Tracking Planes Better Than Any Current Radar with Just Three $30 Web Cams
Posted5 months agoActive5 months ago
twitter.comTechstory
skepticalnegative
Debate
80/100
Surveillance TechnologyRadar SystemsAviation Tracking
Key topics
Surveillance Technology
Radar Systems
Aviation Tracking
A Twitter video claims to track planes using three $30 webcams, sparking skepticism among HN users about its feasibility and usefulness.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
2m
Peak period
3
0-1h
Avg / period
1.7
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Aug 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM EDT
5 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Aug 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM EDT
2m after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
3 comments in 0-1h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Aug 20, 2025 at 6:59 PM EDT
5 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
ID: 44965914Type: storyLast synced: 11/18/2025, 1:45:42 AM
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
Something like...
news.ycombinator.com##.athing:has(a[href*="twitter.com"])
news.ycombinator.com##.athing:has(a[href*="twitter.com"]) + tr
news.ycombinator.com##.athing:has(a[href*="x.com"])
news.ycombinator.com##.athing:has(a[href*="x.com"]) + tr
A $30 web cam can't spot a plane 100 miles away. The resolution is simply too low.
By the time a $30 web cam spots a plane, it may be too late to anything but duck for cover. Apparently, Musk has a *visual* fixation.
Even if this does spot them, so what? You aren’t mounting this onto a rocket to shoot them down. Knowing a plane is approaching 30 seconds before it gets to you is almost completely useless unless you’ve got a fireman’s pole into your bomb shelter and the plane happens to not be carrying bunker busters as a payload.