ACTIVITY MODES
AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION
Due to the declining desire among new clients to understand "what modes are and why they are necessary," I am writing this text in the hope that everyone reading this will listen.
This text will contain quite a few repetitions of information that I have already published in various instructions or on the "Jammer Evolution History" page.
1. ORIGINS OF TECHNOLOGY
About 40 years ago in America, two companies emerged and began producing electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems, which included:
- Gates at the store entrance.
- Hard tags attached to the goods.
- Soft label tags that are deactivated at the checkout.
They did this so differently that there wasn't even a patent war (they were good businessmen and knew how to negotiate). Visually you see almost the same thing, but technically they differ incredibly. These two companies are Sensormatic and Checkpoint.
- Sensormatic applied AM technology with a primary frequency of 58kHz.
- Checkpoint applied RF technology with a primary frequency of 8.2MHz.
The inventions of these technologies themselves date back to the late 60s...
2. THE ERA OF COMPETITORS
After these two companies captured almost all global markets where such systems were needed, competitors appeared.
By that point, there was no need to reinvent sensors, tags, or labels, and most importantly, there was no need to convince Retail of the necessity of these systems... Competitors only needed to make the gates, BUT WITHOUT VIOLATING THE MASSIVE PILE OF PATENTS held by those two companies.
This wasn't difficult, and starting from the 2000s, a huge number of competitors appeared:
Do you think they simply copied Sensormatic and Checkpoint technologies?
They achieved the same goal without violating patents by doing it COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY, while making it look the same on the outside.
- Different signal processing algorithms.
- Different signals but on the same frequency.
- Different interference filters.
- More stable and economical technologies and SO FORTH!
Waking up by 2013-2014, Sensormatic and Checkpoint also began improving their gates, which is clearly demonstrated by a bunch of different transitional models that didn't even make it onto the lists on their websites.
3. EVEN CLOSER ATTENTION NOW (ANALOGY)
Can a gasoline engine run on diesel fuel or sunflower oil?
Can a truck tire be used for a passenger car?
Would you try to pour windshield washer fluid into the engine?
Would you try to unscrew a nut with a hammer?
In the world I had to create, it's the same...
The logic of Checkpoint algorithms is most vulnerable to Mode 2, while at the same time, it's completely useless for CrossPoint, and CrossPoint algorithms are useless for some Lucatron models.
It is impossible to create a single key for all systems at once, as each system is the result of work by DIFFERENT inventors, programmers, and engineers. No, they didn't build these systems to be protected against jammers; that was the very last problem they thought about during creation and development.
BUT!!! Most systems are vulnerable to Mode #1 and #2, but you, as owners of an equally sophisticated technology, must become a bit smarter. Let me continue with a short excerpt from the manual:
As a result, we have a certain zoo of diverse EAS systems of ONLY TWO TYPES! AM and RF!
I have people who understand and quickly figured this out from scratch just as well as I did, because it’s no harder than: distinguishing a BMW from an AUDI or an OPEL by the body, logo, or "headlight" shape...
Also, in the EAS market, there are near-monopolists!
- In AM systems, Sensormatic occupies most of the market.
- In RF systems, Checkpoint, NEDAP, Gateway rule.
There are no more of them than car manufacturers, and THEY ALL DIFFER. Each gate manufacturer has its own design direction, its own features, and so on. Each of these manufacturers has model lines that differ, and this is AGAIN no harder than distinguishing a Q7 from an A5. With gates, it's actually easier! For this, I have prepared all photo layouts for all gates of ALL RF AND AM systems.
4. CONCEALED GATES
And when you tell me that the gates are hidden behind advertising, I will answer:
— What about the gate lights? In most cases, they aren't hidden; if the gates are covered by fabric, they are easily identified by their shape; if only the top or bottom is visible, that also gives a quick opportunity for understanding. If someone shows you just a HEADLIGHT, a bumper, or part of a body, can you distinguish a Merc headlight from a BMW? It's easy, extremely easy... it's no harder with gates! Even young children can distinguish cars!!!
Specially for you, photos of all the main gate models by manufacturer and sometimes by model have been collected. ATTENTION TO DETAIL, look at how DIFFERENT THEY ALL ARE:
5. INSTRUCTION PHILOSOPHY
The instructions list recommended modes that correspond to MANUFACTURERS or models. Pay attention to the penultimate section of the INSTRUCTIONS for the jammers, which are instructions only in name.
"The instruction is not just text to read, but a textbook, a collection of vast knowledge and experience in usage. It contains answers to almost all questions and was created to fully transfer all necessary knowledge about control and practical application of this modern equipment.
Do not be afraid of it; it is written in the most accessible and simple human language specifically for the purpose of better understanding."
History of Creation (2018)
In 2018, by which time I had been selling jammers for more than 6 years, I decided to do the following:
Spend 2 months of my life to spend much less of my time in the future.
For 2 weeks, I collected all the questions about jammers that had ever been asked of me, came up with more questions, and then I gathered my best answers from all my correspondences and improved them further... all this turned into a huge pile of questions and answers, diverse and often unrelated.
Next, I categorized them by theme, characteristic... several piles were formed.
And then I removed the QUESTIONS, and a miracle actually happened: I saw that this could be properly systematized. The "piles of answers without questions" turned into chapters, and the questions themselves became sub-sections and points...
As a RESULT, you see a SO-CALLED manual, but it is actually JAMMER KNOWLEDGE IN ITS HIGHEST CONCENTRATION. You might not understand something immediately for only one reason: you haven't asked yourself that question yet. In the process of starting use or even after long-term use, you just need to re-read the entire instruction and you will definitely find something new.
*note: in the manual, I often downplayed the characteristics and user qualities of the jammers to prevent the creation of OVERSTATED expectations. Don't be surprised.
But the more information I created, the more I had to EXPLAIN IT. Some of those who were too lazy to read started hitting me with questions that already had answers in the manual, and I just started copying answers from there. This was convenient but incredibly frustrating due to the lack of desire for independent study.
Detailed descriptions of modes for AM and RF systems are divided into two pages for easier navigation:
6. WHAT ARE MODES IN GENERAL?
Technical Section
A "Jammer" is not a magic wand that creates a miraculous field that jams something. A "jammer" is not really a jammer at all, but a generator of diverse signals to deceive gate logic...
At the dawn of the first gate jammers, it really did look like uniform noise at the gate's frequency. However, after gate manufacturers began developing non-analog gates with software processing of the incoming signal, the era of dumb jammers ended. Here, remember the very beginning of my appearance from the history of EAS jammer development.
So what does the jammer actually do and how does it all really work?
- In fact, modern gates do not stop seeing the sensor; they even see the "jammer" signal. But to make a "alarm" decision, the program needs very clear parameters and repeatedly confirmed data that it is indeed a sensor, to reduce the probability of false alarms.
DECEPTION MECHANICS
What does the jammer do? It introduces errors into the calculations, which prevent the gates from making the right decision. If a compatible activity mode is selected, when passing between gates with sensors and the "jammer," the gates will not produce any reaction because they will be in a state of choosing an action!
If the error-injection algorithms are incorrect (incompatible), the gates may react in a way that is completely different from our expected result:
- not be jammed at all;
- cause remote reactions;
- freeze and reboot with sound after you have passed through them.
What can we (YOU) do? Memorize the recommended modes for specific gate models, keeping in mind that gate reception settings even for the same frame model can differ, and even the "internals" inside visually identical gates can differ (though not so critically; after all, no one puts a truck engine in a plane).
Popular Question
At this point, many people have a question: What is the problem with reading the gate signal and correctly responding with our signal in an adapted way?
— Eh (I begin, dragging it out...), almost all gates emit identical signals, and the whole essence is inside the processor in the hardware-software environment where the ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES to the signal takes place.
Depending on the difference in analysis programs, different results are obtained. Different programmers write different programs, different companies use different methods and different hardware, which has different filters and many different things. You can never look at the outside of a house and say exactly what is inside, how the wires are laid, or what is inside the safe.
Knowing the approximate parameters of mode application, with time and practice deployments, you will understand all this so finely that the feeling of situational control will at some point pay off all your efforts in self-development.
7. HOW TO TEST CORRECTLY?
When you see something incomprehensible and unknown and cannot identify it via albums or otherwise:
Testing methods for AM and RF systems differ.
- AM systems may react remotely to incompatible modes.
- RF systems react to incompatible modes only in extreme cases.
From this, it follows that you can test an AM system for compatibility in most cases (!) simply by walking past the gates or just standing 1-2 meters away. After that, if there are no sound reactions, you can enter the store and preferably exit before making a decision on active operations.
It is practically impossible to test an RF system without entering the store, and it is advisable to have tags with you.
*TESTING — does not mean provoking a gate reaction, but testing with the aim of determining which mode results in NO remote gate reaction, starting from the first recommended activity mode...
IT IS NOT NECESSARY to keep scrolling through modes to find out which mode will trigger a gate alarm. THIS MAKES NO LOGICAL SENSE!
Also, after this, you can enter the store and preferably exit before deciding on active operations.
Example of the FIRST DEPLOYMENT with a jammer
FORGET THAT YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY TAKE SOMETHING FROM THE STORE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE!
For real testing, you will need hard AM or RF tags; training without tags is pointless.
Unlock the jammer or both jammers.
Check the charge.
When approaching the object of interest, do not rush. First, you must determine if it is an AM or RF system.
Next, based on the viewed photos, you can try to determine the model of this system by paying attention to shapes, lamps, and sizes. Sooner or later, have no doubt, you will learn these 50 gate models:
Identify the type and model, turn on one of the recommended modes and enter the store. After walking 4-5 meters, exit the store. If no sound reactions occurred and you are sure you correctly identified the system TYPE (AM or RF), you can act.
BUT! Based on the experience of consulting hundreds of users, I still recommend walking through about ten such places first and only then starting real actions.
SPECIAL CASES (NONAME)
If you see a completely NONAME system ("typical smooth white board") or gates 100% covered by BULKY advertising (no lamp holes, closed top):
!tip! you can slightly raise your phone to take a photo of the top of the gates for short ones, or just peek over the top for tall ones. Believe me, no one will understand what you are doing even if they notice; take photos as if you are photographing the store.
- Pay attention to the placement of the lights;
- Check for labels;
- Determine the system TYPE by the tags or labels;
- Select a mode that doesn't cause remote triggers, starting from the 1st (if there are no reactions at all, turn on base Mode 1);
- Enter and exit the store with tags and the jammer turned on.
If this method doesn't quickly reveal a compatible mode, send a photo to the person who sold you the device. If they are an experienced seller or user, they will likely help you.
*** In the near future, by mid-2026, it is planned to implement a neural network on this site that can recognize gates in your photos and suggest what system is in front of you (but don't rely on technology; your brain is the best recognizer over time, and the internet is not always stable!).
If you cannot handle the identification yourself at first, we will help you with mode tips, but try to imagine the situation if everyone wrote to the seller at every minor problem?
If there are no test tags (The "Sock" Method)
If you do not have AM and RF tags and you have nothing to check the real functionality of the jammer, there is a simple way:
— Go into the store, remove the HARD tag you need (not a sticker), place it in a sock or in your shoe if you aren't wearing socks, and calmly walk toward the store exit.
If the gate system works and an alarm trigger occurs, remain ABSOLUTELY calm and relaxed... take one step back from the gates, lift your leg toward the gates, and the alarm will trigger again. With the words:
"- these are my shoes I bought recently," you can easily walk away without further suspicion. NO ONE WILL ASK YOU TO REMOVE YOUR SHOES OR CHECK THEM.
Now you know this simple way to get any required number of tags for testing.
BY THE WAY... a good professional trick when using this equipment... is to always have AM and RF tags with you so you can work more confidently in new places, checking the jammer's operation right at the store entrance!
8. THE "SINGLE MODE" QUESTION
In conclusion, I want to answer the most frequent initial question (prior to creating this info) of beginning users:
— Which mode is the main one, so I don't have to choose and can just walk around?
The moment I hear or see such a question, a nuclear charge explodes inside me... But every time, I find the strength to answer calmly:
- In the basic 2-in-1 jammer, which has no mode selection and is sold for "special" users who will never be able to read this text, Mode #1 for AM and Mode #1 for RF are used as the primary jamming modes. This choice was made because these modes statistically provide the widest coverage of EAS systems.
- In this case, you significantly increase risks and decrease your own efficiency, as the chances of a false gate alarm become much higher.
- You limit your future development. Yes, undoubtedly, you can use only the first modes in multi-mode devices, but but but...
Overcome the doubt that this is difficult; just don't rush, and in any difficult choice situation, go back to the site and re-read the info time and time again. I promise you that you will uncover this information from a new side each time, and at some point, you will realize how wonderful and profitable it is to understand all this, and then you will say to yourself:
"- Was it really this simple all along?"