Criminals Jamming Wireless Intruder Alarm Systems.
This week the Daily Mail has advised that wireless intruder alarm systems can be disabled using a £100 device brought from an online store.
The report itself is flawed as it refers to all wireless intruder alarms and then proceeds to justify its claims by demonstrating on a DIY alarm that is distributed through various stores.
It is in no way a professional system and does not reflect the quality of the systems that we install here at CIA.
The Technical bit……
The DIY system uses a one way communication solution that waits for a sensor to send a signal to the alarm. If the device is jammed then this signal will not get through.
Jamming is like trying to have a normal conversation at a rock concert. In normal instances, the conversation can be heard. Jamming can be thought of like the rock music that is so loud whereby the conversation cannot be heard by the other person. These jamming devices work on that principle by filling the radio frequency with a lot of noise.
CIA wireless systems have a jamming detection algorithm build in. This works by measuring the background radio signals (noise) when the system is installed and setting a threshold level that is marginally above the lowest signal level from the detectors (softest voice). If during service this background noise level increases above the threshold level, for a predetermined amount of time, then the Alarm will activate. If the system is set, this will be a full alarm i.e. outside sounders and remote signalling. If the system is unset then it will be local internal warning.
Therefore the introduction of one of these jammers will cause the alarm to activate.
