Jamming a wireless security camera (Ring)?
Discussion
I have an external Ring Cam that works at 2.4GHz frequency with my home wifi network - connected to my property using a Netgear Extender (property is set back around 20 metres from the entrance gate where the camera is located).
This morning at 4.50am, I was watching a live stream Ring app - albeit falling in and out of sleep - and noticed that my external floodlight was on (this is separate and not part of the Ring system). Now, the floodlight only comes on if someone approaches the gate from the main street - this is set back around 2.5 metres from the street so you would have to come right up to the gate to trigger the floodlight and it usually stays lit for around 4 seconds. I was intrigued what/who could have set this off. So I went back and watched the recorded footage and noticed a chap with a bowling bag walking by. However the footage froze for 10 seconds as the chap enters field-of-view (see pic below). Because of this, I cannot see him approaching the gate and neither can I see the floodlight coming on or even switching off in those 10 seconds in the recording. However I did see the light was on and saw it going off in the original live stream. I have never had any issues with footage freezing previously either live or recorded. Also the Ring proximity alert did not trigger and alert me on my phone!! The signal strength from the wifi extender is OK(ish) - has an RSSI of 68 (moderate wifi interference).
Got me thinking. Could this chap have potentially used a frequency jammer to scramble the wireless signal? Has anyone has experienced something similar? Would there be a reason why I could see the floodlight on in the live stream when I woke up but going back to the recording, footage appears frozen for those crucial 10 seconds? I appreciate a lot of this is based circumstantial evidence - however I have had TWO similar incidents in the past - both where I have actually seen a person attempt to open the gate at a similar time (~5.30am) (yes, reported to police). Both these times, I had no security camera installed.
Still from the camera at the moment recording froze for 10 seconds:
This morning at 4.50am, I was watching a live stream Ring app - albeit falling in and out of sleep - and noticed that my external floodlight was on (this is separate and not part of the Ring system). Now, the floodlight only comes on if someone approaches the gate from the main street - this is set back around 2.5 metres from the street so you would have to come right up to the gate to trigger the floodlight and it usually stays lit for around 4 seconds. I was intrigued what/who could have set this off. So I went back and watched the recorded footage and noticed a chap with a bowling bag walking by. However the footage froze for 10 seconds as the chap enters field-of-view (see pic below). Because of this, I cannot see him approaching the gate and neither can I see the floodlight coming on or even switching off in those 10 seconds in the recording. However I did see the light was on and saw it going off in the original live stream. I have never had any issues with footage freezing previously either live or recorded. Also the Ring proximity alert did not trigger and alert me on my phone!! The signal strength from the wifi extender is OK(ish) - has an RSSI of 68 (moderate wifi interference).
Got me thinking. Could this chap have potentially used a frequency jammer to scramble the wireless signal? Has anyone has experienced something similar? Would there be a reason why I could see the floodlight on in the live stream when I woke up but going back to the recording, footage appears frozen for those crucial 10 seconds? I appreciate a lot of this is based circumstantial evidence - however I have had TWO similar incidents in the past - both where I have actually seen a person attempt to open the gate at a similar time (~5.30am) (yes, reported to police). Both these times, I had no security camera installed.
Still from the camera at the moment recording froze for 10 seconds:
Porcelain Ponderer said:
On stolen West Midlands on Facebook a few weeks ago a chap had his Mercedes stolen and the thieves used some sort of jammer on his ring doorbell camera so it got no footage.
Interesting. Tried searching for this but couldn't find anything. It is becoming more common on keyless high-end cars but not really heard about it on wireless security cameras, although the same principal works I guess. C.A.R. said:
Is that frame cropped / zoomed in?
Quality seems pretty awful for a fairly new product!
Yes cropped and zoomed in (for a reason).Quality seems pretty awful for a fairly new product!
andyxxx said:
It seems too much of a coincidence that it would cut out for 10 seconds just as the chap walks past the gate, but surely if he had been up to no good and jammed the signal, he would have done something criminal during that time?
It could well just be coincidence. However, I did see via the live stream the floodlght had come on and go off. This is only tripped if someone is close proximity to the front gate - he could have just tried to see if the gate was left unlocked well within those 10 seconds etc. As mentioned above also, I have witnessed two separate incidents previously where people have tried to gain entry by trying to open the gate very early in the morning. Anyway - guess it is a monitoring game - see if it happens again etc. Not going to obsess over it - just wanted to know if wireless jamming with wifi enabled cameras was becoming more common. May move to a wired solution if so (not that is bulletproof either but probably harder to disable).
Seems a bit strange to sit and watch a live stream from your front doorbell at 4.50am but anyway...If you could see the security light come on via the live stream could you not see bowling boy live as well? Or did both the live stream and the recorded footage freeze at the moment he appeared?
R8Steve said:
Seems a bit strange to sit and watch a live stream from your front doorbell at 4.50am but anyway...If you could see the security light come on via the live stream could you not see bowling boy live as well? Or did both the live stream and the recorded footage freeze at the moment he appeared?
The live stream showed floodlight had come on and go off. This is only tripped if someone is close proximity to the front gate - he could have had the jammer on as he approaches the property, camera freezes, he then tries to see if the gate was left unlocked well within those 10 seconds etc. Once he is back outside the field-of-view, he will be out of the line of sight of the camera, jammer stops blocking the signal. Live feed then shows floodlight on, followed by quickly switching off. Recorded footage simply shows the still above for 10 seconds.As mentioned above, this is all very circumstantial and I guess it is a case of monitoring on an ad hoc basis. Not going to obsess over it.
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