Mobile Phone Sniffer

U.S. prison systems are experiencing the same problems with cell phones but the approach has been “low tech” as the Cell Hounds here are real “hounds”. It seems they have been able to train dogs to sniff out the one needed component every cell phone must have and that’s the battery. A recent article is below.

“You might think that the solution lies with technology, and it should be possible to simply to jam the cell phone transmissions in the prisons. However in the United States, Federal Communications Commission regulations forbid such interference since this would also affect normal legitimate phone use and emergency calls and many prisons are located in urban settings where residents in nearby neighborhoods would be impacted.

Another obvious high tech solution involves electronic devices to pick up active cell phones. While such devices do exist and their circuitry can sense the presence of an activated mobile cell phone they have major limitations. First, their range is limited, but more importantly, the moment the phone is switched off these devices no longer can to detect its presence.

When high tech fails one has to resort to lower tech alternatives. Thus it was suggested that dogs might be able to detect the scent of cell phones and their various components since it is known that some of the electronic parts, such as the lithium batteries, do leak low levels of chemicals into the air, and there are distinctive chemical components in circuit boards, screens, and casings which might also do so.”

Thus a new industry in born.

Stay safe all.

What about all those paints, wallpapers, or 'insulation' that have been available for decades?

I believe it is called "Frequency Selective Surface". It does not run afoul of the "jamming" laws either…

just saw a bucket of 5 Liters for $340.

cowboy and jhup

A practical solution like RF blocking paint appears to be a sound idea but tends to fall short given the varyng prison environments. RF blocking paint doesn't works in areas with many RF unprotected windows, walls get damaged etc and, of course, outside in open spaces away from the cell block itself.

Sniffer dogs are used ( http//www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/devizesheadline/9418138.Prison_is_tackling_drug_and_anti_social_behaviour_issues__say_inspectors/ & http//www.defense-interaction-intelligence-agency.org/Wagtail.html ) but are used only as one measure in upping surveiilance and detection.

For technical reasons naked body scanners were banned allegedly due to fears they could cause cancer http//www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062608/Naked-airport-scanners-banned-fears-cause-cancer.html