Remote keyless system
[1] RKS largely and quickly superseded keyless entry, a budding technology that restrictively bound locking and unlocking functions to vehicle-mounted keypads.
Patented in 1981 after successful submission in 1979, it worked using a "coded pulse signal generator and battery-powered infra-red radiation emitter."
[citation needed] Keyless remotes contain a short-range radio transmitter, and must be within a certain range, usually 5–20 meters, of the car to work.
When a button is pushed, it sends a coded signal by radio waves to a receiver unit in the car, which locks or unlocks the door.
Modern systems since the mid-1990s implement encryption as well as rotating entry codes to prevent car thieves from intercepting and spoofing the signal.
Further adding to the convenience, some cars' engines with remote keyless ignition systems can be started by the push of a button on the key fob (useful in cold weather), and convertible tops can be raised and lowered from outside the vehicle while it's parked.
Remote keyless entry fobs emit a radio frequency with a designated, distinct digital identity code.
However, newer (2013+) keyless entry remotes require dealership or locksmith programming via a computer with special software .
Today, passive systems are commonly found on a variety of vehicles, and although the exact method of operation differs between makes and models, their operation is generally similar: a vehicle can be unlocked without the driver needing to physically push a button on the key fob to lock or unlock the car.
[13] Actual thefts targeting luxury cars based on the above exploit have been reported when the key fob is near the front of the home.
[16] Prior to remote keyless systems (RKS), several manufacturers offered keypad systems which did not allow "remote entry" per se, but allowed a user to enter a vehicle without a key by entering a code on a multi-button keypad on the driver door or pillar — to unlock the driver door.
A keypad system can enables tiered or time-restricted permissions, i.e., the code allowing access to the vehicle but not starting the engine.
Ford introduced its proprietary keypad system with physical buttons for model year 1980 — on the Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Continental Mark VI, and Lincoln Town Car — marketed initially as the Keyless Entry System, later as SecuriCode and most recently as the SecuriCode Invisible, the latter where a capacitive touch pad replaces physical buttons and illuminates on contact, remaining otherwise hidden.
The sixth generation Buick Electra (1985-1991) featured a sill-mounted keypad for model years 1985-1988, superseded in 1989 by GM's remote keyless system.
Nissan offered the a keypad technology on the 1984 Maxima, Fairlady, Gloria and Cedric, essentially using the same approach as Ford, with the addition of being able to roll the windows down and open the optional moonroof from outside the vehicle on the door handle installed keypad on both the driver's and front passengers door as well as roll the windows up, close the optional sunroof and lock the vehicle.
