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I have a recently bought new Kia that came key fob which is composed of two parts. The actual electronic device with the buttons, and this part slides on a cut key which has the keyring hole attached to it. The two are usually very well attached.

Somehow, the two got separated and the device part of the fob fell off. I am 99% sure it is somewhere in the house, but just can't find it.

Given that it's a transmitting radio device, can I use this to find it?

  1. Do these things constantly transmit? If yes, at which frequency? If no, how can I make it transmit?
  2. Which tool would I be able to use to locate it?
Gimelist
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2 Answers2

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The key fob has an RFID chip in it, which responds to a wake-up signal from the car by sending a return signal (probably in the UHF band). If you had a device that can transmit that wake-up signal, and another (or the same) device that can detect the return signal, then you could indeed find your fob this way. You would send the wake-up signal repeatedly as you search, and when you detect the response you would follow the signal to the fob.

That's the answer to the question: "Is it possible". As to whether it's practical, almost certainly not. There's a fair amount of specialized tech that you would need to obtain, and a fair amount of specialized knowledge required to use it effectively as well.

Sort of Damocles
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My wife has a 2018 Honda CRV and the remote fob is always transmitting without pressing any of the key fob buttons. As I walk up to the car the doors will automatically unlock, so it is always transmitting an RF signal. The automatic door unlock is a user option I setup in the vehicle settings. If your Kia does the same you could rent or buy an anti-spy/bug detector. These devices can pickup RF signals from 1 MHz-8 GHz or greater. The purchase cost is ~ $50.

MJH
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