The Rise of The Keyless Theft and How To Power Up Your Security

Auto theft rates have been on a decline for the last few years now, but a recent crime wave in the UK shows that modern vehicles with keyless technology are the new targets of the car thieves.

Keyless car entry is designed to provide convenience for owners but it is now being used by organized crime gangs and opportunistic criminals to break into and steal vehicles that are equipped with the technology. Over 85.000 vehicles were stolen in the United Kingdom with a staggering 56% rise in the number of stolen vehicles compared to last year. What is more worrying is that 70% of the owners claim they still had their car keys on them. Keyless car entry and engine start features are great examples of innovations in vehicle technology but the relay thefts show us that exploitation of technology will always be an issue.

A group of researchers from a German company called ADAC used radio transmitters to test which cars are susceptible to relay attacks. The Munich-based automobile club performed a study on dozens of cars to test a radio "amplification attack" that extends the range of unwitting drivers' key fobs to gain entry to cars and even start their ignitions. A whooping 110 cars from 27 different manufacturers were found to be at risk. ADAC says it successfully broke into 24 different cars, including European cars like the Audi A3, A4, and A6, BMW 730d, and Opel Ampera. It also found models like the Ford Galaxy, Kia Optima, and Toyota Rav4 were suspect, among many others. An ADAC spokesman told: "We are revealing this IT problem at more and more brands across different manufacturers.

So, how do the thieves make off with a car without needing the owner's keys? The relay theft essentially requires a device called a relay box and two people. The device performs a search for the radio signal generated by the key fob inside the house and boosts its range to 15 to 20 meters. One person holds the device within range of the victim's key while the other perpetrator remains close to the car. Normally, to prevent the abuse of keyless entry, vehicle computer systems have restrictions and can seek out the key signal only within a few meters from the car. The relay box tricks the car into thinking that the key is in close proxies and allows the criminals to break into the car and even start the engine. The whole process takes less a minute. Modern vehicles are costly investments and yet a gadget that costs only £ 30 lets hackers steal them without even breaking a sweat.

Thieves may seem to have the upper hand in this situation but let's not forget we live in a modern age where tech and security companies work tirelessly to find alternative ways to prevent relay attacks. Relay boxes need to pick up the signals from the key fob so the first order of business is to put your car keys in a container that blocks the radio signals. Securing the keys alone is obviously not enough; there are still adept thieves that can attempt to steal your car and with their experience, they might just be able to do it. That is why it is important to secure your car and delay the thieves as long as possible in the event of an actual theft attempt.

There are several gadgets and security systems that can help the car owners to fortify their defenses against these tech-savvy criminals. Manufacturers insist that modern-day vehicles are more secure than ever, but criminals prove them wrong all the time and that is precisely why car owners need to adopt additional security measures in place to prevent theft. Most car owners tend to think that car alerts are useless and they only make noise but as a deterrent, they are one of the best solutions on the market. It is worth spending some extra money on a high-end car alarm that can delay or completely dissuade the thief. Steering wheel locks are great visual deterrents as well. Cheap models may not have a chance at stopping the criminals but a top-quality wheel lock can give even the most accomplished thief a run for his money.

When it comes to car security though, there is nothing better than a vehicle tracking system. Vehicle trackers are armed with the best features to deal with the sophisticated thieves committing the relay attacks. State-of-the-art tools such as geo-fence zones, movement sensor, shock sensor and immobilization will ensure that no thief, no matter how experienced or skilled they are, will be able to get away with your car. And in case the worst should happen and criminals manage to steal your car, you can track the vehicle's precise location in real-time and inform the authorities. No other security system or device can offer the car owners the guaranteed safe return of their cars and that is why vehicle tracking devices are the best at what they do.

Common sense goes a long way in protecting your vehicle against theft attempts. People tend to be careless when it comes to their cars; they leave the keys in the ignition for quick stops, keep the doors open or leave valuable items in plain sight inside the car. You have to make sure not to provide a window of opportunity for theft and keep the security measures active all the time. Unfortunately, even the latest technologies have vulnerabilities that can be exploited by criminals. Cars, especially the new models, will always the preferred targets of criminals; that is why vehicle owners need to go the extra mile and invest in the best security systems on the market. Failure to do so might cost you an expensive car.

A Guide To Vehicle Tracking With Fleet Management Software

Maintaining and organizing fleet vehicles, field personnel or other assets is impossible without a reliable centralized system accessible at all levels of the business. Luckily these systems do exist and are referred to as fleet management software or vehicle tracking systems. There are a number of solutions available and these have been developed to handle all aspects of managing and maintaining a fleet as well as personnel and job dispatching. Each comes with a raft of features and capabilities making it difficult to choose a solution.

There are many companies providing vehicle tracking and fleet management software solutions. These fall into two types of system, online or locally installed software.

Online systems are usually a web-based or "in the cloud". They are accessed via a web interface or web browser where as a locally installed system is installed on a local computer. The pros and cons to these two systems are minimal and come down to IT infrastructure already in use by the business. If a business has an existing database to manage parts of the business then this data may need to be accessed by fleet management software and this may need a locally installed solution.

What features or capabilities make fleet management software a good investment for a business?

Centralized Data Storage

Having all information in one place is a must for organization of all aspects of a business. All good solutions enable the input and storage of vehicle information like service, MOT and road tax records. Driver records such as driving qualifications, medical requirements and endorsements can also be entered on to the system. Important vehicle and driver documents can be scanned and easily retrieved when required.

Vehicle Service Reminders, Alerts and Management

One really useful aspect of fleet management is the ability to set reminders or alerts for vehicle servicing, MOT or road tax due dates. Personnel can update the status of vehicle repairs and drivers can record any vehicle faults when completing daily checks.

Vehicle Tracking with GPS

An important feature when deciding on a fleet management solution is the ability to know where vehicles or personnel are located or where they have been. Vehicle tracking is usually achieved with the installation of a small device in the vehicle or in the case of personnel or assets a small device can be carried in a pocket or attached. Once setup it is possible to see vehicles, people and assets in real-time on maps. Knowing where all the business assets are allowed the fleet manager or transport dispatcher to assign the right asset to the correct location.

Job Assignment and Dispatch

This is a very useful feature but not all fleet management systems feature it. The ability to assign jobs via the system is a really useful function. Mobile personnel, drivers or field engineers can update the job status, upload images and signatures enabling back office staff to immediately see and inform a customer of progress. These systems can be installed on existing devices such as smart iPhones, Android and Blackberry handsets.

History Trails and Reports

When all of a business's data is stored in a centrally managed system it is easy to compile reports that can improve efficiency and even save money.

Detailed reports on individual assets such as vehicles can show total running costs for that vehicle. Vehicle tracking information can show how much fuel has been used and help to suggest cheaper alternative routes. This combined data from personnel can help a business to see where efficiencies can be achieved.

To summarize, fleet management software and vehicle tracking solutions should enhance a business and if used correctly and should improve the operating and efficiency of a business's mobile resources. The savings that can be achieved may be out-weighed by the costs of the systems but that should also be balanced against the increased productivity and the ability to offer a better service to clients.

Laying a Patio Floor - A Builder's Useful Tips

Laying a patio can be a challenging task if you do not have the proper plan in place. There are many types of patios one can chose to lay. Patios can range from wood to brick to stone. Once you select the type of patio that needs to be installed the handy work can begin.

Installing a stone patio is an excellent way to show creativity and individuality. There are many colors and designs to choose from. To start gather your supplies. These can include gloves, dusk mask, mason twine, carbide tipped awl, goggles and ear protection. It is important to remember your safety equipment when preparing to work with grinders and saws. This brings up the next items needed, tools.

These will include: steel rake, bush broom, spade shovel, square shovel, wheelbarrow, level and rod, angle grinder, tape measure, circle cutter, pointing trowel, hand rake, hand tamper, plate compactor, circle saw, rubber mallet, hand sledge, and skid-steer loader. Once all your tools and supplies are collected execute the floor plan. Include in this plan the height, width and length of your patio. This can be easily done by using graph paper. Be sure to also know your land. It is important to know where the ground freezes or if there are any water or gas lines in the vicinity so they can be worked around.

A stone patio can be installed in eight simple steps. First, excavate the site. To do this drive three foot stakes in the ground in the corners of the area the patio will be laid. Use the level to find a benchmark. Next setting the base will need to occur.

Cover the sub-grade with a crushed stone and dust base. Be sure to water the base to keep the dust down. Use the plate compactor to assist in this step. Once the base is set mix the cement in the wheelbarrow in order to lay the stone. Once the mix is ​​to desired thickness, spread the mix in the base where stone will be laid one stone at a time. Now that the bed is set lay the stone into the setting bed smooth side facing up lined up with the other stones.

Tap the stone into place with a rubber mallet. Once in place use the level to be sure all stones are even with the next. Repeat this process until area is covered with stone. If necessary cut the stones with carbide-tipped awl to make sure stones fit evenly. Remember to use goggles, gloves and earplugs for this process. When the patio is dry enough to walk on dust the joints with a stone dust to better hold the stones in place. Hose the patio down to assist in packing the dusting.

Once the patio is set and dry pull out the summer temperature of choice, lawn chair and kick back and admire the finished product. Many do not believe they have the handyman knack but these simple steps make laying a patio look as easy as sipping lemonade on a hot summer day.

Becoming a Help Desk Manager

The responsibility of the person working on a help desk manager job is to become a more important part in the organization structure for the company. To become a help ask manager one should not only have excellent costumer service skills and a very good personality, but also have a keen awareness about the industry. Specialized training will also be required to become a help desk manager. Perform research to find out exactly what is required to become a help desk manager. In order to become a help desk engineer you have to receive training in the relevant field.

You have to obtain a degree in information technology or you can also get a bachelor degree in computer science. There are also some of the companies who require just two years of college degree. It is good if they have an experience in customer service. Having computer knowledge is also a better thing. Have a certificate from your academic training to become a desk engineer. The Computer Technology Industry Association, Help Desk Institute and Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician are a few popular certifications in the industry. This help desk professionals are either fled where all the common questions support staff within the company or the vendors. Be ready for the pre-firing examination. This exam you have to conduct to show your self that you are having a clear understanding about the role of the help desk engineer. This will provide you more information and more knowledge about the help desk engineer. By searching the online database locate a help position of desk engineer around or in your area. Help desk manager job has a bright future.

Architecture Firms Design Floor Plans

There are a number of reasons to hire a professional architect. For people that are looking at building a custom home, the floor plans that are drafted by architectural firms offer the flexibility to add exactly what a person wants in their ideal living quarters. Whether it is a dedicated home theater room complete with tiered seating or an oversized whirlpool tub for a spacious and elegant master bathroom, people that want their home to be perfect often call on Tuscan architecture firms to provide the designs that fit their Southern Arizona lifestyle.

But it is not just customized plans for executive homes that bring people. Businesses that are looking for complete construction plan also use the firms to make certain that every detail has been taken into account. For the large scale buildings that require HVAC, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work the architects are responsible for creating a series of schematics that layout the pathways for conduits to carry pipe and wiring between floors. By understanding each of the vital systems and components of a floor plan and working up scale drawings of the final plans, The firms can present their specifications to the corporations that need to approve the plans before construction can begin.

After designing each of the technical schematics and overlaying them with the blueprints for a building the Tuscan architecture firms can also provide onsite construction management to make sure that permits and schedules are met. With the turnkey solutions that are provided to private citizens and corporations throughout Southern Arizona the architecture firms are making an impact on the skyline of Tuscan and Phoenix.

Money Earning Foreign Exchange Recommendations For You To Use

Be very careful relying on another trader's advice. You need to be sure that this advice will benefit you, not cause you major issues that will be near impossible to fix. You can observe their methods for trading analysis and learn how to do it on your own though. Blindly following another person's strategy can lead you to major losses, so you may want to think twice before doing so.

Do not start in the same place every time. Some Forex traders will open with the same size position and extremely commit more money than they should; they may also not commit enough money. You must follow the market and adjust your position accordingly when trading in the Forex market.

In order to make money in foreign exchange trading, it is necessary to keep your emotions in check. Do not do a trade if you are excited, nervous or angry because this will prevent you from making logical decisions. If you are experiencing these emotions, it is best to walk away and trade when you have a clear mind.

If you think you can get certain pieces of software to make you money, you might consider giving this software complete control over your account. Passive trading using software analysis alone can get you into trouble. You need to be the active decision maker. You will be the one paying for losses. The software will not.

Emotion should not be part of your calculations in Forex trading. Making trades based on emotion will increase the risk factor and the odds that your decisions will be without merit and prompted by impulse. You need to be rational when it comes to making trade decisions.

One of the first decisions you will need to make when you begin trading on the Forex market is on what time frame you want to trade. To make plans for getting in and out of trades quickly, rely on the 15-minute and hourly charts to plan your entry and exit points. Extremely short charts such as 5 or 10 minutes are commonly used by scalpers.

Right now, you can use a tool such as Forex Robots , or wonder methods. This will allow you to do basically nothing. Your trades will all be chosen for you, and you will just have to sit back and watch your money grow. Get comfortable and make some money easily!

If you are looking for more information about the Forex market, you have come to the right place. This article will give you the best information about the foreign exchange and the rates that it deals with. Do not be confused any longer, this is where you need to be to fulfill your need for knowledge.

Learn about fundamental analysis, technical analysis, wave analysis, and complex analysis. These are the four primary ways of forecasting the forex market and building your currency trading strategy. By learning about each of these you are better prepared to develop multiple successful trading strategies to avoid losses and improve gains.

If you are going to begin trading Forex in the hopes of making money, you need to know yourself. You must understand your risk tolerance and your personal needs. You must analyze what your personal financial goals are in relation to trading Forex. To know the market, you muse know yourself.

When participating in Forex trading, you should never participate in a trade if you feel uncomfortable about it. One big reason for this is, if you are not comfortable about a certain trade, you will probably not have the patience that is needed to make a profit on that trade. Therefore, only participate in trades you feel comfortable trading.

Find the right broker. It can be hard to navigate Forex waters if you do not know what you're doing and so a broker is an obvious choice; but even when you know Forex you need a good broker. A good broker will give you good information, expertise and guidance that will help you make money.

A wonderful tip for trading Forex is to start with small amounts, and a low leverage. Some people think that a larger account will bring your larger profits, but that is simply not the case. With these large accounts, a lot of people end up putting up a lot of money, and do not see the return they are expecting.

Choose one trading process that you understand completely and stick with it. Do not mix up elements of various strategies. This is a recipe for failure. The only reason it works for financial institutions and investment houses, is that they have plenty of money to lose, advanced computer software and aggressive research teams.

When participating in Forex Trading, one of the important tips to follow is to survive. The traders who stick around for the long haul are the ones who will be there when the "big moves" appear. If you've had losses, a "big mover" could possibly compensate for those losses and more.

In the world of Forex, there are many techniques that you have at your disposal to make better trades. The world of Forex has a little something for everyone, but what works for one person may not for another. Hopefully, these tips have given you a starting point for your own strategy.

Getting Your Interior Design and Decorating Started Right

Principles Are Principles Forever

Interior design and decorating is one of the oldest of all the arts . Properly understood, it can be very exciting and rewarding to engage in. All you have to do is apply the correct and appropriate formulas, then adapt them to your budget.

It is very important and necessary to find out what you really need and want. Follow a few age-old foundational principles in order to acquire the success that you're driving for. A few easily understood principles will enable you to work out combinations and arrangements that will be appropriate and therefore satisfying to you, no matter what type of room you are planning.

Make It Easy On Yourself

When designing or decorating a room or a whole house, you can help yourself a great deal if you make a careful analysis of yourself and your family before you begin. Take time to consider, reflect, and examine specifics of what you like, what you want, what you do, what you hope to do someday, etc.

Write everything down on paper. Be guided by this analysis in your choice of furniture, arrangements, color schemes, and accessories. Describe in words not only what you want it to look like, but what you want it to feel like as well. For me, a "look" without the appropriate feeling and ambiance is nothing.

Make The Right Decisions The First Time

The best way to do it right, once, the first time, is to have a plan. We begin our plan by making a diagram or sketch of the space, including the windows, doors, and archways, paying careful attention that it's all drawn to scale. It is critical that your room has a floor plan drawn to scale. Usually this means that 1/4 inch will equal 1 foot. If you want it larger, then draw it so 1/2 inch equals 1 foot. This means that 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch will represent an actual 12 inches or 1 foot of real space. You must do the same thing with your furniture, plants, and sculptures - anything that takes up square space space on your floor. If you choose to skip past this initial step, you'll definitely have a wrong perception of reality! Once all of your pieces are sketched to scale, carefully cut each one out, making sure each one is clearly labeled.

You must do everything to scale with your sketches. These paper depictions enable you to move representations of your furniture and other items around effortlessly within your environment on top of the floor plan. As you do so, keep in mind where and how the traffic will flow through the space, accommodating for this functional necessity. With patience and some time, you'll reveal various solutions that will come to your mind that you would never have thought of otherwise. Pre-planning allows you to have much more fun and freedom of expression.

Doing floor plans is the professional way to start. Amateurs skip this. Even if they call themselves decorators or designers, this is one of many fundamental reasons that they are amateurs. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail ... whether you know it or not.

Eliminating "Paralysis of Analysis"

The preliminary analysis of your home interior design and decorating problems should include answers to several definite questions. Think of this as the Sherlock Holmes phase. You want to ask yourself the right questions, to get the right answers. That way, you can get the right results. Your answers to the right questions will have a determination impact on the various phases of your plan. Thinking things through will save you time, money, and energy, as well as preventing possible and probable disappointments with your results.

Some Words of Caution

Do not decorate or design in haste, and then later repent at leisure! Even if you have the money to carry out your whole design and decorating program, do not be rushed into buying anything which will compromise the effect you want.

Do not be discouraged if you have to operate on a budget. Decide what you can comfortably spend in the beginning, and put most of it into basic pieces that will be a permanent investment in your satisfaction and comfort. Then, spread the rest of it out over "pickshifts" which will do until they can be replaced. These pieces will be temporary until you can afford something better. Sometimes they turn out to be so charming and so useful that you will not want to give them up. You can allocate them to other areas of your environment.

As you work your plan, you may find that parts of it need altering as you go because you've found that they can be improved. However, make sure the contemplated improvements fit into the original plan or concept. Remember, it's not only about the look. It's the look and the feel, or ambiance, that you are after.

Do not be tempted for the sake of a bargain, or any other reason, to spend time or money on a single piece or article which will not add to the effectiveness of your preconceived design or decorative scheme, as you have outlined it from the beginning. Also, remember: Proper, prior planning prevents poor performance!

It's vital that you realize that you can spend a great deal of money or a comparatively smaller, realistic sum, and get very pleased results if you have a plan and knowledge.

An Important Closing Comment

Once you work things out on paper, be sure that you have included your floor plans and the written documentation of both your questions and your answers. The rest of the steps must continue to translate that information into action. Always look at the colors and designs in the environment where they are going to be used, and under the lighting conditions there, both natural and artificial. Color is how you light it! Therefore, never guess how textures, colors, designs, or fabrics, etc., will go with each other. Always make your final decisions within the final environment they will be staying in.