Storing key fob in Faraday cage (or Altoids box) to thwart theives?

We had a discussion about it on another forum - one chap said he used to hang his FOB on a hook near the front door - which was close to his open carport. He thought it was too close to the car and someone with a suitable amplifier might be able to steal the car.

His solution - put the FOB in an old biscuit (cookie) tin. Which also is probably the last place a thief would look if they broke into the house looking for car-keys.

I even found a picture of one with my car's name on it - but my tin is much more humble.

 

OR (on page 178 of the owner's manual):

 

There was also a suggestion to keep the car keys in the microwave oven. Further discussion came to the conclusion that, yes, that would work, and be an unlikely place a thief would look - BUT could be devastating for the FOB if someone accidentally cooked it. Maybe in a house where only one person resided.

 

Is this applicable to all Toyota vehicles with key fob?

 

Only way to find out is to try it...

 

Didn't work for my '15.

 

I think it only started being available in 2016. My wife's 2016 RAV4 (not hybrid) has it as well...

 

It was a Merc C Class which hit the news 6 months ago:
Mercedes car stolen without using a key in seconds in 'relay theft'  

 

My understanding is that the Gen 4's are safe from this hack because the range on the fob/receiver was significantly reduced compared to previous gens. This should also stop people from inadvertently leaving their cars on.

 

... because your '15 is a Gen3, not a Gen4.

Like my '12, you should be able to disable the SKS system from the display screen. The fob Lock/Unlock buttons will still work, but the normal proximity detection will cease. But this includes the push-button start too, so you'd need to hold the fob up to the Power button when starting the car.

 

If the key is near enough to the house door for a hacker to pick up the signal from it, he can copy it then go close to the car and transmit it.
I keep both my key fobs in Faraday pouches the main one downstairs and the spare tucked away upstairs in another pouch.

 

So far, it is not a matter of copying a signal then going to the car to replay it. Rather, it is a matter of amplifying it for longer range, in real time.

And I'm not so sure it is the fob-to-car direction that is the issue, it may be the other direction that is getting hacked.

 

Folks should keep in mind that these metal boxes may not be as good a shield as they expect. The lids often don't make good electrical contact all the way around. The resulting gap can function as a slot antenna.

One can probably count on creating at least some attenuation, which will foil some attacks. But the amount of help can be both quite variable, and quite inconsistent.

 

Faraday pouch works fine though, I've gone up close to the car with my key in the pouch and nothing, it won't open.

 

Thanks for documenting the trick for deactivating the key fob. I like to bring the spare fob with me when I travel out of town but don't want it interfering with locking the doors when I leave if the fob is in the car.

 

VERRRRY interesting.

I took the tin I've been using with my FOB to the car - the FOB did nothing. It was an old Golden Syrup tin - watertight.



But I then got a tin like an Altoids tin (candy though) - and, you're right, the FOB worked as though I didn't have it in the tin at all - FAIL. In this case, the lid wasn't particularly tight. It is like this one:

 

Another method of keeping spare fobs from interfering, in older vintage Prii lacking the features mentioned in this thread:

Remove the fob battery, then use the dead-fob-battery methods of unlocking the door and starting the car. The fob won't interfere with anything, including locking the door with fob inside. This also allows using the insert mechanical key to lock the door with fob inside. That mechanical key is smaller and not subject to water damage, for special circumstances when such considerations are important.

Does anyone have a suggested source for spares for the special little mechanical key?

 

There was discussion about it a couple of years ago - I think it was said that some specialist locksmiths are able to cut them - but not with the typical hardware store key-cutting equipment. Check your local locksmith.