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We have some really old rose bushes in the front yard that were growing very well, however someone keeps cutting branches from it everyday.

Since it's winter, we don't even understand why they would cut it since there's not any in bloom. They've cut so much of it that it's barely surviving.

We have setup a security camera but they keep jamming it so whenever they come the camera gets disabled.

What can and should we do? Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!

hegerber
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  • Place them where it is hard to get at. Roof edge is one spot, up in a tree or pole. Don't leave the ladder near by. – crip659 Mar 05 '22 at 00:16
  • thanks for the tip @crip659, the issue is that they are using a jamming device that creates a lot of radio noise, which wirelessly disables the camera – hegerber Mar 05 '22 at 00:18
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    Is the jamming device interfering with the camera image or with the transmission? If it is just the transmission, the "right" solution here would be to use a wired camera. Or to use a "trail camera" or "dashcam" that saves the images locally for later review. – IronEagle Mar 05 '22 at 00:21
  • A game camera that takes pictures with motion should fix that. – crip659 Mar 05 '22 at 00:21
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    motion activated sprinkler might deter them. – George Anderson Mar 05 '22 at 00:39
  • If the frequency is one that is ostensibly regulated by the governing body for your country (USA), one could possibly determine that it is intentional interference. Many "open" or "common use" frequency bands have the restriction in the regulations of non-interference. – fred_dot_u Mar 05 '22 at 00:47
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    Radio jamming is a serious federal crime in the USA that the FCC takes quite seriously. Assuming you're in the USA, contact them. – whatsisname Mar 05 '22 at 00:54
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    If they always jam the camera, you should know about when they usually come, if they have any pattern to that, which they likely do if doing it every day. So, watch the camera feed at that time of day, as soon as it starts being jammed, walk out and take pictures, and phone the police. Alternatively, just go sit in your parked car and wait at about the right time, take pictures, and phone the police when they show up and start cutting. But yes, getting the FCC on their case for jamming is an excellent idea. They'll do the sitting out there in vans thing if they take an interest. – Ecnerwal Mar 05 '22 at 00:56
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    Jamming WiFi is an extremely technical undertaking. The group of "people with those capabilities" are not the group as "people who cut rose bushes for no good reason". So I would pause to make sure my beliefs about intentional WiFi interference are reasonable and factual. Keep in mind human bodies can block WiFi, especially when the connection is poor because it's going through outer walls. It's a weak way to connect a camera. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Mar 05 '22 at 02:18
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    @Harper-ReinstateMonica I disagree that jamming wifi is a technical undertaking. There are countless devices for sale on places like AliExpress that will jam the 2.4 G spectrum that most wifi uses. A few years ago, these jamming devices were all the rage in a number of places, like restaurants and movie theatres. – RibaldEddie Mar 05 '22 at 02:32
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    I think you just have a bad security system and it's deer eating your roses. – Steve Wellens Mar 06 '22 at 05:39
  • do they ever cut branches from the top, or is it always within a foot or two of the ground? – dandavis Mar 06 '22 at 08:40

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If the jamming device interferes merely with the transmission of the image, then using a wired camera, or a camera that locally records for later viewing (such as a GoPro, "game/trail" camera, or a dashcam) could help.

If the jamming device is interfering with the camera itself capturing the image, then you can't do much. If it is electrical, then perhaps enclosing the camera in a Faraday Cage could help. If it is optical (such as strong infared light), then a filter of some kind may help.

Best of luck with protecting your roses!

IronEagle
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    Wrapping a wireless camera in a faraday cage would block it from sending & receiving its own signals too... – brhans Mar 05 '22 at 05:07
  • @brhans - Correct, that's why it's only recommended for image correction purposes. It's not going to help with (in fact it would hinder) the transmission. But if your locally-recording camera is still getting "jammed", then a faraday cage is about the only thing that would help. – IronEagle Mar 05 '22 at 13:03
  • The camera device is wireless so a faraday cage would stop any transmission I agree with @brhans it would stop any transmission. – Ed Beal Mar 05 '22 at 15:15
  • Alright @EdBeal - I swapped the two paragraphs so that it is more clear that the image interference is the less likely, second round of defense. – IronEagle Mar 05 '22 at 18:15