If you were born during the age of the internet, there is no denying that YouTube is a cultural phenomenon of global proportions. This is where people post videos that turn out to be legends in their own right. The more popular videos are the ones that feature techniques on how to open car door locks.
This is a very popular video because it opens the possibility of getting access to the car door without a real key. It is like keyless entry in a way. It also made people concerned because it could mean that their expensive cars may be in danger of getting stolen.
One of those myths deals with opening a locked car door with the use of a cellular phone. In the video a person locks in their key inside the car. The car makes use of an automatic radio controlled lock. Luckily the car owner has a spare key at home and a mobile phone. He calls his roommate and asks him to press the unlock key and point it to the receiver of the phone. He then points the speaker of the phone towards the car and the door magically opens.
The theory behind this is that a cellular phone and the remote control on a door lock operate using the same technology which is radio frequencies. That is why when a person presses the signal through the mobile phone it travels like our voices do when we talk to our friend.
It may seem that it is a valid point, but this is merely a hoax designed to generate hits in YouTube. Although a cellular phone uses radio frequencies to send the signals through it does not operate within the same frequencies.
A mobile phone is designed to cut signals not within the normal range of human hearing or their speaking voice. The frequency of a remote control door lock is either too high or too low for the human ear to hear, much like the frequency of a whistle used to call dogs. It would be more effective to use a mobile locksmith to open your door than it is for a mobile phone to do so.
Another popular YouTube video is the one where they try to open a car door that is locked and they do it by using a tennis ball. The way the video opens the door is by punch a small hole going directly to the center of the ball.
The theory is that the tennis ball, when pressed would produce air pressure that will push the mechanism in the lock open long enough for the door lock to be opened. If this were true, a girl would just bring a tennis ball in their purses and they instantly have a master key in their purse.
The problem is that there are holes in that theory. First of all the tennis ball would not be able to push the pins on the lock since the pins are spring loaded. It will also be difficult for the tennis ball to create a steady stream of air for the lock to be activated. Finally, it will not be possible for the tennis ball to maintain the air pressure to open the lock because the lock mechanism is not pressurized to contain air.
The moral lesson of the story is to not believe the videos you find in YouTube. If you are ever locked out of your car, it would be better to call a Locksmith than make a futile attempt at trying these videos out.