How to Blind a Camera Using a Laser

In this article I am going to explain to you a simple mechanism that you can use to blind a security camera, webcam, tv camera, camcorder, and most other optical recording devices. The idea is very simple, when a powerful laser is pointed directly at the lens of a camera, the lens is overwhelmed and cannot see. However, it is very difficult to precisely aim and keep a laser still from any practical distance. Here, I will show you an easy remedy for this problem.

Materials



• A powerful laser, can be any color that you choose. Your range will depend on the power of your laser. (I suggest the C.O.R.E. by Wicked Lasers)
  
• A gun scope, binoculars, golf range finder, or other magnifying eyepiece. In this article I will use a gun scope.
  
• A small tripod.
  

Construction



1. Start by attaching the laser to the gun scope in a fashion shown below. You can use any means of attachment that you want. Duct-tape, super glue, rubber bands, or string work well. Just make sure that the laser is on snugly and can be adjusted easily.
   
   
   
2. Attach this unit to your tripod. Make sure that the whole unit is steady and well attached. If you plan on using this unit outdoors, it might be helpful to cover any critical components with a plastic shopping bag.
   
   
   

Use



• Before any use, the scope and laser must be properly aligned. To do this you should position the unit at the approximate distance from the camera that you will be using. Looking through the scope, move the laser into the center of the crosshairs, and lock the laser into place.
  
• Move to the location that you are going to use, it is best to have a straight shot at the camera.
  
• Look through the crosshairs and aim the unit at the target camera.
  
• Turn your laser on and fine-tune the positioning of the dot onto the camera. You should know that the laser is aligned properly because the laser will cause a glare when it reflects off of the lens of the camera.
  
• Lock the laser into the "on" position. This can be done simply by taping the button on most lasers down with a piece of strong piece of tape or tightly tying a piece of string around the laser over the button.
  

Effect

The following are demonstrations of the effect in action. Note the improved effect as the range is decreased. Also, using a green laser like the one mentioned above from Wicked Lasers will result in MUCH better result.







In my experiments using the C.O.R.E., the results were much better. The camera was completely disabled and all that resulted was a white screen. This was from a 15m range using a Microsoft WebCam. I would highly suggest using at least a 5mW green laser over the 1mW red lasers that are shown in the above picture. For an ever better result, you could use a combination of red/green lasers, which would making filtering the image nearly impossible.

The images used in the article are used with permission by Michael Naimark, from this website, where there is a lot more information about this topic.