Are WiFi Jammers Behind New Montana Car Break Ins

Montana thieves keep leveling up. We have all been worried that somebody would walk by our car, see a wallet in the cupholder, and pop one of the doors. Simple stuff. Now the locals in Billings believe that crooks are using Wifi jammers to disable video doorbells and wireless security systems. KTVQ reports people in one South Side building woke up to cars being broken into and no video explaining what happened.

Neighbors said that all of the wireless cameras in the area went offline. The only camera that captured a frame was a hardwired one. That’s the part that kind of makes people raise an eyebrow. People in the building think that someone employed a handheld jammer to block out this neighborhood’s eyes and ears.

High Tech Crime

A lot of us depend on smart cameras out here. I got a dozen game cameras set out all over. Jammers aren’t difficult to obtain, local tech expert Dylan Solberg told KTVQ They can cast a veil of interference that effectively blinds WiFi devices on the airwaves. Criminals know that. They also know that not very many of us trust that little glowing doorbell enough to just let it carry on into our homes uninvited.

This vulnerability does not exist with hard-wired cameras. Wireless ones do. And thieves know which one you installed because they can see them as well as you.

What Montana Should Learn From This

Lock your doors. Do not store valuables in the car. Stop thinking a WiFi camera is the cure-all. If you are using smart cameras, sprinkle in some wired gear as well.  Make it tougher for those who believe they can roam with a gadget they bought online through a Montana neighborhood and just try to walk away clean.