So since yesterday my cell phone has been getting close to Nil signal in my apartment. Have been living in the same building since April without issue. To make matters worse it appears that my wireless mouse and keyboard for my computer isn't working either.

Every once in awhile my cell phone goes back to "normal" signal strength and my wireless mouse/keyboard begins working again too. What would cause this type of interference? For one, i wouldn't think my cell phone and wireless keyboard/mouse would be on the same frequency.

I know my building uses repeaters but this being out doesn't explain my mouse/keyboard issue.....

11/16/2013 2:18:57 PM

The end of times!

What frequency is your keyboard at? What cell service do you use?

11/16/2013 2:20:37 PM

Verizon Wireless

Model for keyboard/mouse is Y-R0009, can't figure out what frequency

11/16/2013 2:31:17 PM

Apperently my xbox remotes are not working either. Something is creating some crazy EMF at my apartment complex.

11/16/2013 9:07:20 PM

your keyboard is likely in an unlicensed frequency band like 900mhz or 2.4ghz. your cell phone is in a licensed band like 850, 800, 2100, 1850, 2200mhz. none of those frequencies are harmonics of each other so none of that should cause interference

11/17/2013 1:37:59 AM

yeah, I know. That is why I am totally like WTF. I'm an EE and all my senior level classes in communications engineering and modulation. FFT is my friend.

Seriously though in my apt no cell phone reception, wireless keyboard and mouse are no go. Fucking x-box controller will not communicate to the xbox unless i'm < 1 ft. Phone will not even talk to my wireless network (my computer is on a hard wire).

This started as of Friday.....

I have tried turning off my computers and the wireless router. None of them are causing the interference. Think it has to be within my complex. Although you'd think they would have fixed it by now if 50 residents were having the same issue.

11/17/2013 2:30:03 AM

http://www.ubnt.com/airview

11/17/2013 10:59:53 AM

How far outside of your complex do you have to go,before you get reception.... Have you tried using a regular FM/am radio? To you get ridiculous interference there too?

[Edited on November 17, 2013 at 12:36 PM. Reason : does anything in particular work?]

11/17/2013 12:35:04 PM

someone in your building is probably dicking around with a jammer. I think they're illegal but I don't know how you call the cops on it

11/17/2013 2:19:20 PM

They're most certainly illegal. But you've got to find the source. Its going to be difficult to get the cops to invest a sufficient amount of time to pinpoint the source and get a warrant.

If that's the case go here:
http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/jammer-enforcement

But I'd do the legwork and prove you know where its coming from, and then try to remedy the situation with the landlord..

[Edited on November 17, 2013 at 3:40 PM. Reason : .]

11/17/2013 3:36:10 PM

Where do you live? Raleigh? You've actually confirmed with others in your complex they're having the same issues? I've seen personally 2.4Ghz traffic issues with my wifi/logitech stuff but never cell phone at the same time, might be a noisy/shitty ground or groundfault in the building structure for something heavy duty. I guess it would be somewhat easy to carry your phone through/around the building to help map out the source.

[Edited on November 17, 2013 at 4:20 PM. Reason : try to clear that up]

11/17/2013 4:16:03 PM

http://www.instructables.com/id/20-SDR-Radio-from-TV-Tuner-Card/

Pick up one of these and see if anything correlates to help ferret out the source.

11/18/2013 1:03:54 AM

Quote :

"Where do you live? Raleigh? You've actually confirmed with others in your complex they're having the same issues? I've seen personally 2.4Ghz traffic issues with my wifi/logitech stuff but never cell phone at the same time, might be a noisy/shitty ground or groundfault in the building structure for something heavy duty. I guess it would be somewhat easy to carry your phone through/around the building to help map out the source."

I live in Charlotte

Yes my neighbor said she's having the same problem.

The issue went away yesterday evening than was back this morning.

11/18/2013 8:26:33 AM

i'd alert some sort of authorities... jamming airwaves (intentionally or not) is a serious issue.

11/18/2013 11:00:05 AM

Well considering that the issue came back in the morning i'm wondering if something is malfunctioning in the building rather than someone maliciously jamming the airwaves.

11/18/2013 12:17:33 PM

It becomes an issue of safety if he cannot make calls. Alert the landlord, do some sleuthing on your own, and follow up.

11/18/2013 6:47:42 PM

Do you know a friend in telecommunications? A spectrum analyzer would be your friend in this situation. You would likely need very wide band interference to cause this, however. If it is affecting your licensed band (the cell phone), then you should call the cell provider and ask to see if engineering can come do a spectrum survey of your area. If there is a problem, then your cell provider will work with the FCC to determine the source and shut it down.

[Edited on November 21, 2013 at 1:43 PM. Reason : .]

11/21/2013 1:41:38 PM

Your cell providers will send a tech to do this if you complain about reception and describe the symptoms.

11/21/2013 1:54:11 PM

^ & ^^

May have to do that. The problem was gone when i came home Tuesday evening but returned this morning

11/21/2013 2:08:28 PM

I did some snooping around last night and I think the issue is coming from the apartment below me. For me I have signal until I practically walking into my front door (although it starts dropping really low as I approach). I went upstairs and in front of the unit directly above me I have full strength just as I usually do.

I then went downstairs to the 2nd floor and as I was about 10ft from the front door of the unit directly below me my signal completely dropped out. I then went down to the 1st floor, which has a door to the courtyard instead of an apartment, my signal dropped just as I was going through the door to enter the courtyard. Signal then came back as I walked into the courtyard (equivalent of me being on my porch which is the only place I currently get a signal).

Of course yesterday when I complained to the apartment complex they tried to tell me it "wasn't their issue" and that nobody else was complaining of this problem. They are trying to claim that my Wireless router, mouse, keyboard, and xbox controller may have friend due to some base station issues Verizon said they had over the past weekend.....

I talked to my neighbor to the left of my unit and they don't seem to be having any difficulties any more. I also seem to now get reception on the outer fringes of my apartment instead of having to physically go out onto my deck.

11/22/2013 8:59:00 AM

Knock on their door, if that doesn't resolve it call your cell provider, or file a complaint with the fcc.

11/22/2013 4:03:21 PM

I filed a complaint with the FCC and am going to discuss with my apartment complex tomorrow about moving units.

I really would hate to move (time, money, pain in the ass) when they should realistically be finding the root cause, as the next tenant is going to have the same problem (as well as not solving the issue with my neighbors).

I can not find any explanation on the web for what could be causing this type of issue except for someone maliciously using a jammer....

12/30/2013 9:16:30 PM

I would try contacting some local HAM radio guys. They get off on finding people fucking with the air waves.

12/31/2013 8:01:43 AM

This issue is continuing to be a problem and a big nuisance. Following my last post on the topic there was an 8-day interruption in cell phone and wireless device (blue-tooth, wifi, etc) usage due to the problem. Actually the problem could have extended beyond 8 days but I went on a week long business trip to Oregon on 1/20. When I returned the problem had gone away.

As of last night the jamming source has returned. There has already been one neighbor to break her lease over this issue. Do I have any legal recourse to break my lease without having to paying the penalties as outlined in my lease agreement for early termination. I was thinking I could make a stand on the argument that I don't "feel safe" as if there really was an emergency, I can not dial 911. My thought was to issue an ultimatum saying that if the issue was not eliminated/fixed/resolved as defined by a 30-day interruption free period then by the 60th day, I will be annulling my lease.


This time it is a major inconvenience as due to the inclement weather i was intending on working from home. Instead I had to venture to a local coffee shop to get WiFi. The apartment complex has attempted to work with me to talk to neighbors and verify that devices as part of the infrastructure are not causing the problem.

I'm still confident the jamming source if coming from some device in a neighbor's apartment. So beyond killing everyone's electronics at the main breaker of the complex, then turning each unit on one by one, there is no way to know which neighbor is the issue.

2/12/2014 11:13:12 AM

IANAL, but I don't think you have any legal protections here. Landlords aren't required to make sure you can get cell phone signal. Hell, they aren't required to make sure you can get a land-line. About the only things they are legally obligated to ensure works are the HVAC and water, maybe electricity issues on the house side of the meter. I think your best bet is the FCC and the cell-phone company. You *are* paying your cell provider to give you service, so it would behoove them to at least make a cursory attempt to help you resolve your problems. If you have a wireless router from your interwebs company that doesn't work due to the interference, that would be even better.

2/12/2014 7:43:42 PM

You need to look at your lease... Perhaps they are not specifically breaching your lease... But they are not evicting the offender for violating terms of THEIR lease. You might be able to assert that they don't give a shit about all leases, asset they are complicit in criminal behavior, or some garbage.

Not a lawyer either, but I'm sure you can pay one a modest amount to get a letter drawn upon that will get you out quickly.

I would also call emergency services... Whomever is running 911. They may be able to get some headway, when you indicate that nobody can call them.

There's also trying the news, five on your side or the equivalent where you are. Drop the fact that you can't call 911 and the complex doesn't give a shit.

I'd start raising hell. The fact that it is intermittent leads me to believe its not a wiring issue.

2/12/2014 9:56:09 PM

Do any of your neighbors have a plasma TV?

2/12/2014 10:31:32 PM

Not sure about the plasma why?

2/13/2014 6:22:51 PM

Just for shits and giggles I'd download inSSIDer (since its free) and take a gander at your wifi channels. I doubt it would nail the root cause but it would be interesting to see if it picks up any massive blobs of unknown sources/interference through the db loss and wifi source signal strengths.

2/13/2014 6:33:33 PM

^^ Some plasmas can be incredibly noisy. It would fit with the limited range and intermittentency of your interference.

2/14/2014 9:52:43 AM

The FCC has come out, investigated the issue, and found one of the residents using a jammer....

Case solved. Wonder why this mother fucker was doing this???

2/27/2014 4:13:32 PM

Because they're a cunt? That is absolutely awesome that the FCC did come out. Took time, but of course I wondered what action they'd actually take.

Did they tell you anything further? Was the guy just scolded or charged?

2/27/2014 4:22:47 PM

to keep from being tracked

2/27/2014 4:23:44 PM

HUR. That is awesome. Was the individual fined? Arrested?

Isn't it awesome that the FCC did this? And in relative short order for government work? I suspect most of these complaints are bogus.


[Edited on February 27, 2014 at 4:46 PM. Reason : .]

2/27/2014 4:45:42 PM

The FCC nor apartment complex would give me an details. Just that they "found a jammer and the issue was resolved"

I was kind of surprised myself this was investigated so quickly.

2/27/2014 4:54:30 PM

called it

2/27/2014 6:27:45 PM

Do you happen to live over other cell blocks, inside a barbed wire fence with guards and such perhaps?

2/27/2014 8:57:37 PM

interesting saga.

2/27/2014 9:01:05 PM

lol wut

3/1/2014 10:28:33 PM

You helped catch a terrorist.

3/2/2014 9:10:21 PM

That's pretty awesome. Glad it's been resolved.

3/3/2014 3:33:36 PM

so why would someone use a jammer like this?

3/4/2014 11:10:53 AM

In this instance, I have no clue. They have been advertised (illegally) to be used in movie theaters and restaurants when you don't want to have anyone else's cell phone disturbing you. I don't know why you would want to broadly jam all traffic around your home.

3/5/2014 2:32:53 PM

Keep the NSA out obviously!

3/5/2014 2:35:34 PM

It must be something like that... Because it will indiscriminately jam all of their telecoms as well. I wonder if they were some sort of nut case that thought their place was bugged

3/5/2014 7:17:28 PM

Quote :

" I don't know why you would want to broadly jam all traffic around your home."

maybe they want to sleep and the neighbors talk to loud on the phone?

3/5/2014 7:41:47 PM

Maybe it's this guy:

MIND CONTROL RADIO WAVES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q1gxgXSang#t=201

Hahahaha.

3/6/2014 11:10:44 AM

My key question would be: did (s)he actually get slapped with that $50,000 / $100,000 / $500,000 fine they always threaten like the old FBI VCR warnings.

3/6/2014 12:11:39 PM

Quote :

"maybe they want to sleep and the neighbors talk to loud on the phone?"

The problem was that the jamming didn't seem to occur with any pattern. Sometimes i'd wake up to being jammed then come home with everything being fine. Other times i'd get home from work with everything fine and randomly at 8 pm it would be jammed. Sometimes the issue would be going on for perhaps an hour. At the worst we had an 8 day stretch of continuous jamming.

3/6/2014 8:22:14 PM

It has to be someone paranoid the government is tracking them or something. The FCC showing up at their probably didn't help, either

3/6/2014 10:34:35 PM