i was once told that the bmw keys work from farther if its closer to your head--that your head acts like an antenna. i tried it out and if you hold your keys in your hand at a distance away from your head in front of you (with your arm extending forward), and you're far away for the car not to unlock, and then u put the key close to your head in that same spot, it unlocks. it seems to work. this must mean that your head acts like an antenna. i've done this several times, and it seems to be true, that your head is the antenna. so i'm wondering whats in the key, or for that matter whats in your head that makes it work that way. its very strange.
BMW keys and head
- Thread starter bmw330ipp
- Start date
In essence your body IS acting as part of the antenna 'system' . In total free space, if you could see the radio waves, they would roughly appear as a sphere around the key.
When holding the key at arm's length, your body modifies that sphere, squashing it flatter, and sending more of the radio waves towards the car, and fewer radio waves straight up into the air.
Holding the key to your chin may be doing the same thing, or, if the metal part of the key is acting as an antenna (I am guessing it is) then your body does conduct radio waves, making a larger antenna.
You have probably noticed this before - if you have weak FM radio reception, touching the antenna may improve reception. It is the same basic principle at work.
Another rough analogy would be to compare it to a bare light bulb vs. a reflector bulb. Your body is the reflector.
When I first read the thread title "BMW Keys and Head" , I thought it was about BMW keys being a chick magnet and getting..... oh never mind!
When holding the key at arm's length, your body modifies that sphere, squashing it flatter, and sending more of the radio waves towards the car, and fewer radio waves straight up into the air.
Holding the key to your chin may be doing the same thing, or, if the metal part of the key is acting as an antenna (I am guessing it is) then your body does conduct radio waves, making a larger antenna.
You have probably noticed this before - if you have weak FM radio reception, touching the antenna may improve reception. It is the same basic principle at work.
Another rough analogy would be to compare it to a bare light bulb vs. a reflector bulb. Your body is the reflector.
When I first read the thread title "BMW Keys and Head" , I thought it was about BMW keys being a chick magnet and getting..... oh never mind!
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good explanation, kirby. ![[;)]](/images/smilies/wink.png "Wink [;)]")
and also i def. agree w/ codex; the range isn't that great on the bmw keys. there are times when i press the button from only like 3 meters away but it doens't unlock because i'm not pointing it correctly i guess. it'd be cool if bmw had the little card that mercedes has that u keep in your wallet and when u get near, it unlocks the car so that u dont have to take out your keys.
and also i def. agree w/ codex; the range isn't that great on the bmw keys. there are times when i press the button from only like 3 meters away but it doens't unlock because i'm not pointing it correctly i guess. it'd be cool if bmw had the little card that mercedes has that u keep in your wallet and when u get near, it unlocks the car so that u dont have to take out your keys.
You mean Keyless Go? Yeah, it's a cool option but people have had some serious problems with it. It can go haywire on you. I've been 7 feet from my BMW before and it still wouldn't open. I think that's a little over 2 meters. This range really annoys me. Least the buttons are easier to find/push than the MB ones.
When my daughter is with me I am just gonna hook a wire to my key and hook the other end to her braces and see how that works.
I agree the remote works intermittently wrt distance. Sometimes it will open from 30 ft. other times I have to be right on top of it like codex says. Seems like the shields are up or something.
It is annoying sometimes.
Interestingly my X5 opens from 30 ft. consistently......
I agree the remote works intermittently wrt distance. Sometimes it will open from 30 ft. other times I have to be right on top of it like codex says. Seems like the shields are up or something.
It is annoying sometimes.
Interestingly my X5 opens from 30 ft. consistently......
Actually i think to add to Kirby's theories, as I understand the reason it works better if it's closer to your head is b/c of 2 reasons your body has a natural electric charge (due to electrolytes, metals, etc in your body), plus by placing the metal close to your head, it's closer to your mouth which has saliva in it...a liquid. Liquids conduct waves (whether radio or electric) and amplify the signal from the key, kinda like putting aluminum foil on those old skool tv antennas.
I always thought it worked better b/c I have so many damn cavities in my mouth with the metal fillings that the signal would bounce off my fillings....hmmm...although that sounds like a good theory as well.[fake]![[:o)]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_clown.gif "Clown [:o)]")
I always thought it worked better b/c I have so many damn cavities in my mouth with the metal fillings that the signal would bounce off my fillings....hmmm...although that sounds like a good theory as well.[fake]
Mr E: After 30 sec, the Lexus relocks if you haven't opened a door, so distance isn't usually a factor unless you're running or unlocking for someone closer to get in.
Does anyone with a newer convertible use the remote to put the top down before they get to the car? I wish they had that in 2000. Maybe my 6 convertible will do that.
Does anyone with a newer convertible use the remote to put the top down before they get to the car? I wish they had that in 2000. Maybe my 6 convertible will do that.
the best keyless entry ever was on my 2000 chevrolet silverado z71 ... it would literally work from 100 yards .... it would work thru houses .... nothing would stop that thing ...
however, this can be a bad thing ...
i would sometimes roll over on my keys at someones house and wouldnt you know it ... HONK HONK HONK ...
i probably set off my panic alarm or unlocked my car on accident once a week
so maybe thats bmw's logic ... it needs to work from a distance far enough to be useful but not too far (because of the reasons mentioned above)
Ben
however, this can be a bad thing ...
i would sometimes roll over on my keys at someones house and wouldnt you know it ... HONK HONK HONK ...
i probably set off my panic alarm or unlocked my car on accident once a week
so maybe thats bmw's logic ... it needs to work from a distance far enough to be useful but not too far (because of the reasons mentioned above)
Ben
u guys are silly
u don't want it to open from a billion yards away
b/c ppl can catch the signal intercept it
my dad's s class has infrared which has to be line of
site.
its better to unlock closer to the car.
why do u want you doors open 60 yards away?!?!
by the time u get to your car it'll have auto-locked
itself lol
u don't want it to open from a billion yards away
b/c ppl can catch the signal intercept it
my dad's s class has infrared which has to be line of
site.
its better to unlock closer to the car.
why do u want you doors open 60 yards away?!?!
by the time u get to your car it'll have auto-locked
itself lol
Care to elaborate on this? If you are living where people are intercepting key signals for later use in stealing your car, then you need to pack the family in a U-Haul and high tail it out of town.
Also I tried the "key to head" method and it works!!! I could unlock my car from what seemed like twice the distance.
But I won't be doing this very often for fear of the key interceptor people lurking in the shadows........
Also I tried the "key to head" method and it works!!! I could unlock my car from what seemed like twice the distance.
But I won't be doing this very often for fear of the key interceptor people lurking in the shadows........
theres some key that u can program to turn on your car before u even get in it, so that u can turn the AC on to cool down the car before u go in. its only $40 and i heard of it somewhere and was thinking about getting it but then i thought again, and concluded that i'd never really use it. anybody ever heard of this?
![[:(]](/images/smilies/frown.png "Frown [:(]")