How to Hide a Camera in Plain Sight? 8 Creative Ways to Hide Camera -

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Knowing how to hide a camera in plain sight will help you see people as they truly are.

How do you act when you know you’re being watched?

We all know that feeling when you know you’re on camera. Even if you aren’t doing anything wrong, you still try to act as far from suspiciously as possible.

You’re not going to catch people red-handed when your cameras are easily spotted.

The best outcome for you is that cameras will become a preventative measure – this doesn’t really deal with the issue; it only delays the act.

Finding a smart and sneaky way to hide your camera in plain sight will make it far easier to see people as they truly are.

The goal here isn’t to be unethical, but we have to be smarter than the people who are trying to take advantage of us and do something that they shouldn’t.

With our top tips, you’ll learn about some smart and sneaky ways to hide your camera in plain sight.

You’ll get some creative tips that you can alter and make your own.

We’ll also throw in some creative ways to hide outdoor security cameras.

P.S. Before you continue, remember to keep what’s relevant to you in mind as you go through this quick guide. Try to get into the mind of the wrongdoer and think as they think.

Here’s Our Tips on How to Hide a Camera in Plain Sight

Now we’ll get into the tips and tricks on how to hide a security camera in plain sight.

Tip 1: Hide Your Camera Behind Household Décor and Furnishings

This idea is simple and effective. People generally look to the top corners and ceiling of a room for security cameras.

This leaves plenty of ‘blind spots where they aren’t likely to be checking for a camera.

You can use this to your advantage and make smarter use of the natural camouflage in a room.

Here are a couple of ideas on how to hide a camera in your house:

Inside a fake pot plant (use a fake one so there’s no need to water it)
Snug on a mantelpiece between two picture frames
Mount the camera on or behind a coat rack
Put the camera on your TV stand (the more ornaments you have around, the better)
Age-old strategy of hiding the camera in a bookcase

These are just a couple of ideas and they depend a lot on the layout and contents of your house or office.

Just remember to put it somewhere you wouldn’t expect to find a camera.

Tip 2: Hide the Camera on the Branch of a Tree or in a Brush

This is where you can find some creative hidden camera ideas.

An easy solution is to mount the camera on the branch of a tree outside. You might face problems with the swaying of the branches and tree growth throughout the year.

You can also hide the camera on a stand inside a bush or shrub. This works surprisingly well and is super hard to spot.

Make sure you don’t have overly curious dogs that’ll try to mess with your setup.

Bear in mind that your camera is more likely to be damaged outdoors and in trees. You have to decide whether it’s worth it or not.

Tip 3: Defy Logic and Mount It on the Wall

This tip seems like we’ve gone against our own recommendations – but there’s some sense to it.

It’s all about choosing the right location and there are tons of benefits to putting your camera on a wall:

It’s generally more protected against damage and theft
You get a great viewing angle
You can build a stronger, more sturdy mount
You’ll get a consistent feed as power cables are easier to run to it

But doesn’t everybody look along the wall for security cameras?

Making your camera match the texture and color of the background will make most people skip right over it. This is especially true in offices and stores as there’s more wall space.

You’d have to scan a lot more wall space and can easily miss a camera that’s the same color as the wall it’s on.

You could even make a material cover or case that exactly matches the color and pattern of the wall. It’ll be really hard to spot unless you’re standing up against the wall or actively looking for it.

Tips 4: Buy a Camouflaged Camera Case

You’ll need to spend a little money to get one of these cases – but they do an excellent job of hiding your camera in plain sight.

You can get cases that look like a toy or prop that you hide the camera in.

If you’re serious about keeping your camera properly hidden then it’s a worthwhile buy.

You’ve probably wondered how to hide a spy camera as they do in the movies. It’s easier than you think and it won’t cost you much.

Do a couple of searches and you’ll find loads of options to pick from – just remember that you don’t want to draw too much attention, so go for something neutral and bland.

Tip 5: Higher is Better

Putting a camera above our standard view can help it go totally unnoticed.

How many times have you stood at an ATM or bank till and not noticed the little round camera right above you?

This works really well with smaller cameras as you usually won’t spot them in your peripheral vision.

Remember to:

Keep the camera a similar color to the background
Put it near other objects so it doesn’t stand out too much
Make sure it’s out of the peripheral view

High-mounted cameras are awesome because they give you a better view of the ground. This makes them great cameras to hide in your house or a shop.

The main disadvantage is that they can be spotted quite easily when you actively look for them.

You probably won’t catch much of a person’s face either, so you’ll need to know your goals clearly.

Tip 6: Get an Outlet Spy Camera a

These are very smart and cheeky cameras that’ll easily go unnoticed. You can hide it in plain sight and get good views of what going on.

They have huge battery life and fit straight into your electrical outlet.

They’re great for using indoors because they give you a clear shot of the face and what a person is doing.

It’s not expensive and they often let you connect via Wi-Fi to get a live view.

Tip 7: Hide It in a Picture Frame

Whether this works or not depends on the camera you’re using.

Slapping a full-sized security camera onto a small picture frame will look a tad suspicious.

Jokes aside though, this can work exceptionally well and even be done DIY.

You won’t need to buy a picture frame designed solely to house a spy camera.

If you’re a handy person, you can drill a hole into the frame and put the camera in yourself.

Here are a couple of pointers:

Make sure the lens still gets a good view angle
Choose a bland and neutral-colored frame that doesn’t draw attention
Don’t use a painting or photo that has people in it as those tend to draw more attention than a simple post-card style photo
This is only going to work with small cameras and spy cameras
You can buy a spy camera photo frame and save yourself the time of making one yourself

Tip 8: Hide It Behind Glass

Here’s a creative way to hide a security camera in plain sight.

It works so well because glass is tough to see through when the light is brighter on your side than on the other side.

It’ll do an awesome job in shops and will help you get clear shots of the person’s face when they try to peek through the window.

Make sure that the light on the camera’s side of the glass isn’t too bright, or this won’t work.

Using this trick works even better with one-way glass and mirrors – though it will take more time and money to get set up.

You’ll have more options and places to hide cameras in houses that have heaps of glass or mirrors.

Also Read: How to Hide a Camera Phone in Your Bathroom – a Smart Guide

Here Are Some Problems You Might Face

Hiding a camera isn’t always easy to pull off.

Even when you get it right, the camera is still prone to taking damage and being stolen.

Here’s some of the common issues people face:

Outdoor cameras can take damage from the elements and weather
The unit that relies on a battery has a diminishing battery life
Wiring can be easy to spot if you don’t do it well
Some types of hidden cameras are easy to damage or steal
Choosing the best place to mount it can take be challenging

These can be addressed quite easily and cheaply, so it helps to be aware of them.

All you need is to catch one person doing something they shouldn’t get value for your time and money. You’ll have more peace of mind and control of your environment.

Why Should You Hide a Security Camera?

People will behave differently when they know they’re on camera.

You might think that this put them off doing what they planned to, but this isn’t really true.

They’ll simply go somewhere else to do what they planned or they’ll find a way around your setup.

Catching them and dealing with the problem head-on will help to fix the problem and not treat the symptoms.

Whether you’re trying to see if your partner is cheating or to find out which of your office workers is stealing – you’ll find tons of benefits to hiding your camera in plain sight.

Here’s Some Other Things to Think About

You need to be responsible for how you use a hidden camera.

The goal is to stop wrongdoing by catching the person red-handed and having evidence – not invading peoples’ privacy.

You have to be respectful of this when you’re planning where and why to hide a camera.

Make sure you know why you’re doing this and that you aren’t crossing any lines.

You shouldn’t plan on releasing any footage or images publicly without carefully considering what the consequences will be.

Other than privacy, there are other points to think over if you want to get the best results:

Your camera quality will decide how much detail you get – you’ll need higher-quality cameras if you want to get their faces
You might be legally required to put up a sign telling people that there are hidden cameras on the premises – do your research
Think about the view angle and the coverage of the camera. Is it one a swivel and what is the set view angle?
It’s okay to get help from an expert. This will cost more money, but it is a surefire way to make sure the job is done to a professional standard

Our Final Thoughts

You’ll get great utility out of a hidden camera.

All you need is for it to work once and you’ll be satisfied.

They’re great because you’re actually getting evidence and not just preventing people from doing something bad once.

Remember to stay ethical and keep good intentions. You wouldn’t want somebody to invade your privacy and then share it online.

Now you know how to hide a camera in plain sight, and spend some time planning out exactly what to do. Enjoy your newfound security – remember to be responsible for it.

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Alex Parker

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