The core routine

The 90-second room sweep

Run it once when you arrive, before you unpack. Four steps, your eyes and your phone, and then you get your evening back.

Top-down room diagram showing sightlines from the bed, shower and changing area, with the four sweep steps

Step 1 — Map the sightlines (20 seconds)

Stand at the bed. Look around the room from that spot — what has a clear view of you here? Do the same from the shower and from wherever you'd change clothes. You're finding the three or four exposed spots, then scanning everything aimed at them: alarm clocks, "air fresheners," Bluetooth speakers, décor, smoke detectors, outlets, and any small electronic positioned with a suspiciously good view. A hidden camera only works where it can see — which is why you check sightlines first, not objects.

Step 2 — The flashlight lens pass (25 seconds)

Lights off, curtains closed. Hold your phone's flashlight right next to your eye and pan slowly across the objects you flagged. A camera lens reflects light straight back as a tiny, bright pinpoint that winks in and out as you move your head. This is the one check that catches a camera even if it's switched off or not transmitting — and the one thing an app physically cannot do for you. Full technique here.

Step 3 — Read the Wi-Fi (20 seconds)

Join the property's Wi-Fi and open a free network scanner (Fing or Wifiman). Look for device names containing "cam" or "IPC," camera vendors you weren't told about, or simply more devices than you can account for. The honest limit: a host can put a camera on a separate network you'll never see, and a camera recording to a memory card doesn't need Wi-Fi at all. A clean list is reassuring — not proof. Use this step alongside the others, never alone.

Step 4 — Follow the power (15 seconds)

A final glance at what's plugged in. Always-on cameras need constant power, and the wiring gives them away: a cable disappearing into a device that shouldn't need one is the classic tell. Two seconds of "why is that plugged in?" beats an hour of worry.

When ninety seconds isn't enough: escalate to a ten-minute walkthrough if you're staying more than a couple of nights, the listing is a whole private home, something already feels off, or you simply won't relax until you've looked properly. The full room-by-room walkthrough is in the book.

Cover: The Traveler's Counter-Surveillance Field Manual

The Field Manual — PDF edition

This page is the skeleton. 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.

Get the Field Manual — $27

Prefer Kindle? $7.99 on Amazon.

Keep going

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.