Technology

Don't use wireless for security, PoE or CCTV

The thieves are jamming WiFi systems and the comments on the article and on Lemmy seem to blame the victim for not being tech savvy. The bulk of Nest/Ring customers do so because the app is easy to use and the cameras easy to setup. By definition the victims are far less likely to be able to defend against this kind of jamming attack.

If the next step in escalation is to shut down the power to the house, will the victim be blamed for not having home batteries and solar panels?

Why not question the viability of WiFi systems in general? Has video ever been more than a deterrent to those scared of cameras? Fearless thieves who know how to deter the systems get free loot for their trouble.

Treat security like we did before 2010; improve physical security to defend instead of relying on deterrence.

While still hating this living dystopia, I do appreciate some of cyberpunk headlines we get.

That's one of the reason I went with a PoE camera. Just make sure your network is isolated so people can't connect to your internal network from the camera Ethernet cable.

POE is where it's @

If only there was a solution, I don't know, a cable resistent to jamming the ether, something we could call ether-jamming-resistant-network, in short Ethernet

I know... I am just dreaming :-P

I wish that apps notified you when your camera has been unreachable for too long, but at least that's a hint that a jammer may have been involved. Cameras won't stop them, but a the best setups would rely on wires and hidden local and cloud storage for recordings and alerts.

However, jammers are illegal to use in the U.S.

What is the point of adding this bit for an article about burglaries?

before getting away with swag bags full of valuables

So just look for the guy who looks like he's just been to four different network admin conferences?

Worked at an old job where one guy, that had access to the router settings, would disable the Blink Cameras so he could forge his time cards.

Owners ended up realizing the cameras would only be disabled when he was on shift.

That screen capture looks like the beginning of a rap video.

i know nothing; would a hardwired connection from the cameras to the router solve this?

This is one of those things I thought would always remain firmly within the realm of science fiction. Watching movies and reading books growing up, movies like "The Matrix" and books like "Snow Crash" and "Neuromancer," I'd always be fascinated with high tech burglary. The idea that one could intercept communications, jam frequencies, or anything of the like, always just seemed a bit too out of reach for modern day criminals. And yet, here we are.

Sick, where do I get those jammers?

I'm not gonna rob anyone, I just don't want cameras working nearby me.

If a burglar is using a wifi-jammers then the basic consumer is not going to be able to stop said burglar. Basic consumer security products aren't designed to do anything more than keep honest people honest. It's much harder & more expensive to prevent a determined criminal from gaining entry and would likely require rethinking housing construction from the foundation up.

In my big American metro area, the burglars usually mask up and roll in with swapped plates, a car they stole, or a car they got off a Kia boy for $100-$200. They’re tough to catch in the act or identify with video surveillance, even with a new hardwired or pre-WiFi hardwired system.

back in the day, the trick was to cut the phone line, then shove the cut wire back in the phone box. wait for the police to come and see that there's nothing wrong, then you go and burgle.

Easiest way to avoid this bullshit is to install wired cameras, and such a way that they are not easy to access/cut.

I know someones gonna come in and be all "BUHBUHBUT YOU CAN JUST DESTROY THE CAMERAS" and yeah, thats true.

but you cant destroy the camera from 3 blocks over, you have to get right up on them, and your face/vehicle/other helpful information may just well be caught and recorded before you do. Unlike wifi jamming, which could be done from streets away.