One of the most difficult things about using a surveillance camera of any kind is figuring out where best to place it. You need a location that is out of sight, but easy for you to access when you need to. Before you start hollowing out books or installing two-way mirrors though, consider another solution – concealing the camera in plain sight. Surveillance camera technology has come a long way in the last few years, and you can now find devices that are perfectly disguised as common household objects. Not only this, but some also perform exactly the same functions as the object they are disguised as. This means you can position your camera in the ideal spotá for surveillance, but without raising any suspicions. Here are just 6 of the most ingenious disguises you’ll find for surveillance cameras:

  • Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms – these are objects you’d expect to find in most properties, so they will never be treated with suspicion. As an added bonus, these objects also provide a great aerial view of any room.
  • Lightbulbs – while not functional, when placed in a lamp with an extension cable, cameras disguised in fake bulbs can be adjusted to the perfect filming angle and can even film in the dark
  • Doorbell chimes – another innocuous household object, cameras in chimes offer a good forward filming angle, perfect for hallways and entrances when you want to see who is coming and going
  • Clocks – wall and digital clocks are items you’d expect to see in most properties, and they are also objects that are either out of reach or are not interacted with very frequently. This makes them the perfect disguise for a surveillance camera.
  • Spectacles –believe it or not, these body-worn cameras can be integrated into a credible looking pair of glasses without anyone being able to tell
  • Junction boxes – this is a very clever disguise for a camera, as the electrical warning signs on the front should deter anyone from taking too close a look.

Of course, if modifying household objects isn't something you're interested in doing, you can always buy a motion-activated spy camera disguised as something quite innocuous.

Which spy camera to choose

There are a few important points to consider when choosing which camera to use. You need to think about the environment and who or what you’re intending to film. For example, if you’re placing a camera in a room or property that is familiar to the person, you’ll need to choose a device that is functional as well as disguising the camera. If the person is likely to engage with the object, they may discover that it doesn’t function and investigate further. However, if you’re placing a camera in an environment that is unfamiliar to the target, or for a very short amount of time, the object does not necessarily need to be functional. An example of this is using cameras for security purposes, where an intruder is not expecting to be filmed. In these circumstances, you can get away with a camera that is not easily noticeable with a casual glance, but that would be discovered if a closer look was taken. Image credit - Wikimedia Commons