For example, if you were worried about someone breaking into your home while you were away, you could place cameras near your doors and windows. If you suspected a partner cheating on you, you might place a camera facing your bed or pointing towards the passenger seat of your partner’s vehicle. If you were worried about how a nanny was treating your baby, you would point the camera facing your child’s crib. If you want to feed the neighborhood cats, you might want to check to see if other animals you would rather not feed are frequenting the food bowl. If you live in an area where passersby may see your camera, you would want to keep it disguised to prevent theft. In this case, you would keep your camera hidden and pointed at the food.
For example, if you’re installing a camera in a room with a television, place it on the opposite side of the room. Place a camera near a couch or chair your target is likely to sit in. When installing your camera in a car, place it away from the car’s speakers.
If your camera connects to a network through an Ethernet or USB cable, it must be well-disguised and in an inconspicuous place. Keep such a camera close to the computer or router it connects to. Most common commercial nanny cam models connect wirelessly. If you purchase this type of camera, make sure it’s within range of a secure wireless network.
Keep your camera either significantly above or below average eye level. Ask someone to look for a camera you’ve installed in a particular room. If he or she is unable to find it with the knowledge that it’s there, an unsuspecting individual is even less likely to spot it. If he or she quickly finds the camera, choose a different spot and try again. Some examples of good hiding spots people would not normally think to look include inside an air vent, within a fake smoke alarm, or under furniture. Some examples of potentially bad hiding spots where the eye is often drawn are any spots near paintings, light switches, and television sets.
Make the camera itself small and difficult to see. In other words, a camera with a tiny visible lens that is put in a discreet location. This is what comes to mind when most people think of hidden cameras. The truth is this type of disguise is much easier to spot since an effective hidden camera must have an unobstructed view of whomever it’s watching. If the lens can see a person, the person can see it. Disguise the camera as an everyday object. Tissue boxes, coffee makers, alarm clocks, digital picture frames, wall hooks, and even plug-in air fresheners are all examples of commercial nanny cams that blend seamlessly into the home environment. A person is much less likely to see a lens that was designed to look like a button compared to a separate camera that has simply been hidden.
If you’ve purchased your camera secondhand, try looking up its model number online. The user manuals for many electronic devices are freely available for download. Don’t forget to install any necessary software. Most hidden cameras rely on external software to function. This can be a program that was bundled with your camera or one made by a third party available for download. Some programs are even meant to be installed on you smart phone for you to keep watch while on the go.
Start by waving your hand in front of the camera to see if your camera records at all. Check your computer or the camera’s internal storage to see whether or not this motion was recorded. Try mimicking a real world scenario, such as walking into the room, to see if the camera records your actions with appropriate image quality. Test it again in a few hours and yet again a few days later to ensure that it continues to work. [5] X Research source
If your camera runs on battery power, you will need to either swap in fresh batteries or recharge the device. Consult the owner’s manual for advice on how often this should be done. If no suggestion is provided, make a note of how quickly it takes the battery to discharge. If your camera connects to a Wi-Fi network, you can get notifications about the battery status or check in on the camera at any time. Clean out the camera’s memory regularly. For cameras with limited internal storage, you should review and purge footage often. If your camera is hooked up to a server with a vast storage capacity, you may never need to do this. Like all electronics, your camera may break or wear down without you immediately knowing. Periodically double-check your camera to make sure it’s still working. [6] X Research source
A rule of thumb is that it’s legal for you to install hidden cameras as long as they are on your property and there is no reasonable expectation of privacy. For instance, it’s usually legal to install a camera in your own living room or inside your car. However, cameras in rooms where privacy is expected are typically not allowed even when you own the property, such as in the case of a bathroom or inside a spare room you are renting out. Laws for audio recording are often different and more stringent than those concerning video. In the United States, 38 states allow for the hidden recording of conversations if at least one party consents, while the remaining 12 forbid recordings unless all parties are aware and consent to it. Hidden cameras at a place of employment are usually considered legal only if the employees are informed that they may be filmed. [7] X Research source In the United Kingdom, special allowances are made for placing cameras outside one’s property in cases where elder abuse is suspected. [8] X Research source
Do you need to be able to clearly identify the people being recorded? If your camera is intended to catch an otherwise unknown thief, you will want a camera that captures either video or still pictures with a relatively high resolution. Are you observing a known person looking for specific actions? Then you should find a camera that records movements well. Buy a camera that takes video with a higher frame rate/frames per second (fps). Avoid cameras that only take a series of still photos. Lower resolutions are fine in this case. What are the lighting conditions of what you would like to observe? If you plan on recording trespassers at night, you may consider getting an infrared camera. [9] X Research source
You will be hooking this up to a computer, so a private desktop or laptop is also necessary. You can even use a tablet if you have one that is compatible with USB. With cheap nanny cams regularly available, making your own hidden camera is not the most practical method. However, if you happen to have these materials on hand, it has the advantage of being free.
Be very careful not to disconnect the lens or the USB cable from the circuit board. Keep all of these components attached. [11] X Research source
When drilling a new hole, you need to consider a spot where the camera will look inconspicuous. Pick a part of your object that is relatively dark so that the lens will better blend in.
Test your camera by waving your hand in front of it. Can you see your hand on the computer screen? Did the software record that action? If so, try leaving the room for a while and then coming back in. Did your camera record your entrance? If so, then you have successfully made your own hidden camera.
