New Contraband Cell Phone Detector To Be 'Unleashed' At The American Correctional Association Conference
Wolfhound-PRO's patent pending multifrequency design offers an
integrated device for both U.S. and European marketsMETUCHEN, N.J., and SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkeley
Varitronics Systems, Inc. (BVS), a leading provider of advanced wireless
solutions and products to the domestic and international wireless
telecommunications and security markets today announced that its PRO series
handheld cell phone detector called the Wolfhound(TM)-PRO will be introduced at
the American Correctional Association Winter Conference in San Antonio. The
Wolfhound-PRO is the third in a line of BVS' advanced, award winning cell phone
detection products and the most advanced in terms of sensitivity and features.
The Wolfhound-PRO alerts security and correctional professionals to nearby cell
phone activity with a bright OLED screen and integrated vibration notification.
The device runs on an internal Li-ION rechargeable power system for up to 4+
hours enabling security personnel to continuously scan for all cellular voice,
text or data transmissions. The intuitive one-button illuminated trackball
allows for simple operation.
Wolfhound-PRO can also be used in countries with a mixed set of frequencies,
where US and EU frequencies are used in different geographic locations. Coupled
with the Wolfhound-PRO is a multi-band DF (Direction Finding) Antenna that makes
the unit the ideal tool for pin pointing the targeted cell phone.
Wolfhound-PRO Technical Specifications and Features
-- Receiver design boasts a dynamic range of -60 dB with user settable
sensitivity
-- Default sensitivity is set at -80dBm; user selectable up to -50dBm with
a resolution of 2dB for detection in a noisy environment (typical of
prisons)
-- Selectivity rejection of at least 50 dB at 1 MHz from the uplink
frequency bands provides high immunity from false triggering caused by
base stations, personal communication devices and other sources of
interference
-- Integrated logging capability with built-in nonvolatile memory and real
time clock allows the user to record and time-stamp the beginning and
the end of each detected cell phone transmission
-- A standard USB port for internal storage is provided to download the
records to a PC for further analysis
-- The user selectable mobile frequency bands allow the same unit to be
used around the world; both USA and European mobile uplink bands are
supported
The Wolfhound-PRO is the latest device in a family of cell phone detection
products from BVS. The original Wolfhound was released in December of 2009
followed by the Wolfhound-LITE in June of last year. Combined, the devices are
in use in hundreds of correctional facilities in both US and international
locations.
With an estimated 5 Billion mobile phones around the globe it is no wonder they
are showing up everywhere and often times used for conducting criminal activity.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA), the use of contraband cell phones by inmates
has risen as the U.S. prison population continues to expand.
For example, California correctional officers seized approximately 6,000 cell
phones in the State's prisons and camps through July of last year. Maryland and
other states have also seen a rise in the number of confiscated cell phones in
their state prisons. In the past three years Maryland's Department of Public
Safety and Correctional Services has recovered over 3,600 cell phones; and In
Mississippi nearly 2,000 contraband phones were confiscated during the first
half of 2010. Both Florida and New Jersey have passed laws making possession of
contraband cell phones a felony rather than just a misdemeanor and Maryland is
considering the same type of legislation.
In order to address this growing problem, the Wolfhound-PRO is designed to
detect and locate contraband cell phones without using jamming technology that
can interfere with authorized communication channels or 911 emergency calls. In
fact, jamming is a violation of FCC rules and the CTIA, a leading wireless
industry association, is on record as opposing jamming. Other solutions may
require an entire network infrastructure of wireless sensors hard-wired
throughout a facility that can be expensive and difficult to deploy. And canines
can cost up to $10,000 each to train and maintain.
"General purpose cell phone detectors on the market today that typically
originate from Asia do not work well as they are wideband and do not filter out
unwanted signals. The Wolfhound-PRO on the other hand has sharp filters for the
US/European cell phone bands and thus filters out the interfering signals. The
high speed patent-pending receiver has a unique 'detection' algorithm that
allows for quick detection and location of contraband cell phones," said Scott
Schober, President and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems. "Correctional
institutions, federal facilities, courts, financial Institutions, and any
organization looking to enforce a NO CELL PHONE policy will come to depend on
the Wolfhound-PRO. Who says you cannot 'teach an old dog new tricks,'" adds
Schober.
The Wolfhound-PRO is being 'unleashed' at theAmerican Correctional Association
at the Gonzalez Convention Center San Antonio, TX, Jan 28-Feb 1, Booth 406.
About Berkeley Varitronics Systems
Berkeley Varitronics Systems, located in Metuchen, New Jersey, has been
providing advanced wireless solutions and products to the domestic and
international wireless telecommunications industry for over 35 years. Since
1995, BVS has introduced over 50 unique wireless test devices for a variety of
applications including the popular Cellular, iDEN, PCS, CDMA, RFID, LTE, Mobile
WiMAX, FIXED WiMAX, 802.11b/a/n/g & Bluetooth specifications. The past few years
BVS has unleashed several niche cell phone detection tools used in the security
industry. For more information visit www.bvsystems.com.
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