Feel Like You’re Being Spied On? Here’s How to Find Hidden Cameras

If you’ve been in a vacation rental or hotel in the last few years, you’ve maybe had the fleeting thought, “Are there any hidden cameras in here?”  It’s unsettling to think about, and while most of the time it’s fine, every once in a while a story makes headlines talking about a string of hidden cameras found in a vacation rental or hotel.

Everyone deserves peace of mind when it comes to their privacy, and while most short-term rental homes and hotels are safe and clear, it doesn’t hurt to check for hidden cameras if it means putting your mind at ease.  Here’s everything you need to know about hidden cameras and how to find them.

What Do Hidden Cameras Look Like? 

Because there’s a wide range of technology and designs, hidden cameras can take on a variety of appearances. While mini-cameras can be purchased, many hidden cameras will be custom-made devices consisting of some wiring (completely hidden of course), a small lens, and a few other components. 

In fact, hidden cameras can be so hard to spot, that you’re better off looking for things hidden cameras are often hidden inside, which we’ll get into in the next section.

Common Types of Hidden Cameras

As mentioned above, when looking for hidden cameras, you’re better off inspecting certain devices rather than looking for an actual lens.  Here are some of the most common:

Smoke Alarm

When it comes to hidden cameras, there are a couple of features that make smoke alarms one of the first places you’d want to check.  Because every home — and really every building in general — has them installed all over the ceilings, they’re such a common item that we don’t even notice them.  

Another big factor that makes smoke detectors popular hidden camera locations is the fact that, by being on the ceiling, they have good vantage points.  (Something obvious to note about hidden cameras, they’ll always be somewhere that has a view of something!)

Beyond the two reasons listed above, cameras hidden in smoke alarms also have easy access to a constant power supply that doesn’t require any fuss when it comes to hiding any wires or circuit boards.

Thumb Drive (USB Drive)

One of the most common hidden cameras comes in the shape of a USB drive.  These fake USB drives make great hidden cameras because USBs are naturally plugged into ports, and thus have a discrete source of constant power.

If you notice any USBs that seem to randomly be placed in a location that has a good viewing angle, you’ll likely want to inspect them further (we’ll go over how below).

Pen

Ah, the classic spy pen.  Once upon a time, this would have simply been a James Bond gadget, but nowadays it’s a real item that has the potential to be used to spy on you.  It’s not uncommon for pens to be lying around, which gives them the potential to be an effective spy tool, but they are easy to move around and also require battery monitoring.  Still, if you see a suspicious pen lying around, at the very least put it in a drawer.

Clocks

Clocks are everywhere, and like smoke alarms, people often don’t think twice about them — a common theme you’ll notice amongst hidden camera items.  As with some of the other hidden cameras already mentioned, clocks (especially newer-looking digital clocks) can be a popular hidden camera item because, again, they’re constantly plugged into the wall, and they often are placed in locations with good visibility.

Picture Frames

Picture frames are another classic when you think of hidden cameras, and that’s because it is yet another object that can easily hide wires, batteries, and other camera components.  Group that with the fact that digital picture frames are growing in popularity, and creeps now have a perfect place to plug in a hidden camera with no maintenance.

Chargers and Outlets

This is a category where hidden cameras can start to feel overwhelmingly creepy.  First, it’s worth noting that if something is plugged into an outlet that resembles a charger or charger base, you’ll definitely want to give it a closer look (if you’re suspicious of hidden cameras, of course). 

Outlets, on the other hand, are particularly unsettling because there are usually multiple outlets in every room.  Because you can’t easily inspect an outlet for hidden cameras, you’re going to want to know a couple of methods for sniffing out the more elusive hidden cameras.

How To Find Hidden Cameras

When it comes to finding hidden cameras, there are a few methods you’ll want to try depending on what you have access to.

Physical Inspection 

While physically inspecting your home, hotel, or vacation rental isn’t the most technologically advanced method, it’s a good starting point if you suspect hidden cameras.  Main steps you’ll want to take when conducting a visual search:

• Out-of-place items.  Look for any items that seem odd in locations that have a good vantage point. 
• Common objects.  Take a close look at common items that you often wouldn’t even notice, such as the items listed in the section above.
• Pinhole.  If an item seems out of place, look for some type of pinhole where a lens might be.
• Unnecessary circuitry.  If you notice an item with a weird amount of wires and circuitry, give it a closer inspection.

Physical inspections might not be the most efficient way to spot a hidden camera, and you’ll likely struggle to find anything that’s exceptionally well-hidden, but it’s still a viable way to check for hidden cameras placed in more common locations.

Flashlight

Moving up the tool-totem pole, a step above using just your eyes is using a flashlight (the one on your phone should be good enough).  Because camera lenses are prone to giving off a glint or reflection, using a flashlight can be an effective way to find any camera hidden in your surroundings.

• Make it dark.  You’ll first want to make the room as dark as you can.  That means lights are off and curtains are closed.
• Look for LEDs.  Once the room is dark, look for any little LED lights.  If you see any, you’ll want to give those items a closer look.  Chargers, smoke detectors, and other household items commonly have LEDs, so those won’t necessarily be hidden cameras, but if a vase or picture frame has a light, your suspicions could be correct.
• Scan the room.  In the dark room, slowly pan the flashlight across the room, making sure to cover high and low.  If you notice any glints or reflections, it’s time to take a closer look.  Again, it won’t be definitive, but it could put you on the right track.

Mobile Phone

As good as visual inspections and flashlight scanning can be, we’re blessed (and cursed) with technology.  And no piece of technology is more important to us than our cell phones.  Because of that, we always have it on us, and in this case, your trusty iPhone or Android might just be the perfect tool for finding hidden cameras.

Here’s how to find a hidden camera with iPhone or Android:

• Signal interference.  Look for signal interferences.  Make a phone call near any suspected hidden cameras and walk around.  If you notice interference in the call signal, it could be an indication that there’s a camera emitting some type of signal.
• Use your phone camera.  Most modern cell phone cameras are actually able to catch infrared light that the human eye can’t see.  It’s worth noting that some phones are able to do this with both the front and rear cameras, while others can only catch infrared light with the front camera.  Turn on your front camera, and start pointing it towards small areas you think might contain a hidden camera.  If it picks up infrared light, it’s probably worth taking a closer look.  Quick tip: most remotes have an infrared light when you press a button, so you can test your phone camera on the remote to get an idea of what it looks like.
• Use a detection app.  There’s an app for everything these days, and that includes apps for detecting hidden cameras.  Different apps have different features, but many of them use multiple tools to help detect hidden cameras.  They often help detect any suspicious devices that are connected to the Wi-Fi and use some combination of your phone camera and flashlight to help you with visual inspections.

Radio Frequency Detector

Radio frequency detectors are another device that can be highly effective for those extra worried about the possible presence of hidden cameras.  They’re simple to use, in that you just walk around and it will begin to beep when it’s near something with a signal.  The downside is that there’s lots of stuff in modern homes that can trigger it, and also it will only pick up a camera that is connected to the Wi-Fi.  This means any camera that has onboard storage will likely avoid detection.

Lens Detector

If you’re really worried about hidden cameras, the first device you might want to try is a lens detector.  They vary in complexity and effectiveness (and price), but they work by essentially emitting infrared light that results in camera lenses appearing as lit-up dots.  The struggle with lens detectors is that the cheap ones require you to be pretty darn close to the camera in the first place, and the expensive ones…well they’re really expensive.

What To Do If You Find a Hidden Camera

You hope it never happens, and thankfully odds are it won’t, but if you do find hidden cameras in your home, hotel, or vacation rental, there are some things you should and shouldn’t do.

• Take pictures.  The first thing you’ll want to do is document where you found the hidden camera.  Take as many photos as you can, and be sure to note down any additional details that seem relevant.
• Leave things where you found them.  The step after this is to call the police, but in order to help them investigate, the best thing you can do is not touch or move anything once you’ve found the camera(s).
• Call the police.  It’s important to quickly notify the police as they will be able to not only investigate the matter, but also to help guide you through any immediate steps that need to be taken.
• Alert your accommodations provider. If you’re at a hotel, you’ll want to contact the parent company (such as Hilton, Marriott, etc.) rather than staff or management (let the police take care of that part).  The same goes for if you were staying at an Airbnb or other vacation rental.  Contact Airbnb or your rental service provider directly, as it likely isn’t safe to alert the owner (they are the most likely suspect to have installed the cameras, after all).

Stay Safe

Finding a hidden camera where you’re staying would undoubtedly be a traumatic experience.  While taking the advice above can help you detect and navigate that situation, there are a few ways to hopefully stay ahead of having to worry about hidden cameras.  

If you’re staying at an unfamiliar location owned by someone else, tools like Spokeo’s people finder can help give you better insight as to who you’re working with.  Making sure identities and details match up with people is a solid starting point in establishing legitimacy, and being alerted to red flags early could potentially save you lots of hassle and headaches down the road.

Hopefully, you never have to worry about hidden cameras, but if for some reason you’re feeling uneasy, now you have the tools to put your mind at ease.

Cyrus Grant is a writer from Southern California with a background in law and dispute resolution. When he isn’t writing he can be found deep-diving into the latest technology trends or simply spending time at the beach.