Does the Mosquito meet noise standards?
Noise ordinances in the United States or Canada are enacted at the local level, either city or county/province. The Mosquito MK4 meets all known noise ordinances in the United States and Canada.
How safe is the Mosquito?
The Mosquito has been tested by various US, Canada, United Kingdom and European Union government agencies, environmental groups and human rights groups and has been found to be completely safe - there is no risk of long-term hearing damage from The Mosquito.
How loud is the Mosquito?
The Mosquito MK4 has been designed to run at 5 dB above background noise levels. This is done by using an on-board AGC system that measures the ambient noise and adjusts the sound output level accordingly.
A comparison of the noise emitted by the three Mosquito models with common everyday sounds is as follows:
- Near total silence - 0 dB
- A whisper - 15 dB
- Normal conversation - 60 dB
- Mosquito Mark 4 Standard - 85 dB
- A lawnmower - 90 dB
- Mosquito MK 4 Maximum Volume (M-100) - 100 dB
- A car horn - 110 dB
- A rock concert or a jet engine - 120 dB
- A gunshot or firecracker - 140 dB
How quickly does it work?
The longer someone is exposed to the sound and the closer they are to the source, the more annoying it becomes. Field trials have shown that teenagers are usually acutely aware of the Mosquito and usually move away from the area within 5-10 minutes. The field trials also suggest that after several uses, groups of anti-social youth tend not to loiter in the areas covered by the Mosquito - even when it is not turned on.
What is the Mosquito?
The Mosquito is an electronic device that provides a simple, safe and benign way to disperse crowds of anti-social youth. Originally, the Mosquito was designed to annoy anti-social youth, such as gang members, between the ages of approximately 13 - 25, depending on their hearing, while leaving adults, children and animals totally unaffected. When Mark 4 (MKIV), which is the latest version of the Mosquito alarm, was introduced, the device then offered two settings: one for youth and one settings that everyone, including anti-social adults, can hear.
Mosquito Group carries both Mosquito MK4 (with settings for youth and all-age) and Mini Mosquito, which only offers one settings for youth.
How does the Mosquito system work?
The Mosquito is essentially a sound device that emits a very high frequency modulated one (17.5-18.5 kHz) that is completely harmless even with long term use.
By dispersing youth from storefront locations, wouldn't youth be pushed to congregate in unsafe locations?
The purpose of the Mosquito is to discourage youth from congregating in unsafe locations, not just around shops. If the Mosquito is installed in an area that would be unsafe for youth to congregate in, they will not stay there. However, if there are no Mosquito devices in unsafe areas, then youth may gather there because they may not realize those areas are unsafe, or due to peer pressure, or because they may be under the influences of alcohol or other substances. However, by installing the Mosquito in unsafe areas, youth are discouraged from gathering there and are kept safe.
What are the main reasons for using the Mosquito?
The main uses of the Mosquito are to accomplish one or all of the following:
- Reduce the occurrence and costs of vandalism
- Reduce the occurrence and costs of graffiti
- Reduce the aggravation of anti-social youth loitering in areas where they do not belong
- Increase the safety of youth by warning them away from dangerous areas
Where is the Mosquito being used?
The Mosquito is currently in use at the following types of locations:
- Outside community convenience stores where anti-social youth gather and cause problems
- Industrial estates during evening hours and weekends when business are vulnerable to vandalism and graffiti
- Car parks
- Railway stations
- Railway tunnels and other dangerous areas
- School premises during evening hours, weekends and holidays
- Any other location where anti-social youth congregate and cause damage
- The Mosquito meets all known US noise standards
- Parks during hours of darkness to prevent groups of anti-social youth from using that area for alcohol and drug consumption
I am not a teenager, will the Mosquito annoy me?
Everyone can hear the Mosquito when the device is set to the all-age settings.
When the dispersing device is set to the youth-only setting, this is very unlikely and research has shown that the majority of people over the age of 25 have lost the ability to hear at this frequency range. It should be noted, however, that the unit usually has the desired effect of moving crowds of anti-social youth away within just a few minutes, at which time the unit can be turned off. So even if you are able to hear the noise to some degree, you would not have to put up with it for long.
What about dogs and small children?
Although dogs and small children have very acute hearing and are easily able to hear at this frequency, extensive testing shows that it does not appear to bother them when the Mosquito is set to the youth-only setting.
What is the range of the Mosquito?
The effective range for the Mosquito MK IV is around 50-70 feet. The closer one gets to the unit the more effective the noise becomes.
What about teenage customers and my neighbors?
It takes 2-3 minutes for the presence of the sound to become annoying, even on teenagers. Genuine teenage customers who will only be within range for seconds while going in and out of the area will not find the sound of significant consequence. As the transmission of the sound is directional and as high frequency short wavelengths do not travel effectively through solid objects, it is unlikely that there will be any adverse effect on neighbors.
How to install the Mosquito device?
Although the device is simple to install, there are several considerations such as which setting to use, the angle that it is mounted at and the position it is mounted at, that may require a professional alarm/security engineer to determine.
Installation Instructions Document 1
Installation Instructions Document 2
How robust is the device?
The device is housed in a die-cast alloy and steel vandal-proof casing and is therefore very strong. It is recommended that the device is mounted at least 10 feet above ground level to reduce the risk of vandalism. For added security, we can provide a security cage to cover the Mosquito.
How do I turn the Mosquito on and off?
The Mosquito MK IV has been designed with a range of built-in input terminals. These will allow you to connect the system to a range of triggers (input devices) such as a timer, remote control, PIR, CCTV system, etc. The Mosquito will run for 20 minutes after each activation and then shut down and wait for a further input trigger.