Many homeowners feel safer when they know their property is being monitored by surveillance cameras, but sometimes there are annoying neighbors who install their security cameras to spy on others and invade their home’s privacy.
You may be asking what could I do to block or blind neighbors security cameras from spying on me, or Is there anything legal that I can do to stop them from targeting their monitoring devices on my property?
Well, to blind security cameras of your neighbors and reduce the effect of being monitored by cameras, consider applying one of the following solutions:
- Ask your neighbors to change their cameras’ viewing angle.
- Talk to The Local Authorities.
- Demand mediators to solve the problem.
- Use a laser or powerful light source to destroy the camera view.
- Block home-targeted areas with privacy screens.
- Pick one of the security camera Jammers.
- Cover the camera lens.
- Remove the power source of the camera.
- For wired cameras, cut the signal wires.
- For wireless cams, interrupt the wifi signal.
The bad news, it will be tough for you to blind neighbors security cameras if your neighbor doesn’t respect you, or put your privacy into their consideration.
The good news, there are plenty of ways for blocking neighbors’ security cameras without their knowledge.
Some of these methods are legal and used to blind a security camera physically while you’re staying at your home. The other ways are illegal as they need you to break into your neighbor’s house to destroy his camera and stop it from spying on you.
Anyhow, in the below words we dive into how to blind neighbors security cameras methods and we’ll discuss each way step by step.
Additionally, we’ll show you some tips and tricks to block neighbor’s security cameras and increase your home privacy.
Now:
How to Blind Neighbors Security Cameras Legally?
Blinding neighbors security cameras is a good thing for you to do if you’re ensuring they are spying on you.
By doing this, you reduce the effect of your neighbor’s surveillance cameras. Not only but also you protect your home, kids, and family privacy.
Some people build tall fences around their property to protect their homes from being captured by neighbor cameras. While others tend to use unfamiliar ways to disable the camera from capturing videos for their house.
In the following few words, we’ll show you 13 easy and effective ways to blind cameras. Let’s first start with Legal ways.
Method 1: Tell Your Neighbor to Change his Camera Direction
Before you start any illegal ways to blind neighbor’s security cameras, you should consider testing peaceful solutions for this issue.
What I mean is talking with your neighbor directly will allow you to solve the problem with no losses.
It’s simple, visit your neighbor’s home, talk to him separately, tell him about your issue, and inform him that his camera breaks into your home and family privacy.
Doing this will lead to 2 ways for solving this problem. Let’s see
First: your neighbor will understand your situation, apologize for this problem, and tells you that he will fix this problem with the specialist who installed the camera, or he will change the camera direction by hand.
Second: if your neighbor installs real CCTV cameras, then he will refuse to fix this, as he uses the camera to monitor his house during the day and he couldn’t do anything to fix the problem with his camera.
On the other hand, if he mounts a fake security camera, then he will tell you that his camera is fake, not real, and it’s mounted only to scare the burglars and prevent them from entering his home.
If so, then you don’t have to worry about your neighbor’s security cameras as they are fake, and they don’t capture videos for your family.
Method 2: Talk to The Local Authorities
If your neighbor still insists on his refusal to remove the camera or change its place, then consider starting this way.
This method is legal and similar to the previous one, but this time you need to talk to the local authorities to solve the issue or force your neighbor to stop his camera from spying on you.
Unfortunately, this solution isn’t applicable to all countries and cities as It depends on where you are living and if your city has a law against privacy invasion or not.
In this scenario, what we recommend doing is getting your neighbor’s surveillance camera model or brand.
After that, check online to see if his installed camera has the ability to capture videos for long distances that reach your property or if it just covers a few meters.
In case you figure out that it covers and monitors your area, then check your state privacy laws, or contact an experienced lawyer or a policeman and ask them for advice on how to block neighbor’s security cameras in legal ways.
Types like PoE, whether dome, bullet cameras, or wireless IP security cameras capture high-quality videos, and provide advanced features.
Once you know that your neighbors have one type of these cameras, go to court or contact your lawyer, and don’t hesitate to use this evidence as a privacy invasion case, especially if you have children under 18 still living at home and your neighbors’ camera monitoring their rooms.
Method 3: Ask for Help from Surveillance Cameras Experts
If you are a DIY lover, then Installing a wireless security camera process will be an easy process for you, especially if you want to mount 1 or 2 cameras, and you have enough knowledge about the camera installation steps and tools.
But for big companies, it’s a little different as they have a large number of security cameras installed, so they tend to hire professional security camera installers.
Sometimes, these camera experts offer consultation services for homeowners, or for anyone who has an issue with their surveillance system.
To solve your issue and prevent your neighbors from monitoring your area, all you have to do is to call one of these security camera installation service providers and tell them about your problem.
These people already spent many years dealing with surveillance cameras and probably faced many problems like yours, so they will give you the best way to block neighbor’s security cameras.
Method 4: Call Mediators for solutions
Another legal method that you can rely on before starting to blind security cameras is to call mediators to solve the stuck issue between you and your neighbors.
like any other talk between two persons or a group of people, sometimes the talks reach dead ends due to the argument about rights, and personal affairs.
Personally, this happens to me when I asked my neighbor to disconnect his security camera because of its annoying sound.
I spoke to my neighbor directly, then called him on his phone, and we discussed everything about the case until our conversations began to move to other ways causing the discussion to end with no effective solutions to solve the problem legally.
What I did after that is I asked mediators who know me and my neighbor to find proper solutions for his camera problem.
After a while, the mediators convinced my neighbor to reduce or block the security camera audio by using any of the available tools for this purpose.
The next day the problem was solved and I thanked my neighbor for his understanding.
For instance, if you don’t find any mediators between you and your neighbors, then you can go to a neighborhood mediation center to explain your issue and your needs.
They will understand you and try their best to settle the problem without further escalation.
Method 5: Contact Security Camera Support
One of the unfamiliar ways to stop neighbor security cameras is to get the name of your neighbor’s camera, and then contact technical support like you’re the camera owner.
In most cases, the support will answer you with the effective ways to keep the camera away from monitoring neighbor areas or delete security camera footage from neighbor’s cameras, take the tips and give them to your neighbors to apply them and direct the camera away from your property.
Moreover, you can get more ideas, and information to solve your problem by searching online on how to block neighbor’s security cameras.
Note that when you start searching online for blinding security cameras topics, you will find forums and many people asking the same question.
Consider reading their answers carefully and seeing how they solve their problem with their neighbors.
Also, don’t forget to read your state laws will help you to know if your neighbor has violated certain laws or regulations.
Method 6: Installing a surveillance camera
Sometimes the best way to make other people feel what you’re feeling is to do what they already did for you.
What I mean is you can get a CCTV camera and install it directed to your neighbor’s area if he insists on his refusal to stop or change his camera spot.
Apart from protecting your house in the first place, Installing a surveillance camera to record your neighbor’s area, can stop him from spying on your home.
Just make your camera visible to your neighbor’s sight, and point to his property directly to let him know that you’re monitoring him.
In case you decide to use this way to stop neighbor’s CCTV cameras, my advice is to pick Pan/Tilt/Zoom security camera.
PTZ security camera is considered one of the best security cameras in the market that allows you to control the camera direction, viewing angle, and focus.
Moreover, these CCTV cameras give you the ability to zoom in & out to enable you to see what happens exactly in the recorded video.
Related: Best surveillance cameras to install at your home that connects to phone.
How to Block Neighbor’s CCTV security Cameras Illegally?
In the previous methods, we offered legal solutions to avoid your neighbors’ invasion of your privacy.
Next, we’ll explain other ways to blind neighbor’s CCTV cameras, but you should know that some of these methods are Illegal.
Method 1: Block The Camera View Physically
Trying the previous 6 methods is useful to stop unwanted security cameras from spying on your home.
For bad luck, some of these legal methods are exposed to failure due to many reasons.
So, experts tend to use other ways to disable neighbors cameras such as blocking the camera’s field of view physically.
This method costs extra money but you will get peace of mind when you know that your neighbor cameras no longer monitor you, and your family.
Also, put in your mind that in this method you’ll use solid materials to block the camera view.
Here are some of the physical obstructions to block the camera view:
- Close all windows, Don’t leave them open.
- Use window coverings such as curtains, or foam covers.
- Install a sunshade around your home and backyard.
- Put tall shrubs or use a tall fence along your property.
- Place “Glass film” on windows that are exposed to the neighbor’s cameras.
- Put up metal poles with pieces of cloth along the property line.
Aside from the benefits of the windows obstructions, and covers, they will disable CCTV security cameras totally, and make your neighbor’s cameras monitor nothing.
Method 2: Blind Security Cameras with an Infrared LED
Another great way to blind neighbor security cameras is by using a spotlight LED or floodlight and installing it directed to the camera of your neighbors.
Once you turn on the spotlight, the neighbor’s camera will glare on the monitor screen.
The reason for that is the security camera lens works like the human eye, it captures the light reflected from the objects in front of it.
So when you mount a light source in front of the camera and direct it to the camera lens, the lens of the camera will absorb the light from LEDs and the security camera of your neighbors will be blinded by LEDs only.
Let’s see the steps of how to blind security cameras with Infrared LEDs:
- Simply use a small shine and a powerful LED (light-emitting diode).
- If you have powerful led torch light, then direct it to the camera lens with your hand.
- In case you have a spotlight or floodlight, pick a suitable place to mount them, then turn them on.
- A powerful LED is recommended because the brighter the flashlight, the better result in blinding your neighbors’ cam.
By applying the above steps, your neighbor’s camera will be completely blind during the night, and he can’t monitor anything that exists in your house range.
Additionally, during the day, you can use a mirror or any reflective surface against your neighbor’s camera, doing this continuously will blind a security camera, and cause damage to its lens.
Method 3: Destroy CCTV Cameras with a Laser
In the previous method, we use a LED as a source of light to block neighbor’s security cameras. In this method, we’re gonna use a laser as a light source to stop the camera from capturing more videos.
Most outdoor CCTV security cameras have lenses that are very sensitive to light and its intensity.
As we know, a laser pointer or infrared laser is more powerful than spotlights, and floodlights.
So, when you direct it to the camera lens, the laser will not only blind a security camera but also it may destroy it completely.
The only thing that you should care about if you decide to use a laser is to be accurate as it requires a very steady hand to direct the laser to the camera correctly. If you move your hand while using a laser the security camera will capture your face.
To avoid being tired while holding the laser pointer with your hand, you can use a targeted laser beam source and direct it to the camera lens.
For more, watch the next video
Source: Turbine Guy
Method 4: Covering/Damaging The Camera Lens
If you do not reach your purpose in the above ways, then you can rely on this method to blind cameras perfectly.
As the camera lens is the most important part of the surveillance camera, so we’re going to block it by covering the camera Lens with materials.
Materials like rub vaseline, petroleum jelly, and any other viscous material can be used to blind CCTV security cameras.
Let’s see, How to block the CCTV camera By covering the Lens?
Well, by putting any of the above materials the camera lens of your neighbors won’t be able to do its work correctly, it’ll capture black images only, even if the materials fall from the camera lens over time, the footage will be blurry.
Here are examples of blocking camera lenses:
- Put duct tape over the lens or another viscous substance on the lens of the camera.
- Use spray paint to cover The camera lens, always choose dark colors.
- Try using sticky-but-spreadable foodstuffs like Jam, butter, and peanut, they are effective for blocking neighbor CCTV cameras.
- Cover the camera Lens with a baseball cap, blanket, bag, or a piece of fabric.
Note that this method is illegal as it requires you to enter your neighbor’s house to reach the camera lens.
In addition, it is not allowed by most privacy laws to trespass on your neighbor’s property.
Read our latest blog post: https://www.safebudgets.com/remove-spray-paint-from-security-camera/
Method 5: Disable Security Cameras with Jammers
Over the last few years, jammer devices have proven their effectiveness in stopping annoying devices from working.
Fortunately, we can use this type of device to disable neighbor security cameras, especially if they are wireless or wire-free IP cameras.
But, before you use Jammers to disable IP cameras you must know:
How do Jammers work? and what is required to disable surveillance cameras.
Okay, using Jammers with the intent to disrupt security cameras requires you to know the signal frequency of your neighbor’s cameras, probably 2.4GHz, rarely 5GHz.
Once you know the right frequency, turn on your jammer and adjust it to broadcast frequency in the same range as the neighbor’s IP cameras.
Doing this will disrupt the communication between the wireless camera and the NVR or home wifi network router causing damage to the camera.
Method 6: Disable A Security Camera System By Hacking
Another effective way to disable unwanted CCTV cameras from working is to hack the whole security system.
Although this activity may be illegal in some countries like the US, UK, or Canada, it’s considered the best option to stop the monitoring devices without the need to break into your neighbor’s property.
Here,
How To Disable Cameras By Hacking?
Alright! If you have enough knowledge about hacking, then it’ll be so easy for you to hack your neighbor’s IP security cameras that use a Wi-Fi connection to work.
Hacking the wifi signal will allow you to stop the camera from working continuously or control the security camera settings and change them.
Method 7: Cut The Camera Wires
Last but not least, there is another way to blind neighbor’s security cameras completely which is by cutting the wires.
Once you cut the cables, or the wires between the wired camera and the power source, then the camera will not work again.
Sometimes homeowners install wire-free cameras that use batteries as a power source, in this case, you need to remove the battery from the camera.
On the other hand, If your neighbor has outdoor security cameras that are powered by solar panels, then you can cover the solar panel and as a result, the camera will stop.
Note: Before doing something like this you need to know that “ Destroying someone’s property without their permission is illegal”.
FAQ
Q1: How Can I Block my Neighbor’s Security Camera?
Simply, to block your neighbors security camera, you have to know the laws of your state, check whether the camera is fake or real, also look at the viewing angle to know if is it directed to your property or not after that apply one of the following ways to blind neighbors CCTV cameras:
- Ask your neighbor to move away his camera from your area.
- Consult the local authorities.
- Block the camera view with outdoor objects.
- Blind a security camera lens with a laser, spotlight, or floodlight.
- Cover the lenses of the camera with spray paint, petroleum jelly, or a piece of fabric.
- Disable the camera from spying by using jammers.
- Stop the CCTV camera by removing it from the power source.
These are the most effective ways to blind neighbor security cameras, there are additional methods we mentioned above with details.
Q2: Is it illegal to block a security camera?
The answer is No, you don’t have the right to block a security camera that you don’t own, as a result, you can’t block your neighbor’s security camera without their permission.
The only way that you can block a security camera is to prove that the camera invades your privacy, or monitor your home deeply.
Q3: Is there a security camera blocker?
Technically NO, but there’s a device called Jammer and it’s used as a blocker for devices that work on Wi-Fi signals.
So, for wireless or wire-free cameras you can use a Wi-Fi signal jammer as a security camera blocker, but for wired analog CCTV or network PoE cameras, there are no blocker devices.
Q4: Is it legal for neighbors to spy on you? or Can a neighbor point a camera at your house?
Absolutely No, it’s not allowed for neighbors or anyone to spy on you or point a camera at your houses and families. In case your neighbors install a camera directed to your important places, they should clarify to you the purpose of that, if they don’t, then you can use legal ways to stop their cameras.
However, before you take action, you must make a full evaluation of the situation.
What I mean by this, is if your neighbors use their cameras to provide more protection for their space and yours, then you don’t need to block their surveillance cameras.
In case, they mount cameras with the purpose of spying on you, and your family, then you can start thinking about how to blind cameras of your neighbor.
Q5: What privacy laws concerning the neighbor’s security camera are aimed at my house?
Generally, every person has the right to install security cameras on his own property even if they are aimed at your house. However, it’s forbidden to record or capture videos, or sound for anyone without his consent in private places such as bathrooms, locker rooms, or children’s rooms.
In other cases, it depends on your state laws, but in general speech, it’s allowed to install surveillance cameras and direct them to your property if your house is on crowded roads, highways, or nearby public places such as train stations, city squares, and more.
Other than that, you should seek a suitable solution and know the exact purpose behind why he needs to mount a CCTV camera and direct it to your home. If you feel uncomfortable, then you can take any of the above-mentioned steps to blind security cameras.
Before you go…
Blocking the Neighbor’s camera is a good option if you have noisy neighbors who upset you the whole day without respecting your privacy.
Nowadays, they are a lot of the best hidden small-size cameras are being used in spying. and to find them you must have a spy camera detector.
On the other hand, Some people are good and don’t have the intent to watch you. For example, maybe your neighbor buys the best camera for pets and installs it for monitoring their pets.
Related Articles:
- Best Security Cameras with no monthly fees.
- Best Security Cameras For Pets.
- How to connect security cameras to TV wirelessly.
- 4 Easy Ways to Block Neighbors Security Camera Audio.
Resources:
1- Security.Org | Are Security Cameras Legal?
2- Law.Cornell.Edu | Expectation of Privacy