Do Car Keys Have Tracking Devices?

The keys to your vehicle have advanced a lot in the last 30 years. We’re living in a futuristic reality where some of our vehicles can be started with the push of a button, from inside our houses! This is an especially nice feature on a cold day where you don’t want to wait for your vehicle to heat up. Current day cars also feature keyless entry and keyless push to start options! 

So with all this new innovation, do our keys also include GPS tracking functions? The answer is yes in newer vehicles, but that doesn’t mean that you have access to that information for those of you who are tracking down your lost keys. If this is you, see our section below on finding lost keys.

How It Works

Some vehicles store more information in their keys and computers than others. BMW in particular is known to store more of your data in the key fob than any other car company. 

For any vehicle that has a key that promotes keyless entry and push to start features, your key is very much trackable to anyone near you. Your key emits a signal that can be traced and even hijacked and duplicated to break into your car. This is not an everyday occurrence but it does happen and with increasing prevalence in our modern and technologically advanced world. 

It isn’t just the car’s keys that are storing data and can be vulnerable. The immobilizer systems, keys, locks, and internal computer in the modern car are all susceptible to hacking. Once broken a hacker can then access the vehicle, plant viruses and tracking software, clone or decode keys, and even steal your vehicle. When it comes to your keys, you can actually prevent cloning and information scraping using a very simple tool. 

Protecting Yourself and Car From Key Hacking

Anyone standing within a 20 foot radius of you, with the right knowledge and equipment can access your wireless key fob, taking data and even cloning the key to break into or steal your car. Luckily there is an easy solution to preventing this crime from happening to you. 

You can prevent key hacking by using a signal blocking pouch. These are a great option for those of us with smart keys that are hackable. They are also excellent at protecting credit cards and phones, which if you didn’t know, can also be hacked from a distance. Here are the brands we think that you will like. 

Silent Pocket Signal Blocking Faraday

The Silent Pocket is the patented technology used by consumers across the world to protect their hackable electronics and personal information. This brand is trusted by the U.S. Military as well as security and tech companies. It is made of a durable canvas exterior with the signal blocking technology inside. The product is backed by its manufacturer with a lifetime money-back guarantee. 

It is also guaranteed to block all signals. These signals include wifi, Bluetooth, NFC, cellular, GPS, radio, and RFID. It even provides EMF protection against the long-term effects of EMF radiation. You can check out the current prices of the Silent Pocket here:

Faraday Key Fob Bag By Ticonn

So this is going to be the off-brand of the Faraday bag and is quite similar to what we discussed above by Silent Pocket. This product comes with a set of two bags and is noticeably cheaper than its brand name competitor. Unlike Silent Pocket, this case is going to come only in one color but overall I do like the appearance. 

Ticonn guarantees that you will love their product or they give you your money back but this is only within 30 days of your purchase. A feature that I absolutely love about this product is that they attached a key ring so this pouch can easily be added to a lanyard or a wristlet. Overall this is a great option for anyone looking to spend a little less while protecting their car, bank cards, and personal information. 

What About For Those Of Us Who Just Want To Find Our Keys?

I live with a chronic key loser. At least twice a week my husband’s keys will go missing, wouldn’t it be so nice if there was a function on your keys that would help you locate them like you can a phone by calling it or using a find my phone app. Unfortunately none of the auto manufacturers currently offer this service (@car manufacturers DESIGN FLAW!! GIVE US WHAT WE NEED). 

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t products on the market to help you out. Your keys are incapable of helping you find them for the time being, but in the last few years, there has been an increase of products on the market that are essentially a GPS tracker for your key ring. 

The brand that you have likely heard of is Tiles and they are pretty prevalent now. One of my husband’s coworkers gifted him with a set in a secret Santa (because he’s famous for his ability to lose keys and wallets) and it changed his life!  I swear. 

With a simple app on his phone he can track down these tiles which are attached to both his keys and wallet and even make them play a noise to help you track them down. It keeps track of when the last time your items were seen and shows you their location on a map. This can also be a great stand in for GPS tracking for other items from phones and wallets to pets.

If you identify with my husband you should definitely check out buying a GPS tracker for your frequently lost items.

Don’t Lose All The Cash In Your Wallet Either – Get A Vehicle Service Contract & Protect Yourself From Repair Bills

Car repairs can be absurdly expensive, and you can expect those unexpected repairs before too long no matter what vehicle you drive. 

If you have to replace the transmission in your car it could cost you up to $5,000. Yikes! Getting tracked or losing your keys is bad enough.

Depending on your vehicle it could cost you up to $10,000 to replace the engine block.

If that seems absurd to you, luckily you aren’t alone.

A vehicle service contract from Protect My Car can help cover the cost of these excessive repairs. In fact, you could pay as little as $100 dollars for that $5,000 transmission replacement.

Yes, you heard that right.

For less that the cost of a cup of coffee each day, you can get coverage for:

• Steering
• Suspension
• Engine
• Transmission
• A/C and Heating
• Navigation and Electronics
• …and so much more.

When you walk into the repair shop with a coverage plan from PMC, you can rest assured that you will never pay for these repairs listed here. You pay a $100 deductible, just like insurance and we pay the rest.

Does that sound like a fair deal to you?

If it does, just click the button and fill out the form to see how much you could be saving on major repairs.