Garage Door Opener that Jams Laser Radar.

[minir]

Spotted in Motoring Article

It is a Garage Door Opener that Jams Laser Radar.


Speeding into Stealth Mode
======================
By Joseph Dunn of the Sunday times


As dusk falls, a blue Mercedes pulls up outside the motorway hotel under the Heathrow flight path. A man wearing a suit steps out, checks his watch and produces a briefcase from the boot of the car.
Steve Davies is the managing director of Comtech, an electronics company that specialises in supplying motorists with radar and speed camera detectors. While these products are becoming increasingly accepted safeguards for your licence and are completely legal, this evening Davies is here to show a reporter a new product, the legality of which is far from clear.

Almost invisible on the grille of his car is a small device that he claims will protect drivers from police laser speed guns.

Over the past few years drivers have become familiar with speed trap detectors, which use radar sensors or an electronic map with fixed cameras marked on it to give a warning beep as you approach a speed trap.

But such devices have always had a weakness when it comes to traffic officers with laser equipment, which can usually only be detected once the car has already been clocked.

However, Davies’s new device is entirely different. Rather than passively alerting the driver to the presence of a speed trap, it actively sends back a laser beam that jams the police equipment. When combined with the traditional camera detectors, it means that drivers can, in theory, have a vehicle that allows them to defeat any kind of police speed check.

“We don’t sell it as a ‘laser jammer’,” says Davies. “We emphasise that it is used to open automatic garage doors (which operate on the same wavelength, coincidentally) or activate outside lights when you arrive home. But about 99% of people use it as a way of avoiding laser guns.

“In some countries it’s fine and not considered dodgy at all, but here it’s a bit of a grey area. We are not sure of the legal aspect.”

The £349 device has arrived on the UK market from Holland. It is called Target LRC 100, and Davies, who has been selling it since January, claims that sales are soaring. “We have sold more than 1,000 in the past four months with no advertising,” he says.

“We work purely through word of mouth, because we don’t want to rub anybody’s noses in it. I would rather sell 1,000 and be in the clear than sell 2,000 and have the police getting interested.”

It works like this. Police laser guns operate by transmitting about 100 pulses of infrared light in one-third of a second at a reflective area of a car, usually the front numberplate. These pulses are then sent back to the gun, which calculates how much the distance is changing with time — and therefore the vehicle’s speed. The LRC 100 detects these pulses and returns its own laser beam at the same wavelength.



This beam lasts for five seconds before shutting off automatically and is strong enough to make the laser gun ignore its own reflections and try — unsuccessfully — to calculate the speed of the LRC 100’s signal instead, producing an error reading. The car is effectively “cloaked” for those five seconds.

At the same time a small red light or buzzer inside the cabin alerts the driver and gives him time to adjust his speed. By the time the police laser has recovered and is able to take another reading the now “uncloaked” car should have been able to slow down to within the speed limit.

Theoretically, a jamming device could keep emitting laser pulses for longer than five seconds, thus completely blocking the police laser and removing the need to slow down. However, this would be more likely to arouse suspicion.

The law regarding the use of these jammers is vague because, as Davies says, they can be legitimately used to trigger automatic garage doors. (The door sends out a laser beam as a car approaches, the device responds, is recognised and the garage opens.)

“It could be construed as interfering with police executing their duty,” says Kevin Delaney, road safety manager at the RAC Foundation. “But since the device serves more than one purpose there is no problem with buying one or fitting one in your car. Unless the police can prove that an individual was actually using it to obstruct them, I don’t think there is a problem.”

When asked to clarify the situation last week, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Home Office and the Department for Transport were all unsure if the devices were illegal.

Nevertheless, South Wales police, who profess a zero tolerance of laser jammers, have successfully managed to prosecute one man for using a jammer. He was charged with perverting the course of justice, in what is thought to be the only such case so far in the UK.

Back in the hotel car park, Davies has finished his demonstration of the LCR 100 and while the legality is uncertain, one thing is very clear — it works. The laser gun was well and truly jammed while attempting to take a reading from his Mercedes.

But Davies is keen to emphasise that it’s not about condoning reckless driving. “We sell it to responsible citizens who risk losing their livelihood if they are caught even slightly over the speed limit just so the police can increase their revenue,” he says.

“People have had enough. I think they are beginning to fight back.”


An official website showing the location of every fixed speed camera in England and Wales was due to go live yesterday. The website, [url]http://www.nationalsafetycameras.co.uk,[/url] is run by National Safety Camera Liaison, the body that co-ordinates the “local partnerships” that set up speed cameras.
How the laser jammer works

1. The driver, or mechanic, fits laser just inside the front grille. All that is visible is a slightly protruding piece of black plastic, about the size of a 2p coin.

2. A police laser speed gun is aimed at the car. It sends out pulses of infrared light, measures the time they take to bounce back from the car and thus calculates the speed.

3. The jammer senses the police laser and sends out its own, more powerful, blast of infrared pulses on the same wavelength. A light in the dashboard warns the driver to slow down.

4. The police gun is confused by the new laser source and cannot calculate the car's speed. The policeman is left only with an 'error' reading.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 23,00.html

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regards

minir

[blacklab]

Originally posted by minir
Spotted in Motoring Article

It is a Garage Door Opener that Jams Laser Radar.


Speeding into Stealth Mode
======================
By Joseph Dunn of the Sunday times



Almost invisible on the grille of his car is a small device that he claims will protect drivers from police laser speed guns.

Over the past few years drivers have become familiar with speed trap detectors, which use radar sensors or an electronic map with fixed cameras marked on it to give a warning beep as you approach a speed trap.

it actively sends back a laser beam that jams the police equipment. We emphasise that it is used to open automatic garage doors (which operate on the same wavelength, coincidentally) or activate outside lights when you arrive home. But about 99% of people use it as a way of avoiding laser guns.

It works like this. Police laser guns operate by transmitting about 100 pulses of infrared light in one-third of a second at a reflective area of a car, usually the front numberplate.

Not so sure this will work in North America. I could be wronge, but I think the police use radar to trap speeders.

Who ever wrote this is using "radar" and "laser" as if they are the same. Radar sends out an ultrasonic sound frequency, and measures the time it takes for that signal to leave the radar gun, reach the target, and reflect back to the radar gun. Once this happens twice they can subtract the differnce and convert it to speed.

A laser, on the other hand, uses a light wave(usually in the near infrared, or infrared range), to measure the speed.

I can't see many people using infrared for a garage door opener because infrared uses "line-of-site", meaning the opener would have to be pointed right at the receiver. Ultrasonic, on the other hand doesn't. That is why your door opener may also open the neighbours door.

Remote controls for controling your electronic equipment are probably most familiar with people. They can be eather ultrasonic or infrared. The way to check is if your remote can operate from another room, it is ultrasonic , if not it is infrared.

I may not have all this right, but I am sure someone who has worked with radar in the service can offer a better explanation. I would not run out and buy one of these devices right away. The theory behind it is good and should work, I just don't think it would work so well in North America.

Later

blacklab

[minir]

Hi blacklab



Police here use both...Radar as well as Laser

Laser is not as common due to cost, however it is being used more frequently as time goes on.

The situation with this piece of equipment is that you tie it in with your present Radar System and they become a double threat alert, covering your butt on both types of Speed Checkers.

As to Frequencies involved their and here??? However it would be easy enough to change i'm sure. I Googled " Target LRC 100 " and it is widely available in UK & most Sites have pkgs with say Valentine, or Whistler Radar Detectors as well as the Target LRC 100 tied together at a price.

Just thought it interesting.


Thanks and have a Good one Terry


regards

larry

[poptom]

I think that laser system is a pretty cool way to open a door or gate since it only responds to an authorized vehicle. With the conventional radio operated doors, a person with a scanner can open just about any of them.

Interesting article article, Larry.

--Tom

[minir]

Hi poptom

poptom it seems that the British are taking these kind of things to a new level. Costs should be comparable with most other systems if the volume is there and security definitely takes a step up it seems as well.

Pleased you found it of interest.

Thanks and have a Wonderful evening


regards

larry

[sito]

Just goes to show, for every upgrade by the authorities there is a counter measure. So why can't I post new warez software links here? it's merely a reaction to over priced software. It's a double standard.

D/l'ing MP3's isn't legal but we'll openly admit it here and recieve no punishment or warnings..

PC is getting complex.

[kilroy]

Heh heh! I have a buddy with a very sporty and FAST Bimmer that could use one of these...

[minir]

Hi sitosterol & kilroy


sitosterol
I really do not think that this post in anyway correlates with Warez so i haven't an answer for you...sorry


kilroy
We all could use one on occasion i think


Thanks Fellas and Have a Great night.


regards

minir