Don’t have a home alarm system? Well, one popular post claims anyone who owns a modern car actually does.
It’s not a new claim and has been circulating web forums for about 10 years.
It reads in part:
“Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr's office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.
If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds, all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.”
THE QUESTION:
Will my car’s panic button work as a home security system or deterrent for crime? And can my key remote actually turn on the alarm from my room?
THE ANSWER:
There’s no way to know how effective or ineffective this would be as a deterrent.
And the question of whether this will work from your bedroom depends on a number of factors.
The VERIFY research team confirmed it certainly could work as written, but it depends on the location of your bedroom, where you car is parked and the range of your car’s key fob.
WHAT WE FOUND:
VERIFY's Jason Puckett tested two different cars at his own home: a Nissan Rogue and a Kia Optima. The key fobs for both cars were able to activate the cars alarms from any rooms in the house. For Jason, the post’s claim that you can use your car’s alarm from your bedroom was accurate.
This may not be the same for everyone. The only way to know is to test your own vehicle.
There are no set standards for the distance a car’s remote has to function and a search online finds dozens of different standards. Some cars are reported to have remotes that work 10 feet away, others work as far as 150 yards away.
Bottom Line:
Depending on your car’s make and model and the size/layout of your home, it’s VERIFIED that it’s possible to turn your car’s alarm on from inside your home. There is no way to VERIFY the initial posts claims that this will work as a deterrent in an emergency situation, but there is no harm in trying it.
Car forums depicting different ranges:
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