GSM-WIFI-Bluetooth RF search system
- Comprehensive overview of demodulated CW+ wireless devices
- Integrated touchscreen for quick navigation + intuitive alerts
- Direction tracking of all nearby Cellular, Wi-Fi, BT+BLE activity
- Thresholds, frequency analysis, and whitelists for advanced TSCM field studies
From Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS), a company that designs and manufactures world-class wireless security products for TSCM specialists and government organizations to manage the wireless security of secure facilities.
The system serves to locate modern wireless, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G / 4G / 5G capture and threat systems. Customers for this type of product include engineers, technicians, law enforcement, government and military professionals looking for cutting-edge wireless solutions.
This solution is ideal for use by law enforcement, military, government and prison facilities to detect and locate wireless threats. Its use is also configured in the context of public competitions or in prisons where the use of cellular or wireless systems is strictly prohibited.
Today general purpose spectrum analyzers are no longer optimal as interception has naturally moved towards GSM, Bluetooth and WIFI systems, taking the place of traditional bugs, where it was easy to locate a fixed transmission on a frequency, even better if analogical. We are now talking about the prehistory of capture systems, the evolution of cyberspace, together with the technological one, has allowed the evolution of objects born to spy, into something really difficult to locate, already with the advent of GSM bugs, the the work of the TSCM technician has become very complicated, usually one has to deal with environments that are close if not in proximity, with offices or residential areas or frequented by people who use cellular devices, the same vending machines that distribute snacks and coffee, have of GSM systems for stock reordering, the same goes for WIFI and Bluetooth systems, we are surrounded and it is not always possible to switch off the devices during the RF environmental analysis, because perhaps there are other people in the adjacent offices, others offices and work gets complicated.
BVS, world leader in advanced analysis equipment, comes to our aid with this fantastic and complete product. But what is the Yorkie-Pro?
The Yorkie-Pro is the advanced and professional version of the Yorkie.
Picture about Yorkie
The Yorkie is a simplified version, obviously it has a lower cost and could be an excellent solution for personal use.
Picture about Yoprkie-Pro
What are its features?
- FREQUENCY RANGE 650 MHz to 3 GHz and 4.9 GHz to 5.9 GHz
- CW DETECTION All international Cellular bands including new 5G, Wi-Fi 2401-2495 MHz & 5180-5825 MHz Bluetooth & BLE 2402-2480 MHz
- DEMODULATION 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channels: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (DUAL-BAND) 5 GHz Wi-Fi channels: 36, 40, 44, 48, 52 , 56, 60, 64, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124, 128, 132, 136, 140, 149, 153, 157, 161, 165 Bluetooth channels: 1-79 Bluetooth Low Energy channels: 1 -40
- ADDITIONAL DETECTION BSSID, SSID, Device ID, WPA, WPA2, MAC, Channel/Band
- DYNAMIC RANGE 70dB SENSITIVITY -90dBm
- BAND RESOLUTION 4 MHz, 20 MHz
- SELECTIVITY REJECTION Better than 40dB
- RECEPTION MODE High speed, active scan
- SUPPORTED ANTENNAS (n.3) omni-directional antennas (n.2) directive antennas, to search for the source of the transmission (one for cellular and one for Wi-Fi and BT)
- POWER SUPPLY Internal 5.0 Ah Li-Ion battery / external 12 VDC RECHARGE nominal 3 hours (from ~ 50% capacity remaining)
- BATTERY LIFE 5-6 hours (with typical use)
- DISPLAY AND CONTROL 272 x 480 backlit color display / touch screen
- UNIT DIMENSIONS 18cm x 11.5cm x 5cm
- BASIC DIMENSIONS 15,2cm x 10,2cm x 8cm
- COMMUNICATION PORT Mini-USB
- ALARMS Vibration (can be excluded) and visual (blue LED on top of the unit)
- SOUND Audible feedback from screen tap and beep on alarm when defined level is exceeded
- ACCESSORIES INCLUDED (n.5) antennas, GPS antenna, SMA cable, 12 VDC power supply, recharging base, software USB stick and manuals, bag
I tested it personally and before writing this article, I wanted to use it in the field, in the last few months, even on a couple of very important jobs and I must say that the tool is the best I’ve tried to date.
Forget everything you used before the possibility of having this BVS jewel, there is nothing superfluous, it does what it is designed for and does it very well, you don’t even need to read the manual as intuitive and simple as it is interface and how you move from one function to another.
The presence of the GPS then helps us in the reporting phase, each signal is logged together with the detection position.
Menu navigation of Yorkie-Pro
We begin to describe the interface, when turned on, using the single round white button below the screen, with which the unit is also turned off.
When you turn on the Yorkie-Pro it presents this screen:
Mixed mode home screen, displays cellular and WiFi
Let’s start by describing the icons at the top right:
we find the battery, with the remaining energy level;
then one in the shape of a camera, here if the finger is pressed, the system stores the screen, the number reported inside the lens reports the number of screenshots that we can still store on the unit;
the three horizontal lines indicate the options menu, where you can configure various options and check the status of the GPS signal;
the circle is used to save the log of all the information you see on the screen and which can then be downloaded and processed on the PC at a later time, functionality in progress, at the moment the manufacturer says it is about to release the connection software soon, for now, it is only possible to update the firmware via the USB port.
The menu at the bottom is used to select the search field we want to carry out, and from the graphics we understand that starting from the left, we find cell phones in green, WiFi in orange, Bluetooth in light blue and finally the display of the ‘spectrum analyzer for the 2.4GHz WiFi band only.
The configuration menu allows you to:
set the vibration and sound for exceeding the threshold alerts, see the status of the received GPS signal:
Obviously the antenna must be inserted into the dedicated connector located on the left of the unit, then check the battery status:
This must be cyclically loaded and then completely unloaded to keep it in perfect working order, consult the manual for the procedure, it is then possible to select the country where you are operating, a very useful function for those who carry out analyzes even abroad:
All frequencies are automatically adapted to the selected country. It is possible to have the information about the unit:
See how to position the antennas, check the firmware version and find out the serial number of our unit. Finally, it is possible to see the stored logs and also the screenshots on the screen:
Use in the field is incredibly practical, you switch to a first scan with the omnidirectional antennas and if a signal is detected, you can touch the signal being checked with your finger and start searching by mounting the directional antenna:
For those who carry out analysis in a serious way, the Yorkie-Pro is a must-have without which you risk not being able to do a complete job, the system also allows you to discriminate against known and authorized networks or devices, through the management of white list that can be memorized in the field directly from the instrument.