Can 2.4 ghz (or higher) wireless phones be monitored?
 

Hello,

I have an unusual situation. My neighbor let it slip a few weeks ago
that he had purchased a scanner many years ago capable of listening in
on wireless phones. Obstensibly, he did this because he had a son
that was getting into trouble by hanging out with a bad crowd, and he
wanted to listen in on his telephone conversations so that he could
interdict any bad behavior.

One of our phones is an older 900mhz cordless, and I have advised my
wife that given our current neighbor that talking on this phone should
be considered tantamount to using the phone in their house. A few
months ago, we bought 2.4 ghz wireless phones with the understanding
that they were harder to scan. I am beginning to wonder about this.
Can any of the new scanners be modified to scan 2.4 ghz or higher? I
don't think my neighbor would go to these extremes, but you never
know.

Thanks for any input.

Regards,
BK in Dallas

SubHumanGuy schrieb:

Can any of the new scanners be modified to scan 2.4 ghz or higher?

There are some scanners (mostly -but not all- desktop models) able to
scan the 2.4Ghz range. Some up to 4 or 5 Ghz. It is not really
practicable to modify a scanner to receive on this frequency range. At
least you need extreme electronic knowledge and soldering experience on SMD.
Be sure your cordless phone has 'DECT'-standard.
If your phone transmitts a digital bitstream there is no real chance to
listen to it without some FBI/CIA/NSA equipment.

The ECPA says that no, they can't be monitored because it's against the law to
do so.

However, in reality they can. I wonder how many U.S. citizens who live in the
Detroit area (who were also scanner listeners) purposely drove to Windsor,
Ontario (where it's legal to listen to cell phone calls on a scanner) and
listened to cell phone calls coming from Detroit while they were in Windsor?

just to legally thwart the ECPA and stick their middle finger up at it.

That's the one and only legal way that I can think of for U.S. citizens to
listen to cell phone calls, which blows a big gigantic hole in the cellular
industry's claims that cell phones can not be listtened in to by others because
it's against the law to do so.

Besides the Detroit/Windsor area, the same probably holds true for the Buffalo,
Ny and Niagra Falls areas.

How many U.S. citizens in Niagra Falls (U.S. side) that live there purposeely
go to Niaagra Falls (the Canadian side) and legally listen to cell phone calls
coming from the U.S. side of Niagra Falls:?

"Mark" escribió en el mensaje
...
Not to the average person, they cannot. A scanner capable of receiving
digital transmissions in the 2.4G+ range would be several thousand
dollars.

where these scanner is sold?
do they exist?

In article ,
Mark wrote:

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 22:10:06 GMT, "Tania Morales"
wrote:


"Mark" escribió en el mensaje
.. .
Not to the average person, they cannot. A scanner capable of receiving
digital transmissions in the 2.4G+ range would be several thousand
dollars.

where these scanner is sold?

Couldn't tell you that.

do they exist?

Unquestionably.

The hard part isn't the receiver, they are "dirt cheap". It is the
digital codecs and analytical software that reconsitute the audio
that costs all the money.......

me

"Me" escribió en el mensaje
...

The hard part isn't the receiver, they are "dirt cheap". It is the
digital codecs and analytical software that reconsitute the audio
that costs all the money.......

is the software expensive?