For over
20 years, emergency vehicle
preemption systems have been saving
lives and property by helping first
responders get to emergencies safer
and quicker. Today the security of
preemption systems is threatened.
Emitters
for preemption systems used to be
difficult to purchase. Now there are
emitters being advertised on the
internet, and being marketed to
private detectives, private security
guards, and funeral directors.
All
coded preemption systems are
vulnerable to “replay” attack. A
coded emitter sends out repetitive
optical signals that can be recorded
electronically and “replayed” with a
strobe light to gain access to a
coded preemption system. Strictly
coded systems also make wide area
mutual aid with preemption difficult
at best.
TOMAR’s
elock™ emitter authenticator system
slams the door on unauthorized
users and returns control of
your community’s preemption system
to you. Simple possession of an
emitter will not grant access to an
elock™-equipped intersection without
elock™ vehicle equipment, plus the
user programmed passwords.
The
wireless signals utilized by elock™
are encrypted and implement a US
government standard, SHA-1, secure
authentication system for vehicles
requesting preemption. The
authentication signals are
hack-proof and are not subject to
replay attack, as they change in an
unpredictable way each time they are
exchanged.
Mutual
aid is enhanced with elock™.
Multi-jurisdiction metropolitan
areas cooperate seamlessly by
establishing mutually agreed upon
area-wide passwords without
divulging each member systems local
password.
In times
of extreme emergency, the elock™
system can be sent a command to
disable authentication and allow
preemption by emitter only. After
the emergency is over elock™ can be
commanded to resume secure
authenticated operation.
How
It Works: The elock™ system
consists of two major components.
The intersection module, mounted in
the intersection traffic cabinet,
and the vehicle module, mounted on
the authorized vehicle.
When the
existing preemption equipment in the
intersection is activated by a
signal from an emitter, the elock™
intersection module momentarily
intercepts the preemption signal to
the traffic controller. The elock™
intersection module sends an
encrypted challenge to the vehicle
requesting preemption. The vehicle
returns a calculated response to the
intersection. If the challenge and
response match, the intersection
module allows the preemption call to
proceed to the traffic controller.
If the response is missing or is
incorrect the preemption signal is
not passed on to the traffic
controller. The whole authentication
process typically takes less than 1
second to complete. Both successful
and unsuccessful preemption attempts
are logged in memory for review.
The
passwords stored in the intersection
modules and vehicle modules are user
re-programmable and are not
retrievable from either module.
|
|
Intersection
Module |
Vehicle
Module |
|
Power |
10-24VDC,
Reverse Polarity Protected |
8-16VDC,
Reverse Polarity Protected |
|
Current |
35ma
(typical) |
100ma
(typical) |
|
Size |
4.0" x 2.8" x
4.5" (101.6mm x 71.1mm x
114.3mm) |
5.1" x 4.3" x
2.3" (129.5mm x 109.2mm x
58.4mm) |
|
Weight |
10 oz
(0.28kg) |
1 lb 3 oz
(0.54kg) |
|
Mounting |
DIN Type,
35mm |
Molded
mounting holes |
|
Frequency |
902-928 MHz
(2.4 GHz available) |
902-928 MHz
(2.4 GHz available) |
|
Radio Type |
Frequency
hopping,
direct FM |
Frequency
hopping,
direct FM |
|
Temperature Range |
-40° to +70°
C |
-40° to +70°
C |
|
Antenna Connector |
Reverse-polarity SMA |
Reverse-polarity SMA |
|
Event Log Capacity |
Approx. 1500
records |
Approx. 1500
records |
|
Authentication Acquisition
Time |
Approx. 750ms
(typical) |
Approx. 750ms
(typical) |
|
Authentication Type |
SHA-1 over
proprietary packet control |
SHA-1 over
proprietary packet control |
|
Range |
Approx. 3000
feet (typical) |
Approx. 3000
feet (typical) |
|
Number of Approaches |
4 |
n/a |
|
Inputs |
4, optically
isolated inputs |
4, optically
isolated inputs-emitter,
siren, emergency light,
input detection, and time
stamp logging |
|
Outputs |
4, open
collector outputs, optically
isolated |
1, open
collector output
acknowledgement indicator
(optional) |
|
LED Indicators |
4, data TX,
data RX, connected, sanity |
4, data TX,
data RX, connected, sanity |
|
Serial Comm. |
Configuration, (optional
cable), 9600,N,8,1 |
Configuration, (optional
cable), 9600,N,8,1 |
|
