Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 240
paradox Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 240
In-car device lets drivers change stoplights; officials fear gridlock, seek to block signal
By Jodi Upton / The Detroit News

Tired of sitting at endless red lights? Frustrated by lights that turn from green to red too quickly, trapping you in traffic? Now anyone can breeze through congested intersections just like the police, thanks to a $300 dashboard device that changes traffic lights from red to green, making nasty commutes a thing of the past and leaving other drivers open-mouthed at your ability to manipulate traffic. But what if everyone had one? That's the fear of traffic control officials, who believe chaos would take over the roads. That's also the potential facing communities from Troy to Washington Township as Internet-marketed knockoffs of the device -- originally intended only for police and fire vehicles -- have become available to the public. The knockoffs have traffic engineers investigating whether lockout measures will work against the copycats and whether hundreds of thousands of dollars in traffic technology investments will become obsolete. Police are worried about the possibility of intersection chaos if people duel over control for lights. But even more fundamentally, the dashboard device may be impossible to detect even from a police car right next to it, and it may be perfectly legal anyway. "The potential for chaos is enormous," Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said. The traffic light changer, called the MIRT for mobile infrared transmitter, emits a beam with a 1,500-foot range to a receiver installed at the intersection, which changes the light immediately, allowing an intersection to clear before a fire or rescue truck approaches. "That's unreal. I want one," Hackel said while watching a test device change the lights at the touch of a button. The devices are normally installed on the fire truck and respond automatically. The MIRT requires the press of a button and plugs into the cigarette lighter. Unlike other devices, like radar jammers and certain laser detectors that emit radio signals, the MIRT and other signal changers emit an infrared beam, so it doesn't run afoul of the Federal Communications Commission, said Chelsea Fallon, a spokeswoman for the agency. Because no laws apply to the MIRT in Michigan and elsewhere, new ones may have to be written. "I guess I have something to talk to the (state) legislators about," Hackel said. Copycats sold online While government officials search legal texts for possible legal infractions, dealers are lining up to sell MIRTs. Scott Pregler of Shelby Township was one of the first, adding it to his other business of after-market aerodynamic car body parts "like that stuff in 'The Fast and the Furious,' you know?" he said, referring to a movie in which a gang of drivers in super-fast cars repeatedly outwit the police. Pregler said he hasn't even tried the device yet, and plans to focus on selling it to small police and fire agencies that can't afford the more expensive version of the technology, marketed by 3M, which bigger cities and counties buy. "We'll probably try to avoid (selling to the public) if it may cause problems in the future," said Pregler, whose company is named Vision Aerodynamics. The 3M knockoffs, like the MIRT, are available on the Internet, but they work only at intersections that have receivers. There are about 85 such intersections in Troy, along Big Beaver and Rochester Road and other main corridors. Farmington and Novi also have invested in the receivers, which can run $15,000 to $20,000 per intersection, including wiring and installation. But the real vulnerability may lie in whether the receivers can lock out devices like the MIRT and read only the signal from specific fire trucks. Many receivers already purchased by Troy, for example, can't be locked out and can't be upgraded, said Frank Carrier, the primary 3M dealer in southeast Michigan. Troy traffic engineer John Abraham said newer receivers are programmable, making it unclear how vulnerable the city is to MIRTs. "We had a scare a few years ago when we realized there was a potential for the technology to get out, so we upgraded," Abraham said. In Macomb, Washington Township along Old Van Dyke has been a test site. But the county has only six intersections with receivers, and the technology was able to lock out the MIRT on Friday. "But if something comes up that gets around the lock, I'll take them all out. It would be chaos," said Dan McInerney, traffic operations engineer at the Road Commission of Macomb County. For now, Macomb allows only fire trucks to have the device, fearing that if police and paramedics also have it, it would cause havoc at larger emergency scenes. Wayne County has none of the intersection systems, mostly because of a fear that if there was an accident because of the light change, the county would be held legally responsible, spokeswoman Vanessa Denha said. But there are some similar devices on traffic lights outside some firehouses to help trucks get out. Because Michigan's communities have not invested in the traffic technology as heavily as some states, problems with copycat devices like the MIRT are just beginning to appear. Competition, critics grow Tim Gow, who markets the device through his company, FAC, which also sells high-end weapons and accessories to police, said he's not using the Internet to appeal to the public, but only to level the playing field in a David-versus-Goliath market. "We will need an army of distributors to go up against 3M," Gow said. He said he is aiming to sell to small police, fire and emergency agencies who can't afford the 3M systems but can afford his $499 device, which is higher than his direct-to-the-dealer price. He says he has rejected some dealers -- including a pizza delivery guy who wanted to use the device. He asks dealers to promise not to sell directly to the public and to use their device for demonstrations only. Gow knows he may not hear about infractions. But if he does, he says he will revoke a dealership. "I have a highly unique product here, and I'm going beyond what I have to do to sell a legal product," Gow said. "The BATF (federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) and the FBI, these are organizations I answer to every day. We have no issues with these governing bodies." But if communities start locking out the MIRT, Gow may not be able to compete at all. Frank Carrier, the 3M dealer, says that's only fair. If Gow wants to compete, he should create his own system, including a receiver that can be locked as well, Carrier said. Providing only a transmitter as his business is parasitic, he said. However long the MIRT survives, it's only one of a number of devices that frustrated and lead-footed drivers have snatched up over the years with an aim of having an advantage over the police. The difference is, few of them actually work. "People are gullible, and they have discretionary income," said P. David Fisher, professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Michigan State University. He said the issue of a national campaign to expose the businesses that sell radar jammers and laser detectors that, by definition, if they are effective are illegal, has been discussed at public safety conventions. "It's a very interesting ethical dilemma. Here are all these gullible people. Why should we protect them? On the other hand, they are causing a number of crashes."

source: detroit news


The wise make mistakes, the fools repeat them
----------------------------------------
When you have eliminated the impossible, that which remains, however improbable, must be the truth
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 955
UGN Super Poster
Offline
UGN Super Poster
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 955
From what this sounds, it is still using a technology I was looking into a while back. The IR light actually needs to flash at a certain interval to trigger the change. There is really no reason to buy one of these things, b/c once you get the interval down, you can build one for yourself. I have seen the plans in some corner of the internet. Can't verify it they work.

Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 364
C
UGN News Staff
Offline
UGN News Staff
C
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 364
Police and other ambulances and other emergency workers are allowed to run traffic lights?

Why would they need such a device?


C++ Should Have Been Called "D"
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 815
S
nobody
Offline
nobody
S
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 815
Its a lot safer for them to change the light than to have to blaze through a red light at an intersection.

This is especially interesting to me since I live here and travel these roads everyday. Jon link me to the plans.

Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,203
Likes: 11
Community Owner
Offline
Community Owner
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,203
Likes: 11
This is nothing new, I remember reading about them in the 80's, their quite entertaining. Theive progressed a lot however from the ones that read bsed on a light signal to ones that will work with a radio signal in area's.

And yes, their allowed to change the lights, but most don't, it's more for safety.


Donate to UGN Security here.
UGN Security, Back of the Web, and VNC Web Services Owner
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1
D
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
D
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1
I bought a mirt from mirtworld.com a month ago. Works great and I have no complaints. Copy hate it because it's legal and there is nothing they can do about it, but im licensed to use it anyhow so if the law changes im covered. It's pretty good and works up to 1/4 mile away.

Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 80
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 80
I thought it was illegal for private citizens to own one of these devices.


You have to be a little crazy to keep from going insane!
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2
Heres a link to a site that sells the plans and kit to build a MIRT
http://www.kenneke.com/ir.html

Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 390
UGN Member
Offline
UGN Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 390
Its not illegal in all states killswitch, but the states that have these devices on their emergency vechicles are slowly starting to outlaw them, If I remember correctly Mass. just made them illegal.


"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-Albert Einstein

Tech Ninja Security
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1
S
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
S
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1
Could someone please help me answer a questrion?

I have a variable strobing device. It has white leds.
I wonder if the mirt receivers actually require infrared light to activate or would it repond to visable light?
I know that this would not be covert, but i am curious as to exactly what the recievers are looking for. I know the strobe pulse is supposed to be 14 Hz.

Also, if I could find an infrared pass filter to place over my white lights, would this work?

Thanks for your help


Link Copied to Clipboard
Member Spotlight
Phatal
Phatal
Houston, TX
Posts: 298
Joined: April 2004
Forum Statistics
Forums41
Topics33,840
Posts68,858
Average Daily Posts1
Members2,176
Most Online3,253
Jan 13th, 2020
Latest Postings
Where and how do you torrent?
by danni75 - 03/01/24 05:58 AM
Animation,
by JohanKaariainen - 08/15/19 01:18 AM
Blackbeard.....
by Gremelin - 10/03/18 07:02 PM
my old account still exists!
by Crime - 08/10/18 02:47 PM
Okay WTF?
by HenryMiring - 09/27/17 01:45 AM
The History Thread...
by Gremelin - 08/11/17 12:11 PM
My friend NEEDS your HELP!
by Lena01 - 07/21/17 12:06 AM
I'm having fun with this guy.
by gabithompson730 - 07/20/17 01:50 AM
I want to upgrade my phone
by gabithompson730 - 07/20/17 01:49 AM
Doom 3
by Cyrez - 09/11/14 08:58 PM
Amazon Gift Card Generator/KeyGen?te
by Gecko666 - 08/22/14 09:21 AM
AIM scene 99-03
by lavos - 09/02/13 08:06 AM
Planetside 2
by Crime - 03/04/13 07:10 AM
Beta Testers Wanted
by Crime - 03/04/13 06:55 AM
Hello Everyone
by Gremelin - 02/12/12 06:01 PM
Tracfone ESN Generator
by Zanvin Green - 01/18/12 01:31 PM
Python 3 issue
by Testing - 12/17/11 09:28 PM
tracfone airtime
by Drache86 - 07/30/11 03:37 AM
Backdoors and the Infinite
by ZeroCoolStar - 07/10/11 03:52 AM
HackThisZIne #12 Releaseed!
by Pipat2 - 04/28/11 09:20 PM
gang wars? l33t-wars?
by Gremelin - 04/28/11 05:56 AM
Consolidate Forums
by diggin2deep - 04/21/11 10:02 AM
LAN Hacking Noob
by Gremelin - 03/12/11 12:42 AM
Top Posters
UGN Security 41,392
Gremelin 7,203
§intå× 3,255
SilentRage 1,273
Ice 1,146
pergesu 1,136
Infinite 1,041
jonconley 955
Girlie 908
unreal 860
Top Likes Received
Ghost 2
Cyrez 1
Girlie 1
unreal 1
Crime 1
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5