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KeyCard™ technology

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9 May 2008

If you were to go to a training school for car stereo thieves, you would probably learn two basic rules: first, pick the easy targets, and second, pick radios that are easy to sell. Now, Blaupunkt has introduced a new security technology called KeyCard™ that foils thieves on both counts.

A KeyCard is an ISO standard smartcard, similar to those used for pay TV, that is inserted into the radio on the front panel. Once loaded, it stores each cardholder's favourite radio stations, tone control settings, and other feature preferences. When the KeyCard is removed, the radio is unusable, and will not work unless its matching KeyCard is inserted. Each radio will support up a maximum of two cards.

 keycard smartcard

The flashing LED warning should make any thief hesitate, read the accompanying window stickers, and move on to the next car. If the thief has trouble with reading or comprehension and does steal the radio, he will soon learn that it is an advanced, but useless piece of electronics without it's matching KeyCard.

While no theft deterrent system can be totally foolproof, Blaupunkt's KeyCard Security System works so well that the company offers a theft replacement guarantee on KeyCard radios that get stolen.

Although KeyCards and other smartcards look like credit cards, they are world's apart in terms of capability. While a credit card uses a short strip of magnetic tape to record a few dozen characters of information, a smartcard has a tiny computer chip embedded in the surface of the card that holds upwards of eight pages of data. It also has complex data encryption circuits that make these cards virtually impossible to decode or copy.

KeyCard represents the world's first automotive application of 'Smart Card' technology.

keycard inserted

These capabilities have made smartcards popular as satellite TV cards and credit cards. There is a growing list of other applications being developed here and in Europe.

In Germany smartcards are being used as health insurance cards with stored medical data. In Spain they are the equivalent of social security cards with stored employment data. Some companies have used them as employee identification cards with encoded fingerprint scans for high security jobs.

KeyCard has already been introduced on several Blaupunkt models, and it has been found to be superior to detachable faceplate car stereos for several important reasons.

First, a KeyCard is much easier to carry than a detachable faceplate; just slip it in your wallet, handbag or pocket.

 
Second, unlike detachable faceplates, each KeyCard is virtually unique and not interchangeable from unit to unit. While industrious thieves sometimes find sources for replacement faceplates, the nature of the KeyCard prevents thieves from replacing them.

 
Third, radio presets and system preferences are saved in the KeyCard's memory, not in the radio. Now, two drivers can each set up the same car stereo to accommodate their differing listening habits. A Blaupunkt dealer can also set up two different KeyCard radios to recognise the same pair of cards. This way, both drivers can each have one card to use in both cars.

 

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