When: 1983
Where: USA
Why: Remote keyless entry systems allowed car owners to secure their vehicle at the touch of a button
How: Inspired by the garage door openers of the 1950s, unique code technology was developed to increase security
Who: General Motors and Renault, although improved by Nanoteq in South Africa
Fact: The KeeLoq encryption system selects a code from 4,294,976,295 possible combinations
Remote keyless entry (RKE) systems are so ubiquitous nowadays that marketing a car without the feature would be seen as archaic. A business idea that combines ease of use with low cost – and most importantly of all, security – the remote keyless system has made entry and exit a breeze.
Modern iterations of remote entry technology can be traced back to the 1950s, when two inventors completely unknown to each other both developed the first remote garage door openers in Washington, DC and Illinois. These first systems – despite being lauded as space-age – were in fact very simple, consisting of nothing more than a small, low-powered radio transmitter and a corresponding receiver, which opened the garage door.
A fundamental security issue was identified – the radio signals used by the devices were all the same, meaning that anyone who owned a transmitter could open anyone else’s garage door.
This was perfectly adequate when such a product was an expensive luxury, but as more people bought the garage door openers a fundamental security issue was identified – the radio signals used by the devices were all the same, meaning that anyone who owned a transmitter could open anyone else’s garage door.
It was well into the 1970s before companies began introducing basic security technologies into their garage door openers. These primitive measures were based on several hidden switches that matched the configuration of the receiver, allowing for about 256 possible combinations – enough to stop your neighbours from raiding your garage perhaps, but still not enough to be seen as a viable replacement for a key.
Over a decade later, the first keyless entry systems began to appear on new vehicle models, with General Motors and Renault offering a version of keyless entry on some of their models as early as 1983. Although the security had been stepped up from switches on these first devices (the internal codes were unique to each car and much longer), they were very expensive and their range was poor. In addition, criminals soon began to exploit a gaping security flaw – inexpensive, covert devices known as ‘grabbers’ could intercept the radio signal being transmitted from the fob and replicate it, essentially meaning that they had an instant clone of your car key and could easily gain entry to your car.
Clearly, the technology was not mature, and many still preferred the security and inconvenience of the traditional key to the risks and convenience of the remote version.
The breakthrough that finally made keyless entry systems a viable alternative to the key came in the late 1980s – the introduction of ‘code hopping’ security technology. This technology was pioneered by two scientists working at a South African security company, Nanoteq, where they came up with the KeeLoq encryption technology that is still used by many vehicle manufacturers and security providers today.
Instead of using just one code, the KeeLoq transmitter and receiver both come with a chip containing an algorithm that generates a single-use code (typically 40 characters) out of over four trillion possible combinations. When the button on the fob is pressed, it sends this code to the receiver, which is expecting that particular combination and performs an action, such as opening a door. The code is then changed according to the formula, and the next time the fob is pressed a different code is sent out. This renders ‘grabber’ devices useless – if they replicate a code that was sent out by the transmitter, the receiver will just ignore it, because by then it is expecting a different code.
The technology was sold to technology firm Microchip Ltd in the 1990s for $10m. The exponentially improved security proved to be the final piece in the puzzle, becoming an industry standard within a few years, and being adopted by a range of vehicle manufacturers, such as Chrysler, General Motors and Jaguar.
Modern cars that are manufactured without RKE have become as much of a curiosity as the cars in the 1980s that did have the technology. The market penetration is complete and RKE is now installed as standard on the vast majority of new vehicles.
Manufacturers … are beginning to offer entirely keyless car models, with the remote fob providing the only means of entry and ignition.
New remote entry fobs offer features such as remote ignition – meaning the car can be started and stopped without a key – and newer iterations of the remote entry system are also expected to be able to display information about the car, such as whether it is locked or unlocked. Manufacturers have such confidence in the mature technology that some are beginning to offer entirely keyless car models, with the remote fob providing the only means of entry and ignition – doing away with the traditional key altogether.
One technology that is also growing in popularity is passive keyless entry. This triggers a car lock to open when the transmitter is within a certain radius of the vehicle and to automatically lock when it leaves that radius, adding a further layer of convenience and security. The idea is highly popular, with a third of cars in Europe expected to ship with the feature by 2012.
Furthermore, the traditional form of the key fob is also facing a new challenger in the form of the smartphone. There are now applications available for these devices which use the phone’s chip to replicate the authentication system used by keyless entry systems. This convergence may signal another change in the way we view locking systems.
Whatever the future holds for keyless entry, it will always take the credit for having completely revolutionised the way we enter our vehicles. The fact that the technology is increasingly being expanded into other areas, such as home security, is just further evidence that the revolution doesn’t stop there.