By David Green, Vehicle Security Specialist at SBD

You’re sat in a restaurant and you suddenly panic – you can’t remember whether or not you locked the car; perhaps you’re on the way back to the car on a hot day and you want the windows open and the car cooled down before you get in; or maybe you just can’t remember which pillar you parked next to in the car park.  These are familiar scenarios, but ones that the industry has been working to solve for some time with the next generation of enhanced key fobs.

Increasing the level of convenience and improving the overall customer experience are high on the priority list for new vehicles, so it’s no surprise that there is significant attention on the customer interface outside of the car.Previously favoured solutions were complicated bi-directional key fobs with multi-function displays, but the industry now seems agreed that smart phones are the best option.  Customer take-up is booming; the customer interface is already developed and they are easy to update. However it seems that the technology suppliers and the vehicle manufacturers are split on their strategy for the link from phone interface to vehicle.

For manufacturers, it’s the connected application that is winning out, where the smart phone itself then makes the link straight to the vehicle (or through a secure operating centre via GPRS SMS).  Volvo are the latest manufacturer to launch this kind of downloadable application, with an app for their 2012 model year vehicles as part of the package including emergency and breakdown calling.  The system can display the vehicle location on a map, can be used to lock or unlock the vehicle, can show basic vehicle ID information such as the VIN, or can give a theft notification to the customer if the alarm is triggered. BMW and Mercedes already offer such applications whilst the aftermarket is also exploring this option, such as the Viper/iPhone system that even includes remote engine start.

For suppliers, NFC links between key fobs and smart phones are the favoured communication method, where the key fob becomes the gateway between customer, smart phone and vehicle. For example, NXP have just launched their production-ready, single-chip solution that offers either the remote keyless entry or passive keyless entry alongside the NFC capability.  This device actually supports all the same features as the new Volvo application, but instead of using an internet-based link between phone and vehicle, the customer simply holds the keyfob within the NFC range of the smart phone.  The key fob then communicates with the vehicle over the existing Radio Frequency channel up to a range of around 100 metres.

From a customer point of view, both solutions offer the same level of functionality, but the manufacturer’s direct phone to car link means they don’t have to hold their key fob up to their phone and can operate at unrestricted range. However, from a security point of view the NFC solution provides a much better option.  Not only do the smart phone and key fob only communicate over a short range, but the communication from the key fob to the vehicle uses existing, secure communication that has been developed by the manufacturers.

At the cost of the communication range, eliminating the connected services link between phone and vehicle also eliminates much of the threat and opportunity for remote hacking too. That said, it remains to be seen if Vehicle Manufacturers can be persuaded by the short range gateway key fob in the short term future. 

Interested in learning more about enhanced key fobs?

SBD’s in depth report Enhanced Key Fobs – The Driver Interface Outside the Vehicle investigates present and future technological developments as well as including specific sections dedicated to supplier concepts and vehicle manufacturers’ products. You might also be interested in Can Thieves Control my Car? Hacking attacks on vehicle security systems which offers an in depth analysis of how features like Bluetooth links, tyre pressure monitoring systems, telematics systems and the standardisation of ECU software have opened a new set of threats. To buy any of these reports contact Kavitha at kkuppuswamy@sbd.co.uk.