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Today, you do not need to take the car key out of your pocket.
You touch the door handle, and the car opens.
You press a button, and the engine starts.
This convenient feature comes from the smart key.
Recently, a more advanced smart key using UWB (Ultra Wideband) technology has appeared in the automotive industry.
Now, a car can understand not only “the key is near” but also “the key is exactly here.”
🔑 How a Car Smart Key Works
A smart key is a system that detects the driver automatically by sending wireless signals between the car and the key.
When the car and the key are close, the door opens.
You can start the engine with a button.
At first, smart keys used RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).
Later, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) was used, so connecting with smartphones became possible.
However, both technologies estimate distance by checking signal strength.
This method is not very accurate and is weak against relay hacking.
To solve this problem, the new UWB smart key was introduced.
📡 What Is UWB?
UWB (Ultra Wideband) is a wireless technology that measures distance very accurately using very short signals over a wide frequency range.
The key point is that it measures “how fast the signal arrives.”
It is similar to hearing a clap and guessing how far the sound came from.
UWB measures the travel time of the signal and finds distance and direction with an accuracy under 10 cm.
Because of this, UWB is much more precise than Bluetooth or RFID.
It is also very difficult to copy or relay the signal.
This means a UWB smart key can understand not only “the key is nearby” but “the key is on the driver’s side, in this exact spot.”
⚙️ UWB Smart Key vs. Traditional Smart Key
The biggest differences are accuracy and security.
RFID and BLE smart keys can be hacked with a relay device.
A thief can extend the key signal even when the owner is far away.
But a UWB smart key calculates signal time in nanoseconds.
A relayed signal always has a tiny delay, so the system blocks it immediately.
The car can check the physical presence of the real key.
Because of this, UWB smart keys are much stronger against hacking.
They are also ideal for smartphone-based digital keys.
Apple and Samsung both support the UWB digital key standard (Car Connectivity Consortium).
A car and a smartphone can perform precise authentication.
🚘 Which Cars Support UWB?
UWB smart keys are currently used in premium electric cars and high-end sedans.
Examples include:
- Genesis GV60, G90
- Hyundai IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6
- BMW iX, i7, X5
- Mercedes-Benz EQE, EQS
The Genesis GV60 is the first model in Korea to use UWB Digital Key 2.0.
You can unlock the car and start the engine with a smartphone.
This feature will expand to more mid-size SUVs and general electric cars.
🚀 In Conclusion
Car smart keys have evolved from RFID → BLE → UWB.
Convenience, security, and accuracy have improved together.
UWB smart keys are becoming the new standard in the automotive industry.
They help create safer and better driving experiences.
In the future, a car will not be just a vehicle.
It will be an intelligent digital space that recognizes the driver and reacts automatically.
And UWB smart keys will be at the center of that change.
