We tested five ways to find hidden cameras in hotels and house rentals

Have you ever wondered if you're being watched?

It's a feeling that's creeping in for more travelers, as stories of hidden cameras — in hotel rooms, house rentals, cruise ships, even airplane bathrooms – continue to make headlines.

Spycams were once the stuff of international espionage, with secret agents given cameras resembling pocket watches, matchbooks – even tubes of lipstick.

Pieter Tjia, founder of Singapore tech company OMG Solutions, said that cameras have become smaller and harder to see in the past three years – often hidden in everyday objects such as calculators, diffusers, and water bottles.

But how hard is it to find these cameras? And do devices designed to locate hidden cameras really work?

#CNBC
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[AVClarke]

The thing is, you wouldn't need to find every camera in the room. If you just find one, you can safely assume there's probably more, and I ain't staying in that room.

[ccb]

It's disgusting that people even have to worry about this.

[EloquentMess]

For the victim who sued the hotel... she didn't "fail" to pay the ransomer, she refused. Saying that she failed makes it seem like she was in the wrong, and she wasn't. But the ransomer most certainly failed in being a decent human being.

[odbo_One]

Found hidden camera in my daughters dorm room at her college back in 2015, I reported it to the police. They never found who installed it, but it was wireless and video/sound can be downloaded just walking by the dorms. The RA(s) was instructed to check all rooms and found three more, I am sure there is more but that's all they told us at the time.

[paulaw]

Main thing, especially when tired from traveling. Check the bathroom first! Once that is cleared, you now have a safe place where you can use the toilet, take a shower, and get changed. Then obviously the bedroom is second. It sucks that we even have to think about this.

[uzomaemerie]

All you need is to find one camera/device and sue the owner of the establishment...don't stress yourself looking for more. Find just ONE!

[connorcincinnati]

If anyone recorded me naked, they would pay me to stay dressed or leave the room.

[asp]

If I found myself putting a cam in a toilet, so I can watch someone take a number 2, honestly I think it’s time to get reflective about where I went wrong! 😂

[RV]

I can remember when news stations put a hidden camera in hotel rooms to show that cleaning staff wasn't cleaning the glass water cups in the bathroom. Now we have news crews looking for hidden cameras.

[Sashazur]

One thing that you can do is turn off all the lights and look for the dim glow of infrared LEDs which many cameras use for night vision. You can also open the camera app on your phone and watch the screen while you point it around (in the dark); your phone’s camera can be more sensitive to infrared than your eyes. You should try it with both the front and rear cameras since they could vary in sensitivity.

EDIT: Per comments below this method is not foolproof. It will ONLY help find cameras that use night vision IR lights, many cameras don’t. And even then depending on what phone you have its cameras may not be sensitive to IR.

[abraxa]

there should be a law penalizing hotels/hosts if any cameras are found, so they're incentivized to do the detection from their end

[faijurrazzakrana]

In our country a women find a hidden cam in the changing room of a reputed Spa and beauty parlour. Then she informed the police and after searching police find 17 hidden cam ! Owner was female too. She sells the clips on internet sites

[outbackeddie]

The moral of the story is if you want to run around naked do it outside where you will have a little privacy.

[lululemonbar]

I stayed at an air bnb in england and found out there was multiple hidden cameras. It was a nightmare because the flat owner was very aggressive and threatening. I was traveling alone.

[lovelylipbonesouwwwwwwwolv]

What's even more terrifying is these hidden cameras are only going to become more advanced and affordable...

[ItchyKneeSon]

So, for now, you should immediately turn all objects 90* when you enter an unknown lodging facility.

[OldWorldNY]

Anyone who would do this is disgusting 🤢 keep your eyes open!

[mucholangs]

Never discuss importatnt business in a hotel room.
This is why politicians play golf.

[gailsfoodandstuff]

this popped up in my home page but im so glad i watched it. i was hoping for a happy ending where we have something we can buy to detect ALL cams, sigh.

[zachydrogeo]

Perhaps we need harsher punishments for sexual crimes.