Note: This is a guest post written by Dan Martin
On the 25th of February, 2022, The Mirror published a sad story online. A 25-year-old school teacher, Brittany Walsh, posted on Tik Tok that she found a camera in her Airbnb apartment. Thankfully, she had just gotten to the room when she saw the camera.
Sadly, Brittany is not the only person who has gone through this terrifying experience. According to a 2019 poll conducted by IPX1031, 11% of respondents like Brittany agree they have seen concealed cameras inside an Airbnb unit at some point.
The internet is filled with similar chilling stories about people who found hidden cameras in their apartments.
Your bathroom is meant to be a private space away from prying eyes. However, the presence of hidden cameras in your bathroom can make your bathroom the opposite of that.
To avoid being the next victim of a hidden camera, here are some ways you can locate hidden cameras in your bathroom.
What Does a Hidden Camera Look Like?
A hidden camera is a gadget that can record video (and occasionally audio) from a specific place without the subjects’ awareness.
These cameras are typically camouflaged as everyday items, making it hard to spot them. For instance, the one Brittany saw in her apartment looked like a USB charger.
But then, hidden cameras work just like regular cameras. As such, they have lenses; however, they are usually smaller and blend with their environment.
These days, a number of these cameras are disguised as regular household materials. A lot of them also come with magnets that help them stick to metal surfaces like your showerheads, bathtubs, towel hangers, and so on.
A hidden camera can either be wireless or wired. The wired types have connections to storage devices while the wireless types transfer their footage to a receiver within a short distance.
Now that you have an idea of what they look like, how do you find them?
The following are easy ways to spot hidden cameras in your bathroom. The good news about these methods is that they are all easy and cheap.
[1] Examine Your Bathroom Carefully
Checking around your bathroom carefully is one of the simplest techniques to find hidden cameras. Sometimes, the best place to hide something is the place where you least expect it to be.
So, if there is a hidden camera in your bathroom, a careful search might help you find it.
When doing this, imagine yourself as the perpetrator. Where would you put the camera if you wanted to spy on someone?
The following are some places where you might find the hidden cameras in your bathroom:
i) Under Tubs
Tubs can be a good place to hide spy cameras as they have a wide surface. They usually have a large opening under them to accommodate tiny cameras. So, check underneath the tub and also remember to check behind the legs.
Although, it is usually easier to spot the cameras on wall-mounted tubs as you have fewer sides to check. Japanese soaking tubs and clawfoot tubs, some examples of a freestanding bathtub, may be harder to inspect as all sides are exposed so there is a bigger area to check.
When looking at the site, be sure to look for wires or anything that looks odd. You never can tell what you might find there.
ii) Smoke Detectors
Smoke detectors are typically mounted to the ceiling. If someone were to attach a camera at that height, they have the advantage of seeing a bird’s eye view of your bathroom. So, make sure you check your smoke detectors too.
iii) Tissue Boxes
Everyone has tissue boxes in the bathroom, and it’s probably the last place you will think of when looking for a hidden camera. But then, the location of these boxes, coupled with the fact that they look unsuspicious, makes them the perfect place to hide cameras.
As you move through the bathroom, look for suspicious wires or strange lenses. If you also spot any plugged devices you do not recognize, feel free to unplug them. Also, listen as you move. Some of these cameras have motion sensors that make sounds as they work.
[2] Make a Phone Call Around Your Tubs
The tub area of your bathroom is a likely spot for hidden cameras. It’s usually close to the walls where you might have shelves for keeping your toiletries. Besides, as we said earlier, the tub itself can have hidden cameras attached to it.
To be sure there is nothing fishy around your tub, stand in or around it and make a call. Most cameras emit a radio frequency that disrupts calls. Standing or sitting on your tub should give you enough coverage if your bathroom is not too large.
If you have a large bathroom, you might need to work around and see if you can hear any disruptions.
[3] Turn Off the Lights in Your Bathroom
Most hidden cameras come with night vision capabilities to help them spy well. Most of them have red or green LEDs that allow the camera to see in the dark. However, you can use the working principle of the night vision cameras to find where they are hiding.
When the cameras are in low-light circumstances, the LEDs around the camera lens switch on automatically to supplement the illumination. Usually, the LEDs are either red or green.
So, after turning off all the lights in your bathroom, if you spot any low red or green light, it is probably a hidden camera.
You can also combine this with the use of a flashlight. Infra-red LEDs can be tough to spot, but all cameras have lenses made from glass. Since all glass material will reflect light, your flashlight might work.
So, switch off all lights and scan the premises with your flashlight. If you spot a reflection, ensure you check to see what is there.
[4] Install a Hidden Camera Detection App on Your Phone
If you have an android or iPhone, you can also use your device to scan your bathroom for hidden cameras.
There are various applications available for you on the internet that can assist you in detecting concealed cameras. Simply download the provided software, and it should guide you through the process.
When you uncover the concealed surveillance cameras, be sure to remove them as soon as possible.
[5] Check the Mirrors in Your Bathroom
This might sound funny, but do you know some mirrors are actually surveillance cameras? Yes, they reflect like regular mirrors, but they are collecting footage from your bathroom.
To ensure your mirror is a real mirror, place your finger against it. There should be a gap between your finger and the reflection in a normal mirror. If there is no gap, you probably have a hidden camera.
Conclusion
If you find a hidden camera in your bathroom, it is time to call the police. Under the laws of the US, “the installation, placement, or use of a device for observing, recording, transmitting, photographing, or eavesd
