I came across a Twitter thread in which someone shared the story of how using something called a Ghost Lock car immobiliser prevented his vehicle from being stolen. I am not new to vehicle security, so I know about car immobilisers.
A regular immobiliser is hidden away and you have to push the button a preset number of times, otherwise the engine won’t start. But I was hearing about this Ghost Lock for the first time, so I took time out to do a little research on it. What is it about? How is it different?
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What is Ghost Lock Car Immobiliser?
A GhostLock immobiliser is a device that is connected to the vehicle’s CAN bus (Controller Area Network) and is programmed to recognize the owner’s unique key sequence. When the owner enters the key sequence, the Ghost immobiliser allows the car to start and run normally. However, if someone tries to start the car without entering the correct key sequence, the Ghost immobiliser will prevent the car from starting by blocking the signals between the car’s starting system and the engine management system. The device is designed to be invisible to thieves and cannot be bypassed using traditional theft techniques such as hot-wiring. The Ghost immobiliser is compatible with most modern vehicles and can be installed by a professional installer
How does the Ghost vehicle immobiliser work?
Ghost Lock car immobiliser works similar to how regular car immobilisers do, but they add a stealth flavour to the game. It requires you to punch in a security code before your vehicle can start. Without that code, the ignition won’t work and the car won’t start. The stealth angle is that GhostLock Immobilisers do not give away their location. They have no LED indicators and don’t use key-fobs. Their location cannot be found by hacking an OBD port either.
Once set up, the car GhostLock Immobiliser kicks in automatically when you turn off the engine, so the issue of forgetting to enable it does not arise. You do have to remember your security code, though. You have to enter it using buttons on the steering wheel, door panels or elsewhere in the car. Otherwise, even you can’t start and drive the car. One alter active way to get the car to work, if you forget the code, is if you have the mobile app setup already. Yes; there is a mobile app for Ghost immobiliser, and it is available for both Android and iOS.
You can start the car and drive, without entering the security code, if you use the mobile app. If you do not remember your security code at all and need to reset it, there is a secure emergency code you can use to do that.
I am an advocate of taking responsibility for your security. A car immobiliser is a good idea and I recommend that you fix one in your vehicle. A Ghost Lock car Immobiliser sounds like an even better idea, if you can afford it. It goes for around £499. That’s about $610. It just might be the best security investment on your car.
Download the Ghost Lock Car Immobiliser mobile app
To download the mobile app for iPhone from Apple App Store, click here.
To download the Android app from the Play Store, click here.