Three Easy Ways to Secure Your Vehicle

Whether it’s because of the Summer months, I have been receiving a lot of service requests lately from people whose vehicles were broken into or whose vehicles were outright stolen. So there are Three Easy Ways to Secure Your Car, SUV, or Truck.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please call or text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. You can also drop by our Downtown Vancouver Key Store located at 555 West Hastings St. The Key Store is located on the bottom floor of the SFU/Harbour Centre right next to the BC Liquor Store. We can copy most keys found in Vancouver as well as copy most touch FOBs.

Quick note, my wife will be on vacation from September 12th to September 25th, 2024. During that period, the Key Store will be open only when I am not on a Service Call. Please give me a call or send me a text at 604-363-2760 to verify the Key Store is open before coming down. I would hate for you to be disappointed.

Tip #1: Use a Faraday Pouch

Most modern cars, SUVs, and trucks use PUSH START buttons to turn the ignition on. Even my 5th Gen 4Runner with its outdated design uses a PUSH START button which means that there’s a good chance yours does as well.

The way these RFID systems work is that your Car Fob is continually sending out a signal whether you are near your vehicle or not. Eventually, when you get close enough to your personal or commercial transport the receiver will pick up the signal and allow you to unlock your vehicle or start the engine.

This technology exists in most modern vehicles but especially high tech ones like luxury and EV brands. However, as I continue to reiterate, to gain convenience, you must sacrifice security. It’s just the way it works.

In our case, car thieves use a RFID sniffer device to read the signal from your car FOB as far as 300 feet away. Remember your FOB is continually sending out the signal multiple times a second as long as it has battery power.

Then they will use a RFID spoofing device to emulate the FOB which allows them to unlock your vehicle, clear out the contents, then steal the vehicle. Within 24 hours, your stolen car/SUV/truck is on a cargo ship bound for Africa where a lot of stolen Canadian vehicles end up. Just watch the CBC Marketplace documentary online.

Condo vs Detached Homes

This is one of the those times where living in a multi unit condo or a highrise is better than living in a detached home in terms of Security. A lot of vehicle thefts of this nature are happening from driveways of detached homes. Thieves point the sniffer towards the front door of the house as most Vancouverites leave their keys in that general area.

However, if you live in a condo, not only will it be difficult to target your FOB specifically, your vehicle is probably behind one or two security gates. This makes it harder for thieves who are in a risk-averse line of business.

Faraday Pouches to the Rescue

If anyone remembers the movie “Enemy of the State” with Gene Hackman and Will Smith, Hackman’s character basically lives in a Faraday Cage which blocks incoming and outgoing electronic signals as countermeasures against electronic surveillance.

For people like you and me, we can now purchase Faraday pouches on Amazon which basically does the same thing. Faraday Pouches are made of a material woven in a specific way that hinders the RFID signal from breaching the confines of the pouch. 

Unlike a real Faraday Cage which requires a power source, these woven pouches work by distorting the signal to the point that your vehicle’s RFID receiver or a thief’s RFID sniffer will not be able to read it.

There are two reasons why they are so great:

1. They encrypt the signal through distortion and provide a physical barrier against RFID sniffers.
2. They are super cheap on sites like Amazon.

On the other hand, there are two things to watch out for when buying a Faraday Pouch:

1. There are a lot of counterfeits online so you make sure to read the reviews before purchase.
2. You cannot wash them. If the pouch gets worn down or too dirty, you need to repurchase.

Personally, the most inconvenient thing about Faraday Pouches is that I have to remember to take the car FOB out of the pouch everytime I want to start the vehicle. I keep telling myself that it’s a minor inconvenience compared to having my vehicle and tools stolen. Also, the pouch is just another thing I need to carry everyday on top of all the other things.

What to Do When Your FOB Dies

On a side note, once in a while I get a call from a client whose FOB battery has died and they are flummoxed and don’t know what to do. They can’t unlock their vehicle doors or turn on the ignition.

So for those of you who don’t know, most RFID vehicle FOBs usually come with a manual key hidden on the bottom of the device. As far as I know, the only exception to this are Teslas and maybe some of the other EV only brands.

This key blade will allow you to unlock the driver’s side door and gain entry into the cabin area. To start the engine (this may be different from vehicle brand to brand, so make sure to consult your Owner’s Manual), push down the brake pedal, hold the dead FOB right next to  the PUSH START button and press the button. You should probably make your next destination a dealership or a place that can get you a new FOB battery. 

If you are driving a Tesla or something similar, your RFID card or cell app doesn’t rely on a battery powered FOB. If your doors are locked and/or your engine won’t start, you may have bigger problems.

Tip #2: Disable your FOB

If you don’t want the inconvenience of a Faraday Pouch and don’t live in a condo where your RFID signal is mixed in with all your neighbours’, you have an alternative solution.

You can simply (at least with a Toyota), disable your vehicle FOB. With my Toyota FOB, I press and hold the Lock button while pressing the Unlock button twice.

Disabling your FOB is great because it:

1. Saves battery power.
2. Prevents sniffers from copying your signal.

Plus, it’s fairly convenient. When you want to use the FOB again, you just have to press any button.

Compared to a Faraday Pouch, it can be slightly less convenient but I suppose that really depends on the individual person. I also need to be careful not to press a button on the FOB while my hands are in my pockets.

For other car brands, the procedure may be different. Please refer to your Owner’s Manual or just perform a search on YouTube like I did for mine.

Tip #3: Lock Up Your Stuff

This is not exactly a mind-blowing new idea, but it continues to amaze me how rarely people follow this advice. Please lock up your stuff.

Imagine your windows were rolled down. Would your belongings be safe? If not, it’s time for some improvements.

From personal experience as someone who have had their tools stolen from my work vehicle 4 times in Vancouver, I offer two recommendations:

1. Fortify your windows and doors; and/or,
2. Secure your belongings in a protective container.

Physical Security Upgrades to Vehicles

As for fortifying your windows and doors, you can go the route of inconspicuous or conspicuous. If you choose the former, it would be less intrusive to your everyday life but your vehicle will appear to be an easy target. However, if you choose to be inconspicuous in your protection, it would deter thieves but may obstruct your everyday enjoyment of the vehicle.

For more hidden security upgrades, you can do things like:

• Install the maximum allowable tint on windows to make it harder to peer into your cabin
• Install security laminate film on windows to make them harder to break
• Engage child-proof window and door lockers to hinder entry
• Install remote deadbolt locks like the Thunderbolt system

 

For more explicit security upgrades, you can do things like:

• Install molle panels on inside and outside of back windows
• Install custom metal barriers behind the rearview mirror
• Install Setina window barriers on certain vehicle models
• Install Setina cargo area barriers on certain vehicle models
• Warp vehicle in vinyl wrap and completely obscure windows

I suppose if you bought a vehicle like the Tesla Cybertruck with its bulletproof glass, there would not be a need for any of this. However, I don’t think all of us want to be riding around in Cybertrucks. It’s not exactly a problem-free vehicle at the moment.

Security via a Secured Container

We need to be a little careful when using terms like “Secured Container” as it is a legal term to describe things like GSA safes and filing cabinets.

Regardless, I highly recommend storing your sensitive and easy to steal items in a hard plastic or aluminum container with a lock on it. This can range from a simple Husky Tool Box from Home Depot to something more specialized like a Pelican Hard Case or an Alubox.

For something less obvious and something a bit more cargo space saving, I recommend a headrest safe. These are products that replace your current headrest with a hollow one with a 3 digit combo safe hidden within it.

These are widely available on Amazon and Alibaba Express. However, if you plan to use one, I recommend you replace all the headrests in your vehicle with the same thing. Otherwise, it’s going to be quite obvious that one headrest is not like the others.

Another less intrusive product in a safe that fits into your centre console armrest. Many trucks and SUV’s have these available as an option for order when purchasing a vehicle. However, there are companies on Amazon and Alibaba Express that sell an OEM version for your make and model.

In the end, if you decide to purchase a secured container, please make sure to actually use it. A lot of my clients get lulled into a sense of complacency and stop using it after a while. Unfortunately, it takes only one negative experience to jolt them back to reality – that Vancouver is full of thieves.

Conclusion

So I hope you enjoyed reading our three easy ways to secure your vehicle and personal belongings. Things like the Faraday Pouch, disabling your car FOB, and using a Secured Container are fairly easy to do and there are options for every budget and price level.

If you have any questions or comments, please call or text me at 604-363-2760 or email me at alex@locksmithvancouver.com. You can also visit our Downtown Vancouver Key Store located at 555 West Hastings St near Gastown. We are open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm.

Just as a reminder, my wife will be on vacation from September 12th to September 25th. As a result, the Key Store will be open only when I am not on a Service Call. Please give me a call or send me a text at 604-363-2760 to verify the Key Store is open before coming down. I would hate for you to be disappointed.