41–50 of 576 posts
Source: nobody has ever stolen any of the cars I've owned while I've been troubleshooting the ongoing electrical problems.
As a kid, I watched my father pull a single fuse from the family 4x4's fuse box whenever we left the vehicle unattented for any extended period. Does a practical, lower-tech deterent exist?
My buddy has an 89 Prelude that got stolen a couple of times. It basically got driven around and left with an empty tank around town both times and no signs of break in. I think the keys are relatively common for those so maybe the thief has one. Anyways, I installed a switch up under his dash the disconnects the fuel pump +12v wire. It takes just a moment to flick the switch if you know where it is, and afterwards,…
>At the end of the three-year project, the team aims to have a commercially viable prototype that can be scaled up to commercial production, first as a theft deterrent device, and potentially later as a complete vehicle entry and control system that could replace traditional keys and fobs. What's the point of this? Modern cars already have engines that are cryptographically tied to keys[1]. They're not perfect, but i…
Exactly. What's even worse is that it takes a huge research grant to come up with this. > With a new $1.2 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation...
This is a very engineering solution to a very not-engineering problem. Would this deter thieves? Possibly! Would thieves eventually be able to work around it? Also probably! Would it increase the friction of getting in and driving? Definitely! Today, your house keys are basically useless for security -- getting into your house is trivially easy both destructively and not. But we all use house keys because they feel s…
Most locks on most residential facilities are not about security so much as a "tamper evident" seal for insurance purposes.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Most locks on most residential facilities are not about security so much as a "tamper evident" seal for insurance purposes.
I guarantee you I, or anyone else with ~30m of training can get into 95% of homes without leaving much evidence that the locks were tampered with. House locks are very easy to pick open.
This is a very engineering solution to a very not-engineering problem. Would this deter thieves? Possibly! Would thieves eventually be able to work around it? Also probably! Would it increase the friction of getting in and driving? Definitely! Today, your house keys are basically useless for security -- getting into your house is trivially easy both destructively and not. But we all use house keys because they feel s…
Most locks on most residential facilities are not about security so much as a "tamper evident" seal for insurance purposes.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How is this the most costly way?
Opportunity cost of the additional travel time[1] that you have to spend because you don't have a car. [1] Yes, I'm aware of european cities where cars aren't necessary or are actually slower than public transit. That's not applicable to most of the US though.
The only reason I have a car is because there are some specialized transportation needs (towing) that I cannot get from my bike. I use my bike for everything from hardware to Costco to groceries to child care to ... lots of stuff.
Running a relay into the car to a switch thats protected just moves a analog electrical problem somewhere else, it' still just two wires to jump at the end of the day
What you want is what smarter cars have, integration to the ECU. So you put in the wrong key, it does a crypto exchange with the ecu, and the ECU won't crank. Even if you crank it by jumping the solenoid, it won't power the fuel pump, the computer will still say 'I am off' sorry no fuel no timing, nothing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Most locks on most residential facilities are not about security so much as a "tamper evident" seal for insurance purposes.
I guarantee you I, or anyone else with ~30m of training can get into 95% of homes without leaving much evidence that the locks were tampered with. House locks are very easy to pick open.
1. It's re-inventing a kill switch. 2. It adds tons of uselees innovation to a kill switch. 3. If your car is antique/valuable/interesting, the people stealing it know the starting diagram/circuit and can easily rip it out/bypass it. 4. IF your car is antique/valuable/interesting you wouldn't add this as it can depreciate the car value/make it more ugly. You're not installing this in a brand new BMW M6, or a new Hond…
Most unique rides are typically stolen due to owner laziness(leaving keys on top of a tire, keys in the visor, left running, etc.).