[chbot] Group project: Wireless remote security monitor

[Helmut Walle]

Further thoughts:

* Don't most of these drones operate in the same bands as WiFi, i.e., 2.4 and 5.8 GHz? If they 
do they should find it hard to operate in an environment with strong WiFi traffic on all 
channels... if that is the case, why bother about tracking at all? All you need is one of these 
WiFi routers with "wall penetration mode" (as opposed to "pregnancy mode" - not my idea, and no, 
I didn't make that up; if you don't believe me google "wifi router wall penetration mode 
pregnancy mode"), and let it transmit freely on all channels at all times. Mind you, your 
popularity among your neighbours may suffer somewhat.

* The NZTA tracking thing, hm, how much coverage does that provide? And as Mark mentioned, it 
would only be able to track devices with BT on.

* "[...] if you could design a 2.4GHz sky-pointing antenna [...]" - 2.4 GHz is about 12.5 cm 
wavelength. So you can get pretty good directional properties with antennas of practically 
appealing small dimensions.

* Somehow the question also appears to lead to ideas about passive tracking, combined with a 
small guided missile launcher. And as these drones are not really built very robustly at all, 
you don't even need explosives to bring them down. Something that deploys a small fishing net, 
or ever just a plastic shopping bag, should be plenty enough to bring the drone down. Or just a 
water jet?
Check the legal situation before deploying any such systems.

* Optical jammers to protect from unwanted photography or video should now be commercially 
available. This was a hot research topic about a decade ago, and I would expect it to have made 
it to market.

* How about triangulation for target acquisition? It's probably a bit harder to implement than 
just logging device IDs, but in combination with a suitable light source could completely negate 
the drone-based intelligence gathering efforts.

Kind regards,

Helmut.