Going digital is a big step forward for a radio system. It can improve audio, give users more features and open the door to capabilities that simply weren’t available with older analog equipment.
But there’s one thing digital doesn’t automatically give you: privacy.
That’s an important distinction, especially for organizations using radios to talk about security issues, incidents, facility operations or other information they don’t necessarily want everyone hearing. If keeping those conversations private matters, that’s where two-way radio encryption comes into the picture.
Does Digital Radio Mean Your Conversations Are Private?
No, and this is probably the easiest place to get confused.
When a radio system moves from analog to digital, the way the voice is transmitted changes. That brings some real advantages, but it doesn’t automatically mean nobody else can listen.
Think of digital and encryption as two separate pieces of the system. Digital deals with how the information is transmitted. Encryption deals with who can understand it.
If the digital radio traffic isn’t encrypted, compatible equipment may still be able to receive it.
That’s the big misconception: buying digital radios doesn’t automatically make your radio traffic private. Encryption has to be supported, configured and managed as part of the system.
So, How Does Two-Way Radio Encryption Work?
You don’t need to get too deep into the technical side to understand what encryption is doing.
When an encrypted radio transmits, it protects the voice information before sending it over the air. A radio on the other end needs the correct encryption information to turn that transmission back into understandable audio.
Without the right key, you don’t get the conversation.
There are different types and levels of radio encryption, and what’s available depends on the equipment and system being used. That’s why encryption isn’t usually something you want to add without first looking at the entire radio fleet.
What Does AES-256 Mean on a Two-Way Radio?
AES-256 comes up pretty quickly when you start looking at secure radio communications.
AES stands for Advanced Encryption Standard, and the “256” refers to the size of the encryption key. It’s a widely used encryption standard and is available on certain professional radio platforms.
That doesn’t mean every business needs to go looking for AES-256 radios tomorrow.
A warehouse using radios to coordinate dock doors and forklift traffic has a much different security concern than a law enforcement agency communicating sensitive information. The level of security should fit what is actually being said over the radio.
Who Actually Needs Encrypted Two-Way Radios?
Public safety is the obvious answer, but it’s not the only one.
Law enforcement and other public safety users may have good reason to keep certain radio traffic from being openly heard. The same idea can apply outside of public safety, just in different ways.
Take a school, for example. Routine communication between staff may not need encryption. But administrators or security personnel could be talking about an incident, a student situation or building access. That’s a different conversation.
A hospital may have similar concerns with security and internal operations. Utilities may be talking about infrastructure or field activity. A manufacturing plant might use radios for security, facility access or situations happening inside the building that don’t need to be heard outside of it.
There’s no reason to encrypt something just for the sake of encrypting it. The better question is pretty simple: what are your people talking about over the radio?
If the answer regularly includes information you wouldn’t want an unauthorized person hearing, it’s worth having the conversation.
Can Someone With a Scanner Hear an Encrypted Radio?
This is usually what people really want to know when they ask about encryption.
Properly encrypted voice traffic isn’t something a person can simply tune into and listen to like a normal unencrypted radio conversation. A device may be able to detect activity depending on the system, but understanding the encrypted voice traffic requires the proper encryption information.
And no, that doesn’t mean every channel on a radio system suddenly needs to be encrypted.
There are plenty of situations where routine radio traffic can stay exactly as it is. An organization may only want additional protection on certain channels or talkgroups where more sensitive conversations take place.
Where Encryption Can Get Complicated
This is the part that sometimes gets overlooked.
Say two departments can already talk to each other without an issue. If encryption is added without planning for both sides, that communication can become a problem. Both sides need compatible equipment and the proper configuration to communicate securely.
For a company operating entirely on its own radio system, that may be fairly straightforward. For an organization that routinely talks with other departments, facilities or outside agencies, there is more to think about.
Public safety is a good example. An agency might want certain internal traffic encrypted while still needing to communicate with neighboring departments during mutual aid. Security is important, but so is making sure the people who need to talk to each other still can.
Encryption isn’t just an on/off switch. It needs to make sense with the radios you already have, the people using them and anyone outside your organization you need to communicate with.
Do You Have to Replace Your Radios to Add Encryption?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Some professional radios already have encryption capabilities or can support additional encryption options depending on the model and configuration. Other equipment won’t support what you’re trying to do.
That’s why replacing an entire fleet shouldn’t necessarily be the first move.
Start by figuring out what’s already in service. What models are you using? What do they support? Which users actually need encrypted communication? Do those users need to talk with anybody outside your system?
Once you know that, you can figure out whether the existing equipment can stay, whether programming changes are enough or whether some radios need to be upgraded.
Encryption Doesn’t Fix Every Security Problem
There’s one more piece that’s easy to forget: the radios themselves.
You can have encrypted traffic and still create a security problem if a radio is lost, stolen or leaves with someone who should no longer have access to it.
Programming, encryption keys, system access and how radios are reassigned all matter. In other words, encryption is one part of securing a radio system, not the entire plan.
For most organizations, the goal isn’t to build the most complicated radio system possible. It’s to protect the communications that need protecting without making the system harder for everyone to use.
Is Radio Encryption Worth Looking Into?
If your radios are mostly used for basic day-to-day coordination, your current setup may already be doing exactly what you need it to do.
But if employees regularly talk about security issues, sensitive operations, incidents or other information that shouldn’t be easily heard outside the organization, it’s worth taking a closer look at how those conversations are being transmitted.
And if you’re already using digital radios, don’t assume that means those conversations are encrypted.
J&K Communications works with public safety agencies, schools, healthcare facilities, manufacturers, utilities and businesses to design, program, service and support professional radio systems. We can look at the equipment you’re already using, determine what it supports and help you decide whether encryption makes sense for your operation.
Have Questions About Your Current Radio System?
Talk with the J&K Communications team about your equipment, encryption options and what makes sense for the way your organization communicates.
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