Image: Wyze
A Wi-Fi-connected security camera is an easy and technologically simple way to watch your home and give yourself a little peace of mind… or maybe you just like knowing the moment your Amazon packages arrive. Honestly, it’s mostly the second thing.
But while Wi-Fi security cameras are meant to equip homeowners and apartment dwellers with burglar-deterring measures, thieves are now using tech to even the playing field.
According to a tweet sent out by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire division earlier this year (spotted by Tom’s Hardware), a small band of burglars is using Wi-Fi jamming devices to nullify wireless security cameras before breaking and entering.
The thieves seem to be well above the level of your typical smash-and-grab job. They have lookout teams, they enter through the second story, and they go for small, high-value items like jewelry and designer purses.
Wireless signal jammers are illegal in the United States. Wireless bands are tightly regulated and the FCC doesn’t allow any consumer device to intentionally disrupt radio waves from other devices. Similar laws are in place in most other countries.
But signal jammers are electronically simple and relatively easy to build or buy from less-than-scrupulous sources.
The police are suggesting the usual precautions: don’t tell anyone you’re going on vacation, look out for suspicious vehicles, etc. But they’re also suggesting that homeowners use old-fashioned, wired sets of security cameras that require more elaborate installations and extra hardware.
I think that’s overkill, especially if this group of thieves is specifically targeting people who are away from their homes. The point of the Wi-Fi jammer seems to be knocking out active surveillance, which can alert police within a few seconds of spotting a break-in. And if they’re smart enough to use Wi-Fi jammers, they’re smart enough to use alternate means of avoiding detection—like cutting power to the entire house, thus nullifying the advantages of a wired camera system.
The police also suggest adding a padlock to your electrical circuit box, but that’s not going to stop someone with $30 bolt cutters.
My point being that if someone wants to break into your home while you’re away, there’s not a lot you can do to stop them. But if you want extra peace of mind without the expense of a full wired camera system, get a camera with built-in storage and a battery, like Eufy’s solar-powered SoloCam series. As long as it isn’t within reach and easily accessible, it should provide you with a visual record of any break-in.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he’s the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop “battlestation” in his off hours. Michael’s previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he’s covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he’s always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.
