That might seem like an abstract problem you could easily brush off, like running an old laptop with Windows 7 or using an old iPad that can’t get the most current iOS updates.

Although such sites, thanks to bad press over the years, have gotten better about filtering out things like unsecured baby monitors, cameras in living rooms, and such, it’s still a problem.

A view from the dashboard of an unsecured Wi-Fi security camera.Worse yet, you’ll often find distinct information in the video feeds (or the attached metadata) that make it possible to zero in on the location of the camera.

“Dear Sir or Madam, I found a camera on the internet pointed into your living room, and I tracked you down to anonymously alert you of the situation…”

It’s not worth putting up with garbage video quality (nearly all of the security cameras we could access had a sparse 640×480 pixel feed).

If the idea of setting up custom routing tables sounds daunting and above your DIY pay grade, you might consider skipping IP Wi-Fi cameras altogether and going with an option that requires less self-management.