Shocked by how thieves easily bypass surveillance cameras

When people leave home, there is always the fear of returning home and finding that their home has been broken into. Some will tell themselves that there is little chance of this happening and do not want to worry, while others want to go out with peace of mind and invest in a surveillance camera system consisting of cameras that are constantly connected via cable or wireless. This way, alerts will be sent directly to the smartphone in case of a suspicious issue or even to the authorized security agency in some cases.

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Wireless surveillance cameras are vulnerable to being disabled by Wi-Fi jammers.

Unfortunately, no system is perfect, and thieves have quickly adapted to find ways to break into homes that are monitored this way. This was evident in Los Angeles, where law enforcement discovered that burglars didn't need to resort to sophisticated hacking techniques like those seen in the movies to bypass cameras and connected alarms. All they had to do was take a small device that can be purchased easily over the Internet and activate it: a Wi-Fi jammer.

As the name suggests, a Wi-Fi jammer sends out an inaudible signal that can disrupt the signals of wirelessly connected devices by overloading the network. The result: the surveillance system (and other systems) no longer have access to the Internet and are therefore no longer useful. The thief can then break in and steal things from the house without the risk of being detected by the cameras or triggering the alarm. In France, owning a Wi-Fi jammer is illegal, with penalties of up to €30,000 in fines and six months in prison. The problem is, it can be easily purchased online.

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It is recommended to install surveillance cameras with wired connections.

To protect yourself from these devices, the first thing you should do is use a wired security system. Then, make sure that your photos are stored locally and not in the cloud. Of course, you should not let too many people know that you are leaving the house for a trip, especially for several days, except for neighbors who can check on you from time to time, block the circuit breaker entrance, block any sliding doors by placing a strong bar on the bottom rails, etc. You should also store your belongings carefully.

David Pac

Update 10 February 2025