Are you thinking of getting your car fitted with an aftermarket keyless entry?
Keyless entry is a way of locking and unlocking a car without requiring a key. Instead of inserting a key into the door, you can use an electronic key fob that transmits signals to the car’s computer system.
While keyless entry cars have pretty much become the norm in recent years, factory-installed systems are limited in their range. They generally cannot transmit signals more than 150 feet or 250 feet away from the car. With aftermarket keyless entry systems, you can send them from up to three miles away. Some also use cellular data communications to offer control from anywhere in the world.
Can you add a keyless entry to your car?
You can add keyless entry to your car if it has:
• A factory-installed keyless entry system
• An electronic door lock with buttons
• An ordinary lock without any electric power
• A vacuum-operated lock system
Contact a local retailer specializing in mobile enhancement and have them install the keyless entry system. They can integrate it into an existing electronic network or fit an entirely new aftermarket keyless entry system.
Pros and cons of keyless entry for your car
Let us consider some of the pros and cons of keyless entry systems:
Pro: They offer great convenience
They offer a hand-off convenience that you will appreciate if you have ever struggled to insert your car keys and open your car door with shopping parcels in both arms or while carrying a crying child that refuses to let you put him or her down. When you have a keyless entry system, the key fob will automatically unlock the car door when it comes within a specified range of the car. It will also lock the doors when you go out of range.
Pro: They are harder to break into
Without the key fob, it can be challenging to access the car or start it. Would-be thieves could try breaking the windows, but they would still have to figure out how to drive it away. Yes, they could use relay devices to pick up the key fob’s signals and trick the car into unlocking the doors. However, you can prevent that by keeping the key fob in a secure, signal-blocking location.
Pro: They can set speed limits
Some key fobs allow you to set the speed limit you want for the car. Once you have set it, the vehicle will not go over that speed. It is an excellent safety feature to have, especially if your children drive the car and you want to make sure that they do not speed excessively and get into accidents or in trouble with the law.
Con: They are not completely secure
As car security technologies advance, thieving technologies have tried to keep up. Unscrupulous people will always find ways to hack into seemingly secure systems. You will have to be extra vigilant about protecting your car from theft, park it in a locked garage at night, and install steering wheel locks, alarms, dash cams, and CCTVs.
Con: They may have safety issues
One of the issues with the key fob is that it can automatically start the car when you inadvertently carry it within range. If that happens without you noticing it and the engine keeps running for a long while, toxic carbon monoxide gas could leak into the car and the garage. And if you do not have a carbon monoxide detector in the garage, you or someone else could end up getting poisoned.
Con: They can be expensive
Cars with keyless entry systems can be on the pricier side, and the aftermarket keyless entry systems are not inexpensive either. That is why it is essential to research and pick the best available ones in the market. You should also find out what kind of upkeep they might need and how much it would cost for repairs and replacement, especially if prices go up. It is almost a given that you might need to replace or reprogram the key fob at some point, and that is a more complicated and expensive procedure than replacing a regular car key.