RFID has been around for some time now and is something we come in contact with every day. Some of us won’t even realise it. The most common use in the automotive industry is in immobiliser transponder keys and fobs. All manufacturers now use coded keys programmed into the vehicles immobiliser circuits to wirelessly recognise the correct ignition keys when inserted. A lot of additional aftermarket immobilisers use RFID and in some cases iButton/DALLAS tags. The tags are presented in close proximity to the antenna and the fob is recognised or ignored. A development of RFID is keyless entry whereby the field from the ignition key has been extended to encompass the whole car. The car can then recognise the key before it has got anywhere near the ignition allowing the car to be unlocked and started without even taking the key out of our pockets.

Our RFID system utilises a patented design which results in a secure RFID system preventing the transponder fobs from being cloned. This means that the fobs cannot be replicated easily so any attempt to grab the code from the fob will be pointless. The code is laser programmed into the fob and not digitally programmed meaning that the fob is programmed once and once only. The fob is unique to the decoder so any other fob will be ignored, even if someone has attempted to clone the fob. If the fob becomes damaged or missing, a new fob is easily programmed and replaced. The units and antennas are close proximity field antennas meaning that the output will not be triggered without the tag being presented to the reader, unlike the keyless entry systems mentioned earlier.

The system can be set up to work on certain days of the week and between times also. It can also switch fobs on and off, disable fobs for holidays or limited periods (the fob will work for a week for example) and has a history/reporting facility and can hold personnel records. Multiple units can be linked together in a network and assigned names in which certain fobs can be programmed to work on only certain units.