Before you hide a camera in your car, there are a few important things you need to consider.
The first is the legality.
Make sure you are not breaking any laws by concealing a camera in your car.
The second is your purpose for hiding a camera in your car.
This will determine the features your camera needs to have and the method and location in which to hide it.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about correctly hiding a camera in your car, to ensure you capture the footage you want.
Table of Contents
How To Hide A Camera In Your Car: Tips And Tricks
Choose The Smallest Camera You Can
You should try to find the smallest, most compact spy camera you can, to ensure it is as undetectable as possible. The best mini cameras are less than one inch in size. This makes them easy to hide, whether you want to put them in your home or car.
Make Sure You Put It In The Best Place
Many people concentrate so hard on trying to hide their camera really well, they forget to think about what footage they want to record.
Do you want to hide a camera in your car to catch thieves who might try to steal your car?
Then you should place the camera close to the dashboard and make sure that it’s directed at the driver’s seat.
On the other hand, if you want to see what happens in the back seat while you drive, as might be the case for Uber drivers, you’ll want to place the camera behind the front seats. As a driver, you’ll also want to get a dashcam that works well for Uber drivers.
Consider Creative Hiding Places
There are tons of places where you can hide a camera in your car. You just have to think creatively! Here are some ideas.
- Rear-view mirror. While you might frown at the suggestion of placing a camera near or on the rear-view mirror, because it feels so visible, it can work. Just clip the camera onto the mirror. Of course, this means the camera is hiding in plain sight, so there is a good chance it will eventually be discovered.
- Tissue box. Ever seen tissue boxes on the dashboard? Why not hide a camera inside one? This is an especially good hiding spot for an audio recording device, because you won’t have to ensure that there’s a hole in the box for the camera lens. But a small camera only needs a small hole, so it’s not much more work to hide a camera in this way.
Give Your Camera A Disguise
The easiest way to hid a camera in your car is to have that cam look like an everyday, ordinary item – not something that could be a spy cam.
You can find spy cams that using variety of disguises, like power banks, USBs, alarm clocks, car remotes, and more.
This helps a lot, because it makes placing the camera so much easier. You don’t have to try to find the perfect hidden place for the camera – you can just keep it out in the open and no one will suspect it of being a camera.
Here’s a camera that’s disguised as a pen. It’s called the Fuvision Hidden Camera Pen. It records footage for up to two hours before needing to be recharged. It has 32 GB of internal memory, which is plenty.
And it is a functioning pen. If someone in the car picks it up and starts writing with it, they won’t have a clue it’s actually a camera.
Don’t Forget To Test It Out!
You should always test your spy cam before you use it for actual surveillance. This will help you to correct any errors before it is too late. A big one is incorrect placement. You need to know if it is not giving you the view you want.
What To Look For In A Hidden Car Camera
Before you purchase a camera to hide in your car, make sure it has all the important features you need to record the type of video footage you want.
So far we’ve looked at various ways to hide or disguise your camera, but it’s just as important to ensure that the camera does what you want it to. Let’s take a look at some of the most important things to look for in the best mini car cameras.
Good Battery Life
This obviously depends on how much you need to use the camera between charges. If you need the camera to be able to record video footage for a long time, you’ll have to ensure that it has the ability to do so.
You can find some cameras that offer a few hours or more of video recording, while others allow you to record video while being recharged, therefore preventing the camera battery from being drained.
A smart tip when choosing a hidden camera device is to look for one that doesn’t run continuously as this can drain their battery. Some cameras only start up when they detect movement or sounds, which can help them stay on alert for longer.
Recording Type
There are different ways in which cameras record videos and it’s important to choose the best mode for you. Some cameras are self-contained and they require an SD card reader or USB cable connection to access the device storage.
Others are live-streaming devices that provide you real-time viewing via an internet connection. Then, there are cameras that have both types of recording methods built into their designs.
Night Vision Feature
If you’re going to be recording footage in your car at night, you need to buy a camera that will be able to record well when the visibility is poor. An infrared camera will be able to take clear pictures, even at night.
Date And Time Stamps
If you’re going to be using the camera regularly to get video footage of your car, for example if you’re a Lyft or Uber driver, you’re going to want to have an easy way of organizing all the videos without a fuss.
That’s why choosing a camera that enables date and time stamps is recommended. This also comes in handy if you need to use the footage in a civil or criminal case.
Of course, this isn’t such an important feature to look for in a hidden camera if you’re not going to be using the camera regularly or for large amounts of footage at a time, or if you don’t expect to ever need the footage as evidence.
G-Sensors
If you’ve started looking for a hidden camera, chances are you’ve come across the term G-sensor. What, exactly, is a G-sensor?
It is a sensor that measures the car’s movement. This is useful in an accident, because it can record exactly how the car moves. This can be then used as evidence if you need to clear your name, or if you are suing the other party for damages.
G-sensors can also trigger the camera to start up and start recording, if something happens. For example, you can have it on standby when your car is parked, and have it turn on if someone bumps into it.
G-sensors are a common feature in dash cams. This is a valuable feature if you want a hidden camera in your car that will monitor what happens when it is not being used.
Pixels
It’s important to be able to see details in the camera recordings, especially if you need to identify a thief. Hidden cameras are made to be really small, so their picture quality obviously won’t be as good as what you’d get with a regular camera.
But the best mini cams on the market give you pretty amazing image quality these days, especially considering their size. Make sure that the camera has a minimum of 720 pixels (1080p is much better), so that you’ll be able to see important details.
Related Questions
Are you allowed to record video footage of people in your car?
You are, but you need to ensure that you inform them of the camera, otherwise this could be illegal. Also check with your state laws when it comes to using cameras.
What is a reasonable expectation of privacy?
Many states in the U.S. claim that video recordings can be legal with or without consent as long as they don’t violate someone’s right to reasonable privacy. Examples of reasonable privacy include wanting privacy if you’re having a private conversation or you’re in a private place, such as a restroom.
Hide Camera in Car: Conclusion
If you want to hide a camera in your car, follow the tips above to ensure it stays undetectable, without compromising on performance.
You should now have a better idea of what you need to do when hiding a camera in your car, as well as what features are important to look for when you want to purchase a camera.
And remember: test!
You should always test your spy cam before you go start using it for surveillance. This will help you avoid getting useless footage that doesn’t show what you need it to show.
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