The more passive the blocking, the better
There is no immunity from theft. If a car can add up the price, it is potentially a commodity, and therefore an object of theft. What can be stolen will be stolen. The only question is where and when.
Electronic systems remain the most advanced means of protection - burglar alarms and anti-theft devices. The task of the first is to notify about the attempted hijacking and to have a psychological impact on the thief. But what's the use of it if the car is parked on the street, and the bedroom overlooks the courtyard?! Even if it worked in time, it does not cause anything but irritation in passers-by. The thief is also not strong "boasts", firmly knowing that it was only a scarecrow that worked. In the meantime, the owner will put on sweatpants and go down the elevator, you can have time to get to the Canadian border. Therefore, American-type alarms, so popular in the CIS, are not used in Europe. Indeed, in case of a false positive, the owner would have to pay for all the trips to the scene of the police squad. Fortunately (In this sense), our police rarely react to the howl of a car siren. Only the owner himself runs to her call, forced to first make sure that the alarm is not false and only then call the police. And while waiting for her - try to recapture the car. Anti-theft devices are much more effective, more complicated and more expensive at the same time.
Abroad, the best advertisement for a security system is its recognition by an association of insurance companies. Otherwise, it is not worth poking into the market with it. And what didn't work "them", now our market has flooded. We do not have such an association, so insurance companies are forced to carry out the examination on their own.
Let us summarize some of the requirements put forward - we single out the main components of the systems according to the degree of protection and evaluate their effectiveness.
Entry and start systems
Keys
They betray the owner if they fall into the wrong hands. The recently introduced Tlris system locks are no exception. Recall that there is an encoded microcircuit mounted in the key without a power source, in the lock, respectively, the reader (radio reader), periodically requesting the key. If the microchip is recognized, the system disables the alarm and unlocks the engine. Alas, Tlris only protects against master keys and fake keys.
Remote control key fob
Infrared, radio or ultrasonic communication is used. Convenient, but can betray just the same. And if the battery is dead, it creates only problems: neither put the car on guard, nor disarm it, nor unlock the engine. And, at the most inopportune moment. And many have already been hijackers of their own car.
The system fails if a jammer is turned on nearby - a broadband noise generator or similar device. Yes, and opening tools - scanners, grabbers, etc. already slightly less than the systems themselves.
Tlris card or key fob
Something even more convenient. As long as it is in the reader's coverage area, it automatically confirms the right to start the engine and drive a car. If the connection is lost (the driver with the card left the car), the engine will stop automatically. Does not distract the user and provides the highest comfort. But, like other material carriers of the password, it allows unauthorized access by getting to the thief.
An attempt to get maximum comfort by using several Tlris carriers often leads to the opposite result - their conflict during the next reading and the protection is triggered.
Dialing password
In the secret services, this type of clearance is considered the most secure. There are two inconveniences - you have to remember the password and enter it. But cars with similar access systems are stolen much less frequently. And entering a password is no more difficult than dialing a phone number. That is why many are already beginning to combine an inexpensive alarm and anti-theft system with a set of access passwords. And the manufacturing companies managed to quickly arrange their release. In modern prestigious cars, this mode is included in the program of the standard on-board computer.
Systems requiring password entry after engine start
Otherwise, the engine will be turned off at the first braking or speed reduction. This is their main drawback - do not slow down and steal. The second disadvantage is a simplified password, since it must be entered while driving.
Combined Tolerance Systems
For example, remote key fob or Tlris card for external protection and password access to start the engine. The most stable system in terms of protection.
Signaling (sound, light and radio pager)
There are two levels of signaling - warning and alarm. The alarm should turn on if you did not respond to the warning. Turning on for no reason, it only annoys and soon ceases to attract attention. This is often used by thieves, specially disturbing the selected car. Sometimes they use the monotony of the voices of sirens - next to the selected car they put their own with the same siren and turn it on periodically. When the owner stopped responding, from "training" move on to action. Therefore, make sure that the sound of your alarm is different from others. Or buy a radio pager.
He will promptly tell you what is happening with the car without unnecessary noise. Some connect a relay to the pager, which turns on the lamp for lighting the parking lot and in this way imitates vigilant observation. But keep in mind that the pager is just as easily suppressed by the jammer and there is always a chance to get up in the morning sweetly slept, but somewhat impoverished.
Engine blocking or forced shutdown systems
Foreign insurance companies require that the anti-theft device block at least three components: the starter, ignition and fuel supply. And as a result - passive blocking of the engine if the processor is not working (disabled or destroyed).
Active provides immobilization only when the processor is running. In addition, in order to leave the opportunity to use the car if the security system fails, many of them use the mode of normally closed contacts of the blocking relays. This is what the hijackers use: it is enough to cut off the power wire of the main unit - and the entire system is rendered harmless. To find it even among wires of the same thickness and color, a light bulb with a sharp probe is enough. The insulation of the wire is pierced, the remaining energized when the ignition is off, and the direction of further actions is clear even to a loser.
If the wires from the blocked circuits converge to one block, this only makes it easier for the hijacker. The solution takes a couple of minutes. Here again, passive locks have an advantage, especially if these are microimmobilizers and they are scattered throughout the car. And even more so if they are built into the regular blocks of the car, since it is simply impossible to neutralize them with a jumper.
Systems that provide forced shutdown of the engine should have an alarm warning that something is wrong with the car and you should stay away from it. Otherwise, there is a chance to return the car, which suffered not so much from the hijacker, but from unwitting neighbors on the highway.
Vehicle return systems
It's about stopping robbery. With it, it is wiser to let the hijacker drive off and, at a safe distance for you, forcibly turn off the engine. The mode is usually activated from a special key fob. But the hijackers will most likely take it away, and when driving, they will try not to reduce engine speed. Since such systems also turn off the engine when the speed drops below a certain level. Or they use a jammer, then the need to take away the key fob will disappear.
And even more likely - they will roll you in a car until all the traps are revealed. Then they will offer to turn them all off, teach them how to do it, and only after that they will be expelled. Then there is practically no chance of returning the car.
More precisely, it was so until recently. Systems have appeared that allow a phone call to block the engine at a distance of tens of kilometers. We learned about one of them recently, when receiving a network pager "LINK telecom". The list of included services included "paging burglar alarm". The deeper we delved into the essence of the system, the more it interested us. To avoid accusations of advertising, we will not give its name, we will list only the elements that seemed to us Ace of Base ("ace in the deck").
This is a specialized on-board computer based on a processor "Intel", trained to guard the car. The system is built on microimmobilizers placed near or inside the control object. There can be up to eight independent ones. It can include any reasonable number of alarms and sensors. The system is controlled and access passwords are entered manually using a two-button keyboard. Status indication, operation confirmation and some hints are produced by a multi-color indicator and musical signals. Operational reprogramming is possible to change the algorithm of the system operation. The computer is protected from electric shock or radio interference and remembers attempts to use them. Paging receiver available ("Motorola") to receive external commands. The simplest of them is a sound pager: by radio command, the processor plays one of a set of easily recognizable melodies into the salon. In this way, conditional messages can be transmitted to the driver without distracting from driving. The price of the system in the minimum configuration is about two hundred US dollars, with the receiver - twice as much.