Staying in a rental often feels more relaxing than staying in a hotel, but sometimes, you get more than just “homey charm”—like, say, an extra set of eyes. Rental owners can hide cameras in all kinds of everyday stuff that aren’t always obvious, no matter how hard you try to find them. Here are 10 places where people have actually found hidden cameras and how to spot them before they spot you. You deserve to have some privacy on vacation.
Featured Image Credit: AndrewLozovyi /Depositphotos.com.
Inside a Motion Sensor
Those little plastic boxes up near the ceiling, perhaps in a corner, are usually motion sensors, but some people swap them out with ones that double as cameras. If it looks newer than everything else in the room, or there’s no blinking light when you walk around, that’s a little suspicious. They’re designed to blend in and they have a lens the size of a pinhead, so they won’t stand out unless you’re really paying attention.
Built into a Smoke Detector
Not all smoke detectors are created equal because some of them are meant to spy on you, especially those that are mounted right above the bed. Shine your phone light at it and if you see a tiny lens reflection in the center, that means it’s time to investigate. Spy cams in smoke detectors usually have wide-angle lenses so they cover the entire room from above, and they’ll send the video feed straight to a phone app.
Hidden Behind a Fake Air Vent Grille
It looks just like an air vent, right—except it’s not connected to anything and there’s no airflow or duct. Some homeowners build cameras right into plastic grilles and put them on the wall to look real, so get close and see if the screws match. If they don’t, or if it’s sealed tight with no airflow, it might be all for show. A lot of these vents have dark slats because it means the camera behind it doesn’t need to be totally hidden, as it’s already in the shadows.
Inside a Power Strip
You’d think something as boring as a power strip would be safe, but no—some power strips have a fake outlet slot with a pinhole cam inside that catches whatever’s going on in the room. Check every outlet and if one of them looks off, or you plug something in & it doesn’t work, then that’s a reason to be suspicious. The camera lens is usually in one of the outlet holes, which means it’s pointing up toward your face if it’s angled just right.
Inside a Digital Alarm Clock
Clocks are one of those things that no one really thinks about, but some alarm clocks come with a camera hidden in a fake speaker grill or right below the LED screen. You should pay attention to the numbers and be wary if you notice the numbers flickering or that the clock looks way too glossy. These clocks usually still work like normal, including showing the time and having an alarm, but the lens is behind smoked plastic. Some of them use infrared so they’re able to record even in total darkness.
Placed Inside a Picture Frame
You might see a random framed photo in your room of a lake—or worse, a generic stock family—and the picture’s facing into the room like it’s watching something. That’s because it is. Some frames have hidden cameras right in the border, usually on one side, so tilt the frame a little and use your flashlight. Look out for a tiny dark circle that doesn’t belong because it’s your clue that there could be a camera recording your every move.
Concealed in a USB Charger
The cameras hidden inside USB chargers are relatively easy to miss because they look just like a regular cube charger, maybe even one you’d use. But these spy cameras record while charging and store footage on a tiny memory card. You should check the charger—if there’s no brand and it feels heavy, go ahead & unplug it because it could have a lens behind a pinhole, at the seam where the plastic pieces meet. Most of these record on motion and they only turn on when someone moves in front of them.
Mounted Inside a Thermostat Housing
You walk in and see one of those fancy digital thermostats on the wall—nothing weird, right? But when you go to adjust the temperature, the screen doesn’t light up, and that means you could be looking at more than just a busted control panel. Some of these aren’t even real thermostats, as they actually have tiny cameras tucked behind the display and use the existing wiring for power. Check for any weird gleams in the center or if it feels warm when it’s not doing anything.
Built Into a Coat Hook
Some people hang jackets on hooks—other people install fake ones with hidden lenses aimed right at the room, and they come with plastic hooks that look completely normal at first glance. The camera is usually hidden near the top, facing out, and it won’t flash or blink. Try pulling the hook gently and if it comes off too easily or feels hollow, trust your instinct. Real hooks are made to hold weight.
Stuck Inside a Plant Pot with Fake Leaves
Fake plants don’t need sunlight or water, but they might need a closer look if they’re always spotless & suspiciously perfect. You might find a camera hidden inside the soil part of a plastic plant, pointing the lens upward through the leaves, or perhaps a weird bump in the dirt. Real plants get dusty, but these usually don’t and if something moves inside, there’s a reason.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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