Have you ever been parked just a little too far from your car, pressed the key fob button, and nothing happened? Then, you might have tried the trick you’ve heard or even tried before: holding the key fob to your head. Many swear by this method, claiming it magically boosts the signal and unlocks their car from a greater distance. But does holding your key fob to your head really work, or is it just another automotive myth? Let’s delve into the science and separate fact from fiction.
The claim that holding a key fob to your head improves its range is widespread. People often report success with this technique, leading to a strong belief in its effectiveness. However, these experiences are often anecdotal and lack the rigor of a controlled experiment. Consider this: if your key fob didn’t work initially, and then it worked after you held it to your head, it’s easy to conclude that your head was the reason for the success. But this conclusion might be premature and overlook other factors.
This type of reasoning falls into a common cognitive trap known as selection bias. We tend to remember instances where the trick seemed to work and forget the times it didn’t. To truly test if holding the key fob to your head is beneficial, you would need to conduct a more systematic experiment. You’d need to compare instances where the key fob works when held to your head with instances where it doesn’t work even when held to your head, and then compare both to the times it works normally without any head involvement.
Think back to the days of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). These consoles were notorious for cartridge reading issues. The “solution” that many kids swore by was blowing into the game cartridge before inserting it.
The comic humorously illustrates how we attribute success to rituals when the real reason is often simpler. Blowing on the cartridge, shaking it, or pressing the reset button repeatedly were all part of the ritual. In reality, removing and re-inserting the cartridge, along with the act of turning the NES on and off, simply provided another attempt at establishing a connection. Eventually, it would work, and the ritualistic actions were mistakenly credited for the success. Similarly, with the key fob, simply pressing the button again or slightly changing your position might be the actual reason it works the second time, not necessarily holding it to your head.
Now, let’s consider the technical aspect. Does your head actually do anything to the key fob’s signal? It’s true that placing the key fob near your head, or any conductive material, will alter its electromagnetic radiation. Your head can act as an antenna, interacting with the radio waves emitted by the key fob.
Your head, being a sizable and somewhat conductive object, can become inductively and capacitively coupled to the key fob’s antenna. Radio frequency (RF) currents can be induced in your head, and your head itself can then radiate some of this energy. It’s conceivable that your head could act as a larger antenna, potentially increasing the effective radiated power in certain directions.
However, it’s also possible that your head, due to its conductivity and complex shape, could detune the key fob’s antenna, making it less efficient. Your head could also act as a reflector, focusing the signal, or it could refract the waves, scattering them in unintended directions. The truth is, without proper testing, we simply don’t know what effect your head has on the key fob’s signal.
Despite the widespread belief, there’s a lack of scientific evidence to support the claim that holding your key fob to your head reliably increases its range. Most of the “evidence” is anecdotal, coming from personal experiences or hearsay, not from controlled experiments conducted by RF engineers using proper testing equipment. Until such rigorous testing is performed, the idea that holding your key fob to your head improves range remains largely in the realm of automotive folklore. So, while it might be a fun party trick to try, don’t rely on it as a guaranteed method to extend your key fob’s reach.
