TomTom receives scrambled signals?

[yuppicide]

So, awhile ago I bought a TomTom at Wally World. I forget the model, but it's a 4.3" screen and they had an online special for $69.99. In store it was priced $99.99, but they matched the price for me. It's been working great.. this isn't my first TomTom. This is just your basic model.

So, I'm in New Jersey. Friday I'm taking my Girlfriend out to a concert for her birthday and I'm taking two major highways that can pretty much take you anywhere in the state. NJ Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.

As I get on the Parkway and get to the toll booth to take a ticket, part of my TomTom screen goes crazy. I was hoping it wasn't dying because it's not that old. As I drove through the toll booth, I realized what it must be.

We have a system called EZ-Pass.. you can get a tag on your car and drive through without taking a ticket.. it automatically deducts the toll amount out of your account. As you drive through it also takes a picture of your license plate.

Since the scrambled portion of my TomTom screen was square I assume I must be receiving an encrypted picture.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'm thinking if that is indeed what I saw, hackers could probably do something with it.

 

[canderson]

If anything, the EMI from the EZPass transponder itself was disrupting something on the main board. When pinged at the toll area, your transponder turns into a transmitter, and it is possible that it's bothering the TomTom.

While rare, cross-interference between EZPass and GPS devices has been reported for a few years now. If they occupy adjacent space, try separating them next time you go through to see if that helps.


As to what you saw ... In no case could your TomTom possibly have demodulated any nearby camera signal and displayed it, even scrambled. I do not think any of the toll cameras on the GSP are wireless in any case.