Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras • Hacker News Board

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#41

Post by superuser2 » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 5:50 PM UTC

andersonmvd wrote: post #4

One easier way to detect (without jamming afterwards), for iOS at least, is to install the "Fing" app, connect to the wifi and scan the network. Then you will know the connected devices and their names. Chances are that cameras will have easy to recognize names on them. EDIT: you'll get the MAC address too, so you can compare if they match camera companies.

I've got to hand it to Fing, they've convinced people to pay through the nose for something we used to do for free.

Nmap. You want nmap.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#42

Post by awqrre » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 5:53 PM UTC

banku_brougham wrote: post #8

awqrre wrote: post #5

To disable all cameras that only save data to the "cloud", like dropcam and many others, you can also just temporarily disconnect the cable or phone wire on the outside of the house.

I like this because presumably it is not illegal to do so.

Whether you like it or not, it appears that everything that helps privacy will soon become illegal.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#43

Post by omnibrain » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:02 PM UTC

superuser2 wrote: post #41

andersonmvd wrote: post #4

One easier way to detect (without jamming afterwards), for iOS at least, is to install the "Fing" app, connect to the wifi and scan the network. Then you will know the connected devices and their names. Chances are that cameras will have easy to recognize names on them. EDIT: you'll get the MAC address too, so you can compare if they match camera companies.

I've got to hand it to Fing, they've convinced people to pay through the nose for something we used to do for free. Nmap. You want nmap.

Fing is free. You only have to pay for their "enterprise cloud" offering. There is no nmap for the iPhone.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#44

Post by icebraining » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:03 PM UTC

scurvy wrote: post #39

hannob wrote: post #33

Beside the legal issues I fear that this is a risk in a way that it could create a false sense of security. I.e. non-technical people thinking "this will make sure I'm not filmed" while this isn't the case. There can be cameras not affected by the script, cameras with cables, cameras with their own storage etc. pp. Of course everyone here will say "that's obvious", but I'm not sure this is obvious for everyone.

Ironic that you're going to worry about legal issues while renting an illegal hotel room. Considering AirBnB is all about pushing boundaries and outright disregard for the law, the use of this script seems completely apropos.

You know, there is life beyond your own city. Hotels aren't granted a monopoly over short-term rentals everywhere.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#45

Post by omnibrain » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:04 PM UTC

greggman wrote: post #24

andersonmvd wrote: post #4

One easier way to detect (without jamming afterwards), for iOS at least, is to install the "Fing" app, connect to the wifi and scan the network. Then you will know the connected devices and their names. Chances are that cameras will have easy to recognize names on them. EDIT: you'll get the MAC address too, so you can compare if they match camera companies.

Fing scares me. I know theoretically any app I install could be scanning my network but Fing actually says it is scanning my network. On the Fing page it says: "Fing does not collect nor sends any detail about your environment, your accounts or your network to anybody. And that's guaranteed!" Yet on the Fingbox page it says: "By installing Fing on a desktop workstation and logging into your account, you can perform o…

They are two seperate parts of the product. You can run Fing stand alone or you can subrscribe to and use the Fingbox cloud.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#46

Post by icebraining » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:06 PM UTC

izacus wrote: post #34

lectrick wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US is a fucked up place because they want to make sure a babysitter doesn't shake their baby to death or a housecleaner doesn't break or pocket something without admitting it? Hyperbole much?

Hrmf, and your sentence isn't a hyperbole? I mean, if we extend your logic, we should monitor everyone at all times because someone might just accidentally do something to hurt your child right? You never know why an extremely rare event like you mentioned could happen.

Everyone is usually being monitored when around children of strangers; we just usually do so with human eyes instead of cameras. Babysitting is an exception, but why should it be?

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#47

Post by jonknee » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:10 PM UTC

pavel_lishin wrote: post #23

ck2 wrote: post #2

Except a $10 spare smartphone can be turned into a wifi camera very easily. So it only works if they are using one of those two off the shelf cameras.

Are there any guides to doing this? We're about to have a baby, and don't want to drop a few hundred bucks on a baby video monitor system - I'd rather just ziptie a phone to the shelf above the crib.

There are a lot of apps that do this.

http://www.igeeksblog.com/iphone-apps-to-use-iphone-as-webca...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam...

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#48

Post by yareally » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:12 PM UTC

coob wrote: post #37

hannob wrote: post #33

Beside the legal issues I fear that this is a risk in a way that it could create a false sense of security. I.e. non-technical people thinking "this will make sure I'm not filmed" while this isn't the case. There can be cameras not affected by the script, cameras with cables, cameras with their own storage etc. pp. Of course everyone here will say "that's obvious", but I'm not sure this is obvious for everyone.

Non technical people are going to run shell scripts?

It's more likely someone will naively create a gui wrapper app that does it for them.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#49

Post by scurvy » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:15 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #44

scurvy wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironic that you're going to worry about legal issues while renting an illegal hotel room. Considering AirBnB is all about pushing boundaries and outright disregard for the law, the use of this script seems completely apropos.

You know, there is life beyond your own city. Hotels aren't granted a monopoly over short-term rentals everywhere.

Indeed, but it's the illegal rentals which have made AirBnB successful and led to its giant valuation. There were legal rental sites before AirBnB, but none rose to such heights. AirBnB got rich by flaunting the laws on most of their listings.

Re: Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras

#50

Post by bkjelden » Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 6:24 PM UTC

Say someone is renting out a room on AirBNB, and they also have some dropcams monitoring the perimeter of their house.

Someone rents the room, and runs this script, disabling the cameras.

During the stay, the property is burglarized, and there is no surveillance footage of the crime because the renter disabled the cameras.

That seems like an incredibly messy legal situation. Would the renter even be able to exonerate themselves? They disabled the cameras, it almost feels like they inadvertently framed themselves for a crime they didn't commit.