Airbnb and its counterparts solve a lot of rental problems. But such a lease also involves some risks. For example, dishonest owners can install hidden cameras in apartments, rooms and houses and not report the filming to their guests, thereby breaking the law. Hotels do the same, although much less often than homeowners.
There are more and more cases when guests discover hidden cameras in their rooms and rooms. According to the study , 1 in 10 Airbnb users find hidden cameras. No less such devices in hotels and hostels... Imagine the magnitude of the problem, considering that guests are not able to find all the cameras, but only those that are installed carelessly. How to protect yourself from espionage? At a minimum, you can carefully inspect the room before settling in it. In this article we will tell you what, where and how to search.
Look around for weird gadgets
When we come on vacation or go on a business trip, check-in usually takes place in a relaxed mode. The final point of the path has already been reached, and you can rest. Take a break, but then immediately examine the room or room where you checked in.
Are there any strange looking devices nearby? For example, as in the picture below.
In the center is a hidden camera that disguises itself as a charger. This device is indeed capable of charging, but it also has undocumented features. And there are many similar gadgets: it can be smoke detectors, remotes, speakers, alarm clocks, light bulbs and even flower pots or a "forgotten" Lego cube.
At the first inspection, it is worth paying attention to any suspicious things that are in sight. The camera will be in line of sight anyway. She can disguise herself as a completely ordinary thing that is in an unusual place for herself - an alarm clock in the bathroom, for example.
Use a flashlight or smartphone flash to detect the lenses of devices
If nothing was found (or, even more so, if even during the first inspection something was found), it is the turn of the check with the flash of the smartphone camera or an ordinary flashlight. It is a good tool for detecting spyware.
Any camera has a lens with glass or polished plastic. The albedo (reflectivity) of such a surface is much higher than the albedo of other things. Accordingly, the lenses of a hidden camera, if you direct light on them, will reflect the rays much better than any other objects around.
Turn off the light in the room you are examining, dim it (blinds, curtains, etc.) and turn on the flash of the phone, circling the entire room with it. You need to watch for small bright spots. If there are any, look carefully at what it is. Quite possibly a hidden camera.
Dimming helps even without using flashlights. Many cameras are equipped with an activity indicator and are visible in the dark.
Inspect small items
Spy equipment can be tiny. Accordingly, it can be hidden in small objects and disguised, for example, under mounting bolts, handles and other items. It is better to check the small details of the interior carefully. Don't forget about cute toys that are in line of sight. Cameras are most often built into them.
Use Wi-Fi sniffers to detect smart devices
It is far from always possible to find cameras during visual inspection. Sometimes you need more advanced tools than eyes and a flashlight.
These are systems that are able to detect sources of WiFi signals. The fact is that the overwhelming majority of cameras located in hotels and rental housing transmit a signal over a wireless network, and do not write data to the built-in drive.
Accordingly, such gadgets can be found. Dedicated applications do the job best. For example, Fing is a mobile app (for iOS and Android) that detects the vast majority of gadgets connected to a local router. There are also alternatives such as Hidden Camera Detector, iNet, Tiny SVR Came and others.
The application does not show the type of the detected device, but shows its MAC address. Then the matter is small: using services like MacVendorLookup.com, you can determine the type of device - it is a camera, a TV, a smart light bulb or something else.
Wiretapping detector
This, of course, is not the easiest way to detect devices. First, the use of RF detectors by individuals is prohibited in a number of countries. Secondly, such a device cannot be transported across any border. And thirdly, few people will buy and carry a wiretap detector when going on vacation.
Wiretapping detectors, however, are very good at detecting hidden electronic spies - not only WiFi, but also Bluetooth devices. The cost of such a device is $ 30-50, if we are not talking about professional equipment. You can buy it on eBay, Amazon and other sites.
The detector is easy to use. You need to go around the room with him. If you hear a repeating sound, it means that the device has found something. The closer to the signal source, the more often the sound will repeat. If suddenly your detector began to emit its "beep-beep" next to the flower pot, it means that inside, besides the flower, there is something else.
Look for an infrared source
We are talking about night vision cameras. If you turn off the light in the room, then such devices begin to emit in the infrared range. You can find the source of infrared radiation using a smartphone camera. It does not have an IR filter (at least most modern models do), so the phone can be used to find the source of directional IR rays.
If you wish, you can build your own detector.
There are, of course, thermal imagers that connect to mobile phones, but the cost of such devices is high and not available to everyone.
No matter how good the owner of a home may seem, it is better to follow the principle of "trust but verify" when moving in. If you find a camera, contact the police and / or write to Airbnb / Booking.com support by sending photos or video cameras. In this case, the service must return the money and provide similar housing. Those who like to pry are usually immediately removed from the catalogs of affordable housing and do not cooperate with him in the future. It is better not to engage in arbitrariness, it is fraught with problems with the law.