How to trick GLONASS. Part one - porting trackers

A lot of good and bad can be said about the widespread adoption of GLONASS. In general, the idea is excellent: the world has long been using satellite technology for logistic purposes and to reduce fixed costs for the maintenance of transport. In Russia, everything is turned upside down: the connection of the fleet to GPS / GLONASS monitoring systems is initiated from above and is sometimes planted where there can be no special sense from it.

In cases where the implementation of GLONASS monitoring is absolutely justified, the process is hindered by company employees - especially drivers. Everything is used: from open sabotage and vandalism to the law on the inviolability of personal life. In specialized forums (for example, here ), operators and integrators of monitoring systems share with each other new ways of mocking innocent GLONASS terminals. Here I thought and decided to combine everything I read and heard in private conversations into one article: it will be useful for pests to know what their tricks have been for a long time known to employers, and employers, on the contrary, will find out what they will face.

The most common type of sabotage is manipulation of the antenna and the body of the GLONASS tracker. Someone without thinking twice simply cuts off the antenna, someone carefully pierces it with a needle, someone wraps foil around the entire block or its individual parts, someone - as in the picture below - puts a hefty piece of iron or a magnet on the controller. The most hardworking and inventive drivers make a special box of lead or other metal that completely closes the terminal. All these actions have a common goal - to make it impossible to receive a signal from satellites.

And, of course, it would have been achieved if not for one “but”: the equipment installers have long learned how to protect devices from such tricks. Some GLONASS monitoring system operators initially recommend equipment with integrated antennas - i.e. those for which damage you need to disassemble the terminal. Well, then it’s a matter of technology: the devices are installed in places that are difficult to access for drivers, the parts that must be removed to access the antenna are sealed, and special stickers are attached to the unit itself. In addition, satellite monitoring softwareit is configured in such a way that when the controller diagnoses an open or shorted antenna, it automatically sends the corresponding alarm message to the system. This, of course, will not save from vandalism, but it will not be a coincidence that the tracker “fell out of the zone”. And delicately hint at the name of the person, whom should be fined for the cost of spoiled iron.

For the same purpose - to cut off the GLONASS receiver from the navigation network - drivers try to damage the power system: they pull out fuses, cut wires, change the polarity of the power supply and even tear the unfortunate device with a stun gun. To begin with, almost all controller models are equipped with a backup power system: i.e. for some time after wrecking, the terminal will work. This time is enough for him to send an alarm message to the system that some bad person has shambled and disabled the controller - and the message recipients will again know who to cut their salaries. Well, and, of course, if possible, the device is sealed from all sides, so that it would not be inconsistent.

Example of damaged equipment: a track is charred due to exposure to the power circuit:

But all that I talked about above is about tech-savvy drivers who are familiar with the mechanism of operation of GLONASS equipment . There are those who prefer not to delve into the intricacies - but simply to disable the hated box that prevents them from driving official vehicles with impunity for unofficial matters. Such people break the terminal entirely (to be sure), fill it with water, causing a short circuit, - in general, they are perverted as they can. The control over them is also its name - the anti-vandal case, such a strong box, which is not so easy to damage.

To protect a specific device from a specific person is, in principle, a simple task. Worse, when employees of different departments conclude a tacit agreement among themselves - and sabotage the work of a friendly company. For example, drivers can all complain about equipment malfunction and inaccurate readings, dispatchers can keep silent about “left” flights, and mechanics can delay and complicate the process of installing devices on vehicles. There is only one antidote - a manager who cares about the results of the system. As practice shows, state-owned organizations, where there is no owner and a flexible bonus system, will not be helped by any paid or free satellite monitoring system - at least GLONASS, even GPS.

Of course, this text is unlikely to draw on the practical guide “How to deceive GLONASS and still not lose your job”, it is difficult to combine all the achievements of creative drivers in one material. So if I forgot about something - write in the comments, I think it will turn out interesting and informative.

In the meantime, I’ll prepare the next series - about how fuel sensors cheat. There the task is actually more difficult than with satellite terminals. But this is a completely different story.