Travel safely by being aware of cameras in your hotel room.

When the initial thrill of excitement wears off, you notice a weird blinking light on your huge TV. Could somebody be watching you, or have you just watched too many spy films? You settle into your hotel room, connect to Wi-Fi, and get on the bed immediately. Post 15 images of the view from your new window. Well, covert cameras are available in a variety of sizes and designs. Even special cameras can be concealed in commonly used movable objects like alarm clocks, picture frames, vases, and lamps. The large ones are easy to spot, but the small ones may be sneaky and inconspicuous; they can be hiding beneath furniture in decorations or vents or anywhere else you'll have trouble noticing them. Look to see if these items are positioned to provide the finest view of your room or bathroom or if they are faced at an odd angle. [Music] Since all cameras have lenses, the best approach to identify a hidden camera is to search for the lens reflection. When you notice a reflected red spot, you must turn on the torch to help you determine whether there is a concealed camera. Turn out the lights and slowly search the room with a torch, laser pointer, or a special wireless spy cam detector. Check the vents and any other cracks or openings in the walls or ceiling. Advanced detectors may even enable you to see what the camera sees, making it much simpler to identify and disable them. However, these devices only function on cameras that are turned on as well as operating normally. Your smartphone may also be able to help you discover some hidden dangers. Turn on Bluetooth and look around to see if any unidentified devices appear on the screen. Another option is to install a network scanner app that displays all devices connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi network. Once the app has finished scanning, look through the list for items with names like IP camera or Cam Plus. You can use selfie mode on your phone. You can play detective a little more and phone a friend or family member while you gently stroll around your room after turning out the light and drawing the curtains. Maintain an eye out for purple or white lights on the screen. If you start hearing strange noises while you're on your cell phone in a certain location of your room, investigate it carefully. Secret cameras should generate some form of radio frequency that will likely interfere with your phone call signal. [Music] Check the light switches, electrical outlets, lamps, and other items you ordinarily wouldn't notice; if they appear to have been tampered with, they may be a bit out of place, have a hole in them, or both. The location where the floor and the wall meet is another spot you should examine for ridges because many spy devices require wires, and whoever installed them often had to conceal those wires under the vinyl baseboard. If you find a hidden camera or anything suspicious, don't be afraid to report it to the hotel management or your booking service. If the lodging denies everything, address local law enforcement agencies after you've searched the room for cameras. Check the mirrors first to determine if they are built into the wall or can be changed if the mirror is semi-transparent, it will be built into the wall. You can perform a quick test to ensure the mirror is working properly. Push your fingertip sufficiently tightly to leave a fingerprint against the glass. Examine the fingerprint as you remove your finger. There won't be a gap if there is a small space where the glass should be between the print and the mirror, indicating that it is simply a mirror on a semi-transparent mirror. The mirror will produce an empty sound if someone sees you from the other side; thus, tapping the glass is another technique to determine if your mirror is semi-transparent. Do you see any light behind the mirror when you get near it and cup your hands about your eyes? A double mirror requires a brighter light on the other side than yours. If this is the case, you might have an unwelcome visitor before you leave your room or retire to bed. By every door, I mean the door leading into the room and the door leading to the Terrace, if you have one. If you're staying in, you could also start a small DIY project as well as wrap a belt or a bag strap around the arm that pushes the door shut. For an additional layer of safety, fasten it and wrap it around more times. Another suggestion is to arrange items in a pyramid outside the entrance when preparing to nap or go to bed. Glasses and mugs work great for this. If someone attempts to enter when you are sleeping, there will be a lot of commotion. If you have valuables with you and don't feel comfortable leaving them lying around the room, you could put them in the safe inside your room, but since those safes use passcodes rather than physical locks, a hotel employee would need to know the master code to open it just in case, you should bring your own safe with you instead. You can find the ones that resemble books on Amazon.com. If you travel with valuables and don't feel at ease leaving them lying around the room, you could put them in the safe. You can go one step further as well as drop a pen parallel to the laptop under a certain angle. Using the compass app, you may determine the angle with your Smartwatch or phone. If someone moves it, you'll know that even something as simple as a kindly do not disturb sign can help. Hotel housekeeping staff typically have up to 20 rooms to attend to during an eight-hour shift so that they won't have more than 30 minutes for your room. This gives them enough time to make the bed, clean the room and bathroom floors, empty the trash cans, and dust every surface. However, they rarely have the opportunity to take care of smaller things like light switches, door and drawer handles, and remote controls, and yes, these are precisely the items you'll come into contact with.