A car key signal blocker box will prevent thieves using electronic equipment to steal your car. In this article, I’ll take a look at the best car key signal blocker boxes and pouches you can buy in order to prevent criminals using wireless technology to steal your car without them needing to ever touch your car keys, as well as looking in detail at relay thefts, relay theft statistics and what you can do to limit a crimanals ability to steal your car through relay theft.
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Table of Contents
Best Car Key Signal Blocker Box (UK Top 3)
For those in a rush, here’s 3 of the best car key signal blocker box you can buy to prevent relay theft – and your treasured car being stolen without criminals needing to have stolen your physical car key.
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Of course, all the information on why these are the best car key signal blocker box devices on the market are in the details below, along with a huge amount of other information.
Do I Need Key Signal Blocker Box?
Before going any further, let’s see if you actually need a signal blocker box for your car.
A key signal blocker box is recommended if ALL criteria are met below:
- Your car opens automatically when you approach your car without the need for you to press a button to unlock it on your keyfob.
- To start your engine, you push a button (you don’t need to put your key in the ignition and turn it for the engine to start).
You don’t need a key signal blocker box or pouch if the follwoing criteria is met below:
- You need to press a button on your keyfob to unlock your car, or you need to insert your key in the door to unlock your car.
- You need to put your key into the ignition, and turn the key in order for your engine to start.
Please do be aware of the above, otherwise you are simply wasting your money on a signal blocking box if the criteria for buying one and needing one, isn’t met.
Instead, you could consider using a steering wheel lock, or installing security bollards for driveways if you want to bolster your vehicle security.
Below are the top 3 blocking boxes, as well as more details on the best car key signal blocker box to buy in the UK.
1. Samfolk Faraday Box & Pouches (WINNER)
The winner of the best car key signal blocker box goes to the Samfolk Faraday Box and pouch, owing to it’s great value for money, and all in one bundle – because in this bundle, you’ll get the blocker box as well as two signal blocker pouches.
It also has a solid wood frame, so it’s strong and durable, and has been designed to last.
This blocking box also has a nice closing clasp, which ensures that your car key is completely shielded by the dual layer shielding material lining the inside of the box and lid when the box is closed (yes, whatever you do, don’t forget to close the box).
This is an inexpensive, affordable RFID signal blocker, which will house not only your keys, but other keys such as spare keys, and even your phone and wallet if you want.
With all the above in consideration, this is the best car key signal blocker box you can buy.
You can buy the Samfolk anti relay box from Amazon.co.uk by cicking this link here: Samfolk Faraday Signal Blocker Box + 2x pouches
2. Faraday Pouch Bag 2 Pack
In second place is not a box, but a pouch. Well, 2 pouches to be exact.
The Faraday Pouch Bag 2 Pack is the cheapest option on the list, and is a viable option for those who don’t necessarily want a box, but something smaller and more discreet.
These are handy because they are small enough to fit in your coat or jacket pocket, meaning you can still leave your car keys in your jacket pocket as you perhaps normally would.
It’s constructed with three layers of material, including waterproof leather exterior, and a silver RF sheet in between the soft cloth fabric.
It also comes with a keyring hook, ideal for attaching to bags, coat hooks or other keys.
This is a superb product at a really cheap price, and comes thoroughly recommended.
You can buy this product on Amazon.co.uk here: Faraday Key Signal Blocker Pouch Bag 2 Pack
3. Relayshield Cupboard Keypress
The Relayshield Key Cupboard comes in third place, but offers practical storage for all keys, with the added bonus of radio frequency (RF) protection built in.
Yes, I know, the title of the article is the best car key signal blocker box, and this is a cupboard. But it’s absolutely worth a mention.
It acts as a cupboard/keybox/keypress, and it’s been designed to be installed on a wall. Made of pine, it also has a soft grey felt lining the inside, giving it a soft, premium feel.
It can be locked via the combination lock on the side of the cupboard, to give extra security.
The thing I really like about this cupboard is the centralised location it will afford to the owner – come in, hang your keys up, and when you’re ready to go back out, the keys are there in one place always. No searching for keys around your home when you’re already late.
The downside of this is for me, the colour. Walnut brown may have suited the majority of people in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s, but probably not any more, so the audience for this product will be limited. And until they release a white, black and grey version of this product, the audience will continue to be limited as it won’t match colour schemes in most homes.
That said, if you have browns and creams and magnolias in your house, it’s a great product, and a great idea.
You can purchase this product from Amazon.co.uk at this link here: Relayshield Cupboard
What Is Relay Theft?
In 1998, Mercedes released the first ever production car that enabled the owner of the car to open and unlock a car without having to press a button on the key fob, or use a physical key to open and unlock their car door.
All it took was for the keyfob to be in range of the car, and the car would automatically unlock. No button presses, and no key in a lock necessary.
As the years have rolled on, this feature has become a standard convenience feature that consumers have become to expect as standard, with more and more cars now using this technology.
But as technology has improved and upgraded, so has the tactics of organised criminal gangs, and relay theft has become a real problem in recent years.
So what is relay theft exactly?
In simple terms, criminals use an electronic device to intercept the signal from your car key fob (even when the keyfob is locked away inside your home), to relay that signal to the car, tricking the car into believing that the key fob is nearby – therfore unlocking the car and enabling the elctronics of the car, allowing the criminal to use the ‘push to start’ button to start the engine and drive away – without ever having to physically touch the actual key fob.
The video below, taken from the PSNI Twitter account (@PoliceServiceNI), shows this technique in action.
Keyless car theft in action!
Even if your car and home are secure, thieves can still unlock, start and steal your car.
They only need to be within a few metres of your key to get the signal, even if it’s inside your home.https://t.co/1qaBdoruJ8#WeCareWeListenWeAct pic.twitter.com/pff8Ivc0l0
— Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) July 27, 2022
Car Theft Statistics UK 2002-2021
Here’s the data surrounding general car thefts in the UK, taken from official government data (ONS) and Statistica (Sources linked at the bottom).
It makes for some interesting reading, and although we can’t say for certain why certain trends have taken place, we can use our knowledge and historical context to analyse and summise what the trends mean.
The above data points show a clear downward trend in theft of motor vehicles from 2002.
Casting your mind back to those days, and we still had vehicles on the road that were 10 or 20 years old.
Unfortunately back then, most cars were munufactured without even the most basic of security features – such as an alarm system for instance.
So in those days, a criminal would smash a window, and then ‘hotwire’ the car, starting the engine and driving away. Automatic Number plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras were still in their infancy in those days, so it was literally a case of stealing a xcar and changing the number plates.
The downward trend shows the era of cars manufactured with better security features in place (such as an alarm, immobiliser, trackers etc). This downward trend also coincides with some of the older cars on the roads coming to end of life and being taken off the road.
However, sometime between 2012 and 2014 we can see the trend reverses, and I can only assume that this is the beginning of the uptrend of relay thefts, as even some of the cheaper cars and cheaper brands have keyless entry systems built in as standard.
It also marks a new era of car theft, where criminals will steal a car to strip the car down and then sell as parts, which is far easier than stealing a car to sell or export.
According to car security experts Tracker, they state that 93% of all vehicles that were recovered after being stolen, were stolen through relay theft.
It’s an incredible stat, although they don’t go ahead and state how many cars that is out of the avearge of 100,000 a year that are getting stolen.
How Does A Signal Blocker Box Or Pouch Work?
A car key signal blocker box or pouch works by stopping the RFID radio signal from your keyless fob escaping the confines of the box or pouch – it essentially blocks the signal, using inner materials that shield the signal.
Meaning criminals using relay technology won’t be able to pick up the signal because the box or pouch your keys are in, stop the signal from going beyond the confines of that box or pouch.
Some people have been known to wrap their keys in tin foil, or put them in microwave ovens, however I’m not sure I’d like to use my microwave for fear of somebody heating up some baked beans and accidentaly frying my car keys.
Don’t Hide Your Car Keys
Controversial, absolutely.
If a criminal fails in their attempt to get a signal from your keyfob, their next move might be to go and find the key to your car, in an attempt to steal it.
And by the way, it’s a big ‘might’. The point of them using the relay device in the first place is so they don’t have to break in and take the keys.
But if they do desperately want your car, they may attempt to break into your home in order to get the keys.
So if all the other security measures protecting your home fail, and they are now standing in your hallway, do you give them the easy option of taking the keys from somewhere obvious, or do you hide them?
There’s two outcomes here:
- They see the keys in an obvious place, take them and steal your car.
- They can’t see the keys, and either turn over your home looking for them, or worse, confront you in your own home in order for you to hand over the keys.
For me, it’s simply not worth hiding those keys.
It’s just a car.
If the car gets stolen, it gets stolen without any risk of harm to me or my family, and as long as I have done the basics of making sure my home is secure, then my insurance policy will cover me.
Other Security Measures To Take
In every article I write, I write about the importance of layering security measures one on top of the other.
This article is no different.
Consider the following security measures, that will not only protect your vehicle from theft, but will make your property in general a less desirable destination for criminals to operate in.
- Got gates on your driveway? Close them, lock them overnight if you can.
- Lighting? Is your driveway and external areas of your home lit up at night? Improve your lighting in external areas.
- Foliage and shrubbery – is there too much, and would it provide the perfect cover for criminals? Consider cutting it back.
- Steering lock? Consider the use of a steering lock for you vehicle, which will make it practically impossible to steal. Or read the top 3 best steering wheel locks article here.
- Tactical parking. If possible, park less desirable cars in front of the more desirable car, essentially blocking it in.
- Keep your car in your garage if applicable.
- Use a lockable driveway post.
Summary
Remember, home security is not just about one or two security measures that you’ve taken, it’s about multiple security measures layered one on top of the other.
A car key signal blocker box or pouch is yet another layer of security, which will prevent a criminal relaying a signal from your car key fob to your car.
If you have a car which has a keyless entry system, then I thoroughly recommend the purchase of a car key signal box blocker, which will 100% protect your vehicle from being stolen via relay theft.
Finally, a recap from the top 3, on the best car key signal blocker box to buy to protect your car from relay theft:
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Other Articles You May Like
Here’s a small selection of articles you may also like from this site:
- – 75 Ways To Improve Home Security
- – 25 Ways To Improve Garage Security
- – Improve Patio Door Security The Easy Way
- – Improve Security Of Your Front Door
- – Best Wallet With RFID Protection (UK Top 3)
Here’s the complete list of products and links mentioned on this page.
- – Samfolk Faraday Blocker Box & Pouches (Amazon.co.uk) Best car key signal blocker box – WINNER!
- – Faraday Pouch Bag 2 Pack (Amazon.co.uk) 2nd place!
- – Relayshield Cupboard (Amazon.co.uk) 3rd place!
Here’s the sources used for this article:
- – Leasing.com
- – ONS Car Crime Statistics
- – Statistica Car Theft Chart
- – Police – Relay Theft
- – Tracker.co.uk
Questions & Comments
If you have a question or a comment on this article on car relay theft and the best car key signal blocker box to buy, please use the comments box below. I’ll try my best to reply to each and every one of your questions, comments and suggestions.
Stay Safe. Stay Secure.
