The range in which digital and wireless technologies as cell phones, AM/FM radio, television, satellite and high definition broadcast operate within a spectrum in which each category of technological device transmits information in a given frequency range relative to its necessity.
The organization of the systems in a spectrum also avoids interference between signals. Graphically represented by the Wireless Spectrum , different wireless equipment operates in any of the almost 15 ranges of frequency available. To fit the purpose of the project of taking over wireless CCTV systems, the system was developed to operate on the 2.4Ghz band occupied by most wireless security systems, Internet routers and room-to-room television transmitters.
More specifically, using electromagnetic waves to transmit information over the air, a trend of technology of making everything become ‘unwired. To intercept two physically connected points implies on a physical modification on the route in which the information flows.
That means, for a third device to be connected, it needs either to be physically attached to one of the devices or in the cable that connects the other device. With wireless, encrypted or not - and its evident invisibility yields to further possibilities oireless systems things can be different. The omnipresence of wireless signalsf detection, interception and deviation.
CCTV Hacking is a practice that has been widely explored by a number of groups and artists on the past few years. The Vienna-based activism group Quintessenz intercepted the signal of an off-the-shelf satellite to sniff the encrypted video feeds transmitted by surveillance cameras overlooking a central square in Vienna. They managed to unencrypt the signal and view what the camera was recording. The group presented the project along with other types of interception on IP cameras and forms of ‘distraction’ nuking the camera lens by pointing powerful lasers (third image left to right).
Following a similar practice the UK based group Mediashed developed the VideoSniffing tool as a part of their free-media project. The system consisted basically in a mobile wireless reception device connected to a monitor that captures the sniffed feed from CCTV systems in stores and shops (first and last image). CCTV has been explored as sources to produce film and video. Under the guideles of a cctv video manifesto, Manu Luksch, used the Data-Protection Act to retrieve the video-feeds from over years to create the film ‘Faceless’ (second image on the strip).
The United Kingdom is known to lead the rank of privacy infringement with the use of extensive methods of surveillance. Data sharing, visual surveillance, communication interception and biometric identity are some of the methods that underlie an obscure system of omniscient track, prediction and control that runs in parallel with anti-crime and anti-terror propaganda.
A visual-surveillance system is designed to operate omniscience similar to the concept of the panopticon. A prison which the architecture privileges the position of the observer. The security guards of the prison are able to see the convicts without the prisoners being able to tell if they are being watched or not. Under this omniscient relation between observer-object, the sense of being watched reflects on behaviour. The object becomes controlled, docile, non-consciously manipulated by the presence of the system.
The initial idea was to create a system to make a critique to CCTV as the hero of the 21st centory. Exploiting its vulnerabilities to create reverse dialogue. However, investigating other devices that share the same frequency range of transmission it was acknowledged that system would not only affect CCTV but also any other wireless systems running at 2.4Ghz. Therefore, the intervention could not be specifically oriented to CCTV it had the capability to transmit content to all other devices. For this purpose, the content of the transmission would affect other categories of ‘spectators’.
To cause a deviation on the original signal means to change the data that a specific transmitter sends to a reception device. Interestingly, the receptor cannot distinguish the original signal from the fake one, what emphasizes the possibility of intervention. The two model graphics illustrate how the signal can be overrated. As the first one displays: simply transmitting with a more powerful device is enough to suppress the original signal.
The second one as an attemp to initially capture the origianl signal before it reaches the stream, replace it by the fake one and trasmitt to the receptor. To successifully override the signal with custom content, the system that needs to be built for this project consists in a playback system connected to a transmission device and antenna more powerful than the standard wireless video system sold in the market.The idea of a force-broadcast fits into the law of the stronger signal always takes over the weaker one. Instead of the video-stream be directly sent by transmission device – camera or any other system – the fake stream takes over the signal and broadcasts any content to the reception device without being noticed.
To find the precise device capable of this task two aspects have to be taken into consideration: frequency and power of transmission. Technically analysing the power in which regular wireless video transmission systems use builds a common denominator to calculate the minimum power necessary to override a signal. Analysing the most common kits of this category: wireless CCTV, Internet routers, room-to-room transmitters and baby monitors, they often consist in a transmitter - camera or other device - and a reception apparatus bounded with an antenna.