Hidden Cameras – Are They a Good Thing?
What you have to ask your self first is, “Do I really need a hidden camera?” If you want to make sure that your babysitter is taking care of your children properly by all means a “Nanny Cam” is in order. Is someone doing damage to your car at night? Is somebody stealing your stuff at work? Whatever your answer is make sure you use a hidden camera, or spy camera, to catch somebody doing something illegal or immoral.
A big problem with hidden cameras is that too often they are used for less than ethical reasons. Just recently a news story came across my desk about a landlord of an apartment building that had wired four apartments with hidden cameras. He placed them in the bathrooms and bedrooms of the tenants. Thankfully the cameras were accidentally discovered and the landlord was arrested and is in jail. I am sure that is not an isolated instance.
Don’t let yourself become a victim to that type of thing. If you are moving into a new apartment it might be worthwhile to buy what is called a “Bug Detector”. This device can discover if there are any hidden cameras or microphones in your apartment. These neat little gadgets pick up the signal or RF being transmitted by a unit and you can locate it right away. You already know how to use one because you’ve probably seen them used often in movies and on TV. Turn it on and walk all over your apartment. The bug detector will let you know if it picks something up.
“Boy, that was so nice of the landlord to leave that nice wall clock in my bedroom. He is such a nice guy.” Well, think again. When you do a sweep of your apartment don’t be surprised if your bug detector activates when you get close to that wall clock! These days anything you see could be housing a hidden camera. Make sure you do a complete sweep of your apartment. Remember, if you find something, try not to react. Simply leave your apartment and call the police from outside. You don’t want your landlord to know that you have just called the cops.
If you have a legitimate reason to buy a hidden camera then by all means do so. You are going to find that there is a wide selection of models to choose from. Clock radios, bird feeders, planters, air fresheners, these have all been retrofitted to place a hidden camera inside. Whatever you can think of and the chances are good that you can find one with a hidden camera installed!
Don’t be surprised if somebody notices and comments on that cute little teddy bear sitting on your shelf if you are a single guy living alone. The point is, when you decide that you are going to get a hidden camera make sure it looks like something you would have in your place anyway.
You are going to have to make some other decisions too. What type do you want? Do you want an all-in-one hidden camera? How about a wired one or do you prefer wireless.
If you choose the wireless option the hidden camera and a tiny transmitter will be placed inside the unit. The transmitter will send a signal through the air. You then have to have a receiver to pick up that signal. You can then connect the receiver to your TV, monitor or recording device.
If you don’t mind A/V cords coming out of the device you might choose a wired hidden camera. The A/V cord gets plugged in to your monitor or TV or to a recording unit.
You want an “All-In-One unit? They are readily available. These little guys consist of a small camera AND a recording unit. They record right onto an SD card! It does not get any easier than this. You take the SD card from the unit, plop it into your computer and you can instantly see what the camera has recorded.
There are many options available when purchasing a hidden camera: black & white or color, low light capability, motion sensing, date & time stamp, etc. You will be able to find the camera that fits your needs and your budget.
The bottom line is that no matter what style or type of hidden camera you purchase, make sure you are purchasing it for a legitimate, ethical reason and use it properly.