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Letter to the editor

Much has been said by various manufacturers about the radically different Multitek receiver produced by Bartronics. Claims such as it is not a true code-hopping receiver or that it is not up to the SAIDSA Bylaw 25 spec.

These articles quite rightly stated that the 66-bit signal consists of a 34-bit fixed number and an encrypted portion of 32-bits. Also quite correct was the statement that this produces over 4 billion possible combinations from the encrypted portion alone. Many other facts were stated and all were true.

The Multitek receiver is in fact a full code-hopping receiver using the full application programme as given by MicroChip. This is the same application note as used by all the other code-hoping receiver manufacturers on the market at present. Where the Multitek differs is during the development stage, when it was at first just a standard code-hopping-only receiver. As time went by, extra features were added such as fixed code receiving ability. The last feature that was added was to allow non-Bartronics code-hopping remotes to work on the receiver. In this case, as the processor does not detect our remote controls being used, it only takes the 34-bit fixed number and uses this as the identifier for that remote control.

Only if a Bartronics code-hopping remote control is used then the processor sees it as such and therefore uses the full 66 bits in decoding the signal. Therefore, the Multitek receiver is secure and up to the SAIDSA Bylaw 25 standard.

There are many occasions where high security is not needed but where the spare buttons of a remote control could be used to activate a garden light or garage doors or a swimming pool pump etc. This is where the Multitek really comes into play. It is able to receive different signals from spare buttons on the various remote controls and use them to operate non-important functions. The long range obtainable from the Multitek receivers is also useful in such applications.

The multidecoding ability of the Multitek receiver is the future technology of receivers and will no doubt be copied by other manufacturers in time to come.

Harry Bartelink

Bartronic Security Systems

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