would contain some kind of private key that's used in a challenge/response scheme with the car, precisely to avoid the replay attack?
There's a good chance a cage made out of shopping carts would block HF and below quite effectively. UHF and microwave will go straight through it though. Any holes need to be significantly smaller than the wavelength.
https://support.ce-check.eu/hc/en-us/articles/360008642600-H...
> In 2008, a logo very similar to CE marking was reported to exist and alleged to stand for China Export because some Chinese manufacturers apply it to their products.[14] However, the European Commission says that this is a misconception [... ...] despite the Commission's assurance that it is without foundation, this urban myth continues to be available on many websites.
>The Commission ... considers that the mark [China Export (CE)] ... constitute the CE marking as foreseen in the European legislation without, however, respecting the dimensions and proportions prescribed therein.
>...the Commission deems it necessary to establish a comprehensive Community legislative framework in order to ensure coherent market surveillance ...
>...It also provides for the legal basis for Member States to impose sanctions in the case of misuse which should serve as a deterrent.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?refere...
Afraid to ask what kind of crime happens in places without cameras - those that exist.
The fob also has a physical key hidden inside - although that's a bit more obvious as there is a key hole on the drivers door.
So you may be right after all. I knew about the physical key but at the dealership they only said its used to open the doors.
I have never had to actually use it, but looked into it when I got low battery-warnings to make sure I would not be locked out.
Assuming this is not a legal requirement I am sure there are models where this is not possible though.
Because besides personal experience, googling the proximity keys of all of those brands shows the expected pop-out keys.
Also photos of various models from all those brands in 2020 show key holes on the driver's door, which would suggest there is in fact a key somewhere that fits it.
Other cars probably have other solution. It was possible in my case as well (not BMW) but do not remember the process.