How to Find a Hidden Camera

What is a hidden camera? There’s so many different types that the definition would be limited to any camera that records video or still images in such a manner that a normal person wouldn’t notice the camera. This could be as simple as a standard video camera set up behind a few tree limbs.

The purpose of this article is to explore the different types of hidden cameras (sold on the market today) so that one would have some additional knowledge to possibly recognize and/or identify one with additional investigation.

Where could someone hide a camera? Quite literally anywhere! A button on a jacket or a pack of cigarettes could house the lens of camera. With technology constantly reducing the size of electronics, cameras now exist that are small enough to fit on the end of your thumbnail. We’ll take a look at a few of the devices found on the market today.

1) Wireless (hidden) cameras which transmit video:
These cameras are quickly becoming obsolete because they need to transmit the video over the air, thus requiring the end user to be within range of the transmitter (usually within 100 yards) in order to receive the signal. The camera requires (at minimum) battery power. One can also easily find these transmitting devices with one of our wireless video camera detectors.

2) Wired cameras:
Wired cameras (hidden or not) or just that—they require a wire to send the video down, as well as power (either battery or AC). At the other end of the wire is either a screen to view the video or a recording device. These require installation of the wiring and are generally thought of as a more permanent fixture, although one could use them for a temporary operation. These are more easily found since the wire would be a give-away when looking for such a device. Since these cameras do NOT transmit video over the air, the wireless camera detectors are useless against such devices. A lens based hidden camera finder or an Advanced Video Camera Finder would aid in the search for such a device, however, a thorough sweep of a room looking for wires would also prove to be advantageous.

3) Wireless cameras that store video locally:
These cameras are by far becoming the superior product of choice. They could be built into a clock/radio alarm and use the power from the AC power cord (which also powers the clock), or they could be found in bird houses or discrete black boxes without any cords (and thus run on battery power). There’s really no limit on where they could be concealed. Keep in mind that all cameras require a lens, and thus the only real defense against such a camera would be a lens based hidden camera finder or an Advanced Video Camera Finder. Look through our line of hidden cameras to familiarize yourself with some of the more common objects that pre-built hidden cameras come in and investigate anything that looks suspicious.

Here, in order of cost (from free on up), are some tips and suggestions for personal protection and self defense techniques.*

1. Stay alert and notice your environment. Always! You don’t have to buy anything in order to do this, so there’s no excuse not to pay attention to your surroundings. Walk with confidence and strength, which both tell a would-be mugger that you’re NOT an easy target. Even in the wild, animals stalk the weakest and slowest of the heard. Carrying yourself with a strong purpose can be your first step in avoiding a confrontation.

2. Listen to your gut / instincts / 6th sense. Too many people say they “had a bad feeling” before being mugged or held up. If you feel like something is wrong, then do something about it! Don’t walk out to your car if its pitch black and you have an awkward feeling. Ask for help or call someone on your cell phone and let them know your location, the situation, and then figure out a better course of action.

3. Since you’ve read number 1, and you’re already aware of the situation, then it’s time to do something about it. If you notice something strange or out of place (someone walking directly towards you and there’s nobody else around OR a team of two staged next to your vehicle), run or try to get to safety. Again, call for help and remove yourself from harms way.

4. If you simply can NOT remove yourself from the situation, then you might be faced with a close confrontation. This is where self defense products can help. You’ve already done everything you can to avoid the situation, but you can’t get away and the potential threat is enclosing on your space.

Note: If the assailant is armed with a gun, then its likely best to comply with their requests and try to remove yourself from the situation as fast as possible (give them your money, keys, or whatever it is they want) and get out of there.

5. At this point you should be preparing yourself for defense.
Note: You'll have to choose your item of self defense based upon what you feel comfortable with combined with your budget.

The most economical option is generally mace or pepper spray. Simply having this ready in hand might change an attackers mind. If not, the idea would be to use it and run.

Pros: easy to carry, inexpensive, if sprayed in the eyes can temporarily blind an attacker and allow you to get away
Cons: while some have a 3-6 feet range, strong winds can quickly alter the effectiveness of this product if your not close enough to the attacker

6. Stun guns would be the next price level of protection, and offer the ability to electrically “stun” an attacker, although direct contact is needed in order to use such a device.

Pros: easy to use and carry, intimidating when tested in front of someone (the electrical flash is loud and bright, similar to lightning), can disable a person long enough for you to get away
Cons: must be used in direct contact (you much touch the prongs to an attacker), battery powered means you will need to recharge or replace batteries at some point

7. The best form of protection we can recommend is the TASER®, since it can be used at a distance (or in direct contact) and it immobilizes the attacker. It actually shoots out two electrical probes that are attached to wires which then deliver an electrical pulse. Police units have also started adopting these as an alternate non-lethal form of defense.

Pros: keeps you at a safe distance from the attacker, not largely effected by the wind, small and effective, can still be used as a stun gun on a second attacker or if you miss your primary target
Cons: cost

Remember: stay alert, remove yourself from the threat, and if you can't run to safety, then get your defenses ready!


Not all personal protection devices have to be used to defend yourself! We've read and heard many stories of people helping others in distress as well as providing help with law enforcement trying to capture criminals.

*The information above if provided solely for informational purposes only. Ultimately you will have to make your own decision in any self defense situation, and we hope that it will result in a safe outcome.

Detecting Cell Phone / Mobile Phone Bugs / Taps / Spy Software

I get a lot of calls and questions from people concerned their cell phone might be bugged, tapped, or has some type of spy software on it enabling someone else to listen in on their calls. Working in the telecommunications business for almost eight years gives me some background to speak to this topic.

First, in today’s environment there are many more spyware devices than one might think, thus we have to take a broader look at protecting our conversations. If you're wanting a private and/or secret conversation, you should first consider meeting the person face to face. This eliminates the phone, internet voice, etc., tapping problems. This does not however, remove the possibility that someone could place a remote bug on you, the other person, of within the confines of where you meet. This also leaves the possibility open to remote microphone surveillance. How far to do you want to go to protect your conversation?

Use good common sense. If possible, meet the person directly to exchange your top secret information. Make sure you are in a location that is tap free. The middle of the desert is an excellent location, but not always convenient. To ensure no one has a parabolic microphone on you, make sure there’s no coverage in the immediate area. High gain microphones with a dish can hear up to 300 yards away. If you’re extremely concerned, you can use an audio jammer (similar to a white noise generator), which helps cover up your conversation so that anyone attempting to eavesdrop with a remote/laser mic will only pick up the white noise.

If a remote meeting point is not available, and you must use the phone, there are several options to help. Follow the above steps to prevent a bug or remote mic. Hardwired phones become such an easy target because of their fixed location. While two parties can use a scrambling device to prevent tapping, a simple wireless bug placed in the microphone of the phone would transmit your entire conversation quite easily.

This is where we turn to the cell phone. It’s mobile and thus you can take your conversation to a remote area where a wireless bug would be unlikely to be found. The wireless transmission of the conversation is quite secure. However, could your cell phone be bugged? Absolutely! However, there are some things to consider and think about. Generally speaking, someone wanting to tap your cell phone will need to install spyware on it first. This is usually done by taking the phone and manually installing the software on it (which might take a few minutes). However, they could also send you a link via a text message, and by clicking on it, this would install the software. So, take precautionary steps to protect your phone. Don’t ever let it out of you sight, and don’t just click on links sent to you via text message or e-mail. Also be careful who you lend it to!

IF spyware is installed on your phone, you might notice some erratic or strange behavior. If the battery runs low early in the day, or you notice it lighting up or receiving random text messages, these COULD be signs of spyware. However, they could also mean your phone is old and just having problems. The larger question, and purpose of this article, is WHAT TO DO if you think your PHONE has SPYWARE? Since there are so many varieties there are currently few options to detect spyware on your phone. At the time of this writing, SPYBOT has a mobile version of their Search and Destory spyware, however, upon our testing on a Windows Mobile device, it was not working correctly. Thus, we recommend taking your phone into your local dealer and requesting they backup your contacts, and then completely wipe the device of its memory. They should be able to restore your contacts and bring your phone back to normal operation without much hassle. However, you will lose all of your programs and software you have installed on your phone. So, you can choose to re-install those or go without.

It's not easy or comforting to know that others have many avenues to intercept your private conversations. If you suspect your phone is tapped, go to the police and let them know. Many areas have technology crime labs and are working to help prevent this type of unauthorized use, however, since it's a relatively new threat, many people are unsure how to deal with it.

The Pepper Spray Pen:

Check out one of our new videos featuring Wildfire Pepper Spray, complete with demo: