Vehicle bug sweeping equipment Harpoon-Auto — GSM and GPS tracker locator.
Vehicle bug sweeping is a technically complex procedure that requires multiple specialized detection methodologies.
Harpoon-Auto is a specialized hardware–software system designed specifically to detect hidden covert devices with GSM modules installed in vehicles. The system is used to search for listening devices in cars and to detect GPS trackers that use cellular networks to transmit location data or audio/video information.
🔍 The Harpoon-Auto system offers a wide range of capabilities for vehicle bug sweeping, including:
📶 Detection of all GSM trackers and beacons operating in standby mode
The system intercepts signals from any GSM devices installed in your vehicle and records attempts to register on the network, as well as SMS messages and voice calls.
🧩 Device identification
All unique device identifiers are determined. This makes it possible to accurately distinguish even identical models or to differentiate unknown devices from legitimate GSM modules already installed in your vehicle. For example, a satellite alarm system or app-based remote start. The system clearly determines “friendly vs. foreign” devices. If the relevant data is available, the manufacturer of a tracker can be identified even before its physical location is found.
🕵️ Analysis of tracker or listening device activity
The system determines where SMS messages are sent and which phone numbers are called. It links a tracker or listening device to its controlling phone number.
📁 Full session logging
All device activity is recorded. Including network registration, transmission attempts, voice calls, and control commands.
🎯 Active direction-finding mode
Devices can be forcibly switched into data transmission mode. The system can keep a device in this mode for as long as necessary under controlled conditions.
🔧 Contactless control of tracker operating algorithms
If a controlling phone number is detected, we can attempt to change the tracker’s operating mode. For example, we can configure it to transmit location data every 10 seconds instead of once per hour. If the tracker normally powers down its SIM module between transmissions, then after the next activation and receipt of new configuration commands, locating the tracker becomes much faster and easier.
⏱️ Long-term passive monitoring
The system can operate in continuous monitoring mode for many hours or even days. This is especially effective for detecting “sleeping” trackers that activate on a schedule. Once every few hours or even every few days. Such devices are difficult to catch using traditional methods. Harpoon records even a single attempt to connect to the GSM network and saves it for later analysis.
Taken together, all these capabilities make Harpoon-Auto a system with no full-featured analogs on the market for vehicle bug sweeping. It is used exclusively by our company, as it is a product entirely developed in-house.
Key advantages of the Harpoon-Auto system for vehicle bug sweeping.
Maximum effectiveness in detecting listening devices in vehicles. This is because, unlike trackers, listening devices almost always operate in standby mode. A bug is ready to receive a call and “leak” information about you at any time of day or night. That is the very purpose of a listening device—to allow an attacker to obtain information at any moment. Human life is dynamic, and everyone wants information “in real time,” not days later. Our system detects such devices quickly and accurately by using forced transmitter activation. After that, the search for listening devices continues using the Hunter Pro field strength indicator.
Maximum effectiveness in detecting “typical” trackers. Typical trackers are those that transmit data at relatively short intervals. For example, once every 10–15 minutes—or with longer intervals but without turning off the cellular module. It is important that the attacker has the ability to remotely reconfigure the tracker quickly and receives feedback from it. If power saving is not a concern and the tracker is connected to the vehicle’s electrical system, feedback is always present, and the tracker remains in standby mode, ready to receive commands. Our system localizes such devices with confidence.
Additionally, we maintain our own proprietary tracker database. It includes detailed information about the operating algorithms of specific manufacturers, GSM module activation behavior, and other characteristics. As a result, each subsequent vehicle inspection benefits from all previously accumulated experience.
Why is this system necessary for detecting hidden listening devices and covert GPS trackers in vehicles?
Other inspection methods cannot provide effective or meaningful results due to the very nature of a vehicle. A car is a multi-layered metal structure filled with wiring, microchips, and legitimate transmitters. This makes it impossible to fully rely on nonlinear junction detectors when checking a vehicle for trackers. Yes, some areas may be partially inspected—such as the underside of the vehicle—but the underbody can be checked without a nonlinear detector using visual inspection, mirrors, or endoscopes, often more reliably. Metal blocks nonlinear detectors.
In theory, “more tools can’t hurt,” but in this case they do not provide any truly significant results. A vehicle is far more than just its underbody, and many areas are completely inaccessible to nonlinear detection. Searching for listening devices in a vehicle requires equipment specifically designed for this task.
Another complication is that the activation and operating algorithm of a tracker or listening device is unknown in advance. A tracker may remain in standby mode for days, waiting for a request from the attacker. If we knew the activation algorithm beforehand, electromagnetic field indicators would be very helpful. These devices detect interference from an active GSM module and signal its presence. Unfortunately, we are not psychics and cannot know this in advance.
You could sit with a field strength indicator for 10 hours and detect nothing. What difference does it make if the tracker transmits once every 11 hours? Or only on demand? You could press the indicator directly against the tracker, and it would show nothing if the device is in standby mode. In standby, cellular modules do not transmit; they only receive. In that case, no electromagnetic field is generated.
Whenever you see a “specialist” inspecting a vehicle using only a nonlinear junction detector or a simple field strength indicator, you should understand that the inspection is either incompetent or intentionally misleading.
Another issue is the unknown installation location.
If you are scanning inside the cabin while the tracker is mounted underneath the rear of the vehicle, there is a high chance you will miss the signal due to multiple layers of metal and electronics. There is also the problem of very short, impulsive transmissions—less than one second long—which are easy to miss. This is especially frustrating if the tracker transmits once every few hours. You might calculate the interval, wait for hours, and still miss the next transmission window. In the end, such a search will yield no results.
Using field strength indicators is effective only for localizing a constantly active signal during vehicle bug sweeping.
With some luck, an indicator may tell you that a GSM module is present in the vehicle—but not where it is. With even more luck, if the tracker transmits continuously every few seconds, you may be able to locate it. But that kind of luck is rare, and only if you have a professional-grade indicator and know how to use it.
And here we come to another critical issue: your vehicle may already contain other GSM modules.
In that case, you might as well turn the indicator off. It cannot distinguish one module from another. If your car has a Pandora alarm with feedback, a remote start system, a satellite alarm, or an OEM telematics module (as in BMW or Mercedes), this method simply will not work.
What options remain?
Disassembly is another method for detecting listening devices in a vehicle.
Disassembly is another method for detecting listening devices in a vehicle. It can be effective—but only where the vehicle is actually taken apart, and not everyone is willing to disassemble their car. The human factor plays a huge role. We strive to maximize efficiency and minimize the risk of error, which is why an additional layer of inspection is necessary.
Using the Harpoon-Auto system is the cornerstone method for detecting listening devices in vehicles.
It delivers highly significant results in a short time. Based on our experience, about 90% of trackers operate in standby mode with an active cellular module so that an attacker can request location data at any moment, not just once a day.
Such trackers and listening devices are detected by our system confidently, efficiently, quickly, and accurately.
For the remaining 10%, full disassembly is required. This is especially relevant for leased vehicles, where trackers may transmit data once every 3–4 days. For a leasing company (unlike a spouse), it does not matter where you are at 4 a.m. on a Saturday. What matters is being able to locate the vehicle in case of theft. A “once every three days” mode is more than sufficient for that purpose.
Our GPS tracker detection system is capable of reliably identifying such covert devices as well. However, this requires extended monitoring of the vehicle over several days. Yes, this process takes time, but it delivers dependable and verifiable results.
There are “quick and easy” solutions on the market—but those usually belong to scammers. Our approach is different: the system is time-intensive when necessary, yet it provides honest, trustworthy outcomes that can be relied upon in real-world security assessments.
Effective counter-surveillance requires time, controlled conditions, and proper methodology. Our system delivers results that are technically sound and genuinely trustworthy.
How is the system used?
The system is used exclusively to detect listening devices and trackers in vehicles. Vehicle bug sweeping inspections are carried out strictly in enclosed, shielded facilities. It cannot be used “in your driveway” or in an office parking lot. Achieving high-quality results requires properly prepared and controlled conditions for operating the monitoring system. We assist in setting up the appropriate environment and provide expert guidance throughout the entire process, including all technical and operational nuances.
The longer the system is used, the higher its effectiveness. A vehicle inspection may take as little as 2 hours or as long as 22 hours—it’s up to you. The longer you can leave the vehicle with us, the better the result.
The Harpoon-Auto system is intended exclusively for technical audits and diagnostics in controlled environments. It operates in a fully isolated setup, is not connected to real cellular networks, does not access the internet, and does not interfere with mobile operators. All actions are performed within internal monitoring parameters, using appropriate frequency ranges, at reduced power levels, in prepared facilities, and strictly for the purposes of information and technical security.
If you are interested in acquiring our system, please contact us via Telegram or WhatsApp. Please refer to the Contacts section for other contact details.
We can supply the complete solution, including shielding materials and all components required for proper operation. We also provide training for your security personnel and support them through the entire process until consistent, reliable results are achieved.
System delivery and configuration can also be performed remotely, without our physical presence. Hardware components can be shipped to your country, while software setup, configuration, and ongoing technical support are provided remotely.
GSM interceptors may be subject to legal restrictions or outright prohibition in your jurisdiction, and their acquisition or use may be limited exclusively to authorized government or law-enforcement agencies. As a result, attempting to obtain such equipment locally can be extremely difficult or impossible.
In this context, cooperation with us can serve as a reliable and practical alternative. We possess the necessary expertise, infrastructure, and compliant operational frameworks to address these challenges effectively.
If you only need a one-time inspection of a vehicle for GPS trackers and listening devices, without purchasing the full system, we can also provide this service.