Using a mobile phone to unlock a car ?

I've just read something which sounds far too good to be true. Is there any
truth in it?

Apparently if you accidentally lock your keys in the car, and the keys have
a remote-control to unlock the door, it is possible to use a mobile phone
and a second set of keys to unlock the door. You use your mobile to call
someone else on their mobile who has your spare set. While the mobile call
is connected, if you hold your mobile close to the car, and the other person
presses the unlock button close to their mobile, your car will unlock,
letting you get at the keys that you locked inside.

Sounds a right load of bollocks: it suggests that the remote in some way
communicates with the other person's mobile, then the signal passes to your
phone, and from there to the car's locking mechanism.

Does it rely on the remotes being the old sort that emit an ultrasonic
signal rather than modern sort which use an RF signal? Can mobiles transmit
an ultrasonic signal or are they restricted to normal 300-3000 Hz telephone
voice signals.

"Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote in message
news:crSdnafVnr7s_YXVnZ2dnUVZ8surnZ2d@plusnet...
> I've just read something which sounds far too good to be true. Is there
> any truth in it?
>
> Apparently if you accidentally lock your keys in the car, and the keys
> have a remote-control to unlock the door, it is possible to use a mobile
> phone and a second set of keys to unlock the door. You use your mobile to
> call someone else on their mobile who has your spare set. While the mobile
> call is connected, if you hold your mobile close to the car, and the other
> person presses the unlock button close to their mobile, your car will
> unlock, letting you get at the keys that you locked inside.
>
> Sounds a right load of bollocks: it suggests that the remote in some way
> communicates with the other person's mobile, then the signal passes to
> your phone, and from there to the car's locking mechanism.
>
> Does it rely on the remotes being the old sort that emit an ultrasonic
> signal rather than modern sort which use an RF signal? Can mobiles
> transmit an ultrasonic signal or are they restricted to normal 300-3000 Hz
> telephone voice signals.
>

This isn't going to work.

Some BMW's can be programmed to remember remote codes for gates etc.

Andy Burns wrote in message
-Zydnc_VFf7J_IXVnZ2dnUVZ8vSdnZ2d@plusnet:

> On 30/04/2008 13:05, Martin Underwood wrote:
>
>> I've just read something which sounds far too good to be true. Is
>> there any truth in it?
>
> no!
> http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/keyless.asp

Thanks. I'm glad my "bollocks detector" hasn't failed me.


Other "facts" that it mentions are:

- In an emergency, even if you don't have a mobile signal on your own
network, 112 will connect to *any* network to allow you to make an emergency
call. I think this one was discussed after the 7 July 2005 London bombings
and the consensus was that in the UK it doesn't work, even if it may in some
other countries. It would be an excellent thing if it *did* work.

- *3370# will activate a "reserve" battery power for emergencies when your
mobile is very low on power - always assuming that there's enough power left
to turn the phone on at all!

- *#06# will display the phone's unique 15-digit ID which can be passed to a
mobile phone operator so they can disable your phone if it is stolen. This
one *is* true.

In message z-udnRZQZrzX-4XVnZ2dnUVZ8vKdnZ2d@plusnet,
Martin Underwood <a@b> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

<snip>>

>
> Other "facts" that it mentions are:
>

<snip>

> - *3370# will activate a "reserve" battery power for emergencies when
> your mobile is very low on power - always assuming that there's
> enough power left to turn the phone on at all!
>

Think there might be *SOME* truth in this one. I read somewhere that this
switches the phone into a slightly lower quality codec which could have a
tiny effect on the power consumed...(??) (or maybe I dreamed it...) :-)



--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)

"Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote in message
news:crSdnafVnr7s_YXVnZ2dnUVZ8surnZ2d@plusnet...
> I've just read something which sounds far too good to be true. Is there
> any truth in it?
>

OMG there is one born every minute! If anyone contacts you pretending to be
a bank or tells you there is £50million waiting in return for your bank
details - don't fall for it.
It is a *JOKE* someone sent around for amusement purposes, my local car
dealership were even stupid enough to be talking about it.

>> Other "facts" that it mentions are:
>>
>
> <snip>
>
>> - *3370# will activate a "reserve" battery power for emergencies when
>> your mobile is very low on power - always assuming that there's
>> enough power left to turn the phone on at all!
>>
>
> Think there might be *SOME* truth in this one. I read somewhere that this
> switches the phone into a slightly lower quality codec which could have a
> tiny effect on the power consumed...(??) (or maybe I dreamed it...) :-)

You're not far off...

*3370# turns Enhanced Full Rate (EFR) on and #3370# turns it off (back to
FR).
*4720# turns Half Rate on and #4720# turns it off (back to FR).

http://home.planet.nl/~rickvdw/nokia..._codes_en.html

Benedict.

Martin Underwood wrote:
> I've just read something which sounds far too good to be true. Is there any
> truth in it?
>
> Apparently if you accidentally lock your keys in the car, and the keys have
> a remote-control to unlock the door, it is possible to use a mobile phone
> and a second set of keys to unlock the door. You use your mobile to call
> someone else on their mobile who has your spare set. While the mobile call
> is connected, if you hold your mobile close to the car, and the other person
> presses the unlock button close to their mobile, your car will unlock,
> letting you get at the keys that you locked inside.
>
> Sounds a right load of bollocks: it suggests that the remote in some way
> communicates with the other person's mobile, then the signal passes to your
> phone, and from there to the car's locking mechanism.
>
> Does it rely on the remotes being the old sort that emit an ultrasonic
> signal rather than modern sort which use an RF signal? Can mobiles transmit
> an ultrasonic signal or are they restricted to normal 300-3000 Hz telephone
> voice signals.
>
>

It's technically not possible for the RF (~433 MHz)
signal to be passed within the traffic channels of the
mobile phone. Even if the data were somehow being
demodulated to a voice-band signal within the phone,
it's hard to see how the distant mobile could use it
to re-modulate the original VHF frequency!

Nevertheless, I've seen this "demonstrated" on a TV
programme, but the vehicle was only just outside the
building from which the call was made. I wonder if it
*may* be possible for the key signal to be re-radiated
by the phone within its local field. It's easily
demonstrated that a keyfob's range can be boosted (by
tens of metres) using the human body as an aerial.
Could the phone be providing an "active" aerial that
does something similar over a longer range?

On 30 Apr, 13:29, "Martin Underwood" <a@b> wrote:

> Thanks. I'm glad my "bollocks detector" hasn't failed me.

I bet Ronaldo wishes he could say the same...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7374317.stm

Ian

In news:w_WdnX8aVstjF4XVnZ2dnUVZ8tSdnZ2d@bt.com,
ChrisM <chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com> typed, for some strange,
unexplained reason:
: In message z-udnRZQZrzX-4XVnZ2dnUVZ8vKdnZ2d@plusnet,
: Martin Underwood <a@b> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:
:
: <snip>>
:
: >
: > Other "facts" that it mentions are:
: >
:
: <snip>
:
: > - *3370# will activate a "reserve" battery power for emergencies
: > when your mobile is very low on power - always assuming that there's
: > enough power left to turn the phone on at all!
: >
:
: Think there might be *SOME* truth in this one. I read somewhere that
: this switches the phone into a slightly lower quality codec which
: could have a tiny effect on the power consumed...(??) (or maybe I
: dreamed it...) :-)

Works for some phones but not for others. I can do it on my Nokia 6310i
but it doesn't work on a friend's 7250i.

Ivor

In article <w_WdnX8aVstjF4XVnZ2dnUVZ8tSdnZ2d@bt.com>,
chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com says...
> In message z-udnRZQZrzX-4XVnZ2dnUVZ8vKdnZ2d@plusnet,
> Martin Underwood <a@b> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:
>
> <snip>>
>
> >
> > Other "facts" that it mentions are:
> >
>
> <snip>
>
> > - *3370# will activate a "reserve" battery power for emergencies when
> > your mobile is very low on power - always assuming that there's
> > enough power left to turn the phone on at all!
> >
>
> Think there might be *SOME* truth in this one. I read somewhere that this
> switches the phone into a slightly lower quality codec which could have a
> tiny effect on the power consumed...(??) (or maybe I dreamed it...) :-)

On very old nokia phones it used to force the handset into half rate
instead of enhanced full rate, gave a 1-2% increase in standby time,
hardly worth the effort.
--
Regards
Jon