Cordless Phones and Scanners

[Lori]

Okay, I'm behind the times. (Obviously, since that anecdote dates to the first part of the Clinton administration.) I can accept that.

 

So what percentage of phones have this "spread spectrum"? I'm guessing both my handsets are old enough that they don't...

[SDS]

Okay, I'm behind the times. (Obviously, since that anecdote dates to the first part of the Clinton administration.) I can accept that.

 

So what percentage of phones have this "spread spectrum"? I'm guessing both my handsets are old enough that they don't...

 

 

Well, alot is going on w/ phones these days. If you have a real old one - 49 MHz. Then it doesn't. If you had a fancy 900 Mhz purchased back in the day. It might. If you have 2.4 Ghz or 5.8 Ghz - then there is a good chance it does unless you bought the least expensive models.

 

The new wave is DECT 6.0. It is a global standard that kicks ass in clarity and range and it doesn't share the frequencies with other appliances (wireless networks), so interference is not an issue. Data is encrypted, but I'm not sure how well. A quick search doesn't yield any vulnerabilities to date.

[erynthered]

can you hear me now

[HurlyBurly51]

The new wave is DECT 6.0. It is a global standard that kicks ass in clarity and range and it doesn't share the frequencies with other appliances (wireless networks), so interference is not an issue. Data is encrypted, but I'm not sure how well. A quick search doesn't yield any vulnerabilities to date.

 

I just picked up a DECT 6.0 cordless set and it does kick butt without any wireless network interference, etc. I didn't even think about the eavesdropping thing! I'm using these with a device that allows me to use my cell carriers network and drop the land line.

[The Tomcat]

I used to use a Bearcat Scanner and an antenna on the roof and could pick up calls for miles. That was 15-20 years ago. I don't think modern technology will let you do that.

 

I'd set the search parameters and bam....hearing everything.

 

I'd show my friends and they wanted me to have phone sex with a girl I was dating so they could hear it....never mind.....

[Steely Dan]

Digital security codes

One of the first measures made possible by the invention of digital technology was security coding. Every time a handset with this feature is placed into a base unit, one of up to 100,000 digital codes is randomly assigned. This code is then continually transmitted during calls. In order to communicate, a handset and a base unit must have this code.

 

Digital security codes do not prevent scanners from picking up your calls. The codes merely prevent eavesdropping by other people with similar handsets and make it impossible for them to use your phone line to make their own calls.

 

Spread Spectrum Technology (SST)

Since binary code is being transmitted (as opposed to analog pulses), digital signals make call interception more difficult. However, eavesdropping is still possible. To further protect cordless privacy, spread spectrum technology was invented. SST disassembles a voice signal, "spreads" it over several channels during transmission, and then reassembles it back into its original form. It is almost impossible for people to reassemble an SST signal on their own. And in addition to better security, since the FCC permits SST phones to use higher output wattage than traditional cordless phones, SST phones deliver better range.

 

Higher frequencies

Most inexpensive radio scanners—the ones you typically find in electronics stores and/or your local discount drugstore—cannot access frequencies above 512 MHz. However, if eavesdroppers are willing to spend a little more money, they can listen in on a 900 MHz frequency, and beyond.

 

On the other hand, even the pricier scanners can't cover the 2.4 GHz frequencies used by the newest, most advanced cordless phones.

 

http://www.marcusball.com/opinion/telecom/...ss_security.htm

 

Cool, mine is 2.4 Ghz! Should be ok then. Thanks for the info.

[SDS]

Cool, mine is 2.4 Ghz! Should be ok then. Thanks for the info.

 

the higher frequency helps (most scanners don't go that high), but you should check the specs. I don't believe entry models carried the DSS.

[drnykterstein]

Arrange to call a friend and talk about how the town is going to be taking everyone's property on your street for some such public works project or to build a mall or something like that. You heard this from a friend in the town government. Make sure you tell him that it's going to happen in a couple of years and you don't want to try and sell your house because it won't be announced for another 8 months and it just wouldn't feel right to you having to lie to someone, but getting less than your house is worth from the government really pisses you off. You may even want to make up an amount the properties will be purchased for.

 

You may have to make a few calls about this because he may not be listening all of the time.

 

Then see how long it takes for a "For Sale" sign to pop up on the front lawn.

 

Oh man, yeah, problem solved right there. End of thread. What else is there to discuss?

[KnightRider]

This is not true. I posted the info above.

 

If your phone has spread spectrum, then it is very, very difficult to eavesdrop. If someone is listening to you over DSS - you got serious @%@#$ issues because you are talking about equipment sophisticated enough for terrorists or NSA ops.

 

The quick and dirty about DSS is that you are broadcasting over many, many frequencies AT THE SAME TIME. So, someone with a scanner can't listen to you because there isn't one frequency to tune in to. They would need to know all the frequencies you are broadcasting on, the code pattern, and then be able to take all the info in real time and reconstruct it all to listen in. It ain't happening to any average joe on the street.

 

He speaks truth. Picture a TV show that is broadcast psuedo-randomly on channels 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 13, 17, 21, 29, 31, and 49, (did I forget a Buffalo or Rochester station?) only it's on just one channel at a time and on no channel for more than half a second. If you had 11 TV's to record each channel and the software to recombine the valid pieces, someone could listen in - after the post processing. But that's a lot of infrastructure and it would take time to sift through the noise.

[Steely Dan]

the higher frequency helps (most scanners don't go that high), but you should check the specs. I don't believe entry models carried the DSS.

 

How can I tell if it has DSS or not? If it doesn't what does that mean?

[ExiledInIllinois]

Not on topic... But... I just bought a Panasonic digital cordless phone...The thing is great except that there is a lot of background static.

 

Any reason for this? Is it the line? Could I have a short in it somewhere? Does it have anything to do with being a digital phone? When I dial in on the line via a modem, I sometimes can here some static via the base units speaker.

 

WTF gives? Do I need digital phone service to get the best quality?

 

I tried all combos with other noise generating devices and nothing seems to be drawing me to what is causing the background noise. I have not found a way to squelch it somehow...

 

??

[Steely Dan]

This is the phone I have

 

2.4 GHz Digital FHSS Operation.

 

I'm assuming that's good enough.

 

Frequency hopping is one of two basic modulation techniques used in spread spectrum signal transmission. It is the repeated switching of frequencies during radio transmission, often to minimize the effectiveness of "electronic warfare" - that is, the unauthorized interception or jamming of telecommunications. It also is known as frequency- hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA).

 

Spread spectrum modulation techniques have become more common in recent years. Spread spectrum enables a signal to be transmitted across a frequency band that is much wider than the minimum bandwidth required by the information signal. The transmitter "spreads" the energy, originally concentrated in narrowband, across a number of frequency band channels on a wider electromagnetic spectrum. Benefits include improved privacy, decreased narrowband interference, and increased signal capacity.

 

In an FH-CDMA system, a transmitter "hops" between available frequencies according to a specified algorithm, which can be either random or preplanned. The transmitter operates in synchronization with a receiver, which remains tuned to the same center frequency as the transmitter. A short burst of data is transmitted on a narrowband. Then, the transmitter tunes to another frequency and transmits again. The receiver thus is capable of hopping its frequency over a given bandwidth several times a second, transmitting on one frequency for a certain period of time, then hopping to another frequency and transmitting again. Frequency hopping requires a much wider bandwidth than is needed to transmit the same information using only one carrier frequency.

[Just Jack]

Not on topic... But... I just bought a Panasonic digital cordless phone...The thing is great except that there is a lot of background static.

 

Any reason for this? Is it the line? Could I have a short in it somewhere? Does it have anything to do with being a digital phone? When I dial in on the line via a modem, I sometimes can here some static via the base units speaker.

 

WTF gives? Do I need digital phone service to get the best quality?

 

I tried all combos with other noise generating devices and nothing seems to be drawing me to what is causing the background noise. I have not found a way to squelch it somehow...

 

??

If it's a 2.4Ghz phone, and you have a wireless home netowrk, or your neighbor does, that could be why. If it is, and it hasn't been to long, see if you can return it and get either a 5.8 or the new 6.0 phones.

[SDS]

This is the phone I have

 

2.4 GHz Digital FHSS Operation.

 

I'm assuming that's good enough.

 

 

for privacy concerns - you are fine with that.

[Steely Dan]

for privacy concerns - you are fine with that.

 

Thanks for the advice!

[ExiledInIllinois]

If it's a 2.4Ghz phone, and you have a wireless home netowrk, or your neighbor does, that could be why. If it is, and it hasn't been to long, see if you can return it and get either a 5.8 or the new 6.0 phones.

 

Thanks Jack... I am pretty sure my neighbors do?

 

The funny thing is my old phone was 2.4Ghz and it was better... I am pretty sure the new one is higher (5.8Ghz)... But, I will take a look when I get home!

 

Again thanks... Anything else causing the interference if I have a 5.8Ghz?