Losing your car keys can be incredibly frustrating. It can cause a lot of stress and inconvenience, especially when you are in a hurry. However, with advancements in technology, tracking down lost car keys has become easier than ever before. There are now various options available that can help you locate your car keys quickly and efficiently.
In this article, I will show you how to track a lost car key through different methods. Moreover, I will share with you tips on how to protect your car keys from being tracked because a car thief can easily hack your wireless car key and steal your car. So without wasting any time, let’s begin.
Quick Summary
Tracking a car key’s location is not possible without a third-party GPS chip. If you have a habit of misplacing your car keys you must get one for yourself. It will help you find your lost car keys in a matter of a few seconds if the key is still in its range. Also, if you don’t want any other person to hack your car keys and steal your car then you must make use of Faraday key fobs pouches. These will block electromagnetic radiation and hence prevent hacking.
Can Car Keys Be Tracked?
With modern cars, our keys and vehicles hold more data than ever before. Fun fact, do you know BMW is known to store more information in their car keys than any other car company?
This is concerning, isn’t it? If you own a car with keyless entry or push-to-start features then you must be worried about is your car spying on you. The other concern is since these types of keys emit signals they can be tracked, hijacked, and even duplicated by thieves to break into your car. Though this may not occur frequently, it is becoming more prevalent in our technologically advanced world.
So can you track car keys? The answer is both yes and no because you must have special gadgets and skills to receive and encode the signals emitted by these car keys. Nevertheless, here’s how to track your car keys.
Even if your wireless car key has a chip built-in you still cannot track it without any third-party Bluetooth tracker. That is because these electronic chips do not have built-in GPS and hence you cannot track the key’s location. Therefore, if you have a habit of misplacing your car keys then you must invest in a good GPS tracker.
A GPS tracker is a small electronic device that you can attach to your keychain or place inside your car key fob. These devices work by using Bluetooth technology to communicate with an app on your smartphone. The app will display the location of the Bluetooth tracker and, consequently, you will be able to track your car key’s location.
To use a GPS tracker, you’ll first need to buy one from Amazon or offline stores. You then need to download the GPS tracker app onto your smartphone. Most Bluetooth-enabled GPS trackers have a range of around 100 feet, so if you’re within that range, the app will display the location of your key on a map. Some Bluetooth trackers have a longer range but they tend to be more expensive.
When you need to find your lost car key, you can simply open the app on your smartphone and tap the “find” button. The Bluetooth tracker will then emit a sound to help you locate it. Some GPS trackers also have a “last seen” feature which shows you the last known location of your car key on a map.
Overall, if you want to track your wireless car keys or old-school car keys then you need a third-party GPS tracker. These are affordable, compact, and easy to use. However, they do have some limitations. For example, they only work within a certain range, so if you’re outside that range, you won’t be able to track your car key. Additionally, if someone takes your key, they could easily remove the Bluetooth tracker. Nonetheless, a Bluetooth tracker is still the best option for tracking your car keys.
How To Prevent It?
Modern car keys with chips or transponders do not have tracking capabilities, as they are only designed to communicate with your car’s immobilizer system to allow the car to start. However, thieves can hack this system using a technique called relay theft and steal your car without the car keys.
Basically, modern cars can be stolen more easily through relay car theft, where thieves use gadgets to amplify signals from car keys. Thieves place a receiver close to the owner’s key, while another waits near the car. The first device amplifies the signals and sends them to the second device, which tricks the car into thinking the actual key is present, allowing the thieves to start the engine and steal the car.
If you own a keyless entry car, then this must be concerning for you. However, you don’t have to worry, you can make use of a Faraday bag or pouch. A Faraday pouch is a small bag made of conductive material that blocks electromagnetic signals emitted by your car keys.
You can place your car key fob inside a Faraday pouch like this one to prevent it from being detected by hackers, which prevents unauthorized access to your car through keyless entry systems.
You might also like the following car tracking guides:
- How To Spy On Someone In Their Car?
- How To Track A Stolen Car With VIN Number?
- How Can I Track My Rental Car?
- How To Bug A Car For Audio & Location?
- How To Track My Car Location By Number Plate?
- What Cars Have GPS Tracking Built-In?
- Can You Track A Stolen Car With Bluetooth?
- How To Track A Car Without GPS Tracker?
Final Verdict
Even though our modern car keys have lots of electronic chips that keep emitting signals, they are not meant to track them. This means if you want to track a car key’s location you have to install a GPS chip on it. However, hackers can still hack your car keys with or without a GPS chip and steal your car using it. Therefore it is important that you invest in a Faraday car key fob that blocks electromagnetic signals.
