Are amazon trucks blocking surveillance (non-ring) cameras?

[getagrip_already]

I have a combination motion activated light and video camera in my driveway that works very well. It picks up everything from my cats to large trucks.

It is wifi based, but it has internal storage and will record even if my house wifi is off for some reason.

It is not a Ring camera, which is sold by Amazon.

Anyway, I began to notice that the camera never seemed to record amazon deliveries. My doorbell cam still works, but that is not close to my driveway (the trucks usually pull into the driveway)..

The past couple of time, I physically saw the truck and tried to connect to the camera and could not. After the truck left, there was no recording. Yet, the motion sensor turned the light on.

Wtf is amazon doing? They must be tapping into the device somehow and jamming it.

Not cool amazon. Not cool. I do have a wired camera also so not effective, but highly alarming that they would take active suppressive measures against customers if true.

[leftieNanner]

1. I wouldn't be surprised

Amazon's business practices are truly toxic. I'm glad that the FTC is going after them.

My solution? Never Buy Anything From Amazon.

That's scary that they have a way to mess with your security camera.

[Think. Again.]

2. It wouldn't surprise me at all...

...In fact, I'd be more surprised to find out that amazon chose not to do that.

[Effete Snob]

3. Does your camera also have an SD card slot?

If so, try using an SD card and see if that works.

Yes, doorbell cameras can be jammed.

https://www.smarthomepoint.com/jamming-ring-doorbell/

Maybe it is coincidental, but there are a lot of reports like yours - of people not being able to find videos of Amazon deliveries to their house.

Here is a Ring Community thread about it:

https://community.ring.com/t/ring-doorbell-not-activating-with-amazon-deliveries/10455/136?page=7

However, there is something of an event sampling problem here.

If people are reporting that they are missing videos of Amazon deliveries, it is because they are missing videos of an event which they know to have occurred. They would not know if the camera is randomly malfunctioning and that they are missing videos of events which they do not know to have occurred. However, because they know that they had an Amazon delivery, then that is an event which they know they are missing. If ten other people showed up on their porch that day, and they do not have video of it, then they do not know they are also missing video of those ten other people.

You would have to conduct a broader test by asking people to randomly show up and leave something on your porch to know if there is some sort of motion detection problem generally, or if it is specific to Amazon deliveries.

If they are jamming radio signals, that would be something of a problem for them, unless the actual cause is that some piece of their equipment has an incidental and unintended effect of interfering with the camera's wifi connection. For example if the package tracking system onboard the truck is causing the camera to connect to it or to otherwise disconnect from the router.

But because jamming radio signals would be insanely illegal, then I would think if that is happening it would be due to the individual drivers having some sort of motivation to do it.

Certainly, a lot of people believe it:

[emulatorloo]

7. FWIW, a lot of people on Reddit really believe things that are not true.

At least that is my impression.

[Effete Snob]

10. I have no opinion on whether it is true or not

Could a wifi device in the truck interfere with the doorbell cam? Maybe.

There's really no reason for Amazon to do it intentionally. So, I think it is most likely (a) some kind of observation bias or (b) incidental to some wifi device used by Amazon.

[emulatorloo]

12. Yes I can't imagine Amazon doing it intentionally either.

[getagrip_already]

9. Just going by events I know happen but aren't picked up

I'm unaware of other missed events. It seems to get everything except Amazon trucks. Cars, trucks, people, animals.

My office looks out on the driveway and I'd see events not recorded. My bedroom is also above the driveway, which is how I noticed the amazon deliveries not being picked up atAmazon.

I also have an older wired cam that does catch them. So I can compare events. It's just the Amazon trucks.

So it's a pretty good camera, except for amazon.

[Effete Snob]

11. That's really interesting

I wonder if they know about it.

I'm thinking some kind of wifi device on the truck or carried by the delivery person might be interfering. I can't see why it would be an intentional thing.

[Kaleva]

4. Jamming Wifi is illegal

If you can prove it,, Amazon could find themselves in deep trouble.

[Chakaconcarne]

5. Wonder if somehow the tracking systems on the trucks are interfering?

It's pretty amazing, what gets tracked.

Maybe something related to Amazon Sidewalk?

Perhaps if you have any Amazon devices, disable Sidewalk..though it might affect how well peripherals connect to these devices.

[getagrip_already]

8. Sidewalk is disabled....

I'm very careful about security. I do have a couple of alexa devices, but I doubt they are doing anything.

The camera doesn't need wifi to function, which is the strange part. It has 8 gb of internal storage snd doesn't use the cloud.

I connect to it to manage it and see what is recorded.

[emulatorloo]

6. Big if true. However I highly doubt it is true.