Cellbusters vs Bastille Compare Costs Review

Context

Which product suits your needs best depends a lot on how you weight the following key criteria:

Tolerance for False Positives: In the course of a day, can you accept zero, one to five, or more than 20 false positives per day (alarms) from devices which might be outside the building or area of concern?
Tolerance for False Negatives: What is the cost of an undetected phone/device entering the facilities? If some unauthorized devices get in, how much damage can be done?
Requirement to integrate with other components of your security infrastructure: E.g. Do you need to receive an “approved/allowed” device list from another system, or send alerts to a SIEM (Splunk, Sentinel etc), or alert via a physical security management system (Lenel OnGuard, Genetec, etc.) Some systems are built for integration, the simplest systems are freestanding but don’t integrate.
Range of Devices you need to detect: Do you need to detect only cell phones, or also WiFi, Bluetooth, BlueTooth Low Energy, IoT protocols (ZigBee, ZWave etc)?
Required accuracy of device location: Do you need to identify individual devices within 1-3 meters to avoid false positives and permit devices to be located and removed?
Requirement to detect devices for only accidental or also malicious actors: Do you have a need to monitor for Insider Threat and/or malicious actors? Or do you only need to remind employees that they left a device in their purse or briefcase?
Do you require the system to locate the device which triggered the alert? One system locates within 1-3 meters, the other locates only to the nearest room.

Product Name	Bastille	Cellbusters
Accurately locates individual cell phones and shows their location as a dot on a floor plan map to facilitate their exclusion or removal and to avoid false positives	✓
Detect power in the Cellular band	✓	✓
Distinguishes between one cell phone nearby and ten cell phones in the parking lot	✓
Supports authorized device lists	✓
Supports authorized personal/medical electronic devices	✓
Detects & accurately locates individual Bluetooth & BLE devices and shows location on a floor plan map	✓
Detects power in the Bluetooth & BLE bands	✓	✓
Detects/Locates Bluetooth & BLE devices after they “Pair”	✓
Distinguishes between one and ten BT/BLE devices	✓
Detects & accurately locates individual WiFi devices/networks and show location on a floor plan map	✓
Detect power in the WiFi band	✓	✓
Distinguishes between one and ten WiFi devices	✓
Detects/Locates 802.15.4 IoT devices	✓
Scans spectrum from 100 Mhz to 6 Ghz to detect and locate all other wireless emitters/devices/networks	✓
Uses Software Defined Radio (SDR) so sensors can be remotely upgraded for new protocols to "Future-proof" the solution	✓
Central/remote monitoring for multiple floors, buildings, and/or campuses	✓
Integrates with 3rd party systems such as SIEMS (Splunk, Sentinel etc), Physical Security (Lenel OnGuard, Genetec, CCure), MDM, SOAR, Access Control, Camera and others	✓
User definable geofenced areas and alert zones	✓
DVR Recording & Playback for forensics	✓
NIAP Common Criteria certified	✓

Features

In the battle of features between Cellbusters and Bastille, it's essential to understand what sets them apart.

The Cellbusters Zone Protector is renowned for its ease of installation. Cellbusters is an uncomplicated system which tells you when an RF signal in an area exceeds a particular threshold. Alarms can occur by a generated voice, by flashing lights, or by a relay to an external alarm. Because CellBusters is designed to be used as a standalone system it doesn’t take preparation or wiring. Just plug it in and go!

Cellbusters is designed as a point or presence detection system. It alarms when a signal gets too high, suggesting that there might be an unauthorized device somewhere near the device.

Cellbusters keeps a log of alert events including the frequency at which the signal was received but it doesn’t keep track of which individual device was detected. Device location is determined by which Cellbusters Zone Protector sensor was triggered and the triggering device is assumed to be near that Cellbusters.

Bastille is a fully networked system of sensors. It detects cellular signals, Bluetooth Signals, BLE signals, WiFi Signals and IoT device signals. Because Bastille uses multiple sensors working together it can provide a precise location for each device detected. This same location capability gives Bastille the ability to detect whether a signal above the threshold level comes from 1 phone inside your facility or 10 phones just outside the building. That can be valuable if avoiding “false positives” is an important criteria for your application.

Bastille creates a log of detections and locations and shows each of those detections on a floor map of your facility. Bastille also captures up to 150 different fields of data about each device. Modern transmitters emit a lot of information about themselves and their networks which can be valuable in subsequent investigations of unauthorized devices.

One challenge that Bastille overcomes which competitors can’t: Although Bluetooth and WiFi are relatively “chatty” protocols, cellular is not. Carriers have paid billions of dollars for cellular spectrum so their 4G and 5G protocols use spectrum very carefully. For example: if an iPhone is not being actively used by the user, it can often go 9.5 minutes between transmissions. That means that a live iPhone might not be detected while it is in the zone of a single sensor. Bastille overcomes this challenge by placing sensors all around the protected areas. That way, if an active iPhone makes it through the lobby without transmitting it will still get detected when it pings 9 minutes later inside the building.

Allowed (authorized devices) Lists: Many organizations want to keep out unauthorized devices, but need to allow certain devices for the operation of their business. Because Bastille keeps track of so many fields about each device, Bastille can build a fingerprint of the authorized devices and avoid alerting when authorized devices are detected.

Cost: Cellbusters Zone Protector price vs Bastille

The Cellbusters Zone Protector price is competitive, providing value for smaller spaces that require simple monitoring. Compared to the Cellbusters cost, while Bastille, is potentially a higher in cost, it offers expansive coverage, integration with other components of the security infrastructure e.g SIEMS, security management platforms (Lenel OnGuard, Genetec, etc), video camera and VMS systems, and is therefore suitable for larger organizations.

Reviews

Diving into Cellbusters reviews and Bastille's feedback from customers, both products have their champions. Users on Amazon and other platforms highlight the Zone Protector's reliability and user-friendly interface, marking it as the best cell phone detector for limited local use. Meanwhile, Bastille receives praise for its comprehensive detection capabilities and integrative approach to organizational security.

Best Cell Phone Detector

The question remains: Is there a device that can detect cell phones effectively for your specific needs? Between Cellbusters' Zone Protector and Bastille's solutions, the answer depends on your unique requirements. If you need accurate individual cell phone and device/network detection, with zero false positives, throughout your facility, including the need to detect cellular, bluetooth, BLE, Wifi, and IoT protocols, and a solution that recognizes and allows authorized personal and medical devices, and keeps a detailed audit/log trail, then likely Bastille is better for you. If ease of installation and low cost are your top priorities, Cellbusters Zone Protector is a worthy consideration.

Conclusion

Choosing between Cellbusters and Bastille comes down to understanding your cell phone detection needs. Whether you prioritize detailed monitoring with the Cellbusters Zone Manager and Zone Protector or the expansive, innovative solutions from Bastille, both offer compelling features and benefits. Consider your space, budget, and specific challenges to select the best cell phone detector for your environment.