Replacing a key fob usually involves contacting your dealership who then needs to place a custom order. But the K2 fob works like a universal remote for vehicles, requiring just their make, model, year and about five minutes of programming.
The third-party replacement fob not only means faster turnaround times for customers — minutes instead of days — but it also allows dealerships to tap into the lucrative replacement remote market without requiring them to stock fobs for every make and model they sell. And since the K2 fob can be programmed to operate up to two vehicles, it should even help lighten keychains.
The system does raise some security concerns since apparently all that’s needed to program a remote is the vehicle’s make, model number and year. A five-minute activation process after it’s been programmed is what I assume ensures that not just anyone can create a fob to access your vehicle. But who’s to say it won’t happen when you leave your ride at a dealership or garage for repairs? Like that key copying vending machine it certainly sounds like a convenient solution, but is it more convenient for car owners or car thieves? [Keyless Ride via Engadget]
Ogre
Friday, December 2, 2011 at 11:28 AMThis makes no sense. If you can make a replacement unlock remote with just the make, model number and year, then shouldn’t any manufacturer issued remote be able to unlock any vehicle with the same make, model number and year, which is a security issue.
Or perhaps it is relying on every vehicle having some kind of manufacturer override code, which is also insecure.
Otherwise, I dare say that the make, model number and year is only to determine the communications protocol required, and that you will still need the unique unlock code for your vehicle. Seems silly otherwise.
Steve
Friday, December 2, 2011 at 12:21 PMI’d say you would need access to the key and ignition in most cases, this being the ‘activation proccess’. When i programmed an OEM fob for my Nissan, i needed the old fob, the key in the ignition and me opening the door and turning the key in a particular order.
Matt L
Friday, December 2, 2011 at 12:24 PMIt’d make more sense if selecting the make and model helped the device “listen” to the code when u press the key of the orignal remote. Maybe copying the data and writing it back so the new key knows what data to send… And because every 100 times u put the key in and start the car (at least on my Commodore), the code changes so it will have to keep up with that somehow?
bolagnaise
Friday, December 2, 2011 at 1:04 PMsteve and ogre you are both correct, the process inserting it in the programming board would tell it the communications protocol and you would then need an original key and fob from the vehicle and complete a series of steps of inserting the old key, turing it to on twice, pressing a button, turning it off, inserting the new key and doing the same process to program the unique vehicle id to the key fob.
Tom
Friday, December 2, 2011 at 2:27 PMI Don’t understand why everyone is having so much trouble with comprehending how this works. Most manufacturers key fobs operate on different frequencies. Each car needs to have the key fob paired to it. To program the car to recognize a particular key fob, you need to follow a sequence eg the one for my car is something like turn the car from off to acc 3 times then turn it to on then press the button on the fob and hold it then the car will flash the indicators twice to signal that the new key fob has been added. In short all this fob needs to do is use the preselected frequency and mimic the function of an oem fob. The article isn’t quite right where it says a custom order needs to be placed as USUALLY the dealership just need to pair a new key fob to your car. The Toyota dealer did this for me about a month ago.