Add-on module auto-unlocks your car when your phone is near

(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)

LOS ANGELES — For some time now, we’ve been anticipating the day that you’d be able to unlock your car by simply approaching it with your smartphone in your pocket. It turns out that the technology has been right under our noses.

The first generation of the Mobile Enhancement Specialist’s (MES) Bluetooth Passive Keyless Entry module hit the market earlier this year and, after being professionally installed in almost any car with power locks, can automatically unlock the vehicle’s doors when it recognizes your Bluetooth-enabled cellphone is within range. The phone doesn’t even have to leave the driver’s pocket; no button presses are required. As you leave the vehicle and exit the effective Bluetooth range, the car will automatically lock itself. According to MES, the module should work with any Bluetooth phone — even my dad’s Moto RAZR flip phone.

This week at the LA Auto Show, we learned about the second generation of this technology — the Premium Bluetooth Passive Keyless Entry module — boasting increased security.

The Premium Bluetooth Keyless Entry app gives the module 128-bit encrypted security and gives the owner control over its behavior.

(Credit: Mobile Enhancement Specialist)

Where the original module worked by recognizing your phon… [Read more]