Counter-surveillance for normal people

You just walked into a rental.
Ninety seconds settles it.

Most rooms are fine. The point of a sweep isn't paranoia — it's being able to stop thinking about it and enjoy your trip.

I spent my career finding things people didn't want found. The habits that matter for a hotel room or an Airbnb are not exotic: they're four checks, they take ninety seconds, and they use nothing but your eyes and your phone. This site teaches them free, with the same honesty the book runs on — including which popular tricks and gadgets don't work.

Diagram of the 90-second room sweep: map the sightlines, run the flashlight lens pass, read the Wi-Fi, follow the power — The whole system on one page: sightlines, lens pass, Wi-Fi read, power check.

The guides

The 90-second room sweepFour steps, no gear — the check to run when you arrive. Find hidden cameras in an AirbnbWhere devices actually hide, and the rules hosts must follow. The flashlight trickThe one free method that catches a camera even when it is off. The two-way mirror testWhy the fingernail trick doesn't work — and what does. Do detector apps work?What a controlled lab study found when 11 apps met real hidden cameras. Find a GPS tracker on a carThe 60-second check, plus the data your rental car keeps. Unknown AirTag alert?What the tracker warnings can and cannot do, and the manual check. Found something? Do thisThe order matters: don't touch it, cover your sightlines, document. Check a hotel room for hidden camerasDifferent risk than a rental, same 90 seconds — plus the housekeeping tell. Bugged? Here’s the honest answerAudio is a different problem than cameras — what actually finds a bug, and what can’t be found. Is a hidden camera illegal?The federal law, the state law, wiretap rules, and platform policy — in plain English.

Checking one specific object?

Smoke detector, alarm clock, air freshener, phone charger, a stuffed animal — the object-by-object guide has the specific tell for each, instead of a generic list.

Wondering what the law says where you are?

Hidden camera laws by state — the actual statute name, number, and what it prohibits, verified against official sources, not a paraphrase.

Cover: The Traveler's Counter-Surveillance Field Manual

The Field Manual — PDF edition

Prefer it in one place, offline, on your phone at check-in? The complete system — every check on this site plus the ten-minute walkthrough, audio devices, your legal rights, and what to do if you find something. 47 printable pages, instant download, keep it on any device.

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What makes this different

No fear-mongering. Surveys of travelers get quoted badly all over the internet. Read carefully, they say most rentals are fine — and that the habit is still worth ninety seconds, because the habit is what lets you relax.
No gadget hype. The most rigorous lab test to date found 9 of 11 "hidden camera detector" apps showed no reliable reaction to a real hidden camera at all. We tell you that, then teach the free method that does work.
Sources over vibes. Peer-reviewed testing, platform policy as written, and statutes by number — not a listicle recycling another listicle.

You just walked into a rental.Ninety seconds settles it.

The guides

Checking one specific object?

Wondering what the law says where you are?

What makes this different

You just walked into a rental.
Ninety seconds settles it.