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 borne in mind, however, that the unit usually has the desired effect - moving the crowds 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.

Although the unit is simple to fit, 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 require a professional alarm / security engineer to determine. In all cases, we strongly suggest that you contact one of our approved installers on our Mosquito Approved Installers page. If you can not find a company local to you please contact the Cooper Security Marketing Department on 0870 7575 400 and they will find a local installer for you.

Mosquito has been dsigned 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 await further input trigger.

The Mosquito has been designed to run at 5dB-A above background noise levels. This is done by using the onboard VOX system that measures the ambient noise and adjusts the Mosquito's sound output accordingly. To give you some idea how loud 5dB-A is the leaves rustling on a tree in a medium wind is between 5 - 10 dB-A, so it is not very loud at all.

The unit is housed in a die cast alloy and steel vandal proof casing and is therefore very strong. Cooper Security recommend that the unit is mounted at least 3 meters above ground level to reduce the risk of vandalism . For added security, Cooper Security provide a security cage to cover the unit.

The effective range of the Mosquito is between 15 and 20 metres. The closer one gets to the unit the more effective it is.

It takes 10 - 15 minutes for the presence of the sound to become annoying, even on teenagers. genuine teenage customers who will only be within range for seonds whilst on their way in and out of the shop 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 through solid objects, it is unlikely that there will be any adverse effect on neighbours. 

Cooper Security Ltd. have had several enquiries from various market sectors asking if there is any likelihood of detrimental effects from the use of the Mosquito to users of hearing aids.

As with all other questions we have been asked since launching the Mosquito, we have taken this question very seriously and have made a point of researching the area and speaking with various manufacturers of digital hearing devices also. The following findings will be added to in the near future, however, this should be sufficient to allay any qualms you or your customers may have in this area. The primary function of most contemporary hearing aids is to enhance speech signals. As speech does not extend above 8 kHz, neither does the frequency response of hearing aids to any significant degree.

Below is a typical frequency response from a market leading model hearing aid. The response starts to fall at about 6 kHz.

The Mosquito operates at 17.8 KHz which is more than double the frequency. In short, there will be no amplification of the sound output of the Mosquito by contemporary digital hearing aids.

The Mosquito has been tested on animals and the results have shown that although animals do hear the sounds emitted by the Mosquito they are not bothered by the sound nor does it have any adverse effect upon their hearing.

Cooper Security have obtained legal advice and this can be found Here.

There is also this supporting article from www.thisisgwent.co.uk

AN ANTI-YOB device switched off due to fears it breached the human rights of young people is back in action.

The Mosquito device at the Spar store in Caerleon Road, Newport, made national headlines after we revealed Newport Community Safety Partnership stopped its use until health and safety and human rights issues were resolved.

But this week the device, which was initially trialled by the community safety partnership and was switched off by them, was reactivated by Spar as a private business.

Paul Howells, sales controller of Capper & Co Ltd, a wholesale company which supplies Spar stores in South Wales, said: "We have reactivated the Mosquito at the Spar on Caerleon Road.

"It is perfectly harmless to all and sundry and the facts speak for themselves. Police were having 64 call-outs a month, and since the Mosquito was installed that has dropped by 84 per cent."

He said the device has benefits for staff and customers alike, and dismissed the safety partnership's fears as "nonsense".

"It doesn't affect anybody who just walks in. You have to loiter there for a while for it to have an effect.

"The device is only activated for 15 minutes of every hour," he said.

This week we also revealed how another Spar store in Cardiff Road also bought a Mosquito - something the private business was perfectly entitled to do.

Mr Howells said Capper only have the devices at the two Spar stores in Gwent, but vowed to purchase more for stores if necessary.

"Safety of our staff and customers is our priority and we will use it wherever we have a problem."

A spokesman for Newport Community Safety Partnership said their views do not stop private companies purchasing the Mosquito, providing they comply with the law.

St Julians councillor Veronica Watkins said she would like to have seen a legal opinion on the issues raised before the device was reactivated. But, she added: "I can see both sides of the argument.

"It did have a positive effect in that it moved troublemakers on, but it also upset quite a lot of young people who were not behaving that way. They felt they were being tarred with the same brush."

Author -
Publication thisisgwent
Date 16 April 2006
Link www.thisisgwent.co.uk

Mosquito is essentially a sounder unit that emits a very high frequency modulated tone that is completely harmless even with long term use. The unit has been tested by NPL to ensure it complies with all relevant legislation

The longer someone is exposed to the sound, the more annoying it becomes. Field trials have shown that teenagers are acutely aware of the Mosquito and usually move away from the area within just a couple of minutes. The field trials also suggest that after several uses, the groups of children / teenagers tend not to loiter in the areas covered by the Mosquito, even when it is not turned on.

To the best of our knowledge and belief no medical evidence exists that an individual's exposure to the sound emitted by the Mosquito is likely to cause actual physical harm. The Device has been tested by the National Physical Laboratory which has stated that the volume of the Device is not enough to damage hearing.