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Thank you for the two examples, which I hadn't considered.
> function to locate your car that you left on the airport lot and you
> forgot to write down where you parked it a week ago.
Well, that sounds like someone trying to misuse a security(?) feature to
help compensate for forgetfulness. Useful, perhaps, but counterproductive
to the purpose of the system.
Security. What is security?
Best security makes it as easy as possible for the good guys and as hard
as possible for the bad guys. Trying to make it do more than that tends
to reduce its effectiveness.
Good security is not broadcasting your lock/unlock RF keys over such a
wide area that you can be sure that an RF-code-stealing-thief can grab
them, and also means not having the car point itself out to said thief
when he re-broadcasts the grabbed code(s) after you've left...
Once you try to make the key too fancy and far-reaching, the less secure
it is.
You know, your house key undoubtedly opens locks on other houses. And,
similarly, others' keys can open the locks on your house! Once it becomes
too easy to try (broadcast) a key in a large number of locks
simultaneously, security tends to be reduced, not enhanced.
So consider over how broad an area you wish to always broadcast your key!
(And over how broad an area you'd like others broadcasting theirs!)
My remote has no panic button, and I've never needed nor wanted nor thought
about one; I was thinking about remote keyless entry. Further, is there
one person left on earth does not, with varying success, tune out all
obnoxious car alarm noises? If I wanted to call attention to a bad
situation, I'm not sure how I'd do it (likely the Loud dog whistle on my
key ring), but having to rely upon a car alarm wailing would not make me
feel much/any better in a "panic" situation. You can carry a portable
noise-maker if this is a big concern, though I remain at a loss to know if
it's preferable to have a blaring noise 1' away, 50' away, or 100' away
while being attacked.
The less far-reaching the RF transmitter's effect, the less likely that
someone else's remote has unlocked your car without your knowledge, the
less likely your code's been grabbed (it's safe to assume the code can be
grabbed from even farther than your can can respond to it), the less likely
your car and its contents are not the way you left them or that there is
a bad guy hiding in the back seat awaiting your return.
Just because RF is invisible to you doesn't mean it's invisible to the
bad guys, to whom you're broadcasting an exact copy of your key every time
you push that button. (I believe Volvo's still using non-varying codes.)
So if you're that worried about the bad guys getting you(r car), the last
thing in the world you want is an extended transmitter range, and the
2nd-last thing in the world you want is for your car to say LOOK AT *ME*
every time the code is transmitted.
IMO, that's much worse than a login portal that reveals the difference
between a nonexistent account and an incorrect password, which is
considered bad security.
So what some see as an Acura feature (see
http://brickboard.com/READER/?file=10050855&referer=AWD ), others see as
an Acura security lapse, and still others see as easier pickings. We all
have our own viewpoints...
Roll on,
- Dave; '95 854T, 101K mi
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