Anyone can easily buy a hidden camera on the internet, so it’s becoming increasingly easy to secretly monitor someone’s every move.
Whether you’re staying in a hotel or on Airbnb, it’s wise to assume you’re being recorded and take steps to ensure you’re not.
To help protect your privacy, we’re sharing some simple strategies that anyone can follow to effectively inventory hidden cameras and surveillance devices in their rooms without spending a lot of money on expensive anti-surveillance equipment or hiring an outside company.
Some hidden cameras are designed to look like everyday objects such as clocks, pens, routers and even smoke detectors, while others are DIY hidden cameras that can be easily hidden inside objects, they can be perfectly disguised as ordinary objects anywhere such as hotels, conference rooms, fitting rooms etc.
Hidden cameras are very small and discreet, making them difficult to detect. In general, hidden cameras aim to blend in with their surroundings and need to be powered, so the most common places to find them are in electrical sockets, smoke detectors and alarms.
Detecting Hidden Cameras: 6 Easy Ways to Find Spy Cameras
There are some simple steps you can take to check for hidden cameras. Most of these methods are completely free and require only a little effort.
Scan the Environment Carefully
Making basic observations is the first step to spotting hidden cameras, noting anything that looks out of place or suspicious. Look for repetitive items in the room, such as clocks, smoke detectors or coffee pots. Also, look for any unusual holes in the walls or ceiling, or any items placed in an odd manner.
With cheap hidden cameras, there are many items that look odd and are therefore easy to spot.
Check appliances and sockets
Electrical appliances and sockets must be checked for signs of hidden surveillance equipment. Firstly, look out for common household items such as televisions, clocks, telephones, hairdryers and coffee pots. Check for any exposed wires, suspicious lights or anything that looks unusual in these items.
Hidden cameras are going to work for long periods of time and need to be connected to a power source to do so. The type of power supply may depend on the expected length of time you will be in the room. Battery-powered devices have a limited lifespan, while devices that run on electricity can be used for long-term monitoring. Scan all sockets in the room and identify everything plugged into them. Pay close attention to any insertions that look out of place or unusual.
Check If There’s a Hidden Camera behind the Mirrors.
A mirror is an item that must be inspected, to check a two-way mirror use your fingertips. On most ordinary mirrors, placing your fingertip on the mirror will result in a small gap of about a quarter of an inch between your finger and its reflection. However, if the reflection is in direct contact with the finger, further inspection of the mirror is essential.
To further examine a two-way mirror, turn off the light and shine a torch into the mirror to see if there is anything behind it. This will allow you to see any hidden cameras or other surveillance devices that may be hidden behind the mirror.
Check the Wi-Fi name
Check your phone’s wifi list, if you find a suspicious wifi name, this could be the hidden camera’s hotspot wifi, you can Google the name to confirm.
If there is a name like this: camera, xxx-xxxx-xxx, then there is a good chance that it is a hidden camera.
Turn on your phone’s front-facing camera and shine it at the suspicious object to check for infrared light, some phones filter the infrared light source and therefore may not work.
Another easy way to check for hidden cameras is to download an app that will help you detect hidden cameras.
This method is only suitable for a quick check, there is no guarantee that a hidden camera will be detected.
When you find an unusual object, you can turn off all the lights in the room and use a torch to check the object for unusual reflections.
