Apr 302022
Flock Safety is marketing its cameras to neighborhood groups and law enforcement with the promise to “reduce crime in your community by up to 70%.” Instead of selling these cameras, it leases them for about $2,500 per month. The cameras can be powered with solar panels and transmit data via a cellular modem so no extra wiring is needed. Note that the version we dissected is an older version and the modem is no longer being sold. Although the cameras capture images that include the license plates of vehicles, they are triggered by a motion detection sensor and will likely capture an image of anything that triggers the motion detector, including people, bicycles, etc.
Here’s the list of component parts that we were able to identify:
- Cellular: NimbeLink Skywire LTE modem – FCC ID N7NHL7648
- P/N: NL-SW-LTE-S7648 (https://nimbelink.com/products/4g-lte-cat-1-att-sierra-wireless/)
- Battery: PHD Energy lithium ion rechargeable – 10.8V, 19Ah, 205.2Wh
- SD624 Audio Kit SOM (https://www.lantronix.com/products/open-q-624a-development-kit/)
- Wifi/bluetooth: LITE ON Technology WCBN3510A 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2T2R+BT V4.2LE
- GPS: Taoglas AP.17E – one stage 17mm active patch antenna Module (https://www.taoglas.com/product/ap-17e-gps-1-stage-active-patch-17mm-2/)
- Camera lens: 5MP Action Camera Lens 16mm Fixed M12 1/2 Inch IR Filter
- Updated July 12, 2026, with a link to GitHub code for a newer version of a Flock camera: https://github.com/kernelstub/FlockCamRE
Thanks for this Mike. So they’re not just looking at us, they are listening as well.
Did you figure out which IR wavelengths the camera uses to see in the dark?
The infrared LEDs are not being used so that the camera can “see” in the dark. The infrared LEDs are being used to help illuminate the license plate. Pictures taken at night are good for capturing the license plate and not much else.
So can they be overpowered with a stronger 850 nm LED???
There are a few Youtube vids from makers, where they do things like install 850nm LEDs around license plates hiden in the holder and demonstrate that the resulting glare makes the plate unreadable to the cameras at night.
Could a high powered laser compromise those LEDS / motion detector sensor?
Not much you can do against those LEDs, but im guessing a strong IR laser (5W+) can burn the cameras sensor.
Yes, watch some styropyro vids on YouTube. eBay has lots of questionably-legal high-powered lasers that are probably capable of melting a CCD.
What frequency are those LEDs?
Scaling of most of the images on this page is messed up and should be corrected for usability.
“Contra Costa” is misspelled in the table as “Conta Costa”.
Curious what security bit would work best for opening a case similar (but obviously not the same, of course) to the one in the article?
The big ifixit pro toolkit has all the security bits you’d probably need.
Harbor freight sells a security bit set too.
Ball peen or claw bit usually works well.
T25 or T30
I’ve worked on similar devices completely unrelated to this particular device. The best security bit is known in the industry as item M855. It works especially well in the lower half of similar devices, where the LIB is located. This tool and technique is a big time saver, as devices tend to just come right apart when the tool is applied.
what is the case made of? ABS/Nylon12/HDPE? how about the external lens? lexan or glass?
What date was this posted?
where is the flock camera unit made? USA? probably not. China? probably.
were is modem sending the collected data? to ONE address, the purchaser/owner of the device? probably NOT. to the manufacture? probably.
sure flock cameras are a nifty piece of technology. RIGHT now they need serious scrutiny before the USA is on camera for the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC,) the Communist Party of China (CPC)
OUR political opponent.
OUR economic rival for the natural resources of this country and the world.
The largest threat to freedom.
holy crap. this guy is against china spying on him but is totally cool with his own government spying on him. also wake tf up. america is just as evil as china. it’s just a different brand of evil.
Your objection to this is “China bad” and not “mass surveillance bad”? God, Americans are brainwashed…
that’s what’s up
The Taoglas module is just the GPS antenna, amp, and filter. You can read the data sheet below.
https://www.taoglas.com/datasheets/AP.17E.07.0064A.pdf
What’s more concerning is that System-on-Module has two microphones on board wired directly to the CPU. It would normally be used for developing smart home devices, think Amazon or Google tablet things, but in this case could be capturing audio and video 24×7.
https://cdn.lantronix.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/MPB-00092-RevB-Open-Q-624A-SOM.pdf
Mark, aren’t those SoC audio more likely used to check pressure to see if the flock is opened? I used to troubleshoot defective publicly placed electronics with sensitive info, and they all had microphones and light sensors internally they used to alert if somebody opened the box.
Thank you for this most educational information.
Where is the GPS located?
Do you have the pinouts for the round connector on the back?
How thick is the plastic covering the lenses?
Asking for a friend: If the lte antenna is removed, is it still able to connect to cellular network, or hopefully burn out the radio? My friend is just curious.
could powered ir transmitter bulbs blind imagery taken with the ir camera?
Can we get a view of the actual chips on the circuit board(s) there? I would be very interested in seeing what microcontroller, other processor, and memory chips are in there.
Never mind, I think I found the board and chipset in there (or at least one of them).
It appears to be an Open-Q 624A SOM from the company Lantronix