RF and wireless, Sydney
Understand what is using the air around you.
For homes, businesses and venues with unreliable wireless, I help establish what is happening. I survey the radio environment and investigate interference, unknown devices and changes over time.
- Output
- A survey record, findings and next tests
- Method
- Measure, compare and investigate
- Rate
- $1,000 a day, plus GST
- Reply
- Within one business day
How I work through it
I start with the question you need answered. I record what I examine, what it shows and what remains unknown.
Scope
I record the dropouts, affected equipment and times. I agree the location, bands and questions before surveying.
Survey
I observe signal activity and discover visible Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices within the agreed scope.
Compare
I compare levels, directions and recurring patterns. A baseline gives later observations something to be checked against.
Report
I report frequencies, levels, patterns and limits. I separate an observation from any explanation that still needs testing.
When wireless stops being reliable
Wi-Fi dropouts, unstable IoT sensors and LoRa problems need measurements. I start with interference and the behaviour of the equipment.
RF and wireless environment survey
I record frequency, signal level, bandwidth and recurrence where measurable. ISM and cellular band observations depend on the receiver and antenna setup.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth/BLE discovery
I map visible networks and nearby device advertisements. I compare persistent and passing devices without treating an unfamiliar identifier as proof of tracking.
Antennas and feed lines
I scope antenna and feed line testing against the equipment available. Where a measurement needs additional preparation or specialist equipment, I say so first.
A snapshot may miss the problem
Intermittent faults need observations over time. I agree what to monitor and how the results will be compared.
Long duration spectrum monitoring
I log signal level, duration and recurrence to look for activity that coincides with reported faults. The monitoring period is scoped to the question.
A baseline, then what changed
I record an RF baseline for a home or business. Later observations can show a new or changed transmission that needs further investigation.
Direction finding
I compare signal levels using directional antennas where suitable. The result can narrow a direction or area for further checks, without identifying a person.
The limits, before work starts
I describe what the evidence shows. A report cannot promise a legal outcome.
RF detection is not attribution. A signal is not a proven bug or a proven person. I report a persistent transmitter as a frequency, a level and a pattern, then investigate.
Band coverage depends on the equipment chain. A survey cannot establish that no device exists. I preserve and prepare material for specialist handover when advanced TSCM is needed.
Overwritten data cannot be recovered. I refer physically failed media needing a cleanroom, chip off extraction and specialist testimony or independent opinion beyond my scope.
What it costs
I quote each matter before work starts, from $1,000 a day, plus GST. The scope sets out what I will examine and what you will receive. Reply within one business day. All prices are in AUD, plus GST.
Questions before you start
Can you investigate interference without a security concern?
Yes. I investigate unreliable Wi-Fi, wireless sensors, LoRa deployments and venue communications. I start with the affected equipment, when the fault occurs and which observations could help explain it.
Does an unknown Bluetooth device mean I am being tracked?
No. An unfamiliar Bluetooth identifier is an observation to investigate. I record what is visible and compare its behaviour. Detection alone does not establish purpose, ownership or who is nearby.
Can you identify someone from a cellular signal?
A cellular band observation records spectrum activity. It does not, by itself, identify a handset or person. I state that limit alongside the measurements.
What if the signal appears only sometimes?
I can scope extended spectrum monitoring to record timing and recurrence. I compare those observations with the reported problem. A single sweep may not capture intermittent activity.
What does the report contain?
I describe the bands surveyed, activity recorded, relative levels, timing and direction where measurable. I explain the limitations and the next tests that could distinguish possible explanations.
Is this an advanced TSCM service?
Advanced TSCM is referred to a specialist. My role is preliminary RF observation and investigation within an agreed scope, with records preserved and prepared for handover where needed.