Contactless access control key fobs read in half a second even if covered in oil

The Local Government Association (LGA) is looking into the rising problem of metal thefts for local authorities. The LGA is compiling a survey to find out the impact of metal theft on their budgets, what changes they would like to legislation and whether councils are looking into alternative materials. One possible novel solution is being trialled by Oxfordshire County Council which is installing a fibreglass manhole cover to see if it copes with traffic.

Contactless key fobs can used to operate access control systems available to local authorities from security experts Tensor. An inbuilt aerial made from copper and iron is embedded into your key fob, allowing it to be scanned by your access control system. The T1313 key fob has a grey plastic shell made from implant quality glass, similar to those used in the identification of pets. When placed within range of an access control scanner, the key fob will be read in under ½ second, even if that fob is covered in oil and grease.