Vehicle Security – Vehicle Signal Jamming

Towards the end of 2011, vehicle owners faced a new threat of theft from their cars, when they believed that the possessions were secure in the vehicle. The new threat to vehicle security was through automated locking systems having their remote frequency blocked and motorists believing that they had locked their vehicles discovering upon returning to the vehicle that they had been robbed with no forced entry into the vehicle. The compromised vehicle security was then not covered by local insurance companies, claiming that dude to the lack of forced entry evidence, clients may simply have left the vehicle unlocked and could not claim for compensation. News stations reported that criminals were using remotes to block signals but the information was very vague and in speaking to professionals in the industry, the mechanics behind the thefts can be easily understood. How are criminals breaking the vehicle security, and what can we do to prevent this new wave of criminal behaviour from affecting us.

Speaking to professionals, the key reason that this type of theft is possible is because of the vast amount of traffic on a signal frequency which happens to be the one used by most car remotes. The remotes operate at a frequency of 2300mhz to signal your vehicle security system to operate, but when multiple remotes are operating at the same frequency as each other, they cancel out the signal. Using this principal, criminals are lurking in parking lot surroundings, holding down remote controls and waiting for unsuspecting motorists to leave their vehicles and press the remote without checking to see that the security locking system has been enabled. Once the unsuspecting person has left, the criminals can help themselves to possessions in an unlocked car. While the facts from a quality locksmith have informed us that most vehicle security systems work on the same frequency, more expensive vehicle models use a rotating frequency with every use, therefore eliminating this threat.

The ways to combat this vehicle threat this security system are simple vigilance and understanding on the part of the motorist. Do not leave any belongings in your vehicle for criminals to steal, as most of the crime related to this type of activity is possession theft, not vehicle theft. Secondly, when leaving your vehicle, check for the signals that the security system has worked. Whether your car flashes its lights or you can audibly hear the locking mechanism, make sure that the vehicle is secure before leaving. Lastly, any locksmith Cape Town will tell you that the best way to ensure your car is locked is to simply use the key instead of relying on the remote. Simply by paying vigilance and making sure of your vehicle security can give you peace of mind when parking your car this summer season.