Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: A first check
• Method 2 of 3: Make use of the darkness
• Method 3 of 3: Using a signal detector
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Do you feel like you are being spied on? You may want to make sure your privacy is secured. Here are a few different ways to discover hidden cameras and microphones.

To step

Method 1 of 3: A first check

1. Search your environment. This means that you slowly and precisely search every nook and cranny of your home or office.
   • Look carefully for anything that seems out of place or is different, such as the way flowers are arranged, paintings on the wall that are skewed or out of place, or lampshades that don't look normal . Check for smoke detectors that you have not installed yourself, and look for a speaker that might contain a camera.
   • Look in flower pots, lamps and other places where a microphone can be easily hidden.
   • Look under cushions, under the table, and behind bookshelves. The space under bookshelves and table tops are usually great places for miniature cameras.
   • Look for wires that don't seem to go anywhere, like those from a home appliance. Hardwired (not wireless) spy equipment is less common in this day and age of modern technology, but is still used for permanent surveillance in commercial establishments to prevent data loss.
2. Listen carefully as you walk around the room silently. Many small, motion-sensitive cameras make an almost inaudible sound or click when active.

Method 2 of 3: Make use of the darkness

1. Turn off the lights and see if you can spot tiny red or green LED lights. Some microphones have a "power on" indicator light, and if the person who placed this has been careless and has not covered or deactivated the light, it may be possible to locate the camera.
2. After turning off the lights, grab a flashlight and carefully examine all the mirrors. These can be made transparent so that a camera can take pictures through them, but it is important that the back is darker than the front in order not to be detected.
3. Search for mini cameras in the dark. A mini camera is usually a charge-coupled device (CCD) and is placed in a small opening in the wall or an object. Take an empty toilet roll and a flashlight. Look through the toilet roll with one eye and close the other eye. While examining the room with the flashlight, pay attention to small reflections of the light.

Method 3 of 3: Using a signal detector

1. Buy an RF signal detector or other eavesdropping device. If you really think someone is spying on you, buy an RF (radio frequency) detector and examine your room, house, or office. These portable devices are small, easy to use, and inexpensive. But there are eavesdropping devices that use multiple rapidly changing frequencies, a "spread spectrum", and they are not picked up by an RF detector. These equipment are used by professionals and require a spectrum analyzer and an experienced technician to locate.
2. Use your cell phone to detect electromagnetic fields. Call someone on your phone and then wave your cellphone in a place where you suspect a camera or microphone is hidden. If you hear a clicking noise on the telephone, it may be due to interference with an existing electromagnetic field.

Tips

• Check hotel rooms.
• If you find something, call the police. Do not remove or disable the camera or microphone. Pretend you didn't find out, get out of reach of the bugs and call the police. They want to see evidence that equipment has actually been installed in your home, and not just lying around somewhere.
• Keep your computer's microphone and webcam (if you have one) covered and turned off when you're not using them.
• Wireless eavesdropping will be more common because it is easier. This equipment can transmit information over a range of 61 meters in circumference.

Warnings

• Don't let the cameras and mics notice you're looking for them.
• For stealth sweep of the area, hide the RF detector and make sure it is in silent mode.

Necessities

• Empty toilet roll (possibly)
• Flashlight (possibly)
• A high quality RF detector (optional)
• Mobile phone (possibly)