The Facts

• Alarm remote systems operate by way of radio waves, or frequencies, just like any other wireless electronic device. Televisions, cell phones, car alarms, remote control toys, television remotes and many other devices all operate on assigned radio frequencies.
  
  In order for a radio frequency to be sent and received, a receiver device and a transmission device must be in place. The transmission device sends whatever information is entered, while the receiver device decodes the information sent on the radio wave and performs the desired action.
  
  

Evolution

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  Radio wave technology first came about in the early 1900s with the advent of radio. In its beginnings, security or crowding issues weren't a concern, so there was little to no regulation imposed on radio frequency usage.
  
  Today, the Federal Communications Commission allocates who uses which frequencies. Television stations, radio stations and satellite transmissions all have to acquire licenses from the FCC to broadcast across radio waves. This licensing allows for the security features that we see today with wireless devices.
  
  Any and all wireless devices function within a particular radio frequency range. With alarm remotes, this range is somewhere around 40 megahertz. Cell phones are in the 824 to 849 megahertz range. Cordless phones are in the 40 to 50 megahertz range, and so on.
  
  

Features

• In the case of a car alarm, the little contraption that goes on your key ring is the transmitting device. This is called a "fob." So whatever button you push on the fob sends a coded command across an assigned radio wave. The receiver, located inside the alarm system components of the car, decodes and carries out the command that was sent.
  
  Both the transmitter and the receiver are synchronized so that they work, or communicate, along the same radio frequency. The frequency assigned is determined by the controller chip built inside the fob.
  
  

Benefits

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  Wireless alarm remotes have grown quite sophisticated in terms of their built-in security features. The controller chips in both the receiver and transmitter are made up of a 40-bit rolling code that's able to select random access codes each time a button is pushed. This feature prevents someone from decoding the radio frequency your unit operates on. The 40-bit rolling code makes it nearly impossible for an intrusive radio receiver to capture your alarm code frequency.