Cnet Article Attempts to Forecast The End Of Car Keys

A new article and video on Cnet has surfaced in an attempt to forecast the end of mechanical car keys.

As a locksmith, who has worked in the key and access control industry for over 30 years, both stateside and internationally, I have heard similar tired stories of the end of the auto car key, yet they are still here and while they are indeed becoming fewer, across more modern vehicles, they are a long way from being eliminated.

In fact, manufacturers still produce some vehicles using mechanical car keys because it is actually cheaper, longer lasting and better quality with less issues than nouveau app controlled access control components.

About 25 years ago, the first iterations of "chip" keys or "transponder" keys began to surface in an attempt by automobile manufacturers to "better secure" vehicles.

View the video and article in the source below...


The auto insurance industry, a very powerful lobbying group, managed to convince federal lawmakers to develop new legislation requiring auto manufacturers to increase vehicle security systems, to thwart multi-year, stunning insurance company losses from an exhorbitant amount of vehicle thefts. The insurance companies initially agreed, that if the government enacted such legislation, they would in turn reduce insurance premiums (which unsurprisingly never happened).

The resulting enacted legislation has led to significant cost increases for customers with regard to replacement or even duplicate keys and remotes. The auto-locksmith industry blossomed after this, with new electronics companies producing programming equipment that has enabled many locksmiths to offer key origination and duplication services.

In ensuing years, a large number of different manufacturers started producing high-security key programming tools to supply the growing auto-locksmith industry and OEM's started selling uncoded keyblanks with built in transponder chips, to locksmiths enabling us to offer new or replacement auto keys. The key code machines and programming equipment became quite costly, sometimes requiring in excess of $30,000 to start up an auto locksmith department. Often that investment is just for code machines and programming tools and without inventory of differing brands of vehicle keys and remote controls and replacement keying kits, locks and parts.

The Cnet article assumes that the humble mechanical key will take about 10 years to begin to finally disappear and, as with other IOT (Internet-Of-Things) products, suggests that our homes and offices will continue to see the eradication of mechanical key systems. While there are a number of modern manufacturers of wireless battery powered access control products for residential and commercial doors, the proliferation of these products is slowly growing, because for the products to operate flawlessly, hard wiring (to electric mains power) becomes necessary for continued and uninterrupted use.

We have found that a great many customers who have purchased and installed battery powered lock products, become annoyed quickly at having to constantly replace batteries, motor driven bolts and latches will not operate due to movement of doors and frames as a result of naturally occurring weather or earth settling, etc. So much so, that after spending sometimes hundreds of dollars on that 'you-beaut' electronic door lock, they actually go back to operating the locks with a mechanical key.

Besides the issues mentioned above, pin pad locks are fundamentally less secure than mechanical key locks. With a mechanical key lock, a would be operator must have a copy of the key. Whereas a shared code could mean any number of additional users could have access to your doors. How many times has your code been shared? How often do you require to change the code?

With keys, and especially restricted keys, preventing unauthorised operation is significantly easier, longer lasting, cheaper and more convenient for users. And, operators generally can still make a lock function by hand if a door becomes misaligned, guaranteeing that you know your door is locked.

Should you decide that an electronic, battery powered door lock is in your future, we strongly suggest that you order one that includes a mechanical key override, to ensure you are not caught out for failing electronics, battery drainage or other issues that may mean your lock has to be hacked or destroyed to allow you access.

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