Following on from our report on faraday pouches, Steve reviews whether or not they make a sensible purchase with a long-term test.
Keyless entry and keyless ignitions have become a convenient edition to most vehicles in the last ten years, however, this has allowed the criminal fraternity to capitalise on this through theft of motor vehicles or theft from motor vehicles. Criminals have been able to obtain the key code for vehicles by using devices which can trick the car in thinking that the key is nearby and thus allowing the criminal access to the vehicle.
Since March I have been using two different types of faraday pouches, one which was purchased from an internet auction site for 79p and the other pouch which is available through our website. I must also stress I have not written this review as a selling tool but rather as a crime prevention tool and as a comparison between two similar products. Both products have a plastic vinyl exterior and a soft woven mesh interior and it is the mesh that blocks the key signal. I used the 79p internet auction site pouch for March and April 2018 and then the pouch available from our website from May till June 2018.
I have been using the pouches for various cars that I have had the fortune of road testing, but the two I have highlighted in this article is the Suzuki Swift Mk2 and the Ford Kuga Mk2 both of which have keyless technology. With both vehicles I have stood beside them or no more than 2 feet away and occasions the faraday pouches prevented the vehicle from being unlocked. Furthermore I tested the pouches by unlocking the car then placing the car keys in the pouches, and then trying to start the ignition. On both occasions the car could not detect a key present inside the car and thus would not start the engine.
Another added benefit I found of both faraday pouches was that it prevented the keys from digging into my leg or scratching my mobile phone screen, as well as reducing the risk of me worrying about whether or not I had left my keys behind. I admit I do this a lot, and the extra space taken up inside my pocket with the faraday pouch helps prevent me from leaving my keys behind.
Where these pouches differ is in their quality as can be seen in the picture below. The top pouch was the 79p item purchased from an internet auction site and as can be seen the plastic vinyl on where the flap folds over has split in various places, but I will admit this does not affect the pouch from working effectively. The second pouch is available from our website and as can be seen there is one crack present.
The Motorists Guide View:
After using the faraday pouch I have found it a cheap, yet effective way of preventing a car from being accidentally unlocked or the key signal cloned by a criminal which can help YOU prevent theft from or of your vehicle and I would strongly recommend the owners of keyless cars to purchase one as it is clearly an easy way of giving you peace of mind that YOU have taken added measures to protect both your keys and your car.
If you would like further information on faraday pouches then please see our previous article here:
Alternatively if you would like to purchase a faraday pouch from us then you can do so here:
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