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Comment by Arrath | Hacker News Reader

The arms race continues. It was only a matter of time before crooks started using these kinds of devices against wireless cameras.

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When my house was constructed, I bought a book on how to defeat burglar alarms. It was very helpful in order to implement countermeasures to those attacks.

For example, one simple one was taking an axe to the phone terminal box mounted on an exterior wall. Goodbye alarms that used the phone system. I had a big fight with The Phone Company because I wanted the phone box inside. They finally made me sign a paper saying they were not responsible for it, because they didn't have access to it.

This sounds like a theoretical attack more than a real one. Mostly, houses are never broken into at all, and of the houses which are broken into, most burglars are going to avoid houses with an indication of an alarm, a dog, or someone at home.

The burglar who really wants to get into your house enough to carry an axe... I mean, really?

Have you made sure they can't disable the siren with a foam fire extinguisher? [1] :-)

[1] https://youtu.be/cchdVmuL2fk

In a home it may be 'theoretical' but in businesses with expensive and/or desirable items it is not at all. My dad owned such a business at one point and we armored and concealed the alarm lines. A fake demarc was installed and wired to trip the alarm when it was cut. And it was cut along with the power to the building. The power company lineman had no idea why the burglars avoided death as when they cut the line the bolt cutters grounded to the junction box and it started melting and welding things and would have temporarily blinded the industrious fellow doing the cutting.

They managed to only grab a small number of items before the police arrived much sooner than expected. Of course the portly constabulary were unable to chase them through the woods behind our building and they were apprehended weeks later because they were unable to maintain operational security and were talking to their friends too much.

With how much people post on the internet these days, you can case a place rather easily these days.

The comment I was addressing is talking about a home, not a business.

You're acting like some homes don't have tens to hundreds of thousands of crap in them, especially when you get into the higher income brackets, many of which would frequent a site such as HN.

If you can disable the alarm system with one swing of an axe, why not?

Because you'd have to carry an axe, and be a smart enough burglar to even think to do,this, when you can just pick a home without an alarm?

Just on NBC News tonight, there was a report of a burglar using a blowtorch to defeat the alarm system.

Homes with alarms probably have more valuable stuff in them or are in more secluded areas. If it has an alarm, there's probably a reason why.

Ah, maybe the reason my home has never been broken into is because I’m the one neighbor without the alarm! They figure I must not have anything worth protecting.

Just because the alarm isn't visible doesn't mean it isn't there.

Can't they just cut the phone cable instead?

Right, but I guess they'd either have to climb a pole or figure out where it's buried to do that. In my neighborhood, they could just yank the fiber from the fiber pedestal conveniently located near the sidewalk every other house.

Traditionally the way this was solved for businesses was with a cellular or (before that) radio back up. My dad's photoshop/darkroom business in Miami in the 70s/80s had a radio connected alarm, but ultimately, a physical barrier (solid barred backdoor, a gate across the windows in front) was the best preventative. The pawn shop in the same strip mall wasn't so lucky: thieves used a sledge hammer to make a hole in the cinder block wall from behind while somehow avoiding setting off the shop's alarm.

I'm still trying to imagine a burglar carrying an axe to break into a house. I saw some crazy shit growing up in Miami and even I can't imagine that.

In the late 80s/90s it became popular to steal cars and drive them into buildings then follow up with a second car and load up as much as possible in 60 seconds then flee before the police arrived. Had to install concrete filled pipe to prevent that from occurring.

If you'd cased the joint beforehand, and figured an axe was the easiest and quickest way to disable the alarm, why not?

That's what the axe was for. One chop.

And dramatic meme :) Pliers works too.

Outdoor wiring is usually in conduit. Not so easy with pliers.

Axe offers the advantages of analog and one loud noise, but is noticeable. Cordless angle grinders and oscillating multitools are portable and can handle a variety of steel obstacles, from locks to conduit. But they are loud and take a few seconds to cut through obstacles.

Hi it's Vince with Slap Chop

At the end of the day even with cameras and security systems, burglars generally get away. Celebrities get robbed—there's no hope for you and your $30 wifi camera to prevent a burglary or stop one in the act. If you want security, insure your possessions and bury your great grandmothers precious heirloom jewelry out in the yard.

The action of fixing one thing and creating one or more problems with it.

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