July 7 – iGEEKPHONE
A man in Shanghai (China) has been sentenced to three years in prison and fined 10,000 yuan (about $1,400) for selling illegal garage gate hacking devices capable of remotely opening residential barriers and disabling surveillance cameras.
According to authorities, the defendant, identified only by his surname Song, purchased an electronic gate-opening module online for personal use. After installing the device in his residential community in Baoshan District (China), Shanghai (China), he discovered it allowed him to open and close the garage entrance simply by pressing a remote-control button.
Realizing its commercial potential, Song began ordering customized modules from multiple online suppliers for just a few dozen yuan each. He then resold the devices on a second-hand online marketplace for 200 to 300 yuan apiece.
Customers only needed to send him a photo of their community’s entrance gate. Song would identify the gate model, configure a compatible device, ship it, and provide detailed installation instructions along with remote technical support.
More Than 200 Illegal Devices Sold Nationwide
According to Judge Fan Nanan of the Criminal Division of the Baoshan District People’s Court (China), Song sold more than 200 illegal gate-control modules to over 180 buyers across China between June 2024 and October 2025, generating nearly 30,000 yuan in illegal profits.
Devices Could Disable Security Cameras
Investigators found that the devices offered far more than unauthorized gate access.
In addition to remotely opening garage barriers, the modified modules could disable surveillance cameras by cutting off their power supply, preventing security systems from recording vehicle entry and exit.
Authorities noted that legitimate gate-control systems do not include any function to interrupt surveillance cameras. Standard systems record every vehicle entering or leaving the property, while Song’s modified devices were intentionally designed to evade security monitoring, making their illegal purpose unmistakable.
How the Devices Worked
From a technical standpoint, the illegal devices functioned by copying or cracking the wireless signals used by garage gate remote controls.
Most residential gate systems operate on 315 MHz or 433 MHz fixed-frequency radio signals, while some employ rolling-code encryption for added security.
By intercepting and duplicating these radio signals, the devices effectively created a “universal remote control” capable of opening compatible gates. Investigators believe the surveillance-disabling feature was achieved by connecting to the camera’s power circuit through the access control system, allowing the cameras to lose power whenever the barrier gate was activated.
Prosecutors Also Targeted Upstream Suppliers
The Baoshan District People’s Procuratorate, China charged Song with providing tools for illegally controlling computer information systems, citing the large number of devices sold and the profits generated.
During the investigation, authorities also identified two upstream suppliers, surnamed Shen and Wang, who allegedly manufactured and sold similar illegal gate-hacking devices. Both have since been prosecuted as part of the same case.