Hidden Cameras Buyer's Guide

Whatever the reason, you clicked on the link because you're looking for a hidden camera. Perhaps there is abuse happening in the home or office. Maybe someone is entering your office after-hours to steal documents when no one is looking. Possibly, you only need to find who is sneaking away from the fridge with a coworker's food.

Either way, you need the video evidence of the action, and you need a spycam to do it. Finding the perfect hidden security camera is not always easy. There are many different spycams for various purposes, locations, and recording setups. If nothing should be moving, would you be better off with a device recording off of motion activation to only record when something happens?

Will the action be happening at night, requiring night vision? Could a battery-powered hidden camera be placed somewhere for a few hours to capture what you're trying to see? In this buyer's guide, we'll help you determine the perfect hidden camera for your specific situation. Hidden nanny cams come in many different designs, but first, you have to consider what kind of DVR and camera you need, then pick an object that fits the environment.

All of them require an SD card to record video internally and have the option to record either continuously or based on motion activation. Still, there are variations involving night vision, battery power, and WIFI accessibility.


CAN YOU FIND THE HIDDEN CAMERAS? MOUSE OVER THE IMAGE TO TEST YOUR ABILITIES!


WHAT DO YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT?

  • How much light is in the room?
  • Am I going to need video in low light?
  • How large is the area I need to cover?
  • Do I need to get to the video remotely?
  • Where do I need to record? In my house, or office?
  • Can I get back to the nanny cam to watch the video when I need to?
  • Do I need to record for a day, several days, or possibly a week or more?
  • How many videos do I need, daily, over the weekend, or during the week?

    BATTERY POWERED HIDDEN CAMERAS

    Battery-operated hidden cameras are extremely versatile models in our nanny camera line. They come in clocks, power banks, DIY kits, and much more. The items from our Zetta Max line of cameras have unique motion activation modes that increase battery life.

    The Zetta Max IR Surveillance Camera with 160° Field of View is a unique device among our battery-powered hidden cameras. It has a PIR (passive infrared) motion sensor, which allows the device to be put into a standby time and only activate when it senses body heat. This standby mode can last for up to 180 days!

    The Zmax 86 Micro Stick Security Camera actually has two cameras! One is designed only to sense motion in front of the device and trigger the other camera to start recording. The Zmax 86's standby mode can last up to 25 days!

    Portable, self-contained recording and motion-based recording help you get the most in video storage. Nanny cameras generally get plugged into a wall for continuous power, but they'll run for hours more after the power has gone out if they have a battery backup. 

    BEST USES FOR BATTERY POWERED HIDDEN CAMERAS

    • Recording an area with limited to no power
    • Time-sensitive targeted recording of an area
    • Hard to reach places that can be cumbersome for a non-battery-powered nanny cam

    NIGHT VISION HIDDEN CAMERAS

    Night vision hidden cameras use IR light sensors to detect infrared light being emitted. This type of light is not visible to the human eye and is easily detected by the IR light sensors. The IR sensors will kick on and change the video to black and white once the ambient light has dimmed enough or the lights are turned off.

    In a typical house setting, with blinds drawn shut and soft yellow lightbulbs, you may need to rely on night vision capabilities to catch anything that may happen with the clarity of a black-and-white image. Your reasons for looking at these night vision hidden cameras may vary.

    You may keep the lights off when you leave, but you need to check if someone is breaking in. After business hours, when the last person is supposed to leave and turn out the lights, make sure no one is doubling back to your office to steal documents in the dark. Set this clock on your bedside table to catch the time as you wake up and watch over the safe in the closet.

    Take this spycam, disguised as a portable and working digital clock camera and calendar; anywhere you might need some night vision recording at 2K resolution!

    BEST USES FOR NIGHT VISION HIDDEN CAMERAS

    • Indoor recording
    • After-hours surveillance for your office
    • Backup camera for an existing daytime system
    • Recording low light, very low light, or in locations with no light

    WIFI HIDDEN CAMERAS

    WIFI hidden cameras operate using an existing wireless internet connection and allow you to view through the camera remotely on your smartphone or tablet. Unless in an area with bad cell reception, you can even use cellular service to view the live stream.

    Video is recorded continuously or based on motion activation and is stored internally on an SD card, keeping the footage safe and secure while you're not watching. With these WIFI camera applications, you can review and pull the recordings off the SD card and store them on your phone!

    WIFI hidden cameras offer the insane ability to spy on your home or office from your smartphone or tablet while you're away, especially our air purifier security camera.

    This fully functional air purifier lets you keep this hidden camera out in the open. The sizeable 90-degree angle allows for ample coverage through the app. Connect these cameras to the WIFI to check in on what's happening from anywhere on the globe!

    BEST USES FOR WIFI HIDDEN CAMERAS

    • Watching for incidents that would occur without your presence
    • Get alerted to motion detection when no one should be in the area
    • Keep an eye on your family home or business while out on vacation
    • Download recordings from remote access before a thief can find the camera

      HIDDEN CAMERAS AS HOME SECURITY CAMERAS

      While having security cameras around a home or business is helpful for various reasons, including peace of mind, there is a weakness because they can be spotted relatively easily by any observer paying attention. Having a hidden camera bypasses this issue.

      People do all kinds of things when they feel that they are not being recorded: attempt theft, commit crimes, hurt or abuse others, etc. Unobserved, they show their true natures. A hidden camera can help you catch these acts where you would otherwise be ignorant of them.


        HIDDEN CAMERAS FOR A CAR

        If you're looking for additional security for your car, our line of Zetta Max small security cameras may be the way to go. The Zetta Max Swivel Security Camera Rotatable 180° Lens has been frequently used in this capacity, with a ten-hour battery and the ability to switch from a color image to black-and-white, which helps nighttime recordings. 

        Your vehicle is a significant investment, so it makes sense to have a cam inside of it. For the safety of your vehicle, this hidden camera is a must-have.


          BATTERY LIFE

          Battery-powered hidden cameras are fantastic tools that allow you to get footage from surroundings that may not have a power source. They're also great in case you lose power to the house or business, as they'll have this battery as a backup.

          Some cameras can detect motion and go into a low-power standby state that can extend their battery life as one of their main features. The ZMax 86 Micro Stick Security Camera is a great example of that. It has a secondary camera just for detecting motion, enabling a low-power standby state for up to a month of use. 

          If battery life is one of the essential features you're looking for in a hidden camera, then imagine what you'll be using it for to help determine the style you need. If you only need to record a short while, most of the devices should work, but if you're not sure when you'll be capturing that required evidence, a device with a long standby time would work best. 


            MOTION ACTIVATION

            Home security systems will often profit from recording only when motion is detected in front of the camera. What point is there to record when nothing is happening? Security systems benefit from recording to a digital or network video recorder (DVR/NVR) that will have a large hard drive attached, possibly with more than a month of storage.

            However, hidden cameras rely on smaller SD cards with much less storage capacity. Each hidden camera will vary on the amount it could store, depending on the resolution and overall quality of the recording, so the reliance on motion detection is much greater. 

            Products from different manufacturers have varying overall picture quality, but the makers of this next device recognized a storage limitation with the fantastic picture quality it produces. Our WIFI Security Camera with Rotatable Lens can record on motion detection, just like all the others.

            However, its smartphone application also has the unique function of allowing you to download videos directly to your smart phone or tablet to prevent them from being overwritten. This ability can be an essential feature to protect the video evidence you've been looking for when recording in areas of high traffic.

            Motion detection saves a lot of time and effort when you're reviewing videos to try and find when something went missing. If you like an intelligent hidden camera that offers excellent surveillance, motion activation is a must-have - and so is the above product.


              FIELD OF VIEW

              It can be frustrating to install a security system, only to find that you've got the wrong angle and can't see this one crucial section. With a standard security camera - as well as hidden security cameras - the angle and field of view of the surveillance are paramount. 

              The Zetta Max IR Surveillance Camera 160 Degree Field of View offers the additional visual coverage you're looking for. It's one of the better home security cameras for covering the most space at once, and it will tick off your boxes for battery power, motion activation, and night vision! Make certain you're setting your home security cameras in ways that the cameras offer the best possible coverage for you.

              Devices with about a 90° field of view can get excellent coverage of a room from the corner, but if that location is not an option and something needs to be installed more towards the middle of a wall, that's where you'll need a wider field of view. 


                HOW LONG DO HIDDEN CAMERAS RECORD?

                Different cameras record for different amounts of time: this can be based on battery life, storage size, or other factors. Check here and search for different qualities so you can get the length of recording time that fits your needs.


                  ARE HIDDEN CAMERAS LEGAL?

                  Hidden cameras are generally legal as long as they're placed in a public space (if set by a business) or a private space that you own, like your home. The only time they wouldn't be legal is if you were installing it in someone else's home. Voyeurism laws exist for a reason!


                    WHY DO YOU NEED A HIDDEN CAMERA?

                    People could need a hidden camera for all kinds of reasons. Security and peace of mind are among the biggest, but other needs include wanting to monitor people in your home or property that you don't trust or don't know, or you may just want to know what goes on at your home while you're away. There's a ton of reasons to need a hidden camera, and they're all legitimate.


                      HOW DO YOU HIDE A CAMERA IN PLAIN SIGHT?

                      There are all kinds of ways to hide a camera in plain sight. Make it part of your furniture or the tech in your house; hide it as an everyday object; conceal it in a coat rack or a picture frame; or even make it a part of one of the outlets in your home. There's a ton of different ways to hide a camera in plain sight. Get creative with your hidden cameras, and breathe a sigh of relief knowing you can capture the evidence you need to bring to a confrontation or the authorities.