Surveillance devices are easily accessible and affordable, and it’s not a big deal to install them discreetly anywhere with malicious intent. According to a survey, one in four Americans has found a camera at a vacation rental property. Incidents violating guests’ privacy are on the rise.
The following tips will help you detect a hidden camera the next time you book a hotel room or a vacation rental.
Use Your Smartphone Camera
When you enter the hotel or vacation rental room, switch off all the lights to make it as dark as possible. Scan the room using your smartphone camera. If there is a hidden camera or any other device with infrared (IR) light, your smartphone camera should be able to pick it up. While the IR light is invisible to the human eye, a smartphone camera can easily capture it.
Download the Camera Detector App
A camera detector app has network scanning, magnetic sensors, lens glare detection, infrared, radiofrequency, and other technologies. It can quickly help you to locate spy cameras, microphones, Bluetooth devices, and GPS trackers.
Scan Wi-Fi Network
Many hidden camera devices operate on the Internet. Check the Wi-Fi router’s admin panel settings for unknown connected devices. Alternatively, you can install a network scanner app, connect to the Wi-Fi router, and follow the app’s instructions.
Examine Signal Interference
Make a phone call to someone and walk around the room or property. If the call quality is poor in some areas of the space, pay close attention to whether you hear crackling or buzzing noises during the call. Poor network coverage could also be the cause, but it doesn’t harm to rule out the possibility of a hidden camera with this method.
Use a Flashlight
If you have packed a flashlight or torch, turn it on. Turn off the lights in the room and close the curtains. Move the flashlight around the room slowly. The camera’s glass lens emits a ray of light reflecting a flashlight’s light. Any blue or purple reflection may indicate the presence of a hidden camera. Red or green blinking lights also indicate an LED-enabled spy camera.
Inspect Everyday Objects
A NYC Criminal Defense Attorney website states that offenders can hide cameras in things that look like books, alarm clocks, tissue boxes, or other everyday objects and in plain sight in dark corners or closets.
A guest found a hidden camera in a charger at a vacation rental property in one such incident. Desk plants, lamps, picture frames, smoke alarms, pens, and soft toys are other common places to look for hidden cameras. Hence, don’t hesitate to examine these things and places to look for oddities thoroughly.
Survey Areas of Privacy
A woman sued a global hospitality company for $100 million, claiming that she was secretly filmed in the shower and blackmailed. A couple discovered a hidden camera plugged into the wall, pointing directly at the bed in a remote holiday rental property.
Any space inspected for hidden cameras should also include bedrooms, bathrooms, private swimming pools, and dressing rooms.
Touch the Mirrors
Someone could be spying on you through a two-way mirror. A fingertip test method can help you eliminate this possibility. Place the tip of your finger on the mirror and look at its reflection. There is nothing to worry about if there is a gap between your fingertip and its reflected image. However, if the fingertip directly touches its reflection, you should immediately get an alert.
Mirrors in unusual places, such as the kitchen or living room, are also a red flag.
Check the Power Plugs
The camera needs a continuous supply of power. Hence, power plugs are a clever place to sneak in a tiny spy device masquerading as an air freshener or a power adapter. Take, for instance, the case of a man who hid cameras in air fresheners in the bathrooms of a vacation home to spy on his family and friends.
Review Unusual Placements of Objects
When you inspect the space, you may feel something off about the placement of some objects. For example, there may be two smoke detectors or two clocks in the same space, one camouflaging as a spy camera. Look for light bulbs or ceiling lights that seem out of place.
Use Hidden Camera Detector Device
If you frequently travel, especially solo, it is recommended that you buy a specialized hidden camera detector. This device, also known as an anti-spy or a bug detector, is portable and easy to use. It can detect invisible, pinhole, stealth, and other types of hidden cameras.