Sorry for being that guy but if possible you should always refrain from using Wifi for applications in production, safety and security. Too many known and unknown vectors to its reliability.
But yea, I get it. Most people don’t know the details and on the overall market most affordable devices and services for security systems are some semi-“smart” products which are simple to set up. The extra work and cost that come with professional equipment aren’t really appreciated, eapecially by those who don’t know any better.
This is exactly why the old fashioned Analog installations cost more to begin with: They’re very secure and more difficult to disable.
Of course, the number 1 method to avoid robbery is to simply make yourself an unappealing target: no FB/Instagram stories, door that looks more solid than it is, padlocks, signage warning of dogs/firearms (even if you don’t have either). Keep your equipment, cars, or boats inside or covered. Etc. Even just a floodlight that detects motion at night and makes a beep beep sound can scare off most kids and crackheads. If you live in an apartment, put some broken furniture on your patio and people will think you’re poor.
It seems like Wifi Cams and the little signs/stickers they come with are exactly the opposite: “I HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE THAT YOU WANT BUT HAVEN’T SECURED IT PROPERLY.”
Same principle applies; if you have a sign up warning people that you’re armed, that means that there are free guns inside, as long as they wait until you’re away or asleep.
It’s like, don’t put the empty box for the $5000 television set out with your trash, put it out with someone else’s trash, so that people don’t know you just bought a brand new expensive piece of electronics.
That’s an interesting take, and I think I might agree with you.
Solid-looking boring lock, everything looking like it would last decades, looks like someone who sorted the security confidently.
Plastic looking wifi cameras everywhere have a “curtain twitchy granny” vibe.
I think the most primary thing of all is that, most people don’t have the means to run Ethernet cables to places that typical cameras are installed (doorbells and garage floodlights)
It’s a catch 22 though. Ok one hand, every single person in my neighborhood has multiple cameras on their property now and even when I lived in an apartment complex, everyone had a camera at their doorbell, but they all are usually ring or some other subscription based, phone home type.
Do WiFi cameras present a new attack vector, yea for sure.
Is having a WiFi camera that could be disabled better than not having a camera at all (what was the reality 5 years ago), hard to say.
While it may not be strictly true, this is not difficult to imagine. Doorbell cams are ubiquitous, alarm companies push more and more each year, spotlight cams, solar cams, and other cams are cheap and have been at time “the new hotness”.
More importantly, the widespread use of motion detection even means you can monitor and respond to events.
Networked cameras used for security should have local storage to buffer when the network isn’t available, regardless of if you’re using wired or wireless.
Sorry for being that guy but if possible you should always refrain from using Wifi for applications in production, safety and security. Too many known and unknown vectors to its reliability.
But yea, I get it. Most people don’t know the details and on the overall market most affordable devices and services for security systems are some semi-“smart” products which are simple to set up. The extra work and cost that come with professional equipment aren’t really appreciated, eapecially by those who don’t know any better.
This is exactly why the old fashioned Analog installations cost more to begin with: They’re very secure and more difficult to disable.
Of course, the number 1 method to avoid robbery is to simply make yourself an unappealing target: no FB/Instagram stories, door that looks more solid than it is, padlocks, signage warning of dogs/firearms (even if you don’t have either). Keep your equipment, cars, or boats inside or covered. Etc. Even just a floodlight that detects motion at night and makes a beep beep sound can scare off most kids and crackheads. If you live in an apartment, put some broken furniture on your patio and people will think you’re poor.
It seems like Wifi Cams and the little signs/stickers they come with are exactly the opposite: “I HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE THAT YOU WANT BUT HAVEN’T SECURED IT PROPERLY.”
DO NOT put gun signs/stickers up. It’s an ongoing joke that a Glock sticker on a truck means “free gun inside”.
I thought it was a discussion about homes. Ya’ll are putting wifi cameras in your cars?
Same principle applies; if you have a sign up warning people that you’re armed, that means that there are free guns inside, as long as they wait until you’re away or asleep.
It’s like, don’t put the empty box for the $5000 television set out with your trash, put it out with someone else’s trash, so that people don’t know you just bought a brand new expensive piece of electronics.
That’s an interesting take, and I think I might agree with you.
Solid-looking boring lock, everything looking like it would last decades, looks like someone who sorted the security confidently.
Plastic looking wifi cameras everywhere have a “curtain twitchy granny” vibe.
I think the most primary thing of all is that, most people don’t have the means to run Ethernet cables to places that typical cameras are installed (doorbells and garage floodlights)
It’s a catch 22 though. Ok one hand, every single person in my neighborhood has multiple cameras on their property now and even when I lived in an apartment complex, everyone had a camera at their doorbell, but they all are usually ring or some other subscription based, phone home type.
Do WiFi cameras present a new attack vector, yea for sure. Is having a WiFi camera that could be disabled better than not having a camera at all (what was the reality 5 years ago), hard to say.
Every single person in your neighbourhood has multiple cameras?! Where do you live?
While it may not be strictly true, this is not difficult to imagine. Doorbell cams are ubiquitous, alarm companies push more and more each year, spotlight cams, solar cams, and other cams are cheap and have been at time “the new hotness”.
More importantly, the widespread use of motion detection even means you can monitor and respond to events.
My neighbor posted a video on FB of someone running by and trying the door on their car. I could see my house and my cameras in the video.
Networked cameras used for security should have local storage to buffer when the network isn’t available, regardless of if you’re using wired or wireless.