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LAPD warns residents after spike in burglaries using Wi-Fi jammers that disable security cameras, smart doorbells (www.tomshardware.com)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

213 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The Los Angeles Police Department has warned residents to be wary of thieves using technology to break into homes undetected. High-tech burglars have apparently knocked out their victims' wireless cameras and alarms in the Los Angeles Wilshire-area neighborhoods before getting away with swag bags full of valuables. An LAPD social media post highlights the Wi-Fi jammer-supported burglaries and provides a helpful checklist of precautions residents can take.

Criminals can easily find the hardware for Wi-Fi jamming online. It can also be cheap, with prices starting from $40. However, jammers are illegal to use in the U.S.

We have previously reported on Wi-Fi jammer-assisted burglaries in Edina, Minnesota. Criminals deployed Wi-Fi jammer(s) to ensure homeowners weren't alerted of intrusions and that incriminating video evidence wasn't available to investigators.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Me being cheap pays off; wifi cameras are expensive as fuck so I just have wired ones that don't do anything on the Internet.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Its also to help police with investigations. POE cameras and doorbells won't have this specific weakness, they'll probably still get in and steal all your valuables, but if they think thier wifi jammer is working you might get some footage thats useful for the cops...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Then the burglars will just upgrade to a device that sends an EMP to disable everything. If it’s worth it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Wouldn't that destroy all the expensive electronics they're trying to steal?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Maybe they’re after GOLD

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Sorry I forget people have other types of expensive stuff too. I'm usually only worried about protecting my Lucky Charms.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

My go to method for stealing people's stuff is actually a neutron bomb. It keeps the property intact and all you gotta do is wait for a few months for the big gamma emitting neutron activated materials to cool off.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Hope they forget to put a fadaray cage around their cells.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

But then if they do realise you've got POE devices I guess they could use a laser to overheat the external cameras I guess, or nock out your power if you don't have them on a UPS...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I highly doubt they'll go through that much effort. If they do notice you have POE devices, they'll probably just go to your neighbor's house. And that's the whole point of this type of security, be just a bit more secure than the next person.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My August lock wifi goes down like 4 times a week. I feel so safe.

Wish it had an Ethernet option, not sure how that would work on a door though lol

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

Wish it had an Ethernet option, not sure how that would work on a door though

You'd just run a cable to the door from the hinge side, preferably inside the door through the hinge so it's not visible on the door itself. This is a very common solution for electronic locks in office buildings for example.

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