Records reviewed by WIRED show law enforcement agencies are eager to take advantage of the data trails generated by a flood of new internet-connected vehicle features.
Yep, unless you get down to the level of pulling antennas off of circuit boards, but you’ll probably have to be careful that that doesn’t set off some sort of anti tampering system that shuts the whole car down
e; Also, doing these kinds of modifications are definitely going to violate your car warranty and maybe void your car insurance
Also also, any time you’re messing around with electrical components there’s a non-zero chance of electrocution or starting a fire, so in good conscience I can’t say this is a realistically safe option that people should pursue (like, I wouldn’t stop anyone from doing it, but I’m not encouraging it, just trying to highlight how completely fucked the situation is for consumers in the United States)
You could do it, assuming that you had the genuine schematics available to you, but even something so harmless as modifying the components to remove wireless connectivity could violate clauses on both your car insurance and/or car’s warranty.
I asked an older relative about this sort of idea years ago when these systems were new, and they related to me a story about an acquaintance who had decades earlier modified the electronics on their car (automatic cabin light activation when doors open), and wound up burning to death after an accident because they inadvertently damaged the car’s electronic lock control system. I’m not saying that you need to be a Professor of Electrical Engineering, but please reconsider.
Why TF would anyone have a car with such a device? Key … key in hand … insert key into lock assembly … turn key … door unlocks and can now be opened. It’s simple, effective, proven tech that doesn’t need computers or come with any “burned up in the car because door locked” risk. Sure it doesn’t make any loud noises that draw attention to you when you lock/unlock, but that’s a positive thing.
This has been a standard feature for probably close to 20 years now. Your car doesn’t automatically lock when you put the car in drive and unlock when you go back to park? I drive a 12 year old econobox and it has this feature.
When I wrote the previous comment I was thinking that “electronic lock” was referring to a fob-activated lock that you used in place of a key-activated lock. The things that are constantly blasting their honks and beeps throughout the neighborhood when we used to have just quiet. Bad enough, but it sounds from your comment that it’s much, much worse than that.
It sounds like you’re describing a lock that the vehicle is in control of! No, my cars have no such things. I didn’t realize they existed. I’ve rented a few cars, incl. one “good” (meaning, one that people might envy me for owning, thus increasing my feelings of prestige) European car within the past 10 yrs and didn’t notice the car deciding to lock the doors w/o my consent. If this was happening it must have been a silent anti-feature, or at least very quiet.
I can’t imagine needing or wanting the car to decide when to lock/unlock the doors. I only lock them when I’m parked, and sometimes not even then (not really paranoid about break-ins … I’ve left the Miata top-down on my street overnight before, and the horrific end result was … a dead leaf or two on the seats, maybe an insect visitor as well, a little extra dust). Locking and unlocking the doors is a simple as putting a mechanical key into a slot or pushing/pulling a lever on the inside. Nothing could be easier, and it’s not a decision I’m about to cede to the car (and its manufacturer) for no good reason.
Yep, unless you get down to the level of pulling antennas off of circuit boards, but you’ll probably have to be careful that that doesn’t set off some sort of anti tampering system that shuts the whole car down
e; Also, doing these kinds of modifications are definitely going to violate your car warranty and maybe void your car insurance
Also also, any time you’re messing around with electrical components there’s a non-zero chance of electrocution or starting a fire, so in good conscience I can’t say this is a realistically safe option that people should pursue (like, I wouldn’t stop anyone from doing it, but I’m not encouraging it, just trying to highlight how completely fucked the situation is for consumers in the United States)
Dummy load. System thinks there’s still an antenna, but it doesn’t actually transmit or receive anything.
You could do it, assuming that you had the genuine schematics available to you, but even something so harmless as modifying the components to remove wireless connectivity could violate clauses on both your car insurance and/or car’s warranty.
I asked an older relative about this sort of idea years ago when these systems were new, and they related to me a story about an acquaintance who had decades earlier modified the electronics on their car (automatic cabin light activation when doors open), and wound up burning to death after an accident because they inadvertently damaged the car’s electronic lock control system. I’m not saying that you need to be a Professor of Electrical Engineering, but please reconsider.
Why TF would anyone have a car with such a device? Key … key in hand … insert key into lock assembly … turn key … door unlocks and can now be opened. It’s simple, effective, proven tech that doesn’t need computers or come with any “burned up in the car because door locked” risk. Sure it doesn’t make any loud noises that draw attention to you when you lock/unlock, but that’s a positive thing.
This has been a standard feature for probably close to 20 years now. Your car doesn’t automatically lock when you put the car in drive and unlock when you go back to park? I drive a 12 year old econobox and it has this feature.
When I wrote the previous comment I was thinking that “electronic lock” was referring to a fob-activated lock that you used in place of a key-activated lock. The things that are constantly blasting their honks and beeps throughout the neighborhood when we used to have just quiet. Bad enough, but it sounds from your comment that it’s much, much worse than that.
It sounds like you’re describing a lock that the vehicle is in control of! No, my cars have no such things. I didn’t realize they existed. I’ve rented a few cars, incl. one “good” (meaning, one that people might envy me for owning, thus increasing my feelings of prestige) European car within the past 10 yrs and didn’t notice the car deciding to lock the doors w/o my consent. If this was happening it must have been a silent anti-feature, or at least very quiet.
I can’t imagine needing or wanting the car to decide when to lock/unlock the doors. I only lock them when I’m parked, and sometimes not even then (not really paranoid about break-ins … I’ve left the Miata top-down on my street overnight before, and the horrific end result was … a dead leaf or two on the seats, maybe an insect visitor as well, a little extra dust). Locking and unlocking the doors is a simple as putting a mechanical key into a slot or pushing/pulling a lever on the inside. Nothing could be easier, and it’s not a decision I’m about to cede to the car (and its manufacturer) for no good reason.
Yeah, this is actually a really good point I should edit into my post
Something worth considering is all, no need to edit IMO.