U1000 - Is it possible to turn off WiFi?

[TakeAwayTheKeys]

On the rare times that I need to review footage, I take out the SIM card and watch it on the PC viewer. I used the phone app back when I set it up, I don't think I've even used it since. The way I use it, WIFI adds no value. But WIFI is a security risk.

• Is there a setting to disable it? I don't see anything in the manual or website.
• If not, is there something physically I can do, like opening the case and clipping a wire to the antenna? I'm not an electrical engineer, you might have to do something like solder in a resistor to match the impedance. I would need instructions for that.
• Failing both of those options, is there another dashcam on the market that does not have WIFI?

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

I'd like to add something if I may - if there is a wifi hotspot added to the car, is it possible to get the blue light to stop flashing all the time? It's ridiculous that we just have to live with this distracting flashing light the entire time we're driving...

 

[egonvdv]

I put a piece of black tape over the leds

To be honest i'm not too bothered about the wifi being on.
you can set you own wifi password and even IF they manage to crack that, what do they really have access to?
(OK, recordings of me shouting at other drivers, as I'm the best driver in the world)

 

[TakeAwayTheKeys]

you can set you own wifi password and even IF they manage to crack that, what do they really have access to?

WIFI is a stalker's dream. WPA2 can be cracked with the right tools. I don't know to do it myself, but the security guy at work says he knows how. Law enforcement does it.

The phone communicates with the dashcam over a web API. Thinkware does not document it, but it's a big company and things tend to leak over time. You could also figure it out by looking at the network traffic. Hopefully it requires a security token but I would not bet money on that. Cracking WIFI, getting the documentation and a PAT token takes a lot of work and know-how, but crooks do this for a living. You can find amazing things on the dark web.

One thing that helps a lot is that the WIFI powers off when the ignition is off. (Or so we are told, I actually do believe this.) But it only takes maybe 30 seconds to attach and download some files. That's enough time at a stop light or idling at a parking lot. The car beside you on the freeway has more time.

What does that give them access to?

They can find out where you've been and when, complete with timestamps and GPS coordinates, and the route you took to get there. As a nice bonus they get a recording of any conversation that takes place in the car. Carjackers would have fun with this.

In my case it's not likely. But the stakes are big, and I'm being forced to take a risk for a feature I don't even use.

 

[egonvdv]

again i don't see the problem myself. Let them connect to my camera if they want.
(just to download 1 clip already takes a while, so there's not much they can get at a stoplight)

i think a real carjacker won't go through all this trouble.
they'll just follow me and wait for the right moment to take my car.

I for one have never heard of anyone getting into trouble because someone cracked their camera's wifi.

BTW, wifi is ON when a hotspot has been configurated (when in parkmode)
did you check if ther's a signal when hotspot has not been configurated?

 

[TakeAwayTheKeys]

I don't use the hotspot. According to the (limited) user manual, in standard operation the WIFI is active when the ignition is on. I don't have the spec, but based on personal observation this seems to be the case.

I sent an email to Thinkware customer support. They replied

"We are sorry to inform you, that there is no way to disable the WIFI on your devices.
...
Unfortunately, there is no way to fully disable the WIFI services."

So I went over to the U1000 review on this site, which has a teardown. TBH I can't tell where the antenna is. It looks like you'd have to know electronics and have the circuit diagram to disconnect it. It's certainly more involved than just cutting a wire.

To summarize:

• You can't disable WIFI
• You can't restrict access to only whitelisted MAC addresses (this is a big deal)
• You can't hide the SSID
• We don't know how if the API has security. Most IoT devices don't. But it's already got 3 strikes.

Some of the lower end products don't have WIFI. That's not a bug, it's a feature. The market has gotten competitive and there are some pretty good cameras out there for cheap. So I think it's time to go shopping...

 

[egonvdv]

putting the wifi aside i don't really see any cheap(er) cameras that have the quality of thinkware (or blackvue to name another)

 

[gth_42]

On the rare times that I need to review footage, I take out the SIM card and watch it on the PC viewer. I used the phone app back when I set it up, I don't think I've even used it since. The way I use it, WIFI adds no value. But WIFI is a security risk.

• Is there a setting to disable it? I don't see anything in the manual or website.
• If not, is there something physically I can do, like opening the case and clipping a wire to the antenna? I'm not an electrical engineer, you might have to do something like solder in a resistor to match the impedance. I would need instructions for that.
• Failing both of those options, is there another dashcam on the market that does not have WIFI?

Assuming FW 1.00.16. Create a text file in the root folder of the SD card named "bootup.sh" containing:
#! /bin/sh
sleep 10
wpa_cli disable 0

This should suppress the wifi on bootup. The light will still blink, but nobody's home. Normal wifi operation is still available if you press the button.
Check for yourself of course

 

[CB91710]

The only time I see the SSID for the camera is if I tap the button.
My camera is configured to connect to the car's hotspot, so to disable the camera from broadcasting the SSID (which it only does for maybe 15 minutes after bootup, unless the latest software has changed it), set up a temporary hotspot on your phone, then set the camera up to connect to the phone's hotspot.
Now disable the hotspot on the phone, but don't tell the camera

Now, when the camera boots, instead of broadcasting the SSID and saying "On your smartphone, connect to Thinkware", it will look for a hotspot, and not finding it, will simply say "Not connected to the internet".
The blue light shouldn't flash, but in any event, the SSID will not be broadcast at bootup.
If you WANT to connect to it, you can short-press the WiFi button and it will broadcast long enough for you to connect.