The first, and most important, question you have to ask is “How am I going to use this?” Is it for use as a “Nanny Cam” to make sure your children are being taken care of properly? Are you trying to stop employee theft? Are you experiencing repeated vandalism? A hidden camera should only be used to document suspected unlawful or dangerous activity when there is no other way to catch the culprit.

A big problem with hidden cameras is that too often they are used for less than ethical reasons. Just recently a news story came across my desk about a landlord of an apartment building that had wired four apartments with hidden cameras. He placed them in the bathrooms and bedrooms of the tenants. Thankfully the cameras were accidentally discovered and the landlord was arrested and is in jail. I am sure that is not an isolated instance.

One way to make sure you are not a victim of a hidden camera or microphone is to purchase and use a signal detector. They are more commonly known as “Bug Detectors”. We have all seen these being used on TV and in the movies. You simply turn the handheld unit on and walk through the room or “sweep” the room. The signal detector picks up the signal transmitted by the hidden camera or microphone and helps you locate its exact position. When searching for a hidden camera or microphone, look everywhere. Bugs come in many shapes and sizes and can be smaller than a penny. If you do find a hidden camera or microphone, don’t touch it. Call the police immediately and let them handle it.

If you do want a hidden camera for a good reason, there are many types to choose from. Most hidden cameras are built into everyday items you find around a home such as clocks, radios, thermostats, smoke detectors, lamps, etc.  You name it and it could contain a hidden camera. When deciding what kind of hidden camera you want, make sure it will fit into the décor of the room. As an example, I don’t think I would put a nice bright neon lit clock in my contemporary living room. But, it would probably fit in nicely in my game room.

In addition to taking the décor into consideration you have to decide what type of hidden camera you want. There are basically 3 types:

1/ Wireless

2/ Wired

3/ Self contained

With the wireless hidden camera you will have the item that contains the camera and a transmitter. This transmitter sends the video signal wirelessly to a receiver. The receiver is then attached to a recording device or a monitor or TV for viewing.

The wired hidden camera will have an A/V cord coming out of the unit that will get plugged in directly to a recording device or TV or monitor.

The self contained hidden camera will have the camera and a recording device, usually an SD memory card, hidden inside of it. In order to view what has been recorded you simply take the memory card out of the unit and place it into your computer for viewing. This type is usually the easiest to set up.

There are many options available when purchasing a hidden camera: black & white or color, low light capability, motion sensing, date & time stamp, etc. You will be able to find the camera that fits your needs and your budget.

The bottom line is that no matter what style or type of hidden camera you purchase, make sure you are purchasing it for a legitimate, ethical reason and use it properly.



Thanks to Jim Wilkinson for contributing this article to our Surveillance blog:

Home Security Surveillance Camera

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I am looking for a hidden camera to put in my living room that will not break the bank! The cheapest find gets 10 pts. It has to work, too!

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Surely, you have been stirred by the raging debates over public surveillance. Perhaps as you’re reading this article, you feel a twinge of conscience for installing your outdoor surveillance camera without warning the whole neighborhood but ironically, you feel outraged over those covert cameras the boss has set up in the workplace. Strange politics indeed.

To Install or not to Install Surveillance Cameras

After the infamous 9/11 event, governments and people rallied or debated for and against increased public surveillance cameras and the eye in the sky. But before this, people raised a hue and cry over the intrusion of their privacy in the workplace but the events that fateful September day thrust the issue of covert surveillance to the core of mass consciousness. Now here you are with your newly installed outdoor surveillance camera.

It’s a different story when it’s about your outdoor surveillance camera. You are protecting your property against thieves and vandals so people who enter the premises of your property should be subjected to surveillance, especially if no one is at home. Good try. You’re on the right track because thousands of other home owners share this view. Go ahead and install your outdoor security camera.

It’s legal to install that outdoor surveillance camera, but it is not always legal to rig spy cameras in guestrooms and in the bath. If you are caught at it, expect a long-drawn court battle and spending time behind bars, or a stiff fine. If you hate the thought of office spy camera watching your every move so why spy on your house guests and the nanny?

If it is necessary to have a nanny cam indoors, you have to inform the new nanny. Some States require this and failure to do so means BIG trouble.

The Bad Guys and the Good Guys

That outdoor surveillance camera does not discriminate against the good guys and the bad guys. It will keep on recording people passing by, going up your doorstep, and people leaving your home. Friends do not have to disguise their faces but expect the bad guys to don big sunglasses and hats.

When you go through the day’s recordings transmitted by your outdoor surveillance camera, you can’t just pick out a suspicious looking chap and show the video to the police. You have to be careful. Just because he looks suspicious does not warrant he’s a thief or vandal. That’s the beaut of it. Unless he is caught squeezing himself into the window and an indoor camera pans and zooms into his face, then you have your man.

The video and audio recordings in your home are admissible in court but not all the time. If you have a bone to pick with the nanny or a neighbor and you have proof of their misdeeds within your property, the recording will be their downfall in court. However, secret audio recordings of law enforcers are illegal if these are not obtained under the so called color of law.

To be safe, homeowners stick with video surveillance using their indoor or outdoor surveillance camera. Better record actions than verbal abuse or eavesdrop into private conversations. So don’t risk your sanity with audio surveillance. Stick to those surveillance cameras and avoid the politics and legal implications that goes with audio interceptions. Now that is another politics and another story.



Thanks to Nahshon Roberts for contributing this article to our Surveillance blog:

Wireless Home Security Cameras