Lexus Key Fob Security

Mobeam · January 5, 2023

Just took delivery of new 450 H and forgot to ask this subject

My previous car [BMW] had what is know as 'sleeping key fob' i.e if fob is stationery after a certain time it shuts down any signal so that it makes it more difficult to gain access.

Does the Lexus vehicles have the same?...if not then is it back to a Faraday pouch or similar for security reasons ?

RONNIE W HODGEKINSON · January 5, 2023

The Answer To Your Question Is NO To the best of my Knowledge The key fob Emits a Contact Signal Constantly when Acivated And the only way to stop this emission is by switching your key fob OFF or puting your keys in a Faraday pouch or tin type box.. ps Good idea to install a camera connected to ring and have it monitor your parked lexus 24 hrs a Day This does require a small subscription to Ring BUT in my opinion WELL worth it.. Hope that Helps !!

Klaudiusz · January 5, 2023

Yes. You can sleep your key fob. Press lock and then 4 times unlock. Wireless access to the car will be deactivates until you click any button.

Harrier Man · January 5, 2023

The key fob does not automatically go to sleep after a period of time. You can however manually make it go to sleep. I do this by pressing the unlock button twice whilst holding down the lock button - a 2 handed operation but easy and quick enough. Pressing the unlock button will wake it up again and unlock the door (if in range).

Vira · January 5, 2023

5 hours ago, Harrier Man said:

The key fob does not automatically go to sleep after a period of time. You can however manually make it go to sleep. I do this by pressing the unlock button twice whilst holding down the lock button - a 2 handed operation but easy and quick enough. Pressing the unlock button will wake it up again and unlock the door (if in range).

Any visual feedback that the fob is sleeping (don't have my car yet)?

Harrier Man · January 5, 2023

As you press the unlock button, a red LED on the fob flashes but that's all.

szhrmp · January 5, 2023

8 hours ago, RONNIE W HODGEKINSON said:

The Answer To Your Question Is NO To the best of my Knowledge The key fob Emits a Contact Signal Constantly when Acivated And the only way to stop this emission is by switching your key fob OFF or puting your keys in a Faraday Pouch or tin type box.. ps Good idea to install a camera connected to ring and have it monitor your parked lexus 24 hrs a Day This does require a small subscription to Ring BUT in my opinion WELL worth it.. Hope that Helps !!

I am not sure a camera will make any difference - a thief will have a hoodie on and you will not be able to see his face. I have seen numerous videos posted by people whose car was stolen with videos and the only thing they can ask is if anybody can recognise the person.

RONNIE W HODGEKINSON · January 6, 2023

13 hours ago, szhrmp said:

I am not sure a camera will make any difference - a thief will have a hoodie on and you will not be able to see his face. I have seen numerous videos posted by people whose car was stolen with videos and the only thing they can ask is if anybody can recognise the person.

Would Agree To A point. .If A Professional Thief Wants Your Car Then.. ITS OFF ..Steering Locks CCTV And the like Won't Be any Good..However remember that the Majority of Car Thefts Are committed by Amateur Criminals Opportunists Who stumble across a prime vehicle.. Just like your Lexus.. Relay Theft poses a big problem to the police as the criminals are using technology to Highjack your key fob signal ..so don,t make it easy for them ..Always put your car keys in a tin box or Faraday pouch and don,t place your keys Where a thief can easily find them or target the keyfob signal.. In short do everything possible to make Your pride and Joy Safe and Secure... I Personally like CCTV but Take your Point..Ron.. Happy New Year Sir..

szhrmp · January 6, 2023

I think the point with keeping the key in the tin box (relay theft) is not enough anymore. Thiefs now just remove the front bumper of the car and connect directly via a network interface to your car. apparently it is possible to buy such solutions online:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/luxury-cars-are-gone-in-90-seconds-with-thief-kit-z300g0njf

I think the best thing is to invest in an additional immobiliser or tracker.

Harrier Man · January 6, 2023

3 hours ago, RONNIE W HODGEKINSON said:

Would Agree To A point. .If A Professional Thief Wants Your Car Then.. ITS OFF ..Steering Locks CCTV And the like Won't Be any Good..However remember that the Majority of Car Thefts Are committed by Amateur Criminals Opportunists Who stumble across a prime vehicle.. Just like your Lexus.. Relay Theft poses a big problem to the police as the criminals are using technology to Highjack your key fob signal ..so don,t make it easy for them ..Always put your car keys in a tin box or faraday pouch and don,t place your keys Where a thief can easily find them or target the keyfob signal.. In short do everything possible to make Your pride and Joy Safe and Secure... I Personally like CCTV but Take your Point..Ron.. Happy New Year Sir..

A simple 'tin box' might not be enough. I bought a cheap one that I think had a few sewing bits in because it was about the right size. Despite the lid being a good fit, when I tested it, it didn't work! Faraday pouches also degrade over time. Moral is, regularly check so that you don't end up with a false sense of security. My preference is to put the key fobs to sleep, as I described yesterday in this thread, to prevent relay thefts; and use a Stoplock or similar to deter CANbus thefts. Decent immobilisers/trackers are good but generally expensive. A simple tracker is more affordable and may help with recovering a stolen car but doesn't prevent the theft in the first place. Someone (Herbie I think) recommended one from rewiresecurity.co.uk/ although I haven't tried this myself.

cdmaskell · January 6, 2023

With all the electronics etc on modern cars, wishful thinking, but let’s get back to more simple deterrents. Parked on a driveway how about small black chocks? A device which will keep the brakes on? Well over the top but fixed hydraulic ram to one side of the drive axle, just jacking the wheel a few millimetres off the ground? Just my mad thoughts!

Andy B · January 7, 2023

I have a garage so the car is usually parked in there overnight and when not in use during the day. I also do the key fob deactivation routine every time I lock it. This all gives me some sense of heightened security.

Having said that, I've recently invested in a Samsung SmartTag tracker dongle (apple do something similar for IOS called AirTags). This small device, which is relatively inexpensive (about £30) compared to purpose-built car GPS trackers (albeit not as foolproof), reports it's location via your own phone (if nearby) or via other Samsung devices that pass near it and can be tracked using the SmartThings app on your Samsung phone. I've hidden it in the car somewhere so hopefully the thief would have a hard time locating it. I'm hoping that it might help me find my car in the scenario where the thief steals it and then parks it up for 24 hours to see if it has a tracker on it before coming back for it. Not sure whether this will work out this way in reality (let's hope I never have to find out) but it's better than nothing. Probably a darn sight more reliable than the "Car Location" facility in the Lexus Link app.

Of course I'd rather the would-be thief doesn't steal the car in the first place but at least it might help me to get it back.

Andy B · January 7, 2023

18 hours ago, Harrier Man said:

A simple tracker is more affordable and may help with recovering a stolen car but doesn't prevent the theft in the first place. Someone (Herbie I think) recommended one from rewiresecurity.co.uk/ although I haven't tried this myself.

I have had a look at this device, as recommended by @Herbie, but would be slightly concerned that it appears from the description on the website that the device is connected directly to the car's Battery via two small wires. Isn't this the first place an experienced thief would look if they were checking to see if the car had a tracker installed? They could then just disconnect it and go on their merry way. Or am I missing something?

Herbie · January 7, 2023

2 hours ago, Andy B said:

Or am I missing something?

A bit of imagination maybe? :laughing:

It does indeed show it connected to the Battery but that's just a demo. All it needs is to be located a certain way up (for GPS and Cellular signals) and a 12V supply, so you can locate it in the boot, engine bay, under a seat, wherever. Basically anywhere at all where you have access to a 12V positive supply and either an earth wire or even just any unpainted nut, bolt, or screw.

Andy B · January 8, 2023

22 hours ago, Herbie said:

A bit of imagination maybe?

It does indeed show it connected to the battery but that's just a demo. All it needs is to be located a certain way up (for GPS and Cellular signals) and a 12V supply, so you can locate it in the boot, engine bay, under a seat, wherever. Basically anywhere at all where you have access to a 12V positive supply and either an earth wire or even just any unpainted nut, bolt, or screw.

Touché Herbie 🙂

Missing a bit of imagination - quite possibly. Armed with just a rudimentary knowledge of car electrics - most definitely 🙂

I had a feeling that you might have done more than simply connect it directly to the car Battery - I guess I was just thinking out loud.

In all seriousness, thank you for your suggestions in regards to installing the device - gives me food for thought.

JeffL · January 15, 2023

On 1/7/2023 at 12:36 PM, Herbie said:

A bit of imagination maybe?

It does indeed show it connected to the battery but that's just a demo. All it needs is to be located a certain way up (for GPS and Cellular signals) and a 12V supply, so you can locate it in the boot, engine bay, under a seat, wherever. Basically anywhere at all where you have access to a 12V positive supply and either an earth wire or even just any unpainted nut, bolt, or screw.

Which one did you buy @Herbie DB1, 2,3 or 4 ?

Herbie · January 15, 2023

57 minutes ago, JeffL said:

Which one did you buy @Herbie DB1, 2,3 or 4 ?

DB2 Jeff.

Arizona7676 · June 8

Hello, Do not buy the Faraday Pouches. They tend to fail after a month or two. There is a thin metal mesh inserted into the pouch. The metal Breaks from continued flexing. Which is impossible not to do. Shut the fob off on a lexus. Press and hold the Lock button while you press the unlock button twice for a total of 4 flashes on the key fob. Then the fob is off and not transmitting. The next press of any button activates the fob.

Hayzee · June 9

I've tested my key fob to see if it goes to sleep after a certain time when the fob is stationary. I locked the doors and put the fob on the floor next to the driver's door. I tried the door after 1 minute and it opened. I did the same sequence again and after 2 minutes and the door still opened. However after a period of 4 minutes the door wouldn't open, but as soon as I moved the fob a few inches on the floor the door could be opened again.

I don't feel the need for a Faraday pouch or manually turning off the fob signal for my 2023 NX450h unless I wanted belt and braces.

I don't know for which model year this fob auto shut-off was introduced. But you can try it for yourselves if your interested.

Brian R · June 10

6 hours ago, Hayzee said:

I've tested my key fob to see if it goes to sleep after a certain time when the fob is stationary. I locked the doors and put the fob on the floor next to the driver's door. I tried the door after 1 minute and it opened. I did the same sequence again and after 2 minutes and the door still opened. However after a period of 4 minutes the door wouldn't open, but as soon as I moved the fob a few inches on the floor the door could be opened again.

I don't feel the need for a Faraday pouch or manually turning off the fob signal for my 2023 NX450h unless I wanted belt and braces.

I don't know for which model year this fob auto shut-off was introduced. But you can try it for yourselves if your interested.

Given your auto shut off facility, then I would agree with you, but in practice I have been turning off my "standard" key since I bought the car some 3 years ago. However, I still put it in a Faraday pouch as a reminder I have switched the fob off. Basically, if it's in the pouch and I cannot see it then I have physically turned the fob off, but if it is visible then it's almost certain I didn't deactivate it. Very much a case of out of sight, out of mind. As for auto shut off, then what a fantastic and simple idea which I wish I had. Perhaps Lexus should re-program our keys as a matter of course, assuming this could be possible.

BillSt · June 14

On 6/10/2024 at 12:48 AM, Hayzee said:

I don't know for which model year this fob auto shut-off was introduced. But you can try it for yourselves if your interested.

I believe it was MY24, introduced Aug ‘23. But best tested as there was some differences over keys at that time

Hayzee · June 14

2 hours ago, BillSt said:

I believe it was MY24, introduced Aug ‘23. But best tested as there was some differences over keys at that time

Bill....my 450h is a MY23 ( manufactured 12/22) and does have the facility.

Saxacat · June 14

With my last car, I got into the habit of turning the key off whenever I came in the house, I've just continued doing that with the NX.

AnthonyMac · June 25

I have got into the habit of turning the key off whenever I lock the car. I also keep the key in a Faraday box at home - in case I have failed to turn the key off, plus it is convenient to know where my keys are. A Faraday box is much more robust than a Faraday pouch, which wears out with frequent use.