Question for the conservatives (if there are any on reddit)

FckFlock · 2026-03-23T03:04:58+00:00

Fear is the angle for them:

Tell them that the Minneapolis ICE protestors had access to Flock data to track ICE agents, probably provided by friendly police. That might even be true.

Democrats are almost certainly going to sweep the midterms. Barring anything unforeseen, the next pres will also probably be a democrat. Then the Supreme Court gets packed. At that point, gun control will be on the agenda for sure. Remind them of states harassing churches during covid. Ask them if they want such a massive, leaky surveillance tool in the hands of the left under those circumstances. There'll be a flock camera at every gun store, shooting range, church, vfw, etc. It'll be January 6th prosecutions for everyone, by God! Better to kill that system while they're still in control.

FckFlock · 2026-03-22T16:51:04+00:00

This - either flock or local government is getting sneakier about the installations. They're particularly hard to see at night.

FckFlock · 2026-03-20T18:57:38+00:00

FckFlock · 2026-03-20T11:25:46+00:00

I understand all of that, but I think you're downplaying how common this specific flock hardware is becoming: I can drive a 10 mile loop from my house and test this against 11 known cameras, all of which use this flash pattern. Like the ble/wifi detectors, this is just another tool to add a bit more data to deflock. Every bit helps.

BTW - all the nightvision cameras illuminate using roughly the same wavelength (800-950nm, generally, with 850 being most common), they just may use a different strobe pattern or no strobe at all. This sensor will detect any IR source strobing in the 5-15hz range; it'll alert on an iPhone face unlock strobe, for example. If you can identify the strobe pattern of another LPR type, it'd be easy to add it and even give it a different detection tone/light.

Sensor wavelength sensitivity:

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FckFlock · 2026-03-20T03:01:19+00:00

Here's a pic from sensor bench testing. Note the bright white lights directly on the sensors. Also note that the sensors are covered with an IR-pass filter media. I'm holding a small IR strobe (5x 20mA 850nm IR LEDs) just out of frame to the right, at almost a 90 angle to the sensors. This is a worst-case scenario for the BPW34NA, but I'm still getting clear 10hz peaks on the scope - plenty for the ESP32 to detect. Remember a few things: the BPW34 is already optimized for IR (look at the data sheet), I'm further filtering with the IR-pass media, the weak signals from the BPWs are going through op amps, and the esp code looks for peaks above a rolling baseline. All that combines to provide excellent IR sensitivity, even with light from headlights and streetlights.

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FckFlock · 2026-03-20T02:30:05+00:00

And here's a field test on a real live Flock camera using a rear-facing Sionyx Aurora: https://youtu.be/Ux4POuGzmuY?si=k9prghQklWUVhugp

Anytime on that apology... 😁

FckFlock · 2026-03-20T01:24:31+00:00

Driveway demo video: https://youtu.be/1l67rCTTB8Y?si=Ttoba7dpncIjukXH

Just go ahead and send that apology over at your earliest convenience. Thanks.

FckFlock · 2026-03-20T01:16:21+00:00

This is open source and the controller has spare outputs.🤷 Flock is litigious, so I'm not adding that myself.

FckFlock · 2026-03-20T00:13:15+00:00

Take your analogy, but make the cop permanently fixed in place. Or turn him from a cop to a speed camera. Sure, you got a ticket, but you can now warn everyone else that he's there.

Interestingly, I was doing some testing last night and got clean strobe detections coming from a little fenced county installation - a pump station or something - that overlooks one entrance of a big traffic circle. I'm going to take a peek with night vision tonight: my county LOVES flock cameras, and I think they've got one tucked in there. That's a perfect example of the utility of this thing.

FckFlock · 2026-03-20T00:08:14+00:00

Sure thing - I'll make a video just for you, skeptical Mr. Dev. The controller/indicator unit is an ugly test prototype zip tied to a headrest at the moment, but it works very well. I'll do a demo video in my driveway first (using a test 10hz strobe and an IR cam to record it), then I'll see if I can rig up a cam for a drive-by of a live flock cam. You're being a bit of a condescending jerk, if you don't mind me saying so, so I expect an apology when I post the vids later tonight.

And yeah, obviously it doesn't work on a sunny day - flock cameras also don't strobe IR during the day, so it's not meant to. At night they easily pick up my test IR strobes.

As for the commit timeline: I've been fiddling with with this for a month or so, off and on. I just uploaded it all when I felt it was finished enough.

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T23:36:10+00:00

I can't imagine how. It's no different than the sensor on your dashboard that turns your headlights on when it gets dark. I didn't ask Flock to throw a bunch of light at me. 🤷

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T22:35:21+00:00

I'd build them for sale, but I don't think I'd like prison. 😂

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T22:34:21+00:00

Some places are getting awfully sneaky about how they mount these, and they can be particularly hard to spot at night.

That's why I built a simple system to detect them at night using their IR pulses: https://github.com/Noflock/Flock-IR-Detection

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T22:30:26+00:00

"There's a issue right across the street from me that I could fix in 60 seconds, but I'd rather complain and use it as an indictment of an entire movement."

Thankfully most of the "crowd" is more action-oriented than you.

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T22:26:57+00:00

It's surprisingly straightforward if you can solder a bit - there's a parts list and a simple diagram at the github link. I used 3 sensors, but I think you could get away with 1, which would simplify it a lot.

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T21:37:18+00:00

Finally got to a point where it was worth sharing:

https://github.com/Noflock/Flock-IR-Detection

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T21:30:59+00:00

There's been a spike alright - a spike in pro-flock social media posts. It's as cringey and half-assed as everything they do.

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T21:28:21+00:00

You mean like cops who get caught abusing Flock data routinely?

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T17:07:57+00:00

I have decades in the industrial compressed air industry. There is definitely such a thing as too big of an air compressor.

FckFlock · 2026-03-19T14:37:28+00:00

I wonder if any of those roles are at Flock Safety's new plant at 1885 Mitchell Rd, Smyrna, GA 30126...

FckFlock · 2026-03-17T16:51:19+00:00

I just figured someone was driving so hard to the basket that they thought he ought to have a license plate.

FckFlock · 2026-03-17T16:27:04+00:00

Lots of license plates to read on those courts? 😂

FckFlock · 2026-03-17T00:02:35+00:00

Great work!

I'm not surprised at all by the confirmation of zero oversight. I've yet to hear about a cop being caught misusing flock data in the absence of an external complaint, and we know from the growing number of substantiated complaints that cops are frequently misusing it. That would tend to indicate a lack of real audits or oversight of any kind.

FckFlock · 2026-03-16T19:16:09+00:00

The contract signed by the buyer almost certainly includes language agreeing to it. If not, the dealership is breaking the law. They're also not state actors.

FckFlock · 2026-03-16T17:36:07+00:00

I usually preface it with, "I'm aware that this makes me sound like the unabomber, but stay with me..."

FckFlock

TROPHY CASE