How to protect your car from theft: the best electronic and mechanical devices

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

The car has become for many people an indispensable assistant in everyday life: to get to the store, to go to another city on business, to give a ride to a relative or friend - there are countless applications for this means of transportation. Besides, a good car is expensive. For these reasons, every car owner tries to protect the car from theft as much as possible. What car theft protection systems can be used to do this?

Some statistics

According to statistics, every 10 seconds in the world one vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle) is stolen. It wouldn't sound so bad if most of the cars ended up being returned to their owners, but the facts say otherwise - most stolen vehicles are either resold or broken down for parts. How to deal with this problem? Is there really no guaranteed way to protect the car fromtheft or burglary? How to protect the car from theft or unauthorized entry?

Someone argues that either paid parking lots or insurance documents are guaranteed protection against damage caused by theft. The truth is that car park owners are not responsible for stolen vehicles, and insurance does not always fully compensate for the cost of a car.

There are alarms! Yes, there are indeed a large number of security systems on the market, but none of them can guarantee complete protection against theft either. An experienced thief can break into any security systems, although their manufacturers convince customers that their products are as secure as possible.

Is it impossible to protect yourself from theft by 100%? Yes, but you can protect your own car from unauthorized entry as much as possible by using comprehensive protection measures, and not just an alarm.

It is immediately worth noting that when choosing an anti-theft system (hereinafter referred to as ACS), one must proceed from the following fact: its cost should be at least 5-10% of the cost of the vehicle.

Types of PICs

Every year, car theft protection measures are improved, new systems are launched on the market, the principle of operation of which is not similar to its predecessors. The anti-theft remedies currently available for purchase are classified and the following types of security systems are distinguished:

1. Electronic.
2. Mechanical.
3. Satellite.
4. Radio Search.
5. Biometric.
6. Transponder.

The first two types of PUS can be installed independently, the last four cannot be installed due to the complexity of the technologies used. Next, electronic and mechanical anti-theft systems will be discussed in more detail.

Electronic anti-theft systems

How to protect a car from theft using electronic starters?

Electronic control systems are installed in every modern vehicle. They have proven their reliability and ease of use over the years. Due to the presence of a large number of sensors in these systems, electronic control panels recognize unauthorized entry into the car and stop the fuel supply, as well as break the ignition circuit. This is the principle of operation of all electronic anti-theft systems.

Popular types of electronic POS:

1. Alarm. The task of this PUS is to notify the owner of the car about the undesirable impact on the vehicle. The notification occurs with the help of a siren sound signal, although it is possible that this signal is combined with the signal received by the interactive key fob. It all depends on the alarm model. This system is considered ineffective and is recommended to be used together with other anti-theft agents. The most reliable signaling is the one in which the signal from the key fob to the central unit is transmitted in the form of an encrypted code. Such signals are difficult to recognize, intercept and decipher. As a result, the car is harder to hack.
2. Immobilizer. Installedat the factory, an anti-theft system, which is a microchip in the key fob with the ignition key that compares the access code signal with the code of the ignition control unit. If the signal matches, the car is unlocked, if not, the car is blocked using three ignition power circuits. Immobilizers are controlled and non-contact. Usually, effective PUS of this type are installed only in expensive cars. Middle-class vehicles have such immobilizers that are not an obstacle for experienced car thieves.
3. Secret switch / secret on the car from theft. This type of PUS can be made and installed independently. It is an electrical circuit that is mechanically opened by pressing a special button. In operation, the car theft lock is simple, and its effectiveness has been proven more than once in practice: when a car thief does not know the location of the release button, opening the car becomes an impossible task.

Many modern cars have a built-in anti-theft system (its quality is described above). If there was no system initially, and the owner decided to install it, then it would be advisable for him to consult with the specialists of the center where the PUS is being installed. They may recommend installing some additional features like:

• ignition activation remotely;
• lock control with key fob;
• remote switching on any kind of headlights;
• unlocking one door while the other three are closed.

Each ownerauto decides on its own whether it needs these features or not.

Mechanical anti-theft systems

How to protect a car from theft using mechanical starters?

Modern vehicles are riddled with miles of wires and thousands of electronic components. In this regard, the use of mechanical anti-theft agents has long gone out of fashion, although this does not negate their effectiveness and great variety. If the owner of the vehicle has decided to install a mechanical anti-theft device, then he has plenty to choose from.

1. Steering wheel lock / "poker". It is a steering shaft lock, which is installed under the car console. Thanks to the action of this mechanism, the steering wheel cannot rotate and it will not be possible to steal such a car far. To remove the blocker, you will need to crack the key lock on which the mechanism is locked. The retainer is small.
2. Pedal lock / "trap". The "trap", like the "poker", is a rather inconspicuous mechanism. In order for its action to be as effective as possible, the unit should be installed in the hydraulic brake and clutch system. This will block the engine from starting. As soon as an unauthorized pressing occurs on the pedals, the unit closes, and the depressed pedal can no longer move anywhere, blocking the entire brake system. To crack such a mechanism, it is enough to choose the right key, which, however, has been released in 15 million variations.
3. Hood lock. By blocking access to the hood of the car, the car owner alsoprotects the technically important equipment of the machine, including the engine control unit and car alarm, from hacking. This is justified by the fact that the hood latch closes access to the blocking relay, sensors and other important controls. You can fix the latch in various places of the vehicle, and you can control it either using the immobilizer or using the alarm key fob. True, in order for the latch to work correctly, it is better to entrust its installation to experienced specialists.
4. Transmission lock. This mechanism is installed on both automatic and manual transmissions. The principle of its operation is based on fixing the gear lever. This type of anti-theft system is not effective on all modes of transport, but it is not so expensive (unlike its competitors) and easy to use.

Feature of mechanical starters

The operation of only one of the blockers does not guarantee reliable protection of the car from theft. It is better to combine these devices. True, in this case, there can be no talk of any convenience in using the data of the PUS.

How to protect the car from theft using other types of PSS?

Radio search launchers

Satellite and radio search launchers are devices that are mounted in an inconspicuous place inside the car and control all the security sensors of the system. However, there are differences between them.

Radio detection anti-theft systems are constantly active, they receive a car signal from the security system about unauthorized entry and transmit it to the phonethe owner of the vehicle and to the duty station of the police station.

Such a security system allows you to detect a car after it has been stolen using a bearing system, however, the range of radio search launchers leaves much to be desired.

Satellite launchers

Satellite anti-theft systems are similar in principle to radio search systems, only they lack the lack of range. These CCPs transmit a signal to the satellite, and from the satellite to anywhere in the world.

Satellite car security systems have two disadvantages:

1. Car thieves have learned to jam the signal coming to the satellite.
2. The signal does not penetrate the earth, so these systems do not work in underground parking lots.

The last disadvantage is easily eliminated by using the "AutoLocator" system, which is a combination of satellite and radio search tools against car theft.

The systems discussed in this paragraph do not prevent unauthorized entry or car theft, but only notify about it. Further, the considered CCPs have the opposite purpose.

Transponder CCP

Transponders block machine control. How does this happen? A transmitter is installed inside the car, which sends periodic signals of a constant frequency to a key fob located by the owner of the vehicle. The transponder car anti-theft lock is not activated if the key fob code matches the code of the signal sources, but it blocks the control system if it occurs.mismatch.

It is impossible to pick up a signal for such a system: the number of combinations is an infinite set.

Biometric PUs

Biometric security systems provide access to car control only in case of recognition of the code embedded in any unique parameter of the vehicle owner. What can I scan for a code?

1. Iris.
2. Retina.
3. Fingerprint.
4. Palmprint.

Biometric PUS upgraded, so they can now block access to the car in case the owner was attacked. Often there are situations when a person sitting in his car is assaulted. Then the victim can bring, for example, a finger to a special scanner and the biometric anti-theft system will block access to the inside of the car for a while.

None of the above security systems guarantee absolute protection against theft or unauthorized hacking. True, opening a car with one of these systems on board is far from always an easy task.

Since car safety is a serious issue for all motorists, home-made systems are often added to factory ESCs. The following are examples of such security features.

Author's protection of the car from theft

In a car, you can simulate the presence of an alarm using a diode located in the corner of the windshield. Such protection of the car from theft with your own handsis constructed as follows: the diode is connected by wires to the cigarette lighter and an alarm simulator is obtained. So you can scare off newcomers to car theft, but experienced thieves will not work.

For some types of PUS, you can pick up a code, in other words - hack. This is done using a code grabber. To discourage the thief from stealing a car, you should mark all the components of the car in prominent places (how to make it more aesthetically attractive is another question). It remains to be hoped that the robber will be too lazy to change car parts and he simply will not dare to steal it when he sees the marking of the car from theft. Markings are a set of letters and numbers. You can make them yourself and attach with glue or buy special stencils.

The third version of home-made car anti-theft protection is a device that blocks the fuel pump paging lever. This is a VAZ feature. If this lever is pressed all the way in, fuel cannot be pumped into the machine system due to the lack of travel in the diaphragm. The whole task is to construct this blocking device.

Conclusion

There are a huge number of systems that protect a car from unauthorized entry or theft. Many differ in how they work. Some of the anti-theft systems only notify the owner and law enforcement agencies about the intrusion into the car, some prevent theft by blocking the control system.

It is better to entrust the installation of some security systems in a carprofessionals, as they require fine and careful tuning, which is not always possible to achieve at home.

Although simple anti-theft systems (like mechanical ones) can be installed by yourself. The result will be the same.

The main thing that all car owners should understand is that no anti-theft system can guarantee the protection of a car from causing damage to it. Attackers have learned to get rid of both mechanical and electronic security systems, find "bugs" and open combination locks.

Security manufacturers certainly eliminate loopholes in systems through which thieves break into their devices, but they need to be always not one, but several steps ahead so that people - their customers - can buy once PUS for cars and not worry about security for several years.

To better protect the car from theft and burglary, you can design your own anti-theft system, there are also a large number of schemes.

Although the best protection against car theft is a combination of the different types of ECDs described in the article.