Combatting keyless car theft

16 August 2023 | Sophie Conlon

The Sleeping Battery is designed to combat cars being stolen by relay attack.

The Sleeping Battery is designed to combat cars being stolen by relay attack. Relay attack is a form of keyless car theft where criminals bypass keyless entry security by extending the signal of the car key from the home.

How does relay attack work?

• Thief one stands close to the vehicle and uses n RFID (radio frequency identification device) to extend signals from the vehicle to thief two.

• Thief two stands close to the house, often at the front door or window and uses a second RFID. The second device sends the extended signal up to 10-15 metres into the house.

• When the key inside the house receives the extended signal, it responds to the car as if the key were close to the vehicle. This allows the car to be opened and started.

Sleeping Battery is the same as a standard car key battery, but it has a built-in motion sensor, which puts the car key to sleep after three minutes if there is no movement – this disables car key communications. It is compatible with keyless entry and keyless go cars with a key that has a 2032 battery. No modifications to the vehicle or car key itself are required.