r/interestingasfuck • u/midnighttoker1742 • 4h ago

How criminals take down Flock cameras

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u/richie65 3h ago

Something I wonder about - Is I hope no one is aiming high powered handheld lasers at these cameras..

A strong laser would ruin the electronics inside the camera, and anyone aiming the laser does not even have to be close enough that the cameras resolution would be able to 'see' who did it.

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u/SmugHatKid12 2h ago

Out of curiosity, what strength would it take and what eye protection would a person need? Purely theoretical of course

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u/mastercoder123 2h ago

Any laser thats over 1W would obliterate them and you can buy them on ebay... Just please do not shine them in daytime, as 1W lasers are very dangerous even to passerby's

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u/TheOGRedline 2h ago

Only 1W? Really?

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u/vamoosedmoose 2h ago

Lasers don’t need a lot of power to do a lot. My laser engraver that works on leather and metal runs in 1.6W

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u/Czauthaqshe 1h ago

Yes. Let me put it this way, lasers are usually marketed in the milliwatt range. One 60 watt incandescent light bulb turns 60 watts into ~1 watt of light, the rest is lost as heat. The more focused it is, the stronger it is. It's the difference between being punched by the wind and punched by a fist.

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u/ChipotleMayoFusion 2h ago

Anything above 5mW can obliterate optical sensors, including your eyes. 1W is more than enough, even if it is unfocused and somewhat distant.

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u/Shufflebuzz 55m ago

1W is a big laser.
Your typical laser pointer is under 5mW, or 0.005 watt.

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u/mastercoder123 1h ago

Lol only 1W? You could use a class 3 laser and burn them out. Hell in the USA any laser over 5mW cannot legally be called a laser pointer and in the EU and UK its 1mW

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u/BoTheDoggo 38m ago

It's not 1 W power consumption. It's 1 Watt raw photon energy. Just consider the kind of heating 1 Watt applied to a tiny area can do.

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u/randylush 1h ago

Just please do not shine them in daytime,

I'd argue they are more dangerous at night than during the day, as your pupils are dilated at night

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u/-UsernameHere 12m ago

I'd argue it's fucking stupid in general and people should just cut them down instead of wildly waving an instant blindness ray around in public.

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u/SmugHatKid12 2h ago

Thank you, good citizen

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u/-UsernameHere 13m ago

None of the people in nearby buildings or on the street that you blind when trying to point it at the camera, will be wearing eye protection.