GoKawiilReport: Laser pointers rarely damage security cameras, testing shows
An IPVM investigation found that disabling a security camera with a laser pointer is far harder than popularly believed. Only high-powered lasers held perfectly still for about 10 seconds could cause lasting damage, and testers struggled to keep a beam steady on a lens even from five feet away. Legal handheld laser pointers, capped at 5mW output under FDA rules, generally produce only temporary glare rather than permanent harm.