How we improved reliability for Mosquito’s anti-loitering device without changing what made it effective
Documented test methodology: To reproduce issues and verify fixes.
This is the sort of problem we relish: keep the product’s purpose intact, fix what fails, and do it in a way that strengthens reliability without creating new complexities. Our approach combined rigorous bench testing with pragmatic redesign, tight component selection and an eye for long-term serviceability. We worked with Mosquito to ensure every change aligned with commercial realities – availability, cost, ease of retrofit – so improvements translated into better outcomes in the field, not just better results in the lab.
If you have a proven product that’s being held back by reliability issues – electronics, acoustics or a tight interaction between the two – we can help diagnose, redesign and validate without derailing your roadmap. Get in touch to discuss a recovery or refinement path that keeps what works and fixes what doesn’t.
Mosquito’s device is a distinctive public-safety solution: it emits a high-frequency tone that most people under ~25 can hear and find unpleasant, encouraging groups to disperse and reducing vandalism and confrontation. Despite the product’s effectiveness in principle, the team faced recurring issues in the control PCB and speakers that undermined performance, increased returns and added service burden. The brief to TAD was clear: identify the root causes, strengthen the electronics and acoustic chain, and deliver improvements that slot into the existing design without altering what customers see or how they use the device.
We began with structured stress-testing of the existing units to reproduce failures and separate symptoms from causes. This surfaced two primary issues: electrical instability on the control PCB under extended duty cycles, and speaker components that were not optimally matched for continuous high-frequency operation. With clear data in hand, we moved to corrective design.
We re-engineered the PCB to improve long-term electrical robustness – tightening component tolerances where they mattered, refining the power and signal stages for the ultrasonic driver, and improving thermal and layout considerations that affect reliability over time. The goal was simple: reduce failure modes without increasing cost or complexity.
For the speaker chain, we sourced and specified components with proven performance at ~17 kHz, focusing on consistency across the audible “youth” band and resilience under strained use. Matching the transducer characteristics to the drive electronics reduced distortion and fatigue, improving clarity and longevity without increasing size or altering the enclosure.
Crucially, all improvements were designed as form-and-function compatible replacements. Installers and end users saw no change in the product’s purpose or operation, while field reliability and service intervals improved immediately.
The Mosquito device had to preserve its proven behavioural effect while addressing persistent reliability issues. Control PCBs were failing under continuous duty, and speakers were degrading when driven at ~17 kHz for extended periods, leading to inconsistent performance and elevated warranty returns. The fix needed to be technically robust yet commercially pragmatic: drop-in compatible with existing form factors, maintain acoustic output characteristics, stabilise the electronics under long-term use, and reduce service interventions without changing how the product is installed or operated.
The upgraded Mosquito now delivers the same behavioural outcome – deterrence through targeted high-frequency sound – with fewer technical interruptions. Field failures decreased, warranty claims dropped, and confidence in the product rose among site operators and public-realm clients. Because the fixes were implemented as drop-in updates, deployment teams didn’t need retraining and existing installation procedures remained intact. The net effect is a small set of technical corrections with a large commercial impact: more uptime, less maintenance, and a device that lives up to its intended role.
Beyond headline improvements, the redesign provides a sturdier engineering foundation for future variants. The control electronics have cleaner margins, the acoustic components are correctly matched to the operating band, and the documentation now reflects the realities of continuous dute – making future procurement and manufacture more predictable.