Keyless entry systems in modern cars offer convenience, but they also bring new security concerns. Criminals can exploit these systems using signal amplification devices to steal vehicles. This threat has led many car owners to seek solutions like Key Fob Signal Blocker Boxes. Are these boxes effective, and can you make one yourself? I decided to put a common DIY method to the test: using tin foil.
Like many, I was skeptical about the idea of simply wrapping my car keys in aluminum foil to block the signal. Articles online suggested using RFID-blocking fabrics to line boxes, but a DIY approach with tin foil seemed too simple to be true. Could something as readily available as kitchen foil actually work as a key fob signal blocker? To find out, I embarked on a small experiment.
I fashioned a small box out of cardboard, not unlike those commercially available key fob pouches you can buy. Instead of specialized material, I lined my DIY box with two layers of standard tin foil, carefully ensuring no gaps. My wife watched with amusement, clearly doubting my “hair-brained” scheme. To test its effectiveness, I placed my cell phone inside the homemade tin foil box and asked her to call my number. My reasoning was straightforward: if the phone rang, the signal wasn’t blocked; if it remained silent, the DIY key fob signal blocker box was a success. The stakes were high, at least for me – beadlock rings for my car were on the line, a long-desired upgrade I’d been hinting at for ages.
The phone rang. Defeated, I almost dismissed the whole idea. However, upon closer inspection of my tin foil box, I noticed a tiny gap in the seam, about 2 centimeters long and barely a millimeter wide. Thinking it was worth a second try, I carefully sealed the gap and repeated the test.
This time, silence. No ring. My wife was genuinely surprised, even impressed, that my makeshift key fob signal blocker box actually worked. While she acknowledged the success, she also pointed out that the initial failure meant I was still responsible for buying my own beadlock rings! Despite the personal cost, the experiment was a success. It demonstrated that even a simple DIY key fob signal blocker box, crafted with tin foil, can effectively block signals, at least under these test conditions.
While my experiment was a bit of fun and surprisingly effective, for guaranteed security, especially against sophisticated attacks, commercially available key fob signal blocker boxes and pouches using certified RFID-blocking materials are likely a more robust and reliable solution. However, for a quick and readily available method to block your key fob signal, especially in a pinch, tin foil might just do the trick. Perhaps those beadlock rings were a small price to pay for confirming a surprisingly effective DIY hack.
