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Using Your Head

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I love articles and papers written about technology, even stupid tech that cannot be explained. Boost Your Car’s Key Fob Range by using your head, literally!

Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke wrote “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” When you read those words, you might imagine yourself showing an iPad to someone from the 1800s. Tech urban legend says that you can increase your car’s key fob range by strategically pointing it at your head–something to do with the shape of your skull acting as a directional antenna of sorts (Parabolic Reflector). I know what you’re thinking, Skeptical? So was I, until I did it.

First, I had to establish the key fob’s maximum range with a standard grip while maintaining a line-of-sight connection–which turned out to be about 80 feet from the car. At that distance, I found that the car responded to 1 of every 10 to 20 button presses. Then I had 2 different family members lock and unlock the car while pointing the key fob at our foreheads. To our surprise, this method enabled us to move an additional 40 feet or so back away from the car and still get effective performance from the key fob; at that point we reached the end of the parking lot, putting an end to the experiment.  Everyone achieved their best results by holding the key fob at their forehead. How is this possible?

Think of it as this, your key fob has a very small antenna, and it is good for line of sight–as long as the battery is fresh, but as the battery drains, the distance that you can lock your car, is reduced. By placing the key fob to the forehead, and pressing the lock / unlock button, the back of your skull acts as a reflector, concentrating and bouncing the radio waves directly to the car, increasing its power and range. This may sound silly, but every time I forget to lock the doors, after I am in the store, I just go back to the entry door, look at my car down yonder, place the key fob to my forehead, hit the lock button and Beep!. Yes, everyone will look at you, and wonder wtf? Of course this all could be avoided if I just replace the battery in the key fob. But that’s not fun.

Thanks for reading, and remember at “Hunt Technology”, you always get “Quality Service & Individual Attention” you deserve.  Hunt Technology, 320 Watson St., Ripon WI, 920-290-0936

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