Your Car Key May Be Broadcasting From Inside Your Home
You lock your car. You lock your house. But if your key fob is sitting near the front door, thieves may not need either key. Relay devices can extend your fob signal from outside your home, making your car think the key is nearby.
Why does my key fob need protection?+
Where should I keep it?+
How do I test it?+
Your car can be stolen while your keys are still inside
Keyless relay theft does not need a smashed window or a stolen key. If your fob is broadcasting from the hallway, thieves outside may try to make your car believe the key is nearby.
- A locked car is not enough if the key signal can still be extended.
- The weak spot is often the key bowl by the front door.
- SignalVault gives your fobs a closed signal-blocking home base.
They do not steal your keys. They steal the signal.
Relay theft works by extending the wireless signal from your key fob. The fix is a simple nightly habit: put keys inside, close the lid, and help block the signal thieves try to use.
- Put the key in as soon as you get home.
- Close the box or pouch fully, not halfway.
- Use pouches for spare fobs, travel, garages, and second vehicles.
Put keys inside. Close the lid. Help block the signal.
Choose the box size that matches your household, then make it the place your key fobs go every time you walk through the door.
- Small Box: compact daily protection for 4-6 keys.
- Large Box: room for 8-15 keys, family fobs, and spare keys.
- Kits: add pouches for travel, garages, second vehicles, or spare fobs kept away from home.
Home box for daily keys. Pouches when you leave.
The box is the nightly front-door habit. The pouches are the bonus layer for spare fobs, travel, garages, and keys kept away from your main setup.
Protect the signal, not just the key
Relay thieves do not need to take the key from your house. They try to make the car hear it from outside.
Built for UK driveways
If your car sits outside overnight, your hallway key bowl can become the weak point. SignalVault gives your fobs a closed Faraday home base.
Start the habit tonight
Come home, drop the keys in the box, close the lid. No app, no charging, no setup.
Why cheap Faraday pouches can fail
A Faraday product only helps when it fully closes around the key. Loose pouches, worn closures, and half-open storage can leave the signal exposed.
| Key Storage | SignalVault | Cheap Pouch / Key Bowl |
|---|---|---|
| Key fob signal exposure | Helps block when closed | May leak if open or worn |
| Relay-theft use case | Built around keyless cars | Often generic |
| Nightly front-door habit | Drop in and close | Easy to forget or leave open |
| Family key storage | Small or Large Box | Usually one fob only |
| Self-test with your car | Yes | Only if fully sealed |
Test it with your own car before relying on it.
The proof is practical: put your key inside, close the box or pouch fully, then check whether your car still detects the fob.
Step 1: close it fully
Place the key fob inside the box or pouch and make sure the lid or closure is completely shut.
Step 2: try the car
Stand by the vehicle and test the door handle and start button. The car should not detect the key if the signal is blocked.
Step 3: repeat the habit
Keep it by the front door so the routine is obvious every night: keys in, lid closed, signal reduced.
Does it stop all car theft? No. It helps reduce signal-based relay risk.
"The car stopped detecting the key."
I put the fob in, closed the box, then tried the door. It would not unlock. That was the reassurance I wanted.
"The key bowl was the weak spot."
We always left both fobs near the front door. Now the box sits there instead, so the habit is hard to miss.
"Large box fits the family keys."
We have two keyless cars and spare fobs. The large box made more sense than relying on separate little sleeves.