Car Alarm Basics
Your car alarm is, in essence, just a sensor and a siren. Fortunately, most car security systems are much more advance than this. They are typically made up of these components:
* Different types of sensors: including switches, pressure alarm sensors, and motion-tilt alarm sensors, shock alarm sensors, window alarm sensors, and door alarm sensors.
* A siren.
* A radio receiver to ‘talk’ to your key fob.
* An extra battery that will kick in if your main battery connection is cut.
* A security monitoring computer that monitors all activities and sounds the alarm.
Your security monitoring computer knows when to sound the horn, headlights, or other alarm devices. It will even shut off the ignition, cut off the fuel supply, or disable your car in other ways. Not only will it sound alarms with different pitches and volume, but it will play an intimidating voice message commanding the thief to leave the car immediately.
This usually causes the amateur thief to change his mind, but it will not deter the professional thief.
Your Car Security System Transmitter
Your transmitters allow you to remotely communicate with the security computer.
You can tell it to turn the security alarm off or on, you can tell it what types of siren to use, you can tell it to flash you lights and beep your horn to let would-be thieves know that the alarm is armed.
Before remote transmitters became popular, the car alarm acted like a home security system. When you arrived where you were going, you activated the alarm. From that point you had X number of seconds to get out and lock the doors, otherwise, the alarm would sound. When you wanted to get back into your car, you also had X number of seconds to get in and disarm the alarm before it sounded the siren. This was pay dirt for professional car thieves because all they had to do was get in and disarm the alarm before it sounded the siren and take what they wanted.
Your remote transmitter let you lock and unlock your power doors, control your lights, and turn the alarm off before you get to your car. Some will even page you to let you know when someone is messing with your car. You will then be able to tell it to disable the engine, ignition, or fuel supply.
Have you ever asked yourself if someone else can control your alarm system with their transmitter? The answer is ‘no’ because your transmitter uses millions of pulse modulation codes, therefore, only your transmitter can control your system.
However….
There is a glitch in this scenario. A professional thief could use a code grabber to copy your pulse modulation code. He can then program a new remote transmitter with the code and use it to get your ride. This is essentially the same as going to Wal-Mart and copying someone else’s house key and using that copy to steal everything except the kitchen sink!
Fortunately…
More advanced security systems use a new code EVERY time you arm the alarm system. They use what are called rolling code algorithms which are encrypted. A code grabber is useless because the disarm codes are only used once.
The thief move on to the next would-be victim and you get to keep your ride!
