Cell interference The use of devices to interfere with radio or wireless signals.

In some burglaries, thieves have figured out how to use technology to evade surveillance cameras.

This is called cellular interference, and it happens when a person uses a device to interfere with radio or wireless signals.

According to the FCC, "The use of telephone mobile jammers , gps blocker interceptors, or other signal jamming devices designed to intentionally block, interfere with, or interfere with authorized radio communications violates federal law." There are no exemptions for use in businesses, classrooms, homes or vehicles."

Cell interference may occur with devices or home cameras approximately 30 feet from the intended target.

Video from the south Charlotte neighborhood showed a suspect crawling across the yard at night, but not all of the incidents were caught on camera.

"Any time you have a wireless device, whether it's on Wi-Fi and so on, you know people are going to find a way - how to jam it, how to try to stop something from communicating," said John Shocknesse, vice president of security customer operations at CPI.

Within moments, someone can be seen on the camera, but with cellular interference, with the flick of a switch or the press of a button, that person disappears, or nothing is recorded.

The CMPD says the problem has occurred in some burglaries in South Charlotte.

"We haven't seen any of this activity, so it's most important that we're aware of it and make sure we have the best technology and the latest technology," Shocknesse said.

WBTV asked him which devices are more susceptible to cell phone interference.

"I think where it comes into play is with some older wireless devices that don't have encryption," Shocknesse said.

Newer security and monitoring systems have better encryption and are more secure, he said.

"I really don't think we can emphasize enough the importance of having cameras and some on-board recording," Shocknesse said. "The cameras we put there have storage devices on them, so even if something goes wrong, you can still record what's going on and you can take it to the police station."

Complementing this advice, he said the best solution to prevent cell phone interference is to adopt the latest encryption technology and wired devices instead of Wi-Fi.

As for preventing break-ins, following a few simple tips, such as maintaining good lighting, turning on an alarm system, and trimming bushes to no higher than three feet, may be effective.v