Is it true people with scanners can hear you on a cordless phone?

Q. Someone told me that cordless phones aren't good to talk on because people with scanners can hear your private conversations. Is this true? Are there any cordless phones that are safe? What about cell phones? Can a scanner hear you on your cell phone too?

A. I will expand on the answer given by "silence.." above.

Early cordless phones used analog signals on the 49mHz band and could easily be intercepted by most scanning receivers and by some "baby monitors" that shared the same frequencies.

A little later, cordless phones came out that were on the 900mHz band but still used analog signals. A more expensive type of scanning receiver was required to listen to this band, but it could still be done.

Most newer cordless phones use digital signals and operate on much higher freqency bands. The digital signal must be "decoded" in order to be listened to and this is beyond the capabilities of the average person. While it would be possible for a highly-skilled person to intercept your call, the chances of this happening are remote.

Early cellular phones were also analog and could also be listened to using a scanning receiver, but it was much more difficult as cell signals are constantly switching between towers. You could listen to pieces of different conversations, but it was difficult to stay with any one conversation, and trying to listen to a specific person was nearly impossible.

To prevent people from listening to cell phones, Congress passed a law saying that scanning receivers had to be "blocked" so that they couldn't listen to cell frequencies. The problem with this law was that thousands of "unblocked" receivers were already in use, and that most "blocked" receivers could easily be "unblocked" by simply changing some wiring.

The good news is that, all of the newer cell phones are now digital, and like digital cordless phones, can't be listened to by the average person. There are still some analog cell phones in use (mostly in very rural areas), but effective February of 2008, these will be discontinued.

So, in the case of both the cordless phone and the cell phone, unless you are using very old equipment, you can be fairly sure that it cannot be listened to by the average person with a scanner.

Original Question

How easy is it to tap someones phone?

Q. I have a friend who recently broke up with a boyfriend. He is still trying to contact her, but she tells me he seems to know unusual details of her private phone conversations and brings them up to her. How can I help her, and how would I help her find out if her phone was tapped?

A. very easy to tap a POTS (landline phone) or a VoIP phone that has been connected to your existing wiring, and the wire still goes outside of your home to the NID box...

VoIP is not easy, if not impossible to tap (illegally)
cellular is not easy if not impossible to tap..

feds can tap anything... but it usually requires connections from the telephone company office, not something the average person has access to...

if you have any 900Mhz cordless phones, throw them out.. replace your cordless phones with any technology that has DSS or FHSS (2.4,5.8, DECT)..... DECT is the best choice...

if there are any baby monitors, or wireless intercoms, or any other device that transmits sound wirelessly, remove them or turn them off..

Original Question

What is the best baby monitor and car seat for newborn?

Q.

A. Car Seats:

The ones I would recomend are Britax Companion, Graco Snugride, and Graco Safeseat.

The Britax Companion is Rated #1 on Consumer reports. It is made in London and thus adhears to European standerds (they're a little bit higher then American standerds). The Car Seat can hold a child up to 22lbs or 30 inches long (whichever comes 1st). The actual carrier itself weighs about 10 lbs. The car seat has a rebound bar on it to avoid the cacooning of the child in a car accident.

The Graco Snugride is a very basic design. The carrier weighs 8 lbs and can hold a child up to 22 lbs or 29 inches long.

The Graco Safeseat just came out this year. It weighs 10 lbs but it can hold a child up to 30 lbs or 32 inches long which should get you at least through the first year (the other two will on average get you to about 9 months).

Some people like Evenflo infant car seats but I don't because I feel like the erganomic handle makes it harder to carry as the child get's heavier.


Monitor:

Avoid Fisher Price. They break a lot. I would say the Sony 900mhz 27 channel monitor. You will avoid a lot of interfearance.

Hope this info helps :-)

Original Question

Has anyone tried the Fisher Price - Long Distance 900MHz Nursery Monitor?

Q. I'm trying to find a good but not expensive baby monitor and I found this one at walmart online and I was wondering if anyone else has this or tried it so I know if I should try it or not.

A. No I haven't tried it

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Does a low signal strength make my connection worse in Modern Warfare 3 on PS3?

Q. I meant low signal strength from my router.

A. Yes. The lower the strength of the signal, the slower it will be.

To increase signal strength, you need to remove sources of EMI (electromagnetic interference) such as baby monitors, 2.4GHz phones, microwaves as well as possibly moving the router to a better spot to decrease dead zones in your coverage area. You can try moving the router closer to the PS3 if that's an option.

Other options include installing a bigger antenna, a directional antenna or adding a wireless access point.

And another way is to eliminate WiFi completely by using Powerline technology. You can use the electrical wires of your house to transmit data. You would need an adapter on each end, though.

Original Question

My wifi is very slow at night, fast in morning?

Q. Recently my wifi started crawling at night, while connected speeds were normal, or above expected. Speedtest,net results used to top out at 9mbps, now connected is ~13, but wifi is ~1. Actually wifi starts at 2-3 mbps during the test but drops to around 1mbps by the end of the test.

I can try wifi in the morning and the speed is back to 13-14mbps.

I've reset the router, changed network names, but wifi is still slow in evenings while connected speeds are super fast.

This is a Cisco E1000 router. I disabled QOS which might prioritize certain items. The router shows only 2 connections, both of wich are mine.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your responses so far. I will add that the network is password protected and i have confirmed via the router that there are only 2 connections, my desktop and iPad.

A. Assuming your wireless network is secured and you don't have leaches sucking up your bandwidth then I would suspect wireless interference.

By nature, interference in wireless systems causes problems with smooth, consistent speeds.

Many wireless connections experience interference from microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors and other wireless devices which interfere with the 2.4 GHz band.

Dual band routers have multiple wireless radios enabling broadcast on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously.

Using the 5 GHz band cuts down on interference from cordless phones and microwave ovens..

Not all devices can use the 5 GHz frequency. Many laptops and other devices only operate at 2.4 GHz. Thus the need for dual band routers.

What all this jargon means is that you might be experiencing wireless interference which is slowing do your WiFi connections.

Because your problem is time based, are there any heavy electrical loads that come on when you experience problems? Things such as heaters, air conditioners, pumps, etc.

You can try to reposition the antennas on the router or your wireless adapter.

Moving one or the other away from dense walls or electrical interference would also help.

Wireless connections are never as fast or consistent as wired connections. If your interference is on the 2.4 GHz band and your devices support 5 GHz then a new dual band router might help.

There are also various ways to extend a Internet connection to areas with a weak wireless signal.

Devices such as wireless extenders can expand your wireless range if need be. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YAYM06/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=excharge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004YAYM06

The wireless range extender receives weak wireless signals and repeats them to extend the signal range to greater distances. Some models include 4 Ethernet ports in addition to the wireless radio.

The best solution would be to use a wired (Ethernet) connection between your devices and the router.

If it is not feasible to run cables you have other options such as powerline network adapters You plug one in by the router and one in the room where you need access and connect them to the devices with standard Ethernet patch cables. http://isp1.us/reviews/netgear-xavb2101-powerline-adapter/

The network signals are transmitted over your existing home electrical wiring which will not be affected by wireless interference.

Good Luck...

Original Question

What is up with this?!!?

Q. You know how certain electrical appliances will have static feedback when you move around them, or get close to them? Like radios for instance? For some reason, it is really, really bad with me. More than anyone I know. My baby monitor will fuzz in and out with my motions even when I am in a different room. I do have an extra electrical connection in my heart that causes an irregular beat. Do you think that has something to do with it?

A. Every living human on this planet has a small electrical current flowing through them.... but to generate the EM field to effect things to that degree is not only improbable but impossible if you are alive... some scientific tests may show slight interference from the human body but anyone with that level would burn out their nerves in a heart beat causing death... So there is most likely some outside factor effecting it... take for example a sweater that has alot of static cling....

Best of luck

Original Question

Anyone have problems with cell phones turning the oven on?

Q. The story hit the New York Times. --- if true it's pretty dangerous.

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August 23, 2009
ABOUT NEW YORK
Hello, Oven? It�s Phone. Now Let�s Get Cooking!
By JIM DWYER
First the superintendent and the handyman checked the oven from top to bottom. Then they tested the electrical outlet that supplied ignition power for the oven. Everything worked. Finally, they gave their verdict to the tenant, Andrei Melnikov.
It was simply not possible, they said, that his oven, a Magic Chef made by Maytag, had turned itself on full blast, as Mr. Melnikov maintained.
�Maybe you imagined it,� the handyman said.
Mr. Melnikov picked up a warped meat thermometer, its plastic casing melted.
�How did I imagine this?� he asked.
�He told me, �Probably you don�t remember pushing the button,� � Mr. Melnikov said.
Actually, Mr. Melnikov and his wife, Lina, almost never cook in the oven, which was new when they moved into their apartment in Gravesend, Brooklyn, three years ago. Like many people who live with more stuff than space, they store kitchenware in it.
On the day it turned itself on, Mr. Melnikov recalled, his cellphone had rung in the kitchen. He talked for about 10 minutes. Then he smelled smoke. The oven was roaring. The thermometer was in flames.
�Maybe the ringing cellphone turned it on,� Mr. Melnikov suggested to the two men.
They scoffed.
He laid the phone next to the stove. They dialed it. Suddenly, the electronic control on the stovetop beeped. The digital display changed from a clock to the word �high.� As the phone was ringing, the broiler was heating up.
Three other apartments in the building are fitted with the same make and model oven: Maytag Model CGR1425ADW. �My phone turned on all of them,� Mr. Melnikov reported. �One apartment had a General Electric. It didn�t work on that one.�
On Thursday, Mr. Melnikov welcomed a skeptical visitor � me � into his kitchen.
�Will it happen now?� I asked.
�Sure,� he said.
He reconnected the oven, which he had unplugged from the wall for safety, and turned the gas valve on. I dialed his number. The electronic pad on the oven beeped, the word �high� appeared, and the phone rang. The flames were licking from the broiler jets.
�It goes right to the high setting on the broiler,� he said. �It prefers high.�
He disconnected the oven. I asked him to show me again, and he cheerfully started over. Once again, a call to his cellphone turned it on.
Maytag learned about the rogue oven from a report on WINS 1010, which broke the story last week. A company technician confirmed the problem.
�In our experience, this situation is highly unusual,� said Jill M. Saletta, a spokeswoman for Maytag. �We have offered to replace the unit with a brand-new one, at no cost, and will be taking the old unit to fully test in our lab.� Any other ovens with the same problem will also be replaced, she said.
City fire marshals came to the apartment Friday and saw a demonstration. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has written to Mr. Melnikov for information. Ms. Saletta said all Maytag�s appliances are tested and meet safety standards set by Underwriters Laboratory and the American National Standards Institute.
The landlord of the building, Arkadiy Eydlin, said he bought the Maytag ovens about four years ago. �Maybe around $500, $400 each,� he said. �It�s not the most expensive, and it�s not the cheapest one.�
Cellphones, which send signals at up to 3 watts, often create electromagnetic interference with baby monitors, computer speakers and car radios, so it�s not surprising that they might also affect an oven�s electronic controls. People with heart pacemakers are cautioned not to carry phones in pockets over the implant. Engineers for Consumer Reports say that it is possible that Mr. Melnikov�s cellphone induced voltages in the keypad of the oven.
Whatever the exact mechanism, the evidence is strong that these Maytag models are vulnerable to cellphones � and not just the one owned by Mr. Melnikov. The superintendent was able to turn on the oven in his own apartment by calling his own cellphone, which is a Samsung. Mr. Melnikov has a Sony Ericsson PDA.
�I couldn�t afford it, but it was a gift, like four years ago,� he said. �It was maybe $700 then. More than the oven.�
Mr. Melnikov, 35, who emigrated from Russia in 2000, runs a company that sets up computers, networks and security systems. His apartment is crowded with electronics gear. The oven fire unnerved him and his wife. �Not for the material things,� he said. �I have three chinchillas.�
The next big cooking holiday in their home will be Thanksgiving. �Actually, right now, cooking turkey, it�s easier than ever,� Mr. Melnikov said. �It takes just one phone call.�
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A. No but something almost as crazy happens in my apartment.
My LG HD remote regulates my Haier air conditioner.Crazy!!

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