Ghost immobiliser Wales, relay protection and CAN bus security

Vehicle owners in Wales face relay theft risk that requires a physical relay break independent of the CAN bus. LockCar provides hardwired relay immobiliser fitting across CF, NP, SA, LD, SY, LL, CH postcodes across all Welsh regions, as a standalone solution or to complement an existing or new Autowatch Ghost installation.

Vehicle theft risk in Wales

Wales as a whole faces vehicle theft risk concentrated in the south Wales coastal corridor along the M4 from Cardiff to Swansea, and in north Wales along the A55 North Wales Expressway. CF postcodes in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, NP postcodes in Newport and Gwent, and LL postcodes in the north Wales coastal area feature most prominently in Welsh police vehicle crime data. Rural Wales benefits from lower absolute theft volumes but limited ANPR infrastructure means stolen vehicles can cross into England rapidly.

Relay attack theft follows the same method across every UK region: criminals extend the key fob signal from inside the property to the vehicle on the driveway in under 60 seconds. The factory immobiliser is satisfied by the relayed signal exactly as it would be by a legitimate key. LockCar adds a physical relay break downstream of the entire CAN bus that remains open until a separate encrypted authentication is provided.

Ghost immobiliser versus LockCar in Wales

The Autowatch Ghost uses the vehicle CAN bus to require a PIN sequence before engine start. It is an effective countermeasure against basic relay attacks. LockCar’s hardwired relay break operates outside the CAN bus entirely, providing protection against both relay attacks and CAN bus injection attacks that target the control channel.

For vehicles in higher-risk categories, fitting both a Ghost and a LockCar relay immobiliser provides the strongest available protection. Ghost stops relay attacks at the CAN bus level. LockCar stops any attack that manages to overcome or bypass the CAN bus layer. The two systems are complementary and can be installed at the same appointment.

LockCar installation does not interfere with an existing or new Ghost installation. Both systems operate independently. Full insurance documentation is provided with every LockCar installation.

LockCar coverage across Wales

LockCar engineers cover all Welsh postcode districts including CF (Cardiff area), NP (Newport, Gwent), SA (Swansea, west Wales), LD (Powys), SY (mid Wales and Shropshire border), LL (north Wales), and CH (Flintshire). Same-day appointments are available across Wales.

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