Can you disable an alarm system with an RF scrambler.?
Monday, February 6th, 2012 at
7:55 pm
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You made me doubt the wireless alarm system I installed from Frontpoint but after doing some research I can confidently say that it is impossible to disable the alarm that is linked to a GSM Cellular backup. Here is an excerpt that I got from one of their support website;
"Our systems use digitial GSM cellular technology powered by Alarm.com — here’s one unique (and patented) feature… it’s called “Pending Alarms”. Whenever the system is armed and a sensor is tripped (like a front door being forced open, for example), the system will send a Pending Alarm signal. If a Disarm signal isn’t received shortly thereafter (indicating that an authorized user came home & disarmed the system), then that Pending Alarm will be treated just like an alarm. That first Pending Alarm signal is sent within seconds of the entry alarm (in this example, the front door opening). So, it’s virtually impossible to break in, locate the control panel, and disable it — either by smashing it (frequently called “Smash & Grash”) or by using a cellular jammer to jam it. Also, keep in mind that cellular jammers are illegal – and often expensive."
I hope this answers your question. You may visit their site http://goo.gl/mBsdw for more info
Anything that has been engineered, can be reverse engineered. If someone wanted to put enough effort in to it, then yes. Wireless is insecure anyways, and it’s not as reliable as wired sensors / receivers. Entirely possible, but not very likely. IF you have reason to believe that someone is going to attempt to break in using the method described above, then you should take extra steps to secure your home / business.
Hope this helps.
Aelita.
Hi Hayden,
I agree with everything Aelita said. My thoughts on this are:
Jamming your system could be attempted two ways: 1) Jamming the door/window transmitters from "talking" to the main panel, and 2) Jamming the cellular signal going to the central station.
Doing either of these would require some technical knowledge and patience. Most burglars don’t possess either of these traits in great quantity, or they would be gainfully employed. Some radio equipment, probably custom-built, would be required. Also, the attacker couldn’t really be sure if the jamming was complete enough to prevent communication.
For what it’s worth, many Ademco/Honeywell Lynx panels (among others) actually have an "Anti-jam Detection" feature. This would typically generate a trouble signal at the keypads, as well as send a signal to the central station. The response to "trouble" signals is usually to notify you by phone, which may be too late to do any good.
For that matter, a burglar could just do a quick "smash and grab", with no concern for the alarm system at all. By the time authorities arrived, he could be long gone.
You’ve been smart by getting an alarm system installed. I would look next at other security measures, like outdoor motion lights and good deadbolt locks, if you haven’t done so already.
I hope this is helpful. Good question!