Still sounds pretty mysterious to me. This kind of event is rare, and the source of the interference is (currently) a mystery. I’d love to pop by with a HackRF and directional antenna if I lived anywhere near-by!
Even at my car dealership this is a common problem. A couple hundred cars with the same keyless entry system parked in the same lot. All those cars are actively scanning for their key fob, which causes all sorts of RF collisions. I've gotten used to having to use my physical key when picking up my car at the dealership.
I guess that's the opposite failure case from 30 years ago, where there was a decent chance that your physical key would unlock another car of the same make/model.
For keyless entry, cars are always transmitting. They look for a response of a key. In case of my car, if a keys comes close enough, it lights up the doors and doorhandles.
Some older fobs do recharge when in the car’s ignition. My old bmw did this and it was recommended to swap the keys from time to time to make sure they didn’t run out off battery. I guess this can’t be the case with the “keyless” keys though
Not that rare for me or the people next door.. key fobs dont work frequently at my home.. have to use the physical key and operate the fob from within the car to disable the immobiliser
I bought a couple capacitive touch 433Mhz light switches to use for a home automation system on AliExpress. Turns out they were very prone to detecting “ghost” touches and would sometimes end up stuck in the “touched” position forever, which would cause the same issue. Ended up binning them and going back to “push button” switches which are more reliable and are more likely to fail into the “off” position should they fail.
> In 2008, a logo very similar to CE marking was reported to exist and alleged to stand for China Export because some Chinese manufacturers apply it to their products.[14] However, the European Commission says that this is a misconception [... ...] despite the Commission's assurance that it is without foundation, this urban myth continues to be available on many websites.
The wikipedia article is contradicting it's own sources and links to the incorrect mark, the China Compulsory Certificate mark. The European Commission hasn't confirmed the existence of the China Export mark, but claims that it is illegitimate if it does exist. The EC is "...in constant discussion with Chinese authorities..." and intends for Member States to potentially "impose sanctions".
>The Commission ... considers that the mark [China Export (CE)] ... constitute the CE marking as foreseen in the European legislation without, however, respecting the dimensions and proportions prescribed therein.
>...the Commission deems it necessary to establish a comprehensive Community legislative framework in order to ensure coherent market surveillance ...
>...It also provides for the legal basis for Member States to impose sanctions in the case of misuse which should serve as a deterrent.
Even at my car dealership this is a common problem. A couple hundred cars with the same keyless entry system parked in the same lot. All those cars are actively scanning for their key fob, which causes all sorts of RF collisions. I've gotten used to having to use my physical key when picking up my car at the dealership.