How to detect a hidden camera? Everything you need to know.
Lately, there is some shocking news of Airbnb hosts installed hidden cameras to spy on their guests without letting them know.
The question is how to detect hidden cameras effectively in a guest house, a hotel room even in your apartment.
We have summarized all the proved useful approaches to help you spot the hidden cameras.
- Where to check.
Compare with ordinary surveillance cameras, hidden cameras usually are very small. It can be placed at any invisible space. When searching for hidden cameras in a room, below are the places you need to pay more attention:
Most common places to hide hidden cameras in a room
- Smoke detectors
- Electrical outlets
- Power strips
- Night lights
- Books
- DVD cases, or video game cases
- Shelves
- Laptops
- Plants
- Wall decors
- Desktops
- Digital TV box
- Pens
- Wall clocks
- Hairdryer holders
- Computer mice
- Small holes in the wall
- Pictures or other decorations
- Stuffed animals, like a teddy bear
- Air filter equipment
- Mirrors
Besides, indoors, there are some commonplace at outdoor to place hidden cameras
- House plants like trees and bushes
- Birdhouse or bird feeders
- Fake rocks or garden gnome
- Mailbox
- PVC pipe mounted on the wall
- Take advantage of your phone to detect hidden cameras
Your mobile phone is very useful to detect hidden cameras. Below are some methods you can try to find hidden cameras in a room.
2.1 Use WiFi to scan hidden cameras
Some hidden cameras rely on the network to transmit data, watch live video. So it is possible to find some hidden camera in the WiFi list.
Step1: Enter the WiFi list on your smart home
Step2: carry your phone and move around in your room.
Step3: Looking for odd-looking connections and devices.
2.2 Find other networked hidden cameras
Other than the hidden cameras that generate WiFi signal, there are many hidden cameras does not generate WiFi signal, but still need to be networked to use.
Below is the way to flush out networked hidden cameras.
Some places you stayed allow you to have access to the network. Take this as an advantage; you can leverage on a free App called Fing (available for both Android and iOS)
This App shows all the device connected to the network in the room. Watch out to the odd-looking named devices, and device name starts with IP-camera.
2.3 Using mobile App to detect hidden cameras
Downloading and using a “hidden camera detection app” on your android phone and iOS phone. For the Android user, “Hidden camera detector” is a good option.
- Spot hidden cameras with night vision
Most of the hidden cameras have night vision function to watch in a low-light or dark environment.
To do that, hidden cameras usually equipped with red or green LED light. When in the low-light environment, the LED will automatically turn on to enhance visibility.
Therefore, you can manually create a dark and low-light environment to find hidden cameras. Below are the steps:
3.1 Switch off the light and close the curtain in the room
3.2 Watch and check carefully to see if there are a blink and solid red and green lights in the room
This is a very useful way to spot all the hidden camera that has night vision.
The key take-away is to create a dark environment to let the camera turn on the light automatically.
Other useful tips: some hidden camera also have an indicator light on the camera panel. You can also use this as a lead to spotting a hidden camera in a dark environment
- Inspect the mirror to find a hidden camera
Mirror in the restroom is always recommended to inspect when looking for a hidden camera.
There are two ways to pinpoint a camera hidden behind a mirror
Way1: Turn off the light in the room, turn on the flashlight on your phone and point the torch against the mirror, if it is a two-way mirror, you will be able to see through the mirror
Way2: Point your finger against the surface of the mirror and check the reflection. If there's a gap between your finger and the image, it's a real mirror. If your finger and the image touch tip to tip, there would be a hidden spy camera in the mirror.
- Take advantage of professional hidden cameras inspector to locate hidden cameras
A professional hidden camera detector can detect RF broadcasts from a wireless camera.
Hidden camera
Detectors use flashing LED light or lasers to make a hidden camera more visible.
To use the hidden camera detector.
- Hold it up to your eyes level, make the light face to the direction that you want to inspect
- Moving the detector around the room to spot a hidden camera
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