Wi-Fi cameras are everywhere these days, with wireless networking making surveillance systems easier to deploy than ever. [CiferTech] has been recently developing the RF Clown—a tool that can block transmissions from these cameras at some range.
The build is based around an ESP32, with three tactile switches and an OLED display for the user interface. The microcontroller is hooked up to a trio of GT—24 Mini radio modules, which feed a bank of antennas on top of the device. Depending on the mode the device is set to, it will command these modules to jam Bluetooth, BLE, or Wi-Fi traffic in the area with relatively crude transmissions.
The use of multiple radio modules isn’t particularly sophisticated—it just makes it easier to put out more signal on more bands at the same time, flooding the zone and making it less likely legitimate transmissions will get through. Specifically, [CiferTech] demonstrates the use case of taking out a Wi-Fi camera—with the device switched on, the video feed freezes because packets from the camera simply stop making it through.
It’s perhaps impolite to interfere with the operation of somebody else’s cameras, so keep that in mind before you pursue a project like this one. Files are on GitHub for the curious. Video after the break.
This project represents a significant effort by a demonstrably talented person to produce a nice piece of hardware and software. Given its apparent schadenfreude nature, what exactly is the use-case… I mean besides criminal or jackassery?
I do NOT believe in censorship, but there is nothing wrong with an editorial staff stopping to consider whether or not something should actually be promoted on their web site. Thus question 2: How does featuring this project benefit the HAD community… or anyone else?
My questions are sincere.
I suppose it’s inevitable that for every person who applies fire to cook his food, there will be another who’s vision is to burn down the neighbor’s house.
I guess this is why we can’t have nice things.
‘Rome wasn’t burnt in a day!’
Just run cat6 poe and this device is useless on your stuff..which you should anyway.
Exactly, wired is the way to go
found the Fed
Ikr… bahaha
There is always those Karen’s out there lol.
And there’s always a Captain Obvious!
Let’s be fair here, this project does not have the ability to operate beyond a handful of meters from the transmitter and is only able to broadcast in the 2.4ghz range. Anyone with an SDR transmitter can do way more damage than this POC project.
It’s kind of crazy to me that people are freaking out over this… Besides the fact it’s entirely impractical and commerical devices are already sold on the market to do this.. the website is HACK a day, this is what it’s made for. Hacking can be multiple things, hacking a cameras feed to obstruct its intended use, is definitely one of those things and this could be used in a legitimate red team exercise as niche as it is. Those freaking out about this device are no different than those who freak out about the flipper zero.
Cool project, way smarter than I am, I wonder what would happen if intended targets had the ability to switch to a 5 or even 6 ghz network, even if the signal was weaker ( higher rssi).
We have to adjust and sad to say live on the defence in a almost one sided battle.
Thanks for sharing.
I like that lol
While I agree mostly with your assertion. It’s also showing the vulnerability, which can help you make changes to your system to prevent this hack.
police accountability.
Good to use when staying in a hotel so hidden cams cant see you
100% reason to own one, unknown recordings in hotels if range isn’t great. Can we get a way to adjust the power of the antenna power so we can lower it from its max to dial in the range to only affect our room?
Your comment comes from an assumption that everyone has an inalienable right to record what other people are doing. What about an individuals right to not have their personal image copied, duplicated, replicated, or otherwise stolen? Sure, I consent to being recorded when I walk in to a building but I am not consenting to be recorded when walking down the street or going to the park. A device like this ensures my right to privacy is protected
You are incorrect. Your right to privacy does not apply to public spaces outdoors, or buildings open to the public. You have privacy inside your own home, and in sleeping or toileting areas of public buildings.
Only because those laws were written when the biggest threat to your privacy was a paparazzi chasing you around with a film camera.
The laws were written when it was POSSIBLE to be a private person on private property.
Those laws were written before your neighbor had a 4k doorbell camera that happens to see into the living room across the street.
Those laws were written before a trillion dollar industry existed to track your every move, ‘impression’, and activity so the data could be scrutinized to manipulate*cough sorry ‘market’ things to you.
Just because it isn’t illegal to take a photo of someone in public doesn’t suddenly make it okay to record them with every possible EM spectrum.
I didn’t suddenly lose my right to not be photographed naked when someone invented a way to take photos through clothes.
I put clothes on. That shows my intent to avoid naked photos.
We need laws that actually cover the world we live in. It is not the 1950s any more.
Jeez, write a book.
So we can just conjure rights out of thin air because we’re upset with … well i’m not really sure what your rant is really directed at …
They will “ban the burka” when everyone starts using it to protect their privacy.
Well said. Far too many people are ignorant of have become complacent in the face of omnipresent surveillance.
Being in public means that you can be recorded by anybody who wants to. If you have a problem with it, don’t go out in public.
Or block the camers 🤷 thus the entire point of devices like this.
Are you Amish? You have no right to anything to do with your personal image.
Unless you trademark your personal image.
Like the fancy people.
Regardless of your particular take on the subject, this is a well reasoned comment on an interesting project. I recall the varied and vitriolic comments when cameras in public were accused of violating our privacy. It was only a matter of time, and now here we are.
It’s like this a lot of being are not okay with being constantly monitored by these cameras that infringe on their privacy. I being one of those people.
You know I couldn’t have said that better myself. I appreciate your best word forward on this matter because my cameras keep getting “simple jammed” and I continue to get robbed by these people that have more money to buy things like this than I do to begin with! Thanks
Use wired cameras. That is a known security hole. They are more reliable anyway. And you put power to them anyway – so wire is there.
In the same way that it’s not illegal to video someone, it’s not illegal to block video signals. If they really need to video you they can use a phone. Seems like good content to me.
the FCC would like a word with you….ask me how I know -_-
learned that lesson many moons ago, also despite relative obscurity, they can move kinda quick jaha
Uncle Charlie can’t be bothered.
Ask me how I know.
You likely messed with emergency, aviation or military bands.
Which is a really bad idea.
Many who have never considered the field of penetration testing might have such a knee jerk reaction.
Consider if all front door key locks could be opened with a rubber washer a stick of wood and a key off of eBay… would you want this to be known by everyone or just the criminals?
Exposing common security vulnerabilities is how solution providers are forced to fix their products.
Pretending that only criminals know secrets is how as a culture we stay ignorant and taken advantage of.
Better to thank someone for exposing weak systems than complain.
Hmmm. Flock Cameras would be a good test of this tech. :)
I would just like this for when I stay In hotels. Or air. Bnb .. or when I have to stop at a bathroom I don’t exactly trust but can’t wait to get to a better one. These days it’s really easy to spy on people without them knowing. It’s nice to have the ability to have privacy when I am sleeping away from home.
Proving to fsckwits that wireless is not compatible with security ?
Having the cameras is often impolite (but legal). Jamming is illegal (but maybe not unreasonably impolite, depending on just how impolite that camera actually is…).
In most places, one is free to listen on any Band. However, broadcasting requires a collision avoidance back-off provision in almost all publicly available use-cases. This means your hardware must prove it backs off when the Band becomes saturated, and reduces signals to minimal broadcast power necessary as a courtesy to other community members. Thus, there are legitimate uses for such EMI testing projects in a lab setting.
Intentional interference or Jamming (even with a licensed individual) is generally illegal, and can incur million dollar fines and or up to 2 years in jail. There is a long tradition of people learning about radio triangulation the hard way, and SDR based 5-antenna trackers are cheap now.
One should also note, most security systems will include decoy hardware (sometimes empty plastic models) to identify vandals with secondary hidden camera systems. Additionally, we call people that don’t care about laws criminals for a reason, and stacking more laws to passivate unrelated rules-observant populations does not deter the antisocial. Rule-of-law is a different legal system from Rule-by-law locales, and the latter inevitably corrodes its own legitimacy. =)
73
VE7NTP
If you’re not concerned about legality, a pair of diagonal cutters are an even simpler device for interfering with cameras.
You’re going to cut a wifi signal? Do share!
Likely means power…but dumb.
A printed still from the camera angle in front of lens is much much better, in all ways.
Unless you want attention to your plans.
Oh… Just like that movie.. what was it? Oh yeah, every movie!!!
That doesn’t work..
Not sure what this device is doing from the write up. It jams wifi AND bt?
WiFi BGN and BT both share 2.4GHz
A thrift store microwave oven modded to run with the door open might be easier.
So this is essentially a “Jammer” for anything in the 2.4 GHz band.
Nothing to phone home about.
Proper Security systems have redundancy anyway. Wireless + Wired + enough cameras that some can fail.
Similar devices have been used here in California in a number of home invasion robberies.
I predict the answer to this will be a project that uses a laser to disable or destroy the source of the jamming.
Before earning (yah right) my amateur extra license I was a dedicated CB’er / HF bootlegger. We tend to find jammers and take them off the air by whatever means necessary. Hams on the other hand have no Testicular Fortitude to carry out such actions. US hams could learn a little about self policing from the CB’ers.
I think three 7400 NAND gates connected in a ring and a bit of wire for antenna will do this.
Coming soon to a home invasion near you. Well done, everyone thinks you’re super clever
No. Wi-fi cameras were never secure to begin with. Use wired connection. You supply power to the camera anyway, so it isn’t even extra expense.
Why people still use them – I have no idea. (And coming from a country where 2.4GHz band in cities is jam packed with access points without limiting their power or considering better channels… (shrugs… meh).
Spraypaint the lens a one second fix to jam
I prefer to use a 8 watt blue laser usually does a trick in a couple seconds
And you can also use the blue laser on the guy holding the jammer.
Why not smear petroleum jelly, thus blurring image, without destruction of property, a key necessary element when trying to prove criminal tresspass?
I saw an internet claim of someone questioned by DHS that came to subject’s home. Went to check their Ring camera only to find static and that the camera started working again after the agents left.
The subject speculates the investigators were using some type of jammer like this.
There could only be “static” if the camera was broadcasting analog video like the old tv signals. Wifi cameras send digital packets. As a jammer approached, the video would stutter and then simply stop. Your story fails the technology sniff test.
^ this, IP based cameras the link is either up or down, it doesn’t deteriorate like bad analogue TV reception
Arguably not true. Jamming leads to saturation of the available bandwidth which leads to packet loss. Depending on the streaming protocol used and how the recorder handles the lost packets you may experience what appears to be a scrambled image as parts of the image are lost in the transport stream. It doesn’t get that analog static, but it can result in a scrambled or smeared looking picture.
Illegal, and it helps people rob houses. Shame on you hackaday for publicizing this. I’ll flag this article to help get it off Google News.
I disagree;
I am glad they published it on the grounds; it is better to be informed than surprised.
Legally in this country (for now anyway) you can publish all kinds of things that people cause in crimes. This is part of free speech. If you take the initiative to build an item that can benefit you in a crime You are to blame not the guy who published the plans, or the formula.
Any criminals smart enough to think of this are already buying jammers from the usual sources, just as they buy the software & hardware required to steal your keyless entry car or unlock a stolen phone or laptop.
This thing is an interesting experiment and way over-engineered (and expensive) for what the average criminal would do, it’s also nothing difficult or novel.
But then most of them will just wear a hoodie and walk up and move or break or unplug the camera, no technology required.
The aiding and abetting from those obviously desperate to legitimize or cover criminal intent or commission.
Give me an AliEx link and I’m in.
Recently? That project been around a good while.
why the more fun gadgets are always ilegal ?:)
Not going to hit on what has already been covered, but there is an important benefit of this writeup not being touched on. Education of how cheap and easy this is to do.
If someone is relying on wifi cameras and have a real need for them to protect/recoup your property, or heaven forbid your safety, you should strongly consider wired nvr/Poe. A camera is only going to do so much, but the slim/false sense of security they give would disappear pretty quickly if you had an incident and found the footage missing.
If those are out of reach, an option with local storage (such as built in sd card) is way better.
Finally, I’ve seen plenty of wifi cameras in public places/businesses, but those are usually small mom and pop businesses. Anyone with a real budget (govt or business) is going to have wired installs for anything critical. MAYBE some wireless for secondary angles.
I’m all about the free dissemination of information and honestly glad this is out there, bc hackaday isn’t putting out things that are unknown. But who would this really impact?
– Person getting back at a creepy neighbor who puts a camera over your fence? Yep, and good. But the potential personal fallout from using it is probably greater than doing something to obstruct a camera’s view/operability.
– a criminal rolling through a mom and pop shop, stealing packages, or home invasion? Not good, but effective.
– Thinking one is going to “take on the man” (whoever the man is in one’s mind)? Probably not.
You can get rid of the spying neighbors camera with a IR Blaster faced to the camera. No need to wreck the already overpopulated 2,4Ghz frequency.
Please take this article down adap.
It doesn’t take much to interfere with WiFi, that’s why my cameras are hard wired.
I accidentally set an FPV transmitter to the same channel as my WiFi once and it completely wiped out the network.
“Video after the break” 🙄
Too bad, that most “commercial” or state owned Security Cameras use Cable.
Only Private Households have mostly Security Cameras which connects per Wireless.
Yes Poe wired cams are the best way to go it’s just such a pain in the ass to run all that ethernet so much easier to Go Wireless but let’s be honest how many people do you think in your neighborhood know how to do any of this stuff much less know anyone that does??? This is a hackerzone, for phreakz elites and hackers all else leave least you be hanged! Do we have an accord? :-)
I am sure if you search the usual Chinese sites you can find one for sale.
Besides……………………………………
I don’t see the Big Deal about publishing this article; the article on Flipper Zero is more damaging than a crappy little WiFi jammer.
Don’t think I’ve seen a HaD article condoning breaking the law before…WTH HaD?!
Flipper Zero is another example of many that have been on this site over the years.
And how the hell it breaks the law?
Plenty of stuff they’ve featured would not be technically legal in many places, or could be used for illegal purposes.
Hell, the computer I’m typing this on could be used for a hundred illegal purposes if I chose to.
The criminals are not reading HaD and already have cheaper and far more powerful jammers from the usual places anyway – years ago.
Laws are just suggestions.
Point at all the fun.
Which country’s law??
One assumes you are only focusing on the USA.
Well plenty of articles on HaD talk about projects which under USA terms would be classed as federal crimes if you were to replicate outside of the USA.
So…… you’d prefer if the internet only talked about stuff which is legal?
OFCOM would like to talk to you about your 1st amendment.
Suddenly lots of intrigants with a two part full name.
I wonder who pays this shit, think tanks or the US state Departement.
Or is it private billionaires.
Don’t let them rile you up people, and especially don’t argue as if they are making some sort of point.
Also try to avoid too much acid-reflux medication from experiencing them. It’s probably not healthy
The 2.4GHz band is overwhelmed enough without blatantly illegal jammers like this! For the sake of your loyal readers, please don’t become a promoter of antisocial tech (we don’t need another ‘2600’ magazine). What’s your next indiscretion, malware source code? You are better than this!
I am not of the Hackaday community and I am a bit ignorant of the wifi video technology. My question is how does this device know wifi video signal from normal wifi. I thought it was all IP. Is there a difference? The whole thing just seems like a low grade signal jammer that would disrupt most wifi and Bluetooth communications. Could you imagine someone plugging such a device in near your home or business and walking away. What if the police used them during raids so your home security couldn’t record what they did?
If it’s legal (and maybe if it’s not) police probably would jam.
Yeah, if it jams 2.4 GHz then it jams all wifi trying to receive it, not just security using wifi.
Hacking used to be cool and empowering.
Now, though, we have too many geezers saying things like “Oh no, don’t be antisocial. Don’t do anything illegal. Don’t be another 2600 Magazine.” Meanwhile, we live in a surveillance state where, because of the DMCA and DRM, it’s illegal to jailbreak your own devices so they serve you and don’t spy on you. We live in an age where farmers can no longer fix their own tractors.
Come on, people, get with the times. If you don’t like this hack, that’s cool, but don’t shout it down because you’re scared of it or don’t understand why it exists.
The “surveillance state” cameras are all PoE IP cameras. The ones susceptible to this are home security so you don’t have to drill holes and run cables.
Except all those people using wifi backhaul and 4g/5g for commercial and local government, and often what you might consider critical infrastructure but it neatly doesn’t have the tag line so they can get away with it.
So yeah, except for all that.
Besides….
If you want to “disable” a PoE IP camera system, find a less protected end point and introduce your own “power over ethernet” with a mains voltage level injector.
It’ll take out quite a lot of the system rather rapidly.
You also forgot to mention the ability to do donuts in your own property paddock without being in trouble
As of this year, the only smart place to set off fireworks in CA is the local park.
Donuts still fine on public roads.
“Hackers” are just rich guys who want to protect their property and play around with 3D printers. If there was an article about building a tazer-drone to stop home intruders (poor people walking too close to the lawn) I’m sure it would be lauded. The countercultural “hacker” costume quickly morphs into a police uniform if you’re inconveniencing anybody wealthy or powerful. I guess this device is dangerous because the Oceans 11 of crackheads might steal some TVs with their Wi-Fi jammer instead of just… wearing a balaclava and sunglasses or something.
Really, most Wi-Fi cameras exist to spy on delivery drivers, and that’s far more anti-social than jamming the signal.
Should do the same for cell phones, walkie talkies and radio controlled devices.
After all, if you don’t like something that’s legal, the only solution is to break the law right?
Working in education, as I do, blocking the students’ ability to use their phones in class or during tests and exams would be an excellent possibility.
You failed as a teacher.
That sounds like a great idea for a teacher to do and tell that one student who’s been getting bullied by other classmates because he can’t afford the $550 or $100 pair of jeans gets picked on but somehow gets a hold of a firearm and comes in the classroom and open fires and guess what everybody pulls out their phones they’re smart watches and try to call for help oh nothing goes through because you have a jammer on in there and you can’t dial 911 because you took a bullet right to the Head now what or at least I’ll get their test done complete right besides I’m home nearly close to my fifties if I was in school those like this I would just bring a burner phone with me so the teachers could take that or take one of the other phone so have a working device that’s on silent complete silent no vibrating or nothing it won’t get around the jammer of course but if they take the phone at least like some schools do during school lessons and something goes wrong like that you’re still able to dial out for help. I guess this will be a good idea for my old high school Bullard high School since they like to confiscate student cell phones especially if you’re dealing with bullies or a situation where dialing 911 may be needed. Why didn’t people fail to understand this criminals are going to be the main ones that will take advantage of this but I don’t believe in blocking the website for publishing this cuz at least we’re aware of it and to be honest I’m already aware criminals been using this stuff in Los Angeles to break in millionaires homes and the other Rich folks and these criminals come from all the countries that the current administration is fighting against and that’s coming from someone like me is a Democrat so no I’m not lying for anybody I don’t do that for any political side
^^^^
Don’t do tweak kids!
Tequila, Trainwreck and Tannerite is the way to party hearty.
Fun thing about jammers – they jam everything for everyone, not just the ones you want to jam.
Also, one that blocked actual celluar signals would be highly illegal in most places.
As long as you can still use your own tho, right ?
They just watch later through device onboard memory and optional expanded memory with mSD card ….
So just putting this out there, cameras do not prevent crime only aid in prosecuting and that’s only if you can figure out who’s on the camera. Sturdy doors good window locks are the main protection. And dead bolts and other door locks are only as strong as the door frame. Get a long thick Phillips screw driver drill a hole in floor under the door knob as close to door as you can. The hole should just be big enough for the shaft of the screw driver. Stick screwdriver in the hole and the handle will prevent it from going through the floor and nobody will be kicking your door in. They will have to blow off the hinges
If you’re lucky enough to live in the USA, stand your ground laws prevent crime and from it reoccurring, exceedingly well.
Damn this post got traction. What a honeypot. Lol anyway just to share that , funny enough, still don’t know exactly why but, simply turning on my desktop PC nearby kills the camera WiFi connection or at least degrades it making it virtually impossible to connect remotely. That same pc has other peculiarities. It can be brought out of standby by turning off a set of old 2.1 desktop PC speakers from the 2000’s that is connected to the same power extension and to the line out of the sound card of the PC. Meaning the power button cuts the actual 230 volt line inside the speaker so it must arc and tickle the ground plane of the motherboard with RF EMF of some sorts. The power switch pin on it has nothing connected to it, no wires no momentary switch button. The pin must work as antenna or something like that for the EMF.
Will this work on body camera systems worn by cops? (Asking for a friend )
Those record to flash don’t they? They’re not communicating wirelessly with anything.
From what I’ve seen of cops (especially in the US) the body cams are very much working in your favour, it’s when they body cams are turned off or “faulty” that the real problems arise.
Test
First off, people need to know that this is illegal, so use at your own risk of legal issues. You can use it against yourself but if used against someone else, that is illegal. Second, those that rely on WiFi for security cameras should know that its use should be avoided if at all possible. I CURRENTLY have two of my cameras on WiFi because running Ethernet is going to take a lot of work. My two WiFi cameras are using 5.8 GHz WiFi. One of those cameras is my doorbell camera, which I’m close to getting Ethernet ran to it. Soon, my doorbell camera will be replaced by a nearly identical model except a PoE version, like nearly all of my other 15 cameras. That doorbell camera is also the only camera that DOES have access to the Internet directly, the others are on an isolated network without Internet.
That’s the best way of doing it but you can also hook up the main DVR recorder to the cameras to their nap you really need to pull them up when you’re on the go that’s why I usually some people do including some businesses but they cannot interfere or jam the cameras as long as you have proper security on your Wi-Fi never that should keep 99% of the junk out of it
So…. your laziness is why you’re relying on poor security practises for your security, even though you purport to know that it’s very stupid, and that’s why you feel that this is bad, m’kay.
Just being sure that you understand; it’s someone else’s fault.
To be fair, I may have jammed the transmission of a neighbour’s WiFi camera setup outside with an ESP deauther once I figured out what his camera WiFi was, because the cameras were cheap chinesium and absolutely flooding the 2.4GHz band with interference meaning my own WiFi would barely work on any channel. Amazingly, the neighbour thought the cameras were faulty and replaced them with better ones. Problem solved.
Interesting device, but… just don’t do it:
https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement
So yes, it’s illegal. It doesn’t matter if you’re jamming a camera that you think shouldn’t exist, the camera’s radio transmissions themselves are “authorized” in that they are legally using the radio spectrum they’re designed and licensed for. Intentionally interfering with their transmissions is a federal crime.
And notice that there’s the word “manufacture” in there; that could apply to you building one just to play with. Testing it on your own wifi? You just never know how far that signal is going to propagate or who it’s going to affect. I think it’s best to leave this alone so as not to attract “Imperial attention”.
On the flip side: I’ve actually been thinking of designing a device to do kind-of the opposite: I want something that detects severe interference with my home’s wifi and sounds an audible alarm inside the house to let me know that someone is mucking about with a jammer – perhaps while they’re on my property breaking into my car, garage, etc.
Remember, there’s no crime if you don’t get caught.
Me and my parents are Russian and in 1990s it’s been wild west there. Given that this is anonymous forum I’ll use the opportunity and admit – when I was 14 I was a part of motalka and I’ve murdered a kid who was year younger than me. Fortunately in 2005 my parents saw the writing on the wall (that is Putin) and we immigrated to UK.
This is why Wireless Security Camera’s don’t exist.