I prefer leaving the electronic fob in the Prius when parked in the garage. I put it in an Altoids box with the cover closed and found that the vehicle doesn't sense the fob when I press the start button. Will leaving the fob in the Altoids box with the lid closed prevent the fob and vehicle from communicating and not allow the battery in the fob or vehicle to drain?
My understanding is the fob gives out a constant signal regardless. It's how the vehicle "senses" when you approach. It's why you don't have to press anything on the fob. So I would think that base signal would be transmitting whether in a altoids tin or not. FYI, I tried the "Altoids Tin" and it didn't work for me. The vehicle still unlocked. Others claim it works, but it didn't work for me. Maybe the vehicle wouldn't of started, but it definitely would unlock.
You can turn off the SKS so as not to drain the vehicle battery; but the fob will still be active. There's a switch for the SKS under the dash below the steering column where it enters the dash.
Keeping the fob in a tin box will drain the fob battery. Consider taking the battery out of the fob and keeping the fob and battery somewhere safe in the car. Also, turn off SKS, as noted above, for reducing the drain on the 12volt battery.
The Altoids's box it is NOT a Faraday cage, nor it will suppress RF transmit ions to a respective receiver. It has been proven that it doesn't work as populus claimed.
In my gen 3, I stored my 2'nd fob in the car wrapped in foil for a few weeks. The car could not sense it. Of course the fob would still try to transmit, but it would if I left in the house as well.
Because the cover does not have an electrical seal to the case (all the way around, not just at the hinge points), this is not reliable. Test results are likely to be highly variable. On my 2012, the SKS can be turned off from a MFD screen menu, and I recently used it for a six week absence. I don't recall any similar function on my 2010 II.
Thanks for the quick responses. Since the fob is always attempting to communicate with the vehicle, I will fabricate a metal container that will effectively shield the RF from the fob and leave the container and the fob in the vehicle. The vehicle is not used for six months every year. I leave the 12-volt battery on a battery maintainer, and have never noticed a reduction in the drive battery state-of-charge over that time. In six years I've never had a starting or operating issue.
Our Outback has a nifty feature of a second button on the rear liftgate that acts as a PIN entry so anyone who knows the PIN can open without a FOB. I hide the FOB in the spare tire well in an altoids box and several layers of foil and yes that is enough to block its signal. Works great as a "Plan B" backup for long term parking at the airport in case we lose the other FOB during our travels.
It would be easier to just remove the fob battery when putting the car into hibernation. Are you familiar with RF shielding? The container should have a conductive seal all the way around the opening to insure electrical contact between lid and body. There are many varieties of seals to do this -- conductive fingers to be compressed, elastomeric ropes of either conductive material or with woven wire covers, etc.
My concern is not when storing the vehicle over long periods of time, it's for daily use. I don't like leaving a vehicle parked in the garage without keys (fob) so I can be started quickly in case of fire. I could fabricate a conductive gasket from a piece of copper if my container needs additional shielding. Thanks for the info.
