Hidden cameras could be placed in placed in hotel rooms, dressing room of boutique or toilets of the restaurants and it is a common concern amongst people worldwide.
First thing first. Look for any holes where a camera could be placed such as a remote, clock, pen, lampshade, plug socket, alarm clock, fire detector, behind a framed picture on the wall and even shower head of bathroom. Examine suspicious places from multiple angles.
Check for any small holes in walls, ceilings, or floors. These could be hiding a camera. Look for any wires running to or from a hidden camera.
If you see glints of light where there shouldn't be, places where there are no mirrors, glass or other reflective surfaces, you may have found yourself an unwelcomed recording device. Follow the simple rules to detect a hidden cameea in a room.
Look for blinking light
Make the room as dark as possible, put on all the curtains. The best way to detect hidden cameras would be by switching the lights off in the room and all gadgets like TV or router. This will trigger the IR functionality on the hidden camera. It is also reported that most cameras have blinking LED lights that are easier to spot in low light conditions or in darkness. If you check into the room during the day and it all looks bright inside with sun rays. So, close the windows, draw the curtains shut and switch off the light to create darkness in the room. The blinking light would come alive if there is any hidden camera in the room.
Look for shining light inside any items with holes in them. Use your phone’s flashlight to check smoke detectors or air conditioning vents any lenses inside will give off a bluish reflection.
Also remember that several other devices emit infrared light too. These devices include some motion detectors, sensors on a game console, and even some PCs.
In addition to searching for cameras in the light, it is also good to turn them off and use a flashlight to look for them. A lens reflects light and could make it easier to find the camera.
Remote control
Find a remote for your TV or air conditioner. Any remote with an IR blaster in the front will work. Place your phone's camera in front of the tip of a remote control and look for a small light. Your eye won’t see the lights that come on when you press one of the buttons, but your phone will.
It will most probably be pink and/or purple in colour and you will be able to see it either steady or flashing. In case you aren't able to see any light, try switching the cameras of your smartphone from the front to the rear camera or vice versa.
You can test this by turning the lights off, and putting your phone in selfie mode. Using your phone to spot the infrared light from a hidden camera is similar to searching with the flashlight. In a dark room, enable the front camera on your phone or tablet, and slowly pan the front of the device around each room.
Mirrors
To find out if there is a hidden camera behind the mirrors, simply touch the mirror with the fingertip and notice how your fingertip appears in the mirror. If the reflection and your fingertip will not touch and leaves a quarter-inch gap or so, then it’s a clean mirror. But when you place your fingertip on the mirror, and the reflection touches your finger, there is something fishy about the mirror.
Travellers can also use a flashlight to check for hidden cameras behind mirrors. Turn off the lights in the room and then press the flashlight against the glass. You will know it’s a two-way mirror if you are able to see the place on the other side. It may take some time to find, as the reflection will only be spotted when the lights hit the lens at the right angle.
Fire alarm
You need to shine a bright light on the fire alarm to detect any hidden device in the video. If the light hits a camera lens, it will emit a bluish reflection.
Use internet or call
Open internet through phone data, if browser page is not opening properly, there may be a hidden camera at that place.
Make phone call, if call is not being made then there are big chances of secretly installed cameras.
Small white spots and blue-ish reflection
Look for small white spots emitting from anywhere. Move the camera around and be as thorough as possible. Your eyes won’t be able to see these spots but the smartphone camera will be able to detect it quite easily. Any such spots you find could be a hidden camera. Wherever you see these spots, investigate thoroughly.
One way to see if the device is a camera is to shine a bright light at it. If you hit a camera lens it's going to get a blue-ish reflection.
Remove the battery backing
This allows the person to see if the device has a camera hole, a different type of battery, or a different charger. Looking up the brand and model number of the device online will also tell the person if the device is a surveillance camera.
One way to see if a device is a camera is to shine a bright light at it and if you hit a camera lens it gives a blueish reflection
USB powered and the wall charger it's plugged into is actually also a camera. If we shine the light on it you can see that little pinhole in the middle with the blue reflection, which is actually a camera lens.
Use front camera of smart phone
When filming in the dark, the infrared light source will appear on the screen as a pulsing dot. Keep in mind that your smartphone’s main camera may not do the trick, because it probably has an IR-light filter, so the front camera is a better bet.
Try paper towel roll and flashlight
Grab a paper towel roll and a flashlight and hold the roll up to one eye and close the other. In a darkened room, turn on the flashlight and place it at eye level next to the tube and slowly scan the room for the telltale white reflection.
