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Getting Carded

Next generation keyless entry offers ultimate convenience

In an age when convenience is king, automakers are working harder than ever to capitalize on potential buyers' lust for new technologies that offer valuable time-savings and increased functionality. As a result, luxury car brands like Mercedes and Acura are ushering out the traditional keyless entry system in exchange for the next generation in remote automotive security and access. Strangely, though, the evolution of keyless entry is not to a new and cutting-edge technology, but rather a system that was developed more than 30 years ago—the smart card.

Development

For those who may be unfamiliar with the credit card-sized device, do not let its intimidating label scare you. While these cards are smart in comparison to their predecessors, their abilities are still relatively limited in comparison to your home computer.

A system originally conceived in 1970 by scientists in Japan, it was brought to life and deemed the smart card four years later by the French. For years the primary use of the smart card was for the banking industry in Europe and around the world. The smart card was intended to be the replacement for magnetic strip bank and credit cards, which were found to have security flaws and limited abilities. And while the magnetic strip card still dominates the banking industry, the smart card is growing in record numbers, both in and out of the finance world with an estimated 2.7 billion units being shipped by the end of 2003.

How It Works

The key to the smart card is in the microprocessor, a dime-sized computer with the ability to store information, perform local processing of data and carry out complex calculations, making it much more powerful than the standard keyless entry transmitter. Also known as memory, microprocessor, or integrated circuit cards, smart cards use active systems, instead of the contemporary passive nature of keyless entry. That is, Keyless Go, as Mercedes calls it, uses low-frequency radio communication to interact with a transceiver inside the car once the card is within two or three feet of the door.

Upon approach, the active card relays information about the cardholder, the car then validates the user's access code stored within the card and disables the security system. The car will then unlock the doors allowing the owner access to the vehicle once a hand touches the door handle. It's just that easy. Just walk up and open the door. And best of all, no more searching your pockets or digging through your purse after that 9-hour marathon at the shopping mall leaving you covered with bags like ornaments on a Christmas tree. If you've got the card anywhere on your person, you're in. For storing that extra baggage, the 2005 Acura RL, the first Acura (and the first non-Mercedes) to offer a smart card system also allows access to the trunk simply by touching the trunk lid.

Benefits

Also unique to the RL is a traditional key integrated into the smart card to prevent lockouts, should an internal failure prevent the system from operating. A valet feature is included that allows owners access to the trunk when valet parked. Mercedes-Benz buyers who opt for the Keyless Go system also receive Mercedes' SmartKey, a more traditional method of access that is sure to come in handy at the valet or the auto spa.

But the benefits don't stop there. The smart card provides security at a level impossible for the standard keyless entry systems. The microcomputer's ability to store information enables the use of a rotating security code. Every time you open the car the code is changed, making it virtually impossible for those with less than honorable intentions to gain access to your precious vehicle. To prevent lockouts, doors will not lock while the card is still inside the vehicle.

Another benefit of the smart card is driver-specific access. Two uniquely coded cards are included with each car allowing vehicles to recognize which card is in use. The result is an automobile that automatically adjusts the seating position and mirrors to fit the driver before the vehicle is even entered. Once inside the vehicle, drivers need only step on the brake and press a button on the shift lever to start the engine. Now that's convenient.

Although smart card systems are currently only available on the Acura RL and select Mercedes-Benz models, look for it to become available with additional makes and models, including some more affordable options, over the next few years.