A Statistical Modulation Type Identifier for Remote Keyless Entry Transmitters Based on Extended Energy Detector

Remote keyless entry (RKE) systems are an integral part of modern daily life. Vehicle access, drive authorization, and arming/disarming the alarm systems for houses, garages, and/or facilities are instances for popular uses of RKE. Despite their obvious advantages such as gaining access/authorization solely by carrying them, any security breach experienced with remote keyless entrys (RKEs) could end up with cataclysmic consequences. Therefore, manufacturers continuously develop new methods and techniques to fortify their RKEs systems. One of the prominent ways of tackling the inherent security concern is to establish a rapid wireless message exchange mechanism/protocol such that intruders could not have time to place their attacks. However, with recent advances in digital technology along with software-defined radio (SDR), quantification of rapidness becomes crucial for RKE manufacturers. Therefore, in this study, a statistical modulation type identifier for RKEs systems is proposed. Both an automatic modulation type identifier based on complex baseband equivalent of the received signal and an automatic mode detector are employed as an extension of traditional energy detector. This way, presumable bottlenecks for the receiver at intruder side are identified and elaborated. Measurement results are provided along with relevant discussions. Results demonstrate that frequency compensation along with energy detection are the two indispensable serial modules and provide the bottleneck for any receiver at intruder's side.