How to Check for Hidden Cameras in Hotels and Rentals

Hidden cameras in accommodation aren't fiction; cases surface in hotels, rental villas, and boarding rooms in many countries including Indonesia. The devices are now button-sized, sold freely for under Rp200,000, and almost all connect to Wi-Fi so the installer can watch from their phone. That's also their biggest weakness: they have to be on the network, and the network can be inspected. This guide takes about five minutes on entering a room.

1. Physical check: things facing the bed and bathroom

A camera needs a view of what it wants to record, so check objects that face the bed, the changing area, and the bathroom. The most commonly used:

• Smoke detectors and motion sensors on the ceiling, look for small, asymmetric holes.
• Digital clocks, Bluetooth speakers, USB sockets, and charger adapters facing the bed. A USB charger with a camera is the most common product on the market.
• Air fresheners, tissue boxes, photo frames, plush toys: anything oddly placed.
• A router or access point inside the room: rare, but it happens.
• Mirrors: press a fingertip to the mirror; on a normal mirror there's a gap between finger and reflection, on a two-way mirror there isn't. Not perfect, but free.

2. Lens reflection with a phone torch

Turn off the lights, close the curtains, then switch on your phone torch and sweep the room slowly while looking from the same angle as the torch. Camera lenses reflect light as a small point that glints differently from the surrounding surface. Check especially the items listed above. Cameras with infrared LEDs for night recording often show as a dim red dot through a phone camera (front cameras usually don't filter infrared; rear cameras often do), point the front camera around the dark room and look for a blinking dot.

3. Scan the Wi-Fi network

This is what people rarely do, yet it's the most decisive for modern cameras. Connect your phone to the accommodation's Wi-Fi, then use a network scanner app (Fing on Android/iOS, or similar). It lists every device on the same network with its manufacturer, identified from the MAC address. What to be suspicious of:

• Devices from camera or camera-module makers: Hikvision, Dahua, Xiaomi/Yi, Wyze, Ezviz, Tuya, Espressif (the chip in many cheap cameras), or names containing "cam", "IPC", "DVR".
• Unnamed devices with port 554 (RTSP), 80/8080, or 8000 open, scanners can usually show ports.
• More devices than makes sense for your room.

A scanner only sees devices on the same network. If the accommodation separates its guest network (as it should, see separating a guest network), a camera the owner put on their private network won't show. So this step complements, not replaces, the physical check. Another angle: scan nearby Wi-Fi names with a signal analyser app; an unconfigured camera or one using its own hotspot broadcasts an SSID like "IPC-xxxx" or "CAM_xxxx" with a very strong signal from inside the room.

4. If in doubt: cut its internet

A Wi-Fi camera is only useful when connected. If you're uneasy but found nothing, the simplest measure is to unplug any router inside the room for your stay, or cover suspicious objects with a towel. A memory-card camera still records, but can't be watched remotely.

5. If you find something

• Don't touch, don't unplug. Photograph and video its position, including its angle towards the bed.
• Cover the lens with a towel or tape if you must stay in the room briefly.
• Report to the police, not just reception, staff may be the ones who installed it, or may "tidy it up" before there's an official record. Recording people without consent in a private space is a criminal offence; the legal basis is covered in CCTV and privacy rules and the Personal Data Protection Law.
• Report to the booking platform (Airbnb, Traveloka, etc.), they have procedures and usually move you to other accommodation.

For accommodation owners

Cameras in common areas (lobby, corridors, car park) are legitimate and normal; inside guest rooms and bathrooms they never are. State clearly where cameras are, keep your cameras on a network guests can't reach, and secure the cameras themselves, a weak camera can be taken over by someone else and become a hidden camera without your knowledge. Guides: Wi-Fi CCTV security and Wi-Fi for homestays and villas.

Conclusion

Five minutes on entering: check objects facing the bed and bathroom, sweep the dark room with a torch for lens reflections, scan the Wi-Fi network for camera-brand devices, and if in doubt cut its internet. If you find something: photograph, don't touch, report to police and the platform. Modern cameras depend on Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi can be inspected.

Frequently asked questions