As important as cars are in our daily lives, there is no doubt how crucial the keys that grant access and control over these machines are to us. Car keys serve as the link between the user and the fact that if they fall into the wrong hands, they can be used to gain illegal entry and access to the vehicle means that they should be treated with maximum care. As a car owner it is quite important to know the different types of car keys that are available and the basic differences between them and how they are used.
REMOTE CONTROLS
This is by far the most common type of key that are supplied with new cars in the market today. They are used to lock and unlock car doors, open and close car trunks, as well as turning on and off car alarms. These remote control keys make use of infrared and radio transmitter technology to send coded messages to a receiver already fitted in the car. These type of car keys make use of batteries and may refuse to work if the batteries are flat and in the case of loss or misplacement of the key, a systemic receiver bypass may be required.
MASTER KEYS
In today’s world, master keys are slightly outdated. Back when master keys were popular, they were not created for normal everyday use on a car. Even though, they came with the cars, they were mostly used by locksmith dealers to program a replacement in cases where car keys were missing or permanently damaged. Master keys are usually very powerful and can be dangerous for the car owner if they get into the wrong hands. For this reason, when you lose a master key, it is very much advisable to do a complete overhaul of the engine management system. This probably explains why many modern cars are not supplied with master keys. Rather, car dealers have car security information that has a central database for storing car reprogramming information.
TRANSPONDER KEYS
These kind of keys was first introduced in 1995 and is still very much popular now. It comes with a computer microchip that is electronically coded and embedded in a plastic body. The code in the microchip is essential in detecting the car key when it is inserted into the ignition. They code has to match and be recognized by the vehicle to enable the key to start the engine. If the code on the microchip of the key is not recognized by the vehicle for whatever reason (the wrong key may be inserted, key may be damaged), then the key is useless and will not be able to start the engine. In the case that the key gets damaged or misplaced, then, a new car key has to be acquired and the immobilizer control has to be reprogrammed so as to match the new car key with the reprogrammed code.
ROLLING CODES
First introduced in 1999, this types of car keys have become a common feature of modern cars. This key sends a new code each and every time the car key is used. There is a little difference between a rolling code car key and a transponder key in the sense that while a transponder key sends a fixed code all the time, the rolling code car key sends a different code every time the car key is used. This basically increases the level of security of the rolling code car key making it virtually impossible for a thief to replace it and as a result very expensive to replace as the owner in the case of loss or permanent damage.
