8 ms·

Guess what the burglar could also cut the cable line coming into the house to completely disable the internet. Works on every DIY camera with no local storage t

Guess what the burglar could also cut the cable line coming into the house to completely disable the internet. Works on every DIY camera with no local storage that only uses home networking.

koolba 10y ago
That'd also cut off 911 service for VOIP landlines and possibly cell phones with wifi calling enabled.
- throwaway91111 10y ago
  On T-Mobile at least, I've never been unable to call when my internet connection between router and internet is bad but I'm connected fine to the wifi.
- DrScump 10y ago
  If your cell phone is disconnected from Wifi, wouldn't it just place the 911 call via the cellular radio(s)?
  - koolba 10y ago
    Wifi would be connected. Underlying internet would be dead. So your cell would try to route through the Internet (via the wifi) to no avail. Try it if you have wifi calling enabled. Just pull the plug on the router and see how long it takes your cell to disable wifi calling.
    - richardwhiuk 10y ago
      Emergency calls normally default to cellular, instead of defaulting to WiFi, as it provides more consistent location information. Even if it tries wifi first, it should fallback to cellular within 30 seconds if a call attempt is made.
      - koolba 10y ago
        It doesn't try both? A big part of wifi calling is to provide service in what otherwise would be a dead zone.
    - bastawhiz 10y ago
      I use Fi, and it will refuse to call over wifi if the connection is even slightly finicky. If a cell phone tries to place a call over wifi with no internet and then doesn't retry over the cell network I would call that a bug.
izacus 10y ago
Huh? What do you mean? If you only use home networking, then cutting the public internet line doesn't break it.
- detaro 10y ago
  uses the home network to access the internet, vs having it's own independent internet connection, e.g. via LTE.
tedunangst 10y ago
Depends on the house. It's not always so simple as snipping the big yellow "cut me" wire.
xbryanx 10y ago
Aren't most of those cables either buried in the ground, or 12 feet up in the air?
- gregmac 10y ago
  And almost all of them actually enter the house at ground level, often entering the basement around the same place as the main power line does.
  - joezydeco 10y ago
    Usually inside a large weatherproof box that says "Comcast" on it.
  - jcrawfordor 10y ago
    Whether it's overhead or underground depends on the house. Usually overhead in older neighborhoods and underground in newer ones. Telephone lines almost always have an externally accessible demarcation box at ground level (usually a little grey one that says "telephone wiring" on it), making them very easy for a crook to cut. Cable varies a lot, though. It's common for cable to be retrofit into older construction in such a way that the lines are externally accessible, but in newer houses it may have been installed at construction time and well hidden. The cable splitter/distribution amplifier is often in the basement or elsewhere in the house, but is sometimes also installed on the exterior, basically depending on what was easiest to the installer. So basically, there's almost no common standard for cable. You'll just have to look around. Sometimes the incoming line is lazily run along a fence, sometimes it's buried and all house wiring is internal.
- MertsA 10y ago
  All of them will go right over to the power meter on the side of the house by law.
Atrag 10y ago
Definitely a good point, but we should also be asking (1) is this easier? and (2) If it isn't much, much harder, is it also just sloppy to be giving up more opportunities to risk security and (3) maybe we should re-think the internet lines into the house. I think most of the comments so far are a play on those points.
angry_octet 10y ago
You don't have 3G fallback on your ADSL modem?
- ajdlinux 10y ago
  ...is this a common feature? I think I've heard of it before, but I don't think I've ever actually seen a ADSL/3G modem in the field...
  - angry_octet 10y ago
    Usually via a USB connected telco-supplied modem now. http://www.billion.com/Communication/xDSL%20Series/BiPAC%208900X%20R3 http://www.billion.com/Communication/xDSL%20Series/BiPAC%208... Great if your business depends on connectivity (e.g. for point of sale).
dragonwriter 10y ago
It doesn't if you have non-cable-based internet.

Guess what the burglar could also cut the cable line coming into the house to completely disable the internet. Works on every DIY camera with no local storage that only uses home networking.

koolba 10y ago

That'd also cut off 911 service for VOIP landlines and possibly cell phones with wifi calling enabled.

throwaway91111 10y ago
On T-Mobile at least, I've never been unable to call when my internet connection between router and internet is bad but I'm connected fine to the wifi.
DrScump 10y ago
If your cell phone is disconnected from Wifi, wouldn't it just place the 911 call via the cellular radio(s)?
- koolba 10y ago
  Wifi would be connected. Underlying internet would be dead. So your cell would try to route through the Internet (via the wifi) to no avail. Try it if you have wifi calling enabled. Just pull the plug on the router and see how long it takes your cell to disable wifi calling.
  - richardwhiuk 10y ago
    Emergency calls normally default to cellular, instead of defaulting to WiFi, as it provides more consistent location information. Even if it tries wifi first, it should fallback to cellular within 30 seconds if a call attempt is made.
    - koolba 10y ago
      It doesn't try both? A big part of wifi calling is to provide service in what otherwise would be a dead zone.
  - bastawhiz 10y ago
    I use Fi, and it will refuse to call over wifi if the connection is even slightly finicky. If a cell phone tries to place a call over wifi with no internet and then doesn't retry over the cell network I would call that a bug.

izacus 10y ago

Huh? What do you mean? If you only use home networking, then cutting the public internet line doesn't break it.

detaro 10y ago
uses the home network to access the internet, vs having it's own independent internet connection, e.g. via LTE.

tedunangst 10y ago

Depends on the house. It's not always so simple as snipping the big yellow "cut me" wire.

xbryanx 10y ago

Aren't most of those cables either buried in the ground, or 12 feet up in the air?

gregmac 10y ago
And almost all of them actually enter the house at ground level, often entering the basement around the same place as the main power line does.
- joezydeco 10y ago
  Usually inside a large weatherproof box that says "Comcast" on it.
- jcrawfordor 10y ago
  Whether it's overhead or underground depends on the house. Usually overhead in older neighborhoods and underground in newer ones. Telephone lines almost always have an externally accessible demarcation box at ground level (usually a little grey one that says "telephone wiring" on it), making them very easy for a crook to cut. Cable varies a lot, though. It's common for cable to be retrofit into older construction in such a way that the lines are externally accessible, but in newer houses it may have been installed at construction time and well hidden. The cable splitter/distribution amplifier is often in the basement or elsewhere in the house, but is sometimes also installed on the exterior, basically depending on what was easiest to the installer. So basically, there's almost no common standard for cable. You'll just have to look around. Sometimes the incoming line is lazily run along a fence, sometimes it's buried and all house wiring is internal.
MertsA 10y ago
All of them will go right over to the power meter on the side of the house by law.

Atrag 10y ago

Definitely a good point, but we should also be asking (1) is this easier? and (2) If it isn't much, much harder, is it also just sloppy to be giving up more opportunities to risk security and (3) maybe we should re-think the internet lines into the house. I think most of the comments so far are a play on those points.

angry_octet 10y ago

You don't have 3G fallback on your ADSL modem?

ajdlinux 10y ago
...is this a common feature? I think I've heard of it before, but I don't think I've ever actually seen a ADSL/3G modem in the field...
- angry_octet 10y ago
  Usually via a USB connected telco-supplied modem now. http://www.billion.com/Communication/xDSL%20Series/BiPAC%208900X%20R3 http://www.billion.com/Communication/xDSL%20Series/BiPAC%208... Great if your business depends on connectivity (e.g. for point of sale).

dragonwriter 10y ago

It doesn't if you have non-cable-based internet.