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What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

Seek assistance with all types of tech. - computer, phone, TV, heating controls etc.
MrsRonnie
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What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520898

Postby MrsRonnie » August 9th, 2022, 8:30 am

Good morning all.

It's been a while since I was on these boards...

I wasn't sure whether to post on DAK or here, but I think this board is probably populated by more of the people who understand the techie stuff.

My parents have a wireless weather station - there is a sensor outside, and the receiver screen inside picks up the temperature, humidity and various other bits of information. Recently, the receiver has intermittently been unable to pick up a signal from the sensor. At first, they thought it was a problem with the weather station.

Then they started having problems locking and unlocking the car from a distance. They had to be right next to the car for the key to work. They thought this was probably caused by a flat battery, so tried with the spare key (never usually used), and had the same issue with that.

Last weekend, they had several visitors and all had the same problem with locking and unlocking their cars from a relatively short distance. Except one electric car, which didn't seem to be affected (might be relevant, might not). One of the cars was parked right outside the house, the other two were across the road, and 2 houses down, so not in close proximity to the others.

We have no idea what could be causing the signal block - it isn't permanent, but it is very regular. We don't think it's anything to do with my parents' technology because they haven't added anything new lately, and the block isn't restricted to the vicinity of their house.

Any thoughts?

TIA
Ronnie

mc2fool
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Re: What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520909

Postby mc2fool » August 9th, 2022, 8:56 am

Could be Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise (REIN). Is anything else affected? TV/radio reception or internet? Can you dig out the manual for the weather station and find out what frequency it uses?

Here's a REIN explainer. It concentrates on domestic appliances and the like but it could well be something external. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5pWaeLJW88

DrFfybes
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Re: What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520911

Postby DrFfybes » August 9th, 2022, 8:58 am

Have they spoken to the neighbours to see if they're getting the same issues.

First stop is to change the batteries in the key(s) etc, but it could be something like a local Radio Ham/CB enthusiast if it is regular.

Or the Welsh chap with his old TV...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54239180

Paul

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Re: What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520913

Postby servodude » August 9th, 2022, 9:01 am

Car key stuff will normally be in the UHF ISM band (433MHz ish)
It gives a nice trade-off between cost, range and power.

Problem is that everyone wants to use it and there's not really simple tools to work out what's about; that's because it's a lot more analogue than something like Bluetooth which is designed to handle a bunch of things in the same space.

For something to be permanently causing problems you'd expect it to be mains powered.. so something like a garage door opener that's gone a bit haywire?

XFool
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Re: What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520951

Postby XFool » August 9th, 2022, 10:47 am

...Oh, this has been, is and will be a growing issue. IMO the issue is 'simple' (NOT!): Nowadays the RF spectrum is a polluted mess.

3G, 4G, 5G... Mobile phones, Smart Meters, LED consumer lights, LED street lights, Switched Mode Power Supplies all over the shop (including in those LED lights), DECT phones, lots of high speed broadband...

It's more difficult knowing when to stop than finding possible causes. That's the problem. Without having access to an RF Spectrum Analyser it isn't easy to suggest how you proceed. If it is wideband interference you might be able to pick it up using the directional aerial in an AM band portable radio as a tracker.

You could start with your own property: Has anything electrical recently changed or been introduced? You could go round turning things off in your house to see if it removes the problem. Something might have developed a fault.

Has anything electrical recently changed in the environment outside your home?

If it is caused by faulty equipment in somebody else's property it could be difficult to pin down. As suggested above, you could ask neighbours if they have started having similar problems, or if they have noticed anything that might be related.

You say it is "very regular", if that means time related it could be a clue to what is going on. What times? What else is happening at that time, generally?

Good luck!

BobbyD
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Re: What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520966

Postby BobbyD » August 9th, 2022, 11:20 am

XFool wrote:
You could start with your own property: Has anything electrical recently changed or been introduced? You could go round turning things off in your house to see if it removes the problem. Something might have developed a fault.


The fact that the car isn't powered by the mains offers a nice shortcut which also ensures you won't miss anything Cut the power and see if the cars responsiveness improves. If it does the you can start to isolate circuits and items.

bungeejumper
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Re: What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520972

Postby bungeejumper » August 9th, 2022, 11:29 am

I can't say anything about the car keys, but did you know that you can double the range of a key fob by holding against your head as you press the button? (Apparently it turns your body into an extended aerial.) I'd heard it before, but when Jeremy Clarkson said it, I knew it had to be true. :lol:

WRT the weather sensor, we have the same problem with ours (https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg0 ... dp/IN08377), which periodically refuses to make contact with the outdoor sender at the bottom of the garden, even if we've changed all the batteries. And we're not alone. Internet lore says that many of the weather stations sold in the UK rely on getting a reset from a radio signal in central Europe, which mainly means Germany. And on a bad day, Britain is out of range, and Ireland much more so.

I have not the faintest idea whether this is just a load of old Snopes? But the problem happens mostly during hot periods of weather, and it usually goes away after a few days if I reset the weather station a couple of times. Ho hum.

BJ

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Re: What is blocking car key signals and other wireless stuff?

#520975

Postby pje16 » August 9th, 2022, 11:34 am

bungeejumper wrote:I can't say anything about the car keys, but did you know that you can double the range of a key fob by holding against your head as you press the button? (Apparently it turns your body into an extended aerial.) I'd heard it before, but when Jeremy Clarkson said it, I knew it had to be true. :lol:
BJ

It does work, any part of the body above the waist
Extend one arm and point to to car for a dramatic effect :lol:
If you can conceal the fob pretend you are a magician


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