Can mobile phones really replace car keys? Can we just bring a mobile phone and open the door and start the car to drive away? Perhaps many people find it incredible. Like the classic topic of automatic and manual transmission, I think the design of mobile phone car keys represents the future trend. Although automatic transmission has experienced various hardships in its development process, its performance, reliability, and user experience are constantly improving, representing the mainstream direction of transmission technology. The development of mobile car key systems will also experience this process. In fact, as the representative of PEPS, it took just 10 years for the card key to replace the mechanical key. Let me compare convenience and security, and talk about why mobile NFC applications can become an alternative to card keys that represent traditional PEPS implementations.

First of all, let's briefly discuss the comparison of convenience. Card keys do not need to be taken out and turned when entering the vehicle. The keys are placed in the bag and pocket. When the hand is inserted into the door handle, the identification of the owner is instantly completed and the door is opened. Start the vehicle without taking out or turning the key. Put the key in your bag or pocket, press the button inside the vehicle or turn the guide plate to ignite the engine. The advantages are convenience, a sense of luxury, and a sense of technology multiplied. The disadvantages of card keys are that they are easy to lose and have limited battery life, requiring frequent battery replacement.

In contrast, smart phones have become a necessary item for everyone to carry around. With the further development of mobile internet applications, in addition to mobile phones, people have fewer and fewer items to carry around. Therefore, a mobile phone with NFC functionality not only covers the convenience that all smart card keys currently have, but also overcomes all the shortcomings of card keys. Mobile phones can provide identity authentication for controlling cars at any time, and it also eliminates the hassle of car owners going to the 4S store to replace their key batteries. Therefore, in terms of convenience, the NFC solution for mobile phones has advantages over traditional card keys.

Next, let's start with the principles discussed earlier and discuss in detail the advantages of mobile NFC applications in terms of security. The implementation of PEPS, represented by card keys, has also substantially improved compared to traditional car keys. Through two-way communication of low frequency and radio frequency, it can complete complex two-way identity authentication between the vehicle and the key. In terms of security, it is similar to engine theft prevention, and is far better than traditional remote control keys. PEPS has become the mainstream of automotive electronic anti-theft system applications due to its more intelligent access control management and better anti-theft performance. But is keyless systems really that impeccable? The answer is no, currently keyless systems use low-frequency signals, so when placed together with electromagnetic transceiver devices such as mobile phones, due to mutual interference of signals, it is very easy to encounter the situation of "unable to find the key.". And a portable key loaded with a keyless system costs more electricity than a conventional electronic anti-theft key. At the same time, this system also has serious security vulnerabilities, and hackers may use some means to more easily steal cars. At present, the main hidden danger of keyless start systems is that the wireless signals between authorized devices and vehicles can be cracked in some form. Generally speaking, this system replaces traditional keys with mobile devices such as mobile phones and laser keycards. These devices establish a connection with the car and can automatically open the door within a certain distance. One way for hackers to intrude is to use a signal enhancer to amplify the connection signal, making the car think the owner is in front of the car, thereby unlocking the door. Some reports suggest that similar amplifiers can currently amplify the signal range to the size of a football field. After opening the door, thieves can use the car diagnostic interface to download information, creating a real key or starter to steal the car. In addition, if you leave the card key in the car, if you forget to turn off the vehicle again. There will be significant security risks.

As NFC is widely used in mobile payment, the popularity of mobile phones with NFC functionality has become increasingly high. As a car key, NFC mobile phones have emerged as the wireless public key system (WPKI) in order to meet the security requirements of authentication and encryption during mobile internet payments. After losing my phone, my vehicle will not be stolen by anyone who picks up or steals it. The mobile phone with NFC function has the high reliability and high security of two-way encryption authentication of card keys. Due to being connected to each other only over a short distance, it has high cold safety. Compared to the defects of card type smart keys, it is easier to prevent. Therefore, from a security perspective, mobile NFC applications should have more advantages than traditional PEPS implementations.

There is no doubt that NFC technology is being applied in more and more fields. Especially in the context of mobile network operators in Chinese Mainland vigorously developing mobile payment, NFC technology seems to occupy the right place and right people at the right time, from technology maturity to policy support. Today, with the prevalence of the concept of the Internet of Things (IOT) and insufficient practice, NFC technology provides a reliable channel to turn ideas into reality, and its future development is worth looking forward to.

http://www.sz-sg.com.cn/tinf/269.html