By David Ponce
Recently announced at the Telematics Detroit conference, a British company called RDM will begin offering the Auto-TXT service, a theft prevention system that uses your cellphone and Bluetooth.
Here’s how it works. Start with a car equipped with a Bluetooth module from London company Ezurio. Then, teach the system to recognise your Bluetooth-enabled cellphone. Once programmed, it becomes a secondary key for your vehicle. When the car starts, the system will look for your cell. If it doesn’t find it, the vehicle will be considered potentially stolen, even if it was started with the proper keys. You can then track it using conventional methods, or even better: remotely disable it.
Expect to see Auto-TXT in Jaguars and Land Rovers all over Europe, starting this year. If you want one for yourself, expect to pay between ?500 and ?600, depending on whether or not your want the Remote Disable feature.
[Auto-TXT] VIA [TechnoRide]
It seems that the system pairs with your phone. So you can’t use your phone with other Bluetooth devices – like handsfree – at that time.
Plus, if your phone is already paired with another BT – the car wont connect to it, and, well, the alaram will go off.