1.

Introduction(Background Information)
Cell phones have become an integral part of people‟s lives. They are not only used for
communication via short messaging service (SMS), calls, emails and internet but
advanced applications such as remote health monitoring systems and security systems
have been integrated with mobile phones.

The use of mobile phones (GSM) by all categories, classes and ages of people has
become widespread. While this is laudable, the abuse of this technology has however
been on the high side in recent times. People often tend to forget and sometimes
deliberately use their phones in unauthorized places such as examination halls,
correctional facilities (prisons and cells), religious places (mosques), banking halls, and
confidential meetings. The micro- miniaturization of these devices increases the risk to
exploit and misuse this technology for diabolical and illegal purposes. For example, cell
phones hidden in a meeting room, or on a person, allows a competitor to listen in or
record illegally vital protected information. In hospital settings, Electromagnetic
Interference (EMI), due to the presence or use of cell phones near sensitive electronic
equipment may cause important patient-care equipment to fail to perform properly,
putting patients at risk. Consequently, a very real need exists today for individuals,
businesses, institutions and the government to take measures to detect and identify the
unauthorized use of cell-phones within the bounds of any controlled premise.

Unauthorized mobile phone usage in both private and public places has become a
problem that may be difficult to solve. The technology added to cellular phones in the last
15 years has made them a jack-of-all -trades for information storage and transmission.
Features like Bluetooth, USB, micro USB, high resolution cameras, microphones,
internet, and 802.11wireless technology make cellular phones perfect for stealing data.

Life support machines are also sensitive to the use of mobile phones. The use of mobile
phones in such a facility leads to adverse repercussions to the life of persons whose lives
depend on the proper functionality of the machines. Other places are aeroplanes, petrol
stations, conference halls, examination halls, worship centers, etc. where the use of
mobile phones can either lead to failure of sensitive machines or is a nuisance.

The only way of ensuring that a cellular phone is not in a secure area is to have an
accurate method for sniffing (detecting) them. Most cellular phone sniffers available
today only alarm if there is a cellular phone or transmission device in the general area.[1],
[2],[3],[4]. They appear to alarm randomly and are not very accurate. Detecting a cellular
phone signal and location has been a little problematic. The technique in this work
provided signal detection as well as signal location. A cell phone detector can detect the
signals use in the GSM band at about 900 MHz and Digital Cellular System (DCS) at
about 1800MHz.[1],[11],[12]. Since the signals are digitally encoded, the sniffer can only

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detect the signal activity, and not the speech or the message contents of the signal. The
sniffer only receives and doesn't transmit, making it great for areas sensitive to cellular
phone usage.

Most current mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base stations (cell sites),
which is in turn interconnected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) except
satellite phone [1],[9].

Cellular telephone is also defined as a type of short-wave analog or digital

Telecommunication in which a subscriber has a wireless connection from a mobile
telephone to a relatively nearby transmitter. The transmitter span of coverage is called a
cell. Generally, cellular telephone service is available in urban areas and along major
highways. As the cellular telephone user moves from one cell or area of coverage to
another, the telephone is effectively passed on to the local cell transmitter.

It is therefore a reality that mobile usage is some places must be prohibited. Due to the
privacy laws that limit the use of cell phone jammers, cell phone detectors must be
designed and installed so that in case a person gets in with a phone into such places, they
can be notified and either told to switch them off or take them outside. The effectiveness
of cell phone detectors is that they continually scan for the presence and usage of the cell
phone and sound an alarm to notify the user or security personnel.

The first stage in the design of this sniffer system involves the use of a CAD tool,
Multism. Here a circuit was design using Op-Amp and RC filter for signal sniffing. The
stability of the circuit was established using S-parameter and the K factor of the Op-
Amp., else the amplifier may turn into an oscillator. Different sniffing circuits were
evaluated through simulation in Multism.

A sniffer circuit [1], available commercially was simulated using Multism to confirm its
performances. The maximum range cover by this circuit is 1.5m. Since the goal of this
research is to exceed 1.5m, efforts were made to redesign the circuit to allow coverage of
larger area such as correctional facilities, examination halls and big banking halls, i.e., to
have coverage of about 6m in radius.

In this work, attempt is made to provide a mechanism to forestall adverse consequences

of unauthorized usage of cell phones in public buildings. Multism 11.0 version was used
as appropriate CAD tool for the development of a phone signal detector for multiple
users. Any cell phone activity such as making or receiving calls, sending or receiving
SMS will be detected within the range of 5.8m.

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2. Problem Description (Motivation, significance and Statement of the
problem)

2.1 Motivation
 Due to the problem that has been experienced in the university for years, I want to
design a system that can detect the presence and usage of mobile phones in the
examination halls. This project is therefore aimed towards designing a cell phone
detector that will be installed in the examination venues.
 The maximum range cover by commercially available sniffer circuit [1], is 1.5m.
So that the goal of my research is to exceed 1.5m, efforts were made to redesign
the circuit to allow coverage of larger area such as correctional facilities,
examination halls and big banking halls, i.e., to have coverage of about 6m in
radius.
 Due to the privacy laws that limit the use of cell phone jammers, cell phone
detectors must be designed and installed so that in case a person gets in with a
phone into such places, they can be notified and either told to switch them off or
take them outside.

2.2 Significance of the project

This project is therefore aimed towards designing a cell phone detector that will be
installed in the examination venues. This will curb the vice because even though some
may manage to smuggle them into the halls, their usage and presence are continuously
monitored by the system and offenders can be caught.
This detector is not limited for use in examination halls only. It may be used in hospitals,
conference halls, correctional institutions, aeroplanes , petrol stations, worship centers
and other places where the use of mobile phones must be prohibited.

2.3 Statement of the problem

The University has a “NO mobile phone in examination halls” regulation. Students
undergo frisking as they enter the examination venues by invigilators. Despite frisking of
students before they enter into examination halls, some manage to smuggle mobile
phones into the halls. Mobile phone usage in examination halls opens doors to
examination irregularities as most phones have high definition cameras and can read PDF
documents therefore class notes are easily accessed during the examination.

In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, current mobile phones can
support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging and mail delivery,
packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos
and video.

Due to this problem that has been experienced in the university for years, there is a need
to design a system that can detect the presence and usage of mobile phones in the
examination halls. This project is therefore aimed towards designing a cell phone detector
that will be installed in the examination venues. This will curb the vice because even
though some may manage to smuggle them into the halls, their usage and presence are

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continuously monitored by the system and offenders can be caught.
This detector is not limited for use in examination halls only. It may be used in hospitals,
conference halls, correctional institutions and other places where the use of mobile
phones must be prohibited.

It is therefore a reality that mobile usage is some places must be prohibited. Due to the
privacy laws that limit the use of cell phone jammers, cell phone detectors must be
designed and installed so that in case a person gets in with a phone into such places, they
can be notified and either told to switch them off or take them outside. The effectiveness
of cell phone detectors is that they continually scan for the presence and usage of the cell
phone and sound an alarm to notify the user or security personnel.

3. Objective and scope of the project

3.1 Main Objectives
The main objectives of this project are to:
(i). Design a circuit that can detect signals in the range of 0.9GHz to 3GHz within a
radius of one and a half metres. Since the goal of this research is to exceed 1.5m, efforts
were made to redesign the circuit to allow coverage of larger area such as correctional
facilities, examination halls and big banking halls, i.e., to have coverage of about 6m in
radius.

(ii). Produce a notification when the signals in the range of 0.9 GHz to 3 GHz are
detected.
 Increase the range of the detector.
 Incorporate a buzzer to sound an alarm when a cell phone in use is detected.
 Use of microcontroller to improve the detector.
(iii) For this research work, the objective is to improve the performance of the sniffer by
increasing the coverage radius of the sniffer (range) from between 1.5m to 3m as claimed
in report to about 6m. Additional improvement is on how also to locate the actual
location of the mobile cell phones in active mode within the proposed designed range and
to improve on the sniffer’s efficiency in terms of reducing the cost of development.

3.2 Scope of work

This project is limited to the detection of a cell phone that is in use; on call,
communication via short messaging service and internet access. The detection of cell
phones that are on standby mode, switched off or on airplane mode will not be included
in this project.

 The first stage in the design of this sniffer system involves the use of a CAD tool,
Multism. Here a circuit was design using Op-Amp and RC filter for signal
sniffing. The stability of the circuit was established using S-parameter and the K
factor of the Op-Amp., else the amplifier may turn into an oscillator.
 Different sniffing circuits were evaluated through simulation in Multism.
 The circuit will be redesign to exceed 1.5m, efforts will be made to allow
coverage of larger area such as correctional facilities, examination halls and big
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 banking halls, i.e., to have coverage of about 6m in radius.
 In this project the simulation and the hardware implementation of the system will
be presented. The developed sniffer circuit can be employed in developing the
hardware sniffing system that will be capable of sniffing any brand of signal
coming out of cell phone during activities within restricted area where the use of
mobile cell phones is not allowed.

4. Literature review

4.1 Delectability of Mobile phones

Exploring the features of most cell phones show that they have a microprocessor, a read
only memory (ROM) that provides a storage for the operating system, a random access
memory (RAM) that temporarily provides storage for data when the cell phone is
powered, a radio module, a digital signal processor, a microphone, a speaker, a variety of
hardware keys and interface and a liquid crystal display (LCD) [1].

A focus to detect mobile phones has therefore to focus on these features to determine the
potential vulnerability as entry points. Tests were carried at Pacific Northwest National
Laboratories (USA) to determine the potential vulnerability of the microphone, speaker
and RF system as entry points for detection.
4.2 Commercial Cell Phone Detectors
Cell phone detectors have been in the market for many years. They have been in use in
prisons and correctional institutions to ensure that inmates do not smuggle or use cell
phones in the facility, in government institutions and security teams in the USA for long.
In this section we give a summary of some of the recent cell phone detectors in the
market and their outstanding features.

WolfhoundTM Pro Cellphone Detector

This cell phone detector is manufactured by Berkeley Varitronics Systems in the Unites
States of America (USA) [2]. According to the advertisement note on their brochure, this
cell phone detector can detect cell phone operating on 3G and 4G. It identifies each
cellphone by RF frequency allowing for detection and identification of multiple
cellphones. Its antenna uses a multiband Directional Finding (DF) antenna system with
an ability to detect up to 150 feet (about 50 metres) for indoor applications and one mile
(line-of-sight) for outdoor application. It is listed as the most sensitive cell phone detector
in the market. It comes with user band frequency selection depending on the country to
be used.

Manta Ray Cell Phone Detector

The Manta Ray cell phone detector is manufactured by Berkeley Varitronics Systems in
the Unites States of America (USA). It is a close range cell phone scanner than scans
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concealed cell phones even when they are off and their battery is removed.

4.3 Detection Techniques

The detectors already in the market employ different detection techniques. Each
manufacturer has their design although the basic procedure how the detection is done
may be common.
RF Spectrum Approach
Every mobile phone uses the frequency spectrum for communication. Manufacturers use
different frequencies in their mobile phones for communication depending on the federal
laws of the country and radiation regulations. In this detection approach, a passive circuit
listens for any emissions from a cellular phone when it is either waiting for a call or
transmitting and does not require an external signal to detect the phone. This is
advantageous especially in areas where power emissions from electromagnetic sources
are highly prohibited.

Frequency Jamming

Mobile phones work by transmitting signals between the mobile phone and the base
station or tower. Therefore, one of the methods to detect the mobile phone is to have
another device transmitting at the same frequency as the mobile phone but at higher
power level. As the phone signal is interfered by the device, service on the phone is
blocked. Since the phone may be moving around and therefore its signal handed over
from one base station in a cell to another, the jamming device performs well when placed
in between two the two cells to ensure total denial of service [5].

The person interested in detecting the phone is usually not concerned with the exact
location but only the fact that there is no communication via the phone. Parties can
therefore enter the locality with the devices but cannot use them for calls, emails,
bluetooth or SMS provided the jamming device propagates at the frequency these
services use.

5. Methodology
5.1 System design

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Among the detection techniques described above, the RF spectrum approach was selected
for implementation. The choice of this selection was based on the ease of implementation
due to readily availability of the discrete components required in the local market. The
most effective method is the implementation using voltage controlled oscillator (VCO),
frequency down-converter and a band pass filter.

Block Diagram
The block diagram of the design is given as

High Frequency Loop Antenna

The frequency to be detected is 0.9 Gigahertz to 3 Gigahertz. Passive components suffer from
parasitic effects at this high frequency. In ordinary radio frequency (RF) antenna design, LC
components tuned at desired frequency are used. However, at this frequency the components
behave as lumped R, L and C and as transmission lines and antenna [6]. In the loop antenna
design at this frequency, the parasitic effects of these elements are used. The inductance
associated with the fixed separation of capacitor leads is observed when the Maxwell‟s
equation

is inspected [7].

Current to Voltage Converter

The current to voltage converter consists of a CA3130E operational amplifier. It has a
MOSFET input stage and a CMOS output stage. The input stage provides a very high input
impedance and low input current (typical 5pA at 15V). Since the loop antenna generates very
small current, this makes this type of operational amplifier suitable for this application.
Furthermore, it is a single power supply operational amplifier. Therefore, it gives no hard
work generating a negative biasing voltage as a dual voltage operational amplifier. The
CMOS stage provides an output swing to about 10mV of the supply voltage.

Amplifier
Since the voltage at the output is small, it needs to be amplified in order to drive the
notification devices (LED or sound buzzer). At standby mode of the cell phone the voltage

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output from the current to voltage converter can be as low as 10mV. Therefore an amplifier
that has little or no offsets voltage level is required. The best amplifier is a two stage
transistor based. An op amp based would suffer from offset voltages hence not effective in
this design. With a low voltage of this order it is hard to eliminate the effects of noise due to
the sensitive tuning of the amplifier.

The first stage in the design of this sniffer system involves the use of a CAD tool,
Multism. Here a circuit was design using Op-Amp and RC filter for signal sniffing. The
stability of the circuit was established using S-parameter and the K factor of the Op-
Amp., else the amplifier may turn into an oscillator. Different sniffing circuits were
evaluated through simulation in Multism.

5.2. Component /material required

Component
Symbol name value Usage
R1 resistor 2.2M Emitter loading
R2 resistor 100k Base Biasing
R3 resistor 2.2M Emitter loading
R4 resistor 1k Base Biasing
R5 resistor 12k Emitter loading
R6 resistor 15k Base Biasing
C1 capacitor 22pf Frequency Generating
C2 capacitor 22pf Feedback
C3 capacitor 0.22pf Feedback
C4 capacitor 100micf Noise Reduce
C5 capacitor 47pf Coupling
C6 capacitor 0.1micf Coupling
C7 capacitor 0.1micf Decoupling
C8 capacitor 0.01micf Coupling
C9 capacitor 4.7micf Decoupling
Q1 transistor BC 548 Amplification

6. Expected outcome of the proposal

At the end of this project the simulation and the hardware implementation of the system
will be presented. Multism 11.0 power probe was used to develop a cell phone sniffer
circuit that is capable of sniffing active mobile phone signals of different brands during

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different activities of mobile phones .Efficiency of this sniffer circuit developed in terms
of delay time before sniffing cell phone activities as compare to former models is far
better; also in terms of cost it is cheaper.
The developed sniffer circuit can be employed in developing the hardware sniffing
system that will be capable of sniffing any brand of signal coming out of cell phone
during activities within restricted area where the use of mobile cell phones is not allowed.

This detector can therefore be used to track the usage of a cell phone in an examination
room where a buzzer usage will be too loud and disturb the examiners.

Such restricted areas include banking hall, conference venues, companies, examination
halls, religious places like mosques, correctional facilities (prisons), etc. If this solution is
implemented, it would greatly reduce the risk of cellular phones getting into secure
facilities. Businesses and government would save a lot of money on security. The
solution would also greatly reduce the risk of data leakage and loss of revenue.

Expected outcome of the proposal

– Documentation
– Prototype
– Simulation
– Model

7 . Procedure and Schedule

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NO Activity March April May June

1 Literature reviews, data

collection, methodology
and theoretical analysis.

2 System modeling and

design, algorithm
selection, Simulation
Model

3 Data analysis and

summarizing the result

4 First draft Thesis

submission

5 Final draft Thesis

submission and power
point preparation.

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8. Estimated cost Breakdown
Component Description Quantity Unit cost Total
(BIRR)

CA3130 BiMOS operational 1 585 585

amplifier, MOSFET
Input, CMOS output

BC548B General purpose NPN 2 90 180

transistor

Capacitors Electrolytic: - 1 pc each 45 180

- 100uF (16V)
- 10uF
- 47uF
- 22uF

Ceramic: - 5 15 75
- 2 – 22pF
- 0.22uF
- 47pF
- 0.1uF

Resistors 2 – 2.2M,100K, 91K, 2 8 15 120

-150, 100, 63K

LED 3.0V 1 15 15

9V cell Energizer, with 1 1500 1500

connector

PCB Board 9”X5” 1 450 450

TOTAL 3105

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9. Bibliography/References
[1] RM Pratt et al., "Cell Phone Detection Techniques," TN, Prepared for the US
Department of Energy October 2007.
[2] Berkeley Varitronics Systems, Inc. (2016, March) Wolfhound-PRO Cell Phone
Detector. [Online]. https://www.bvsystems.com/products/
[3] Deshpande Tamvi and Jadhav Nakul, "Active Cell phone detection and Display using
Atmega-8 Microcontroller," IMPACT: International Journal of Research in
Engineering & Technology (IMPACT: IJRET), vol. 3, no. 8, pp. 21-24, August 2015.
[4] Nicholas W. Scott, "Study of Cellular Phone Detection Techniques," University of
Nebraska, Lincoln, MSc Thesis 2011.
[5] HowStuffWorks. (2005, January) How Cell Phone Jammers Work. [Online].
http://www.electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-jammer.htm
[6] Garry Breed, "Fundamentals of Passive Component Behaviour at High Frequencies,"
Summit Technical Media, High Frequency Design: Component Behaviour 2006.
[7] Pieter L.D. Abriel, Design of RF and Microwave Amplifiers and Oscillators, 2nd ed.
MA, Norwood: Artech House, 2009.
[8] Iulian Rosu, "Bias Circuits for RF Devices," YO3DAC/VA31UL,.

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