Cheap Video Sniffing

HadleyRipleyArgusRockefellerDog writes "Want to see what other people find interesting enough to watch with an X10 Camera? Radical Software Group has a page describing how to build a "video sniffer". They say they picked up their first image after walking half a block in NY city. X10's work on the same frequency as 802.11b. .. anyone want a combo WiFi/Video sniffer for Christmas?"

Comments

Don't you know?

[Maradine]

"Want to see what other people find interesting enough to watch with an X10 Camera?"

I already know. A pool, from left to right, and then this hot twenty-something in a blue dress, up and down.

Really, what else is there?

Year Old Dupe

[Delphix]

Here.

Re:Year Old Dupe

[evilviper]

No... That's the new Slashdot business plan. Subscribers get to see the story a year early...

Yes, it's completely intentional.

Legal? Moral?

[SilverSun]

I guess if I put my bedroom on air, I can't expect people to look away.

erm...i'll give it a miss

[crocodill]

knowing what most people seem to get webcams for from connecting to random mofos on things like iphone and netmeeting, i don't think i'll be doing this anytime soon.

Re:erm...i'll give it a miss

[Tablizer]

knowing what most people seem to get webcams for from connecting to random mofos on things like iphone and netmeeting, i don't think i'll be doing this anytime soon.

We don't want to *talk* to the babes, but *see* them. Big difference. Turn the volume off.

Less Chatter == More Splatter

Mirror

[Neophytus]

Images are a tad slow for my liking, so here is a mirror.

Ummm...

[Craig Maloney]

No, I'd rather leave all that X10 spycam action to my imagination, thank you very much.

Looking at baby cribs, kids rooms, and garden sheds just isn't my thing, thanks.

Re:Ummm...

[Pike65]

Amen.

A quick trudge of any *shudder* blog site is more than enough to convince me that everyone else leads a life as boring as mine.

Of course, it may just be that the people with interesting lives are out living them. Now there's a thought . . .

Re:Ummm...

[zurmikopa]

"Looking at baby cribs, kids rooms, and garden sheds just isn't my thing, thanks."

Now we know what Michael Jackson's new hobby is.

umm, I'm not so sure

[fjordboy]

I don't see how this is any cheaper than sticking a vhs up to your nose and inhaling.

Video sniffing...next thing we're gonna have an article on dry erase marker sniffing.

Re:umm, I'm not so sure

[Papillon3111]

"Video sniffing...next thing we're gonna have an article on dry erase marker sniffing."

That would truly be useful because I used to do that until I forgot how to take the caps off the... what was I saying again?

Encryption

[SonicTooth]

Does X10 have encryption? Espiecally if these things are being used for security cameras. Or private sex parties either way, i wouldn't want people looking in.

Re:Encryption

[Fulkkari]

Does X10 have encryption?

I tried to find any specs about that, but couldn't find any. I however doubt that there would be any encryption, because all they actually did according to the page was to combine a screen and a X10 reciever. Or am I missing something here?

You could however check the article in 2600 about "warspying" which said to have inspired them.

Re:Encryption

[AmigaAvenger]

no encryption, just a straight 2.4 ghz analogue signal, easy to pick up with any equipment capable fo getting up there...

Security camera?

[Fulkkari]

After walking for about a half a block across 13th Street, we got a picture. It was a security camera picture of some interior hallway. Must have been in a nearby building.

Why in the hell would a security camera be wireless? And this thing doesn't even seem to be encrypted!

Re:Security camera?

[Vlad_the_Inhaler]

Why in the hell would a security camera be wireless? To save re-cabling?
And this thing doesn't even seem to be encrypted! They probably could not imagine that anyone would care enough to tune in. Even if someone tuned in, so what? I would leave it unencrypted even now.

Re:Security camera?

[AndroidCat]

In some apartment buildings, the lobby security camera is available via cable tv so that you can see who you're letting in. (Or see who everyone else is letting in. ;^)

Re:Security camera?

[dattaway]

It gets better. Do you know about those long range antennas you can get for your 2.4GHz wireless? They work with the X10 cameras wonderfully. My brother has a pair of 24dBi antennas and let me tell you about the perfect picture from those cameras from miles away. The compact yagi antennas that I have work great too.

Ever heard of Pringles cans used for X10? That works too!

Re:Security camera?

[phillymjs]

Doesn't anyone on here ever watch TV or movies? Seems to me a wireless security camera would actually *help* anyone who might want to break into a given place-- then nobody needs to infiltrate ahead of the break-in to tap into a wired video system.

First, the bad guys could watch the feed from that wireless camera unknown to anyone for weeks to "case" the target.

Secondly, all they'd probably have to do to render that camera useless would be intercept some video of the area it watches when said area was unoccupied, change any necessary onscreen time/date stamps (which aren't even an issue if it's a cheap-ass X10 camera), and rebroadcast it with a signal strong enough to overpower the signal from the real camera.

Of course, this all becomes a non-issue if you assume that an X10 camera would never be used to secure something valuable enough to be of interest to technically-sophisticated thieves who could easily defeat the system. But this is America, and stupider things have happened.

~Philly

Re:Security camera?

[Surak]

Even if someone tuned in, so what?

Security cameras don't usually record every square inch, because in many cases it isn't very practical or cost effective. If you were going to (hypothetically speaking of course) break into a place, you would definitely want to know what the camera *couldn't* see. You'd watch the camera, compare with what you know about the inside of the building, and through the process of elimination -- voila! You now know what the camera doesn't see.

Sometimes people who place security cameras don't think about other possible ways of entering buildings. They usually watch the door. But one could conceivably enter a building through windows or ventilation systems.

Even if you had a camera looking at every possible means of entry, chances are good that one or more of those cameras can be disabled or fooled somehow. Knowing what the camera can and can't see can reveal strategies for disabling or fooling the cameras.

Re:Security camera?

[(H)elix1]

Doesn't anyone on here ever watch TV or movies? Seems to me a wireless security camera would actually *help* anyone who might want to break into a given place-- then nobody needs to infiltrate ahead of the break-in to tap into a wired video system.

I worked a couple jobs while paying for college. Security (the polyester kind) being one of the less rewarding - almost as fun as column chromatography of feces samples in the lab. Anyhow, tape decks were spendy, broken cameras were cheap. I'd wire up a couple cameras in the open and leave a blind spot. That is where I stuck the hidden camera connected to one of two working tape decks. Just like shooting fish in a barrel. You would see them look to make sure the cameras did not cover that area, walk back, and stuff the goods in their pockets/lunchbox/etc.

Don't assume. The concept of honeypots extend outside of IT....

Re:Security camera?

[Wakkow]

Great.. every time you're watching your friend's porn over x10, I have trouble downloading porn on my wireless laptop.

Re:Security camera?

[Surak]

Not those dome-covered cameras, like you see in department stores or grocery stores.

Even with a totally visible camera, you can't usually tell how wide the angle of view is on the lens. Also, some visible cameras are capable of moving, and do so on a programmed frequency. You'd definitely want to know what that camera can see.

If you have a place that has a lot of visible cameras the space available to hide in may be as little 2-3 sq. ft. Without being able see that space for sure, you might not take the chance, but if you can pick up the video image via X10 video sniffing, you will know exactly where that space is.

Re:Security camera?

[dattaway]

Don't forget about antenna polarization. A receive antenna that matches the direction (polarization) has full strength. Rotate your antenna 90 degrees from your neighbor's vertical polarization into a horizontal orientation and his signal will drop greatly. Kind of like polarized sunglasses blocking out all light of a certain direction.

Something to think about when sniffing or trying to prevent reception of undesired signals.

Re:Security camera?

[Avakado]

I'd wire up a couple cameras in the open and leave a blind spot. That is where I stuck the hidden camera connected to one of two working tape decks. Just like shooting fish in a barrel. You would see them look to make sure the cameras did not cover that area, walk back, and stuff the goods in their pockets/lunchbox/etc.

How is this better than making the last camera visible, preventing the crimes altogether?

Re:Security camera?

[(H)elix1]

How is this better than making the last camera visible, preventing the crimes altogether?

Because 'complete' camera coverage did not stop shrinkage. I tried it. People can be very ingenious, and it took real work to figure out not only what, but how and when stuff disappeared. Honeypots got the stupid/cocky ones - which was within the scope of what a minimal paying job that let me study. Having the cops haul away those caught made an impact but even showing people we would prosecute was only a deterrent, not a solution.

Anyhow, only a night job while going to school. I'm sure someone else better qualified could shed some real light on the effectiveness of surveillance.

Re:Cool tv though

[The Jonas]

Try PartsExpress. Right now they have a 5.6" LCD for USD$118. Good luck...

I'd never do this

[AndroidCat]

Oh, not because of any ethical issues about spying. (War-tomming?) But mainly because I refuse to buy anything from X10 after all those pop-up ads.

I know nobody is going to read tha article

[lucifuge31337]

But is is hardly BUILDING anything. It's instructions on assembling (poorly, I might add) an X10 video receiver, a small LCD panel, and a battery. This isn't even the actual source of the story on hot wo build it (it came from 2600....which is even credited on the site).

More /. quality.

Re:I know nobody is going to read tha article

[GMontag]

Very true, all it has is how to bring together a 2.4 GHZ analog receiver, battery and screen. Big wow.

Plus the odd closing statement: anyone want a combo WiFi/Video sniffer for Christmas? Well, I do, but I certainly can not find out from that article. Will have to wait for someone to coax a WiFi card into sniffing analog signals and playing them on a computer.

Re:Cool tv though

[bjpirt]

good link, after looking through their deals, this looks like the exact same screen as the one used in the article and it comes in at $99.88

How about

[Absurd Being]

Just a radar type device for detecting all cameras in the area? Right now, we can only assume we're being watched at all times, rather than knowing that we're watched at all times directly.

Re:we must destroy x10

[TrbleClef]

You could at least credit KOMPRESSOR for that.

Supply Vs Demand

[Malicious]

Do enough people ACTUALLY respond to the popup ads and buy these dammed things to make this viable?
What a wonderful society we live in.
Someone should set up an X10 looking at the image from goatse and broadcast it for any voyers out there.

finally....

[Tablizer]

Free Porn!

Re:finally....

[C0LDFusion]

Free as in Speech, or Free as in Beer?

Non-Modder Friendly Solution

[MyMainManVERN]

Icom has a smaller solution and with many other features such as being compact and lightweight. Both features that will keep you traveling further and enjoying the spoils of unsuspecting X10 users for many hours to come.

Re:Non-Modder Friendly Solution

[jackmakrl]

I don't own a r3. I own its little brother, the r2. I have been following the word on the street regarding their performance. They are pretty much deaf to anything outside the tv broadcast bands. Many people are very disappointed with their purchase, especially the ones that bought one hoping to receive X-10 transmissions. You can hook up a different antenna and a preamp but then you are defeating the purpose of a tiny self contained unit. And the performance isn't as good as the X-10 receivers.... Don't buy one of these if you want to watch anything besides broadcast tv.

Simply Amazing!

[Andrew Lockhart]

A 2.4Ghz video sniffer built with *GASP* a 2.4Ghz video receiver!

Re:Simply Amazing!

[Selanit]

Yeah. I was underwhelmed too.

I wonder, though. X10 cameras and 802.11b equipment do work on the same frequency. Would it be possible to write a program that would allow you to receive X10 data with a WiFi card? We've got the GNU Radio program that can receive HDTV signals and radio signals and so on. Perhaps that could be modified to grab X10 signals through your wifi card.

Mind you, it may be that the two technologies are too different to be easily adapted to one another. Sharing spectrum is only one factor to be considered, and a fairly small one at that. Any X10 geeks care to comment on the feasibility of receiving X10 signals with 802.11b hardware?

Only in New York..

[Wes Janson]

could this be of any serious usefulness. Because, really, what is the density per-square-mile of wireless cameras (not to mention the density-per-square-state of *interesting* cameras)?

Start your own TV-studio

[rastakid]

It would even be cooler if you could send your own videos to the cam's receiver. Imagine sending your pre-released DivX movie to the security officers ;-)

Re:Start your own TV-studio

[Restil]

Actually... you can.

Either overpower the other signal, or take out the other security camera.

It would be a lot more effective than hanging a picture in front of the camera.

-Restil

you mean people actually have X10 cameras?

[Anonymous Coward]

you click the popups! you promote them! you are the enemy!

hypocrites! all of you!

Child abuse

[jhines]

Here in my town, someone captured the neighbor beating their kid. The video tape made short work of the legal procedings.

Yeah, about a year ago.

Okay...

[athakur999]

Slashdot people get all uppity about browser cookies from advertising companies and complain about their loss of privacy.

Then they turn around and say "cool, I need to get me some of that" to a device that lets you invade other people's privacy without their knowledge or consent.

Of course, Slashdot people are also "we hate the MPAA, when does the new Matrix movie open?" too, so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked :)

Re:Okay...

[Catnapster]

There is a difference between what is being discussed and invasion of privacy. If I encrypt the feed, breaking it would be an invasion of privacy; however, the only "privacy" you get for broadcasting unencrypted signal is privacy from people without receivers.

It's like if I walk down the street and people use X-ray glasses to stare at my crotch - that is an invasion of privacy. But this is the equivalent of me walking down the street with my dick dangling merrily. If I show it for the world to see, it's pretty dumb to get mad at people who look.

Re:Okay...

[Catnapster]

I'm not telling you to encrypt photons - I'm telling you to close the shade.

If you're filming things with your nifty wireless camera that you don't feel comfortable with people watching, then use a more secure method (like, say, a wired camera). If what you're doing requires wireless capability, and you recognize that, chances are you could find a more secure way to do it.

Going with your example... because people could point cameras into the window, if it mattered to you, you would want to close the windowshade, so people couldn't take pictures of you anymore. That's what I do - literally, in real life.

It's been stated that Joe Sixpack might not understand this, but really, you're installing a miniature "radio station" that transmits video feed. If someone with a receiver picks up the signal, they're not doing anything wrong.

If you're going to go wardriving, trying to find these signals, then you're starting to go into a gray area. Even then, though, you don't know whether someone put this camera up for their personal use, or as a goodwill to all the voyeurs in the world.

Sociology hat

[Anonymous Coward]

The interest expressed here in building one of these just goes to show you that that its not just the RIAA, MPAA, goverment, spyware, interested in using all this cool new technology to spy on people. Joe Sixpack wants in on the action.

great.

Useful?

[Cruciform]

Well, the average reader isn't going to find much use in this, but imagine how handy it would be to the average burglar or rapist. They don't have to take the inital risk of peeking in the windows.

You can scope out a house in advance, see if anyone is home, etc. etc.

Wireless functionality is great, but I wouldn't use those cameras in my home without some form of encryption.

or just buy one

[g4dget]

Or get one of these: Icom R3. Far more portable.

Re:Only in New York..and the UK!

[Silent_E]

Actually, the UK, and London especially, has tons of video surveillance. (See The New York Times, October 7, 2001, "BEING WATCHED: A Cautionary Tale for a New Age of Surveillance" By JEFFREY ROSEN--my appologies for not knowing how to mirror this.) I'd want to know if I were on camera.... I don't really imagine doing anything that anyone couldn't see in public. But depending on what happens to the tapes, I can certainly imagine as camera become increasingly present, wanting to patronize certain businesses over others on the basis of how little they spy on me.

Funny article about X-10

[hubbah]

I have a bit to say about the X-10 here, it's really not all it's cracked up to be:

Surveillance Losing Its Fun...

Extra window in the house

[jhines]

I picked up a cheap hard wired color ccd camera, and now instead of a blank screen on a turned off TV, I have a video feed of the back yard, and the bird feeder, and wild life action.

It is like an extra window in the house.

X10 != X10.com, the annoying pop-up company

[sdo1]

It's important to note that X10 is NOT the same thing as that annoying popup company, X10.com (and no, I won't even link to them). X10 is a low speed communication standard that has been around for a long time.

Do not dismiss X10 (the technology) just because some lame company has hijacked it and promotes the use of the products for illegal surveillance (yes, making a recording of you trying to boink your drunk and ugly date without her knowing is indeed illegal).

There are plenty of good companies to get X10 products from without going through X10.com. Smarthome and Radio Shack are a couple.

It's a shame X10.com chose the sleasy marking route because it really has tainted a pretty decent and useful technology.

-S