How to Hide a Camera in Plain Sight
Knowing how to hide a camera in plain sight is an extremely useful skill to have if you are setting up any kind of covert surveillance system. If you are going to take the trouble to hide a surveillance camera it needs to be placed somewhere where it is unlikely to be discovered. Secondly, it also needs to be situated in a position that allows it to have an unrestricted view of the area that you are wanting to watch.
Why Would you want to have Hidden Cameras Inside Your Home?
There are a number of reasons why you might want to have hidden surveillance cameras inside your home. Once you know how to hide a camera in plain sight keeping a discreet watch of your property becomes much easier.
#1 Covert Surveillance of a Home Intruder
You should always try to take appropriate measures to ensure that your home is targeted by a burglar. Making sure that you have good solid locks on your doors and windows is essential. Visible Burglar Alarms and Outdoor Lighting are all excellent deterrents and will undoubtedly reduce the chances of your home being robbed.
Unfortunately there is no way to be one hundred percent certain that your home will not be burgled. Having hidden cameras inside your property will however enable you to video the thief’s activities which you can pass on to the police to help them to catch the intruder.
#2 Use Covert Surveillance Cameras as ‘Nanny Cams’
More and more mothers are having children and returning to work much sooner than they used to. The day to day care of the child is then often delegated to a full, or part time, nanny.
Although you may be reasonably confident that the nanny you are employing is caring for your child in a responsible manner a lot of parents like a little extra reassurance.
One way that parents can get this reassurance is by installing a ‘nanny cam’. The camera can they keep a discreet eye on what is happening throughout the day. The footage can then be viewed in the evening when the parents return from work. Alternatively, depending on the system you have installed, the cameras may be activated remotely and the footage viewed in real time on a mobile device.
Please remember that if you do decide to install a nanny cam it is not always necessary for it to be hidden. Some parents leave the camera in plain sight and actually make the nanny aware of its presence. The majority of child care professionals are unlikely to have a problem with the fact that their activities may be monitored periodically throughout the day.
#3 Discreet Surveillance of Household Employees and Workmen
It is not unusual for both a husband and wife to have a full time job and leave the daily tasks associated with running the household (cleaning for example) to someone else. Having the facility to discreetly monitor the staff you employ enables you to see that they are carrying out the tasks you left them and are not abusing your trust.
There are also occasions when you may need to give a workman access to your home while you are away. A covert camera will let you see exactly what work has been carried out and that the job has been done correctly.
How to Hide a Camera in Plain Sight Without it Being Detected Inside Your Home
There are numerous places that you can hide a surveillance camera inside the home. The hiding places that are available will vary from room to room. Places that are available for hiding a camera in a kitchen, for example, will not be the same as in a bedroom or lounge area.
The size and type of camera you are using will also have a bearing on the kind of hiding place you ultimately choose.
Below I have listed 5 Hiding Places that are Excellent for Concealing Covert Surveillance Cameras Indoors.
#1 Hide a Camera in a Tissue Box
We are using a tissue box as an example but in reality it can be any type of box that is large enough to conceal the camera you are using and looks in keeping with its surroundings.
A tissue box will not look out of place in virtually any room of the house so it is an ideal choice. All that is required is a small hole cut into the side of the box that is large enough so that the camera can be hidden inside the box whilst still allowing the lens of the camera to have an unrestricted view of the area you want to monitor.
Tissues can be placed on top of the camera to make the box look as natural as possible.
#2 Hide a Camera in a Stuffed Toy Animal
Ideally the toy you are using should be placed amongst other similar toys to make it look less conspicuous.
You simply need to cut a small slit in the head of the toy and remove enough of the stuffing to accommodate the surveillance camera. Before inserting the camera into the toy animal you need to remove one of its eyes (this sounds gruesome but I assure you the animal will feel no pain!). The lens of the camera is then positioned so as that it is looking out into the room through the aperture previously occupied by the animals glass eye.
If you do not want to actually hide the camera inside a soft toy you can simply place it on a shelf amongst a selection of childrens toys and the chances are it will not be seem!
#3 Alarm Clock and Photo Frame Cameras
Hiding a surveillance camera inside an everyday item that you would expect to find in any house is an almost foolproof way of keeping a discreet eye on any area within your home.
You can purchase a Photo Frame that is fitted with its own integral spy camera. The spy camera photo frame looks just like any ordinary photo frame and is undistinguishable from any other decorative item within your home.
There are a number of these types of frames available and the majority of them have a motion detection facility that can be activated and night vision capabilities.
How about concealing a spy camera inside a clock? Most people expect to see a clock in virtually any room of the house and do not generally view them with suspicion. There are several models of digital clocks available that have built in surveillance cameras. The clocks are fully functional and there is nothing that would make you suspect that they were in fact concealing a camera. Motion detection and night vision are usually a standard feature.
#4 Hide Cameras Amongst Indoor Plants
Indoor plants and flower arrangements are ideal hiding places for covert security cameras. Any type of plant can be used to conceal your camera but obviously plants with significant amounts of foliage provide the best cover.
People tend to have plants and flower arrangements in most rooms of the house so they are unlikely to viewed with suspicion by an intruder. The cameras can be attached directly to the stem or foliage of the plant or can be anchored to their own stake within the pot or container.
#5 Electrical Outlet and Smoke Detector Security Cameras
Every home has electrical outlets and smoke detectors and no one gives them a second glance. They are part of the ‘fixtures and fittings’ and are not obvious places for concealing spy cameras.
It is however possible to purchase dummy electrical outlets and smoke detectors that have their own built in security cameras.
The dummy outlet sockets are simply stuck to the wall in any position you wish and look just like the real thing. There are various models available. The less expensive models tend to have the facility to record to SD Memory Cards only. The top of the range models however actually have fully functioning power ports. They also have full WiFi capability and can be accessed from personal devices from anywhere there is a 3G/4G internet network.
Smoke detectors are generally positioned on the ceiling of a room and no one expects them to be anything other than what they appear to be. As a hiding place for a surveillance camera this makes them ideal.
Being situated on the ceiling they are in the perfect position to have a ‘birds eye view’ of the whole area below. Smoke detector surveillance cameras are usually WiFi units which support real time video viewing and recording on most android devices and smart phones. Motion detection is a standard feature of most models.
I Know How to Hide a Camera in Plain Sight – What Now?
Once you know how to hide a camera in plain sight positioning your surveillance cameras becomes much easier and the chances of the cameras being discovered is reduced significantly.
Knowing how to hide a camera in plain sight is essential but there are also other considerations that you need to take into account if you want your covert surveillance activities to be successful.
You need to think very carefully about the type of surveillance camera you are going to use.
Are you going to purchase a complete solution such as the Photo Frame Surveillance camera or the Alarm Clock Surveillance Camera? Does the Electrical Outlet camera or Smoke detector surveillance camera appeal to you?
Maybe you prefer to have the flexibility to hide the camera in a place of your own choosing. If this is the case you need to decide whether you need security cameras that are mains powered or self contained battery operated security cameras. Do you want the facility to be able to view the video footage remotely on your smart phone or are you happy just to have the data recorded onto a memory card to be viewed later?
There are lots of options available to you, just make sure you choose the one that meets your own specific needs!