Signal Jammers Have Become Increasingly Popular

ISignal interference is an increasingly popular tool for criminals to steal vehicles and loads, with truck hijackings estimated to cost the country R3 billion in 2015.

In almost every reported hijacking case, the truck's tracking signal was not available because the suspects involved had used the signal more disruptively.

The scourge of the signal congestion in South Africa was brought to the public by carte blanche exposés and the much-noticed blocking of mobile communications during the "State of the Nation" address in 2015 in Pretoria. The latter event in particular has helped to raise public awareness and has led companies like Ctrack to innovate and defend themselves.

However, the use of signal jammer continues to spread in South Africa because they are easy to obtain and more affordable. As a result, hijackers today use a wide range of jamming systems and devices, some of which are large and cumbersome, and some are small and portable. This is despite the fact that owning and / or using ICASA signal jammers is illegal in South Africa.

Large or small, these systems typically prevent telematics devices from transmitting their position to tracking service providers.

Hein Jordt, Managing Director of Ctrack Fleet Management Solutions: "Hijackers use a number of cell phone jammer systems to block tracking devices from communicating via cellular networks or via satellite. Once blocked, they usually hijack or work with the vehicle the driver together to bring it to a place where they unload their valuable cargo. "

Transport and logistics companies know that it is important to protect both trucks and their loads from theft. According to the South African Insurance Crime Bureau, truck hijackings are primarily about the goods transported, with FMCG products such as tobacco currently being in high demand. In any case, the fact is that the majority of trucks are kidnapped for their loads.

Fleet owners and operators need a total transportation solution that combines fleet management with the ability to detect traffic jams. The good news is that there is a solution today that can provide both trucks and trailers with effective traffic jam protection.

To attenuate signal jammers, alternative frequencies to those that are blocked must be used. This is where the DSSS technology (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) used by Ctrack comes into play. DSSS does not use any other format like GSM to communicate. Instead, it transmits messages with a bandwidth that exceeds the bandwidth required by the message signal.

This spreading of the transmitted signal over a larger bandwidth makes the resulting wideband signal appear as a noise signal which enables greater resistance to intended and unintentional interference. DSSS is also designed to transmit signals from difficult radio frequency ranges and can penetrate through concrete, making it ideal for urban, retail and financial institution environments.

In March, Ctrack announced that the interference detection solution would be part of a combined fleet management package. "We are now able to offer our customers the option of installing a GSM jamming detection module as part of their fleet management system to ensure continuous visibility and combat vehicle theft," said Jordt.

With the fleet management component, fleet owners can control driver behavior such as B. hard driving, accelerating, braking, cornering and driving too fast. Significant fuel and maintenance costs are also saved through monitoring factors such as engine performance and fuel consumption.