What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a short-range (10 - 100 m.) international wireless communications standard. It was originated by Ericsson, before being adopted by many other companies. Bluetooth is normally implemented on a small, cheap radio chip which is then plugged into computers, printers, mobile phones, etc. It is often seen with wireless headsets for cellphones. This chip is designed to replace cables by taking the information normally carried by the cable, and transmitting it at a special frequency to a receiver Bluetooth chip, which will then passes the information received to the computer or phone.

Where does the name come from?

The Bluetooth name originally came from a Danish Viking and King, Harald Blåtand (translated as Bluetooth in English), who lived in the latter part of the 10th century. Harald Blåtand united and controlled Denmark and Norway (hence the inspiration on the name: uniting devices through Bluetooth). He got his name from his very dark hair which was unusual for Vikings, Blåtand means dark complexion. However a more popular, (but less likely reason), was that Old Harald had a inclination towards eating Blueberries , so much so his teeth became stained with the colour, leaving Harald with a rather unique set of molars.

What if I lose my phone?

Unlike when you lose a standard key which then has to be replaced, once you have replaced the lost phone, deregister the old one and then register a new one.

Can it be eavesdropped?

No - all the communication is rolling through billions of codes that are never repeated. If messages are intercepted they can not be reused.

Is it secure?

Yes - Both the ECKey and your phone are hidden from everyone else. Every ECKey implementation has a unique PIN. This PIN is entered once to register the device and create a private 128 bit key. The PIN and key are never transmitted. Eavesdropping on the locking and unlock will not reveal any private information and the lock will only communicate with registered devices that already have the 128 bit key. Click here for more details.

Will it drain the batteries on my phone?

Each locking/unlocking will use approximately the same battery consumption as a 5 second phone call. Bluetooth does use the main phone battery on the phone, but unlike a Bluetooth headset the additional drain is so small such that it will be unnoticeable to most customers.
Using the example of the Nokia N70, the use of a Bluetooth headset reduces talk time from 142 minutes to 119 minutes while ECKey only reduces from 142 minutes to 139 (based on 10 unlocks per day). In both cases the standby time is reduced from 3.5 days to 3.0 days but this is a small change.

Can I still use my key?

Yes, your key or remote control can still be used. This system is designed to be an additional option. Just as radio didn't replace the newspaper and television didn't replace the radio, this technology will not completely replace the key but provide a more convenient alternative to it.