Unlike spread spectrum, infrared cannot penetrate solid objects, and the signal does not propagate beyond a room. Additionally, infrared is immune to electromagnetic and radio frequency interference, making it unlikely that someone with common radio-based jamming equipment could interfere with the data. Infrared does not rely on scrambling or encryption. Rather, it has security features inherent to transmission. Diffuse propagation products employ a slightly different technique.
Transmitters bounce light beams off a reflective surface and onto PCs and peripherals.
Diffused infrared signals bounce off all passive surfaces, including walls, ceilings, and floors. The whole room reflects the signal, eliminating the need to aim the devices. A diffused propagation device is slightly more susceptible to breeches, since a partially concealed sensor can pick up a signal bouncing off a common wall or ceiling. For intruders to bust into one of these networks, they would have to install a base unit and adjust all the sensors on each device to point to each other. Because of these requirements, security breaches would be more than obvious to anyone in the room during actual data transfer.