Sorry if this is the wrong community for this question but in my mind, it's the best fit. Please close or move to a more appropriate community if it's off topic.
The other day, several home alarm companies came to look at my home to quote an alarm system. They all gave me a wireless option since the wired option they said would be super expensive.
I asked if it was possible for someone to jam the wireless sensors and break in. One representative said no but didn't elaborate why. The other said no because the communication between the sensor and the main panel is encrypted so people can't jam it.
I don't believe this is true but I don't have an EE degree. I think it's not true because I've heard on the news people have built cell phone jammers so it probably isn't hard to jam these sensors too. I think these sensors operated in the 200Mhz range (if I remember correctly), if that matters, although he said there's some encryption going on between the panel and sensor. That confuses me because the encryption is digital but the communication is analog?
Best Answer
A "denial-of-service" wireless attack is very easy. It will disrupt radio communication between sensor and panel. Hopefully, the panel is smart enough to detect that one (or more) of its sensors has failed to report-in. A non-reporting sensor should be assumed under attack. Ask your supplier what protocol is followed if your panel reports that a sensor has failed to report-in.
A much more difficult attack is a "spoof" attack, where the communication between sensor and panel is overpowered by an attacker with a valid message. An "all-OK" signal is very difficult for an attacker to generate because of encryption. Because these signals are regularly sent, it is vulnerable to a determined attacker who is willing to capture signals over a long period.