Exploring the Different Types of Car Keys: From Traditional Metal Keys to Smart Keys and Beyond

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Exploring the Different Types of Car Keys

Just decades ago, every vehicle would operate through the use of a traditional metal key. Through the years, work has been done to advance the way that keys are made and used. Today, there are many types of car keys that are used to unlock doors, start up cars, and allow a person to get where they need to go.

Traditional Metal Keys

A traditional car key is simply a shape cut out of metal. This shape fits one specific vehicle and can be used to turn on the engine of that vehicle. A traditional car key is easy to replace, but vehicles that use it can also be easily stolen. Traditional metal car keys served a purpose for a time, but they are mostly only linked to older vehicles today.

Transponder Keys

Because of theft and other issues, car manufacturers knew that they needed to create something beyond a traditional metal key. The transponder key was created to keep an engine from starting up for anyone but those who own the vehicle and have a key for it. This key is created with a chip inside of it that works with the vehicle that it goes to in order to start the engine. When a transponder key needs to be replaced, a car’s owner can reach out to either a dealership or a locksmith to have a new key made with a chip inside of it.

Smart Keys

An even more secure option than the transponder key, smart keys were created to make it easier for the owner of a vehicle to access and use that vehicle and more difficult for thieves to do damage. A smart key simply needs to be inside or near a vehicle in order for it to be used. A vehicle equipped with a smart key might unlock its doors when that key is nearby. The vehicle will also start up without the need for the key to be stuck in the ignition. A smart key can be in the pocket of a vehicle’s owner as they load up their vehicle and stay there as they start the vehicle and begin to drive. Sensors and waves help this key connect with a vehicle.

Using an App Like a Key

Beyond the many types of car keys that are available, some also use their smartphones to interact with their vehicles. There are apps that can be used to unlock the doors of a vehicle or start the engine. Apps can also be used to lock the doors of a vehicle from a remote location when the vehicle’s owner realizes that they have neglected to do that. Most modern vehicles will have an app that can be downloaded that is connected to them and that gives their owner greater control over them.

Car Keys are Constantly Changing

As new advancements in technology are made, new features come out related to vehicles and the keys that get them started. The car keys offered by each car maker are different, and new types of car keys are constantly coming out.

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