For the (un)tranquility of travelers, the popularization of informal accommodations managed through platforms such as AirBnB has allowed tourism to become cheaper but also the picaresque (when not pure criminal behavior) consisting of hiding tiny cameras in the accommodations.
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but it can be detected by a smartphone camera sensor.
With them the hosts get intimate guest recordingseither for personal delight, or so that they end up circulating on the Internet essentially showing the moments when unsuspecting travelers have sex without knowing that they are being recorded.
Without resorting to sophisticated detector equipment of systems more typical of spy films, anyone who fears being a potential victim of these hidden cameras can be reassured thanks to something that practically the entire population has carried with them for years: the mobile phone. All this thanks to the fact that these types of hidden cameras are usually equipped with infrared technology, capable of capturing images in the dark. A type of light invisible to the human eye but capable of being detected by the camera sensor of a smartphone.
Depending on the smartphone model, there are some in which only the front camera is capable of detecting infrared emissions, in others both cameras (front and rear/rear) are capable. To verify this, the method is very simple because also at this point in practically all homes there are an infrared emitting device: the TV remote control.
The method to detect the infrared emission using the mobile camera will be detailed below:
-Activate mobile camera.
-Focus towards the part of the remote control that has the infrared signal emitter (sometimes a small emitter of a very dim light can be distinguished).
-To turn off the lights in the room (and/or, where appropriate, draw the blinds/curtains) so that there is as much darkness as possible.
-Press buttons on the remote control.
On the mobile screen it should be clearly displayed infrared light beam emitted by the remote control when you press the buttons.
Once you know how to detect this type of emission in the case of being in a room where you might suspect that there are hidden cameras (yes, only if they use infrared technology) the method to detect them would be similar:
-Darken the room.
-Travel the room pointing with the mobile camera activated.
Another detection method would be through WiFi in the case of cameras that use this signal emission technology to transmit the captured images to another remote device. Here, apps such as Fing (available for iOS and Android) should be installed on the mobile, which are capable of detecting devices that are connected to a WiFi network.
The usual thing in tourist accommodation is that there may be available a wireless network And unless the host has anticipated and established two WiFi networks, one for guest use and one reserved for their wireless cameras, it’s normal for everything to be connected to the same wireless network. It would be enough to run one of these applications that would report if there is a WiFi camera connected.
Finally, and in the most suspicious or spy chapter, there would be the radio frequency detector devices, which would make it possible to find both cameras and microphones that use this type of signal to transmit sound and/or images. But this, unfortunately, exceeds the capabilities of a smartphone.
