A Brief Guide on How to Find Hidden Cameras: The Top 5 Ways

March 14, 2024 By Janne Smith No Comments 6 minutes

From strolling through the whitewashed walls of Greece to bearing with the Middle Eastern heat, vacations can be exciting but weary! And that’s where you decide to hit your hotel’s bed, only to find hidden cameras spying on you. But fret not, we’ve got a list of ways on how to find hidden cameras.

How to Find Hidden Cameras

According to a private property investment firm, IPX1031, out of 2,000 Airbnb guests, almost 58% of guests express concerns about the presence of concealed cameras in vacation rentals. The drumroll of events in the past years has put a larger emphasis on methods covering “how to find a hidden camera.”

In this article, we’ll cover the top methods for detecting hidden cameras and ways to escape the net. Keep reading to find out all about how to find a hidden camera!

Note: Privacy breaches, whether in your hotel room or the digital world, are illegal, and you must ensure an extra layer of privacy protection. Speaking of the Internet, VPNs are essential. However, you must only get a trusted VPN for security protection, like FastestVPN.

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What Would Hidden Cameras Look Like?

Don’t expect the hidden cameras to be the size of your palm, not even your finger! With technological advances, these button-sized hidden cameras don’t have a standard size. Expect a hidden camera to be almost an inch or 2 in diameter.

According to Verified Market Research, the hidden camera market size reached $1.7 billion in 2022 and is expected to nearly triple by 2030, reaching $5.7 billion. This translates to an average annual growth of 15.9% from 2023 onwards.

These cameras come with a broader focus on precision, i.e., they’re usually custom-made. This allows people to neatly install them within the ceilings or the walls, making them look almost invisible.

Additionally, the cameras require constant power, and the most obvious places that support its wiring are under the socket board, alarm, or smoke detectors. And, that’s your first tip for “how to find a hidden camera”.

How to Find Hidden Hidden Cameras?

For all the comfort they offer, your hotel bed can always seem to be your best friend. But let’s flip the cards here; it’s always rational to be slightly suspicious about them.

Here are 5 methods that serve as a guide to “how to find hidden cameras”:

1. Thoroughly Check the Room for Hidden Cameras

Here’s the first step to “how to find hidden cameras.” Before getting into bed, thoroughly scan the environment for hidden cameras. Normally, hidden cameras aren’t well-concealed, and you can mostly spot them by carefully checking your environment.

2. Use a Flashlight With the Room Lights Off

The second yet most convenient method for finding a hidden camera is to use a flashlight. Turn off the room light and flash a torch or your phone’s flashlight around the walls and other common areas where a camera can be speculated.

Don’t forget the smoke detector, the alarm, and the socket board. Using the flashlight reflects from the lens, and if there’s a hidden camera, you should easily spot it.

3. Check the Devices Connected to the WiFi Network

You can check the network-connected devices via 3 methods:

Log in to the admin account of the router and check the connected devices
Use the router’s web interface to view connected devices
Use the command prompt

a. Check the Connected Devices via the Router

Here are the steps to check the connected devices via the router:

Note: Remember that these steps vary for routers. This tutorial is a generic guide. For further information, we recommend you follow the specific router instructions.

Through the search engine, log in to your router’s admin panel.

Go to the network information panel.
View all connected devices.

b. Accessing Router’s Web Interface to View Connected Devices

Here’s how you can use the web interface to find the list of all devices connected to the WiFi router:

Go to a web browser.
Enter the IP address of the router.
Log in with the credentials.
Find the Connected Devices or Device List section.
You can now view the list of all connected devices.

c. Use the Command Prompt

You can also easily use the command prompt to view all connected devices. Here’s how:

Go to the Windows Search Bar. You can see this at the bottom left of the screen.
Search and open the Command Prompt.
Press Enter.

4. Use an Infrared Detector for Hidden Cameras

Using an Infrared detector (IR) camera is one of the best ways to find a hidden camera. All you need to do is move the camera around the room, and when you see red dots, that indicates the presence of a hidden camera in the room.

5. Use a Radio Frequency Detector

A Radio Frequency (RF) detector is an electronic device that detects RF waves in the surroundings. Although most people don’t usually have this in hand, it can robustly detect hidden cameras if you do. Simply stroll within the room with the RF detector stretched out near the walls and ceiling. High beeping noises signal the presence of cameras.

Is There a Detector for Hidden Cameras?

Generally, Radio Frequency and Infrared tools are commonly available as hidden camera detectors. You can normally find these devices at an e-commerce store for a minimum of $20.

Meanwhile, some sophisticated hidden cameras can switch frequencies quickly, making them difficult for specific detectors to identify. However, these high-tech cameras are typically expensive and not used in everyday situations.

Is There an App to Find Hidden Cameras in Your House?

Yes, various apps can help you find hidden cameras in your house. However, beware of scam apps in the application stores.

Connect to FastestVPN and leverage complete privacy protection to avoid downloading a risky app. If it’s not a hotel, you can also consider hiring a professional to detect hidden cameras in your house.

FAQs - How to Find Hidden Cameras

Can a cell phone detect a hidden camera?

Only a few cameras allow this; otherwise, you must use a hidden camera detector app. Overall, cell phone cameras can help detect the cameras.

Can a cell phone detect a hidden camera?

Various ways are there to detect a hidden camera via the cell phone. For example, you can use your cell phone’s flashlight or a camera detector app.

How to detect hidden camera with mobile phone iPhone?

You can detect a hidden camera with an iPhone by installing one of the camera detectors. Most reliable options come with premium subscription plans, and it’s best to always use FastestVPN to ensure security during downloads.

Is there a free app to detect hidden cameras and microphones?

There are various free apps to detect hidden cameras and microphones, but remember that they aren’t mostly reliable. And you can’t expect premium features for free.

Wrapping Up

This article covered brief details about how to find hidden cameras, focusing on detection methods. For the ones about to stay in hotel rooms or are staying in one, make sure you thoroughly check your environment and see if there are no hidden cameras by following our article on how to find a hidden camera.

On the other hand, if you suspect the presence of a hidden camera in your house, it’s best to get your hands on hidden camera detector tools or hire professionals. While stealing personal information totally sounds illegal, you should also make sure none of your data leaks online. For that, we recommend using FastestVPN.