Download the Mosquito Ringtone

The Teen Buzz Ringtone (also known as Mosquito Ringtone, Mosquitotone or Zumbitone) is a cell phone ring tone that is too high-pitched for most adults to hear. It is a constant high-frequency (14.4 khz) tone, while the sound generated by The Mosquito device is a modulated 17 khz sound, according to its inventor, Howard Stapleton.

In settings where cellphone use is forbidden - in class for example - it is perfect for signaling the arrival of a text message without being detected by an adult. Although students reportedly succeeded in using their cell phones without their teacher knowing, there are growing reports of adults who hear the tone perfectly.

The story goes back to 2005, when a British inventor named Howard Stapleton came up with a security device designed to keep teenagers from congregating outside of shops late at night. It was marketed as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17khz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected. The product, called The Mosquito, took advantage of a singularity that most adults (and kids) are not aware of: Certain high-frequency tones are apparently undetectable to the human ear after a certain age, a condition known as presbycusis.

Apparently some teens in Birmingham (the inventor's hometown) got wind of what the company was doing, and decided to appropriate it for their own use: They created a cell phone ringtone called "Teen Buzz," which has caught on like wildfire, first in the UK, and quickly emigrating to the US.

Download the Mosquito Ringtone in MP3 Format

Download the Mosquito Ringtone in WAV Format