Security (theft) concern: door unlock with water/rain?

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by 2009Prius

Hello all, Thank you very much!
I had not realized that it needs both the FOB and the water to unlock the door, so I imagined the scenario of someone with a jug of water breaking into the car. Now I feel much safer.
Thanks again!

It's really not mysterious. The door handles have capacitance sensors to tell when your fingers touch the underside of the handles. To the sensors, large amounts of water look just like a person. The SKS thinks you are touching the unlock sensor.

Water without a nearby fob looks like a random person pulling on the handle. It won't open unlock in that situation.

Another interesting detail is the unlock switch on the hatch. That one is a pressure switch, not a capacitive switch. Did you ever notice how you have to pull harder on the hatch to get it to unlock? That is why. The back of the car is subjected to a lot of swirling water and wind, so it makes sense to avoid a capacitive switch.

One more bit of trivia: If you want to unlock all of the doors, give a quick pull on the hatch handle. One quick pull unlocks the doors, but doesn't open the hatch. A long pull does both. I find this handy when a passenger is waiting to get in and I am walking past the back of the car. One quick tap with my fingers and everything is unlocked.

Tom

[2009Prius]

Originally Posted by qbee42

It's really not mysterious. The door handles have capacitance sensors to tell when your fingers touch the underside of the handles. To the sensors, large amounts of water look just like a person. The SKS thinks you are touching the unlock sensor.

Water without a nearby fob looks like a random person pulling on the handle. It won't open unlock in that situation.

Another interesting detail is the unlock switch on the hatch. That one is a pressure switch, not a capacitive switch. Did you ever notice how you have to pull harder on the hatch to get it to unlock? That is why. The back of the car is subjected to a lot of swirling water and wind, so it makes sense to avoid a capacitive switch.

One more bit of trivia: If you want to unlock all of the doors, give a quick pull on the hatch handle. One quick pull unlocks the doors, but doesn't open the hatch. A long pull does both. I find this handy when a passenger is waiting to get in and I am walking past the back of the car. One quick tap with my fingers and everything is unlocked.

Tom

Hi Tom, Thank you for the detailed explanation and the useful tip!

[HTMLSpinnr]

Since I reprogrammed my driver's handle to unlock all doors (procedure found in the owner's manual), this is moot, but I often do the same thing as my family approaches from behind so that the kids can get in more quickly and I or the Mrs. Spinnr can open the back door to get baby situated before entering the front doors.

[David Beale]

Just to finish this up, for those living in Florida , if you walk away from the car in an extreme downpour and wonder if the car is locked, the FOB can lock the car from farther away than the SKS works. So just press the lock button when you get 20' away. The lights will flash to let you know it locked.

[2009Prius]

Thanks these comments helped.

[Doc Willie]

Originally Posted by 2009Prius

... I imagined the scenario of someone with a jug of water breaking into the car. Now I feel much safer.
Thanks again!

Easy to do. Duct tape brick to gallon jug of water. Swing jug around hitting window with brick. Yer in the car. Of course if you use to door switch to unlock the door, the alarm will go off. So don't do that. Just take the Tiffany ruby bracelet lying in the front seat and leave.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by Doc Willie

Easy to do. Duct tape brick to gallon jug of water. Swing jug around hitting window with brick. Yer in the car. Of course if you use to door switch to unlock the door, the alarm will go off. So don't do that. Just take the Tiffany ruby bracelet lying in the front seat and leave.

It works better if you first freeze the jug of water.

Tom