Locked out?

[Ed62]

One of my daughters locked herself out of her car yesterday, but didn't know what I'm now passing on to you.

If you find yourself locked out of your car, and your spouse or someone else has a remote to open the door, you can get it opened easily if you have a cell phone. Just call that person, and have them press the "unlock button" on the remote, while holding it up to the phone (while you hold your cell phone next to the door). I tried it, and it worked for me. You might already know this, but maybe some of you don't.

I thought I had told her about that, but I didn't. She could have saved herself about 3 hours getting home.

Ed

[teller2010]

Are you saying you tried this YOURSELF and it worked? Because, according to Snopes http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/keyless.asp this is a hoax.

Respectfully,

Eric

[Ed62]

For the first time, I'll disagree with snopes. Yes, I tried it myself. Maybe it doesn't work in all cases, but it certainly worked in mine. Give it a try.

Ed

[Anna]

Not sure, Ed. The remotes are usually RF, and that can't be transmitted through your phone. Where was the remote when you unlocked your car? I can easily lock/unlock my car in the driveway from inside the house. Maybe you should drive a couple of blocks away from the second remote then do the experiment again...?

[Ed62]

That's a good point, Anna. We tried it, and it did work. But maybe my wife was within range at the time (not really very close). Hmmmmmm, I'll have to try it further away. Sorry if it was a false alarm. When I try it again, I'll let everyone know for sure.

Ed

[crokett]

A coworker of mine claims he tested it and it works. I tried it and it did not work. I am skeptical anyway - the frequencies are totally different.

[prlundberg]

I saw something like this on TV a while back. Mythbusters, perhaps? It worked, but I don't remember if it was the door remote being tested. Or any of the specifics. But I remember the test was successful.

[LCHIEN]

There's no way this could work with the standard RF-based wireless keyfob remotes.
The cornerstone of EMC (electromagnetic compatibility), the ability of all radio devices to share the same radio spectrum is the careful shielding and filtering of signals to prevent transmitting out of band. Virtually every radio device has to pass certain EMC tests mandated by the FCC.

There's multiple blocks to trasnmitting anything but audio frequencies fronm the cell phone, a fundamental digitizing law for digital phones now almost universally used also prevents any out of band signals. From your phone it has to pass the local cell tower, the central stations and the receiving location cell tower and the phone. No chance all or even any of them could pass that signal let along reproduce it at the end location.

The final insult to intelligence is, you have to hold your phone up to the door to make it worK? Do you hold it to the trunk to open the trunk?

If it works, I'll eat my remote.

Besides, who locks their car with anything but the remote these days?

[Im A Little Petunia]

Yep - I found this out last year - works for me, although thankfully I haven't had to use it - I carry BOTH of my remote controls with me! :-) (No one rarely at home anyway)

Who needs salt and pepper! ? ;-)

m A Little Petunia

[LarryG]

Besides, who locks their car with anything but the remote these days?

I know of a person who tried to unlock with car with her remote at the end of a workday, and found it wouldn't work. She found someone with a similar model and borrowed the battery, thinking it might be a dead battery. No good. So she called a locksmith to come out and get her into her car. Who eventually arrives and either picked the lock or had a master key, I'm not sure which.

All the time this is going on, her door key is on the same ring, right next to the inoperative remote.

True story.

[cabinetman]

Maybe a more reliable method is to maintain a well trained group of homing pigeons that can be sent to retrieve the remote, or get a key to the car that's locked.

[JSCOOK]

There's no way this could work with the standard RF-based wireless keyfob remotes.
The cornerstone of EMC (electromagnetic compatibility), the ability of all radio devices to share the same radio spectrum is the careful shielding and filtering of signals to prevent transmitting out of band. Virtually every radio device has to pass certain EMC tests mandated by the FCC.

There's multiple blocks to trasnmitting anything but auido frequencies fronm the cell phone, a fundamental digitizing law for digital phones now almost universally used also prevents any out of band signals. From your phone it has to pass the local cell tower, the central stations and the receiving location cell tower and the phone. No chance all or even any of them could pass that signal let along reproduce it at the end location.

I'm with Loring on this too ... there is just no way this could work with RF over a cell phone ... can you imagine the havoc or lawsuits from this if it was possible?

[BrazosJake]

Yep - I found this out last year - works for me

How far from the vehicle were you during the test?

I had to get something from LOMLs car last year while she was teaching a class. Inside the second floor of a building 100 yards away, her remote still worked.

Loring,

My 2001 Ram PU uses good old-fashioned keys. LOML calls me a caveman, but I lock doors obsessively and have never locked my keys in it. I did, however, have to come to her rescue when she locked her remote in her car:-)

[Kristofor]

It's interesting to see 2.5 people who claim they tested this and it worked, I'm still going to assume this was due to low range from the caller to the callie...

However if you still have devices that are DTMF controled those singnals (sound) work just fine over a telephone. A lot of the cheesy apartment door intercom/lock systems work that way. At my sister's old appartment pressing *9 on your cell next to the microphone after anyone answered your page would unlock the door whether or not they wanted to let you in.

[Tom Miller]

...All the time this is going on, her door key is on the same ring, right next to the inoperative remote.

True story.

Just as I was thinking, "Wow, what a retard!", I recalled a story of my own. (Like a moth to the flame, I can't help but tell this one on myself.)

So, I'm loading up a half-dozen long 2x4's into my car. Since I had to open the front passenger window for the 2x4's to stick out, I had jumped in to start the car first. I got everything loaded, went to open the driver's door, and it was locked -- with the car running!

I called my wife to come get me, and after settling in to wait for her, it dawned on me that the passenger window was wide open....

Retards, uhhh, reGards,
Tom