Keyless access does not mean hassle-free
I can only guess that the headline above largely explains what I would like to write about later. The manufacturer equipped my car with a keyless access system. It is enough that the electronic device rests in a pocket, bag or backpack to easily open the car by touching the door handle, and then start the engine with a dedicated button. The aforementioned device is powered by a button battery, as opposed to solutions plugged into the dashboard, without the possibility of recharging. As a rule, the loss of energy stored in the battery should be signaled by the car. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, there was no message. There was trouble for that. And it's a lot.
That day, like almost every Monday to Friday, I went to kindergarten to pick up my child. As usual, during the hours when people usually return from work, the kindergarten was crowded and a queue of cars waiting for the possibility of stopping to get off and safely pick up children. I did it as well, but that's good news. I went back to the car, touched the door handle and nothing happened. The car was still locked, and behind me was a line of people eager to take my seat. At that time, I didn't realize what actually happened.
I thought maybe it was the low temperatures that made the door handle unresponsive to touch. I calmly took the key out of my pocket to open the car with a button. Also, no reaction. Then everything became clear - the key battery died.
AirTag helped, but completely different than Apple imagined it
Yes, the situation took place in the middle of the city, where getting a new battery would take me a few, maybe a dozen or so minutes, and apart from the anger of my pissed off parents who, because of me, missed a warm dinner at home, no big deal would have happened. Let's imagine, however, that the action takes place in the middle of the forest, during a holiday trip, and the nearest store is several kilometers away. While in my case AirTag helped to quickly get out of an uncomfortable, but quite easy-to-solve situation, for someone who would have had the same adventure in the middle of the forest, it could be a real godsend.
Returning to my car, I was able to open the door with the classic key, hidden in the non-contact housing. Although we managed to get inside, there was no way to move, unfortunately. Although, according to the instructions on the display, I put the contactless key as close to the starter button as possible, I saw one and the same message all the time: No key detected - key not detected.
I opened the key cover to find out that inside was the most ordinary CR 2032 button battery. I was about to unbutton the child's seat to go for a walk to the nearest store, when I noticed the locator attached to the key ring. Could it be successful?
Reaching the inside of the AirTag, which hides the CR 2032 battery I need so much, is a matter of twisting its white cap. The battery from AirTag landed in the key, and the car started as if nothing had happened. And yet! The locator turned out to be very useful, although not in the way that the manufacturer would like it to be.
What has this story taught me?
As mentioned above, the whole story happened in the middle of a city where it was only a matter of time to find a solution, and not particularly long. Just a dozen or so minutes for a walk to the store and back. Nothing big. Outside the city, the further away from people, the bigger the problem would be.
This story has taught me to have limited confidence in a solution called Keyless Entry. Now I know that I always have to be ready for an eventuality where it won't work. Is it not then such a sophisticated way of opening the vehicle as a classic key with opening the lock by means of a button and starting the engine only after inserting it in the intended place? This is a topic for discussion, so I count on your feedback in the comments. Especially that the problems in the event of battery exhaustion are not the only ones that may meet the users of this system. On the contrary, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and the real threat is not apparent at first glance.
We hear about the theft of cars using the suitcase method for a long time . This is nothing more than intercepting the signal from the contactless key and its re-emission when a thief tries to get into the car.
I am not entirely convinced that the technology of the keyless access to the car, at the current stage of development, is better than the one used previously. Definitely more convenient, that's for sure, but do the advantages outweigh the shortcomings? Bearing in mind that the previous solution never failed me, I have some doubts.
Is the key in the smartphone a good idea?
Interestingly, more methods of securing cars are already appearing on the market, including those using smartphones. Some brands of car keys can be added to the wallet app on Apple phones. However, what if we do not take the physical car key with us and the iPhone and Apple Watch are discharged? Then an accidentally found AirTag will not help. We will be looking for a powerbank or someone with a charger and will help us start the smartphone, at least for the duration of access to the car.
There was only one way this adventure could end. On the same day, I replaced the battery in the keys used as the primary and backup keys, and noted the date in the calendar to remember to replace them in some time. It is only a few zlotys and it can help you avoid trouble. I also put an extra battery in the car glove box, just in case.
One more word about locators. A little rain from a large cloud?
When Apple and Samsung presented their locators in the spring of 2021, it promised to be a small revolution in the segment of smart devices. Producers seemed to want all the small items we use every day that could get lost to be decorated with tags that allow location using smartphones.
In theory, it is a convenient and really clever solution when, thanks to other users' smartphones, you can find out where the items that have escaped our hands are. In practice, this solution has at least a few drawbacks, so customers have retained a lot of restraint.
Immediately after the premiere of trackers, it turned out that they can also serve not only honest users, but also be used to track people who would not wish to do so. For this reason, a number of improvements have been made, such as making sounds when none of the devices belonging to a specific user are connected to the AirTag. In addition, Apple smartphones have learned to inform that there is a foreign AirTag in their vicinity, but this only happens if the user has one of the newer versions of the software installed.
Suffice it to say that there are countries in the world such as South Korea that explicitly prohibit the use of location services. The relatively high price is also not conducive to the increase in the popularity of AirTags. 159 PLN for one locator, because that's what Apple wants, that's a lot
To conclude the description of my recent adventure, I leave you with a reflection on car security, as well as whether we really need locators cooperating with smartphones. Do you use AirTag or SmartTag? Is it useful? Let's talk in the comments.
