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We at SafeNow never advocate for property damage, but we’re showing you how someone might break your camera to explain to you how you can protect it. Well, be going over how to destroy a security camera for educational and practical purposes.
Were going to show you popular methods like cutting the connecting cables and disabling the camera through an IR flashlight below.
Cut the Connecting Cable
Wireless cameras are more prevalent nowadays, but if there is a wired one you can easily disable it. You can cut the connecting cable and disable the security camera. Usually, you can find these cables running along the top of the house or underneath it, it’s easy to climb up and cut them but the issue becomes not entering their field of view while doing this. When you have successfully cut the cable, sparks are produced, signifying that the operation has been successful. This is a temporary measure since when you change the power cable the camera will work again.
Cut the Wifi Connection (If Wireless Cameras)
If a camera is wireless you have an opportunity to disable the wifi at this point the camera will not be able to successfully send footage to the DVR or recording device.
To cut the wifi of a security camera you can look for the specific router for the building and disable the router. Or if any of the security systems is run by phone you can find a way to cut the landlines which will achieve the same effect of disabling recording.
Cut the Power
Many cameras may have a separate power source however in most cases they use the same power source as the building especially if the building owner is on the cheaper side.
Cutting power to this type of building will effectively render the security cameras useless and allow you to access the building without issue however it will not actually destroy the camera since when power is turned back on the camera will work again.
Magnets
Many different magnets have the ability to disable a camera especially if you purchase an earth magnet that has a magnetic pull many times stronger than your traditional magnets. An earth magnet can disrupt and jam the signal temporarily but you cant actually destroy a camera with this method it’s more of a disabling. (1)
IR Flashlight
An infrared, laser or LED beam can blind a camera that may be using night vision when it’s dark.
Disable the camera by shinning a strong led at it.
- After locating the camera, shine your flashlight to disable it. If you have done this correctly, the camera will be unable to record you due to its lens being blinded and showing up as white or another color.
- The lens flare will only be temporary so you either need a second person to consistently be pointing it at the camera or rest the flashlight on some surface at an angle where it consistently is blinding the camera.
Cover the Lens in Tape
Lenses can be rendered inoperable by sticking tape across them. It’s important to know that the person doing this can be caught while walking up to the camera, so you should take measures to cover yourself before reaching it.
Though you cover the camera and disable it the camera will not indicate that anything is wrong, and it will appear to be operational and because of this the camera owner will not receive any disabling alerts unless the camera has motion sensors.
Use a Paint Gun to Block the Lens
For situations where you want to block the visibility of one or multiple cameras for a short period, consider using a paint gun—it’s the perfect solution because you don’t have to walk up to the camera to disable it so there will be no recording of you available.
Try shooting the lens to obscure its recording. You should note that paintball paint is not very viscous and will drip off slowly so your time during and after you shoot it in regards to time disabled may vary. Spray paint may be a more durable option but you need to get closer and risk being seen while your approaching.
Throw Stones at the Camera
Security cameras are designed to be durable. They can withstand elements such as snow and thunderstorms. (2)
It’s usually pretty difficult to break a security camera. The lens is often protected by a cover made from tough materials such as plastic or glass. Even if you hit the lens with a stone, it may not cause any major damage.
If one were to throw stones, they would have to be large and durable enough to either knock the camera down or crack the lens so that recording is suppressed. Keep in mind that damaging property is highly illegal so anyone that is not following this article as prevention should be wary of legal risks.
Cover the Camera with Plastic Bag
For this step, just grab a plastic bag and a zip tie or tape. A regular-sized garbage bag will do fine.
Make sure as your approaching the camera to put the bag over it your privacy is protected through a mask or other means.
Once you get close enough either use the terrain around you to reach the camera or bring a small step ladder that is portable. Upon reaching the camera put the bag over the camera and use the zip ties to fix the bag in place so it does not fall off.
Drop a Stone or Concrete Block
This method is usable if the camera is on a lower floor area or there is an easily accessible overpass above it.
Climb up to the overpass and whenever you’re sure you’re ready, drop the large heavy objects or concrete block on the camera. Eventually, you’ll see it crash to the ground and a few sparks will fly. Take precautions to ensure the safety of those below. If you successfully use this method, however, you will be able to avoid the security camera.
Bonus Methods
- If the camera is powered by direct current, you can use the power socket/plug to feed reverse-polarity voltage into it; although most cameras are protected from that, like when they have a diode.
- Install window blinds to block cameras For privacy, during the day, open the blinds or curtains to let light in. This will let people know you’re at home and can deter burglary. In contrast, when the lights are on people can see inside. At night, blinds or curtains should be shut to prevent peeping toms from seeing what’s going on inside while still letting natural light in.
- Changing the view angle of the camera Security cameras with bullet-style lenses work best for this method. They can rotate quickly and change your view, helping you stay safe.
References
(1) magnet – https://www.britannica.com/science/magnet
(2) thunderstorms – https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/thunderstorms/
