Small spy camera self build

spy camera to camouflage yourself. The instructions for do-it-yourself installation

Of course, you can also build a mini spy camera yourself and install it in various objects. For this you need a small mini-camera, such mini-camera-modules are available below the size of a thumb. It should have a viewing angle of at least 90 degrees. However, the camera alone does not make a spy camera system, because it needs yes one more Power supply, a Storage possibility and or a Transmission possibility. Theoretically you could build a simplest model yourself, for this you need:

• Mini camera module, z.B. Adafruit 3202
• Microprocessor z.B. from Adafruit Trinket
• Battery, z.B. a 100 mAh 3.7v Lipo
• Switch
• Backpack for Adafruit Trinket module
• Micro SD card

With these materials you can – provided you have a knack for electronics and a lot of patience – also build yourself a mini spy camera that records several hours of footage. (still images in quality 1280 x 720 pixel z.B.)

The camera module has three connectors:

• Power (+) in red
• Ground (-) in black
• Trigger line in white

The function is designed so that a connection between the trigger wire and the ground terminal triggers a camera recording and stores it on the micro SD card.

Of course, the whole thing works only with power: The power supply already works with a 100 mAh 3.7 volt battery in a small charging circuit. The battery can be charged while the system is in operation. However, small batteries have the disadvantage that they are also quickly empty, so it is recommended to constantly charge them via a USB cable, which can be connected to the Adafruit Trinket module. This way you always have power. Without power supply from the USB recharge, the built-in small battery would otherwise stretch its wings after 60 minutes at the latest and your self-built spy camera would no longer record.

How to assemble the modules for the self-made spy camera?

The assembly requires some technical skill:

1. The red cable (power) of the camera module comes to the BAT connector of the Trinket module and to the BAT connector of the LiPoly backpack
2. The black cable (ground) of the camera module goes to the Gnd (Ground) connector of the trinket module and to the LiPoly backpack – there to the G (Ground) connector
3. The white cable of the camera module (trigger cable) comes to the connector 0 of the Trinket module
4. The 5V connector of the Trinket module must be connected to the 5V connector of the LiPolyBackpack.
5. Afterwards you connect the battery with the red and black cable of the LiPolyBackpack (red: plus, black: minus)
6. A switch is connected to the LiPolyBackpack to switch the whole thing on and off.

After that you actually have a working spy camera system in mini size and mini equipment.

Optimally program a short function into the trinket, which port you use and set it as output. With the loop function you can program, every how many seconds a picture is taken, z.B. every 5 seconds. This will then be stored on the SD card. As long as the module is supplied with power.

A program code for programming the Trinket would be z.B. :

init trigger = 0;

Install the camera module inconspicuously

The camera module you should then still inconspicuously install it in a small box and this z.B. in one File hide the camera so that it monitors the room. However, you have to keep in mind: The camera module must be supplied with power for permanent function.

So there goes a cable to the homemade spy camera. Here you need to arrange the routing so that it is not noticeable.

Self-made spy cameras rather something for hobbyists

The self-made spy cameras are rather something for hobbyists, who also solder their radios together themselves and have joy in the tinkering. The experience teaches that a of hobbyists try it and fail and sIf you finally buy a ready-made system of a spy camera. This is due to the fact that ready-made spy camera systems in miniature are even smaller and already built into everyday objects so well that it is not noticeable at all. The hobbyist rarely succeeds in integrating a self-made mini spy cam into a clock radio, a power supply or a cell phone charging station. Ready-made solutions are often technically and optically the better solution.

spy camera in a clock, table clock or wall clock – test

On the market there are numerous systems with a spy camera, which was placed in a clock, a table clock or a wall clock. We have tested various systems available on the market and had to conclude the following in the test of spy cameras:

Spy camera in wristwatch

All systems tested by us had two decisive disadvantages, besides that the watches mostly very clunky and thus looked unnatural:

1. The clocks usually ran only on the internal battery, which sometimes already after less than one hour recording gave up the ghost. Due to the lack of an external power supply, the battery power for the camera in the watch is usually used up quickly. Not recommended for permanent use.
2. The watches you have to put in a certain angle or hold on the arm that they provide satisfactory results. This is usually quickly noticed by a third party and is therefore no longer a hidden camera. More than half of the tested systems even had a conspicuous red light during camera operation, so that even the last person would have noticed that this is being recorded. For all those who want to use such a camera hidden, only conditionally suitable. If you want to take a picture in a store or office when there is no staff around, such models are the right choice. suitable.

Wall clock with spy camera test

The wall clocks on the market with a built-in spy camera actually looked very similar to a normal wall clock in appearance. Often round, ca. 30cm in diameter with a large white dial. The clock can be hung on the wall and is often not noticeable there. However, these clocks also have the disadvantage that without external power supply only the internal batteries ensure the power and this is no longer sufficient after a few hours of recording at the latest.

Some wall models also shone with a red light towards the visitor, what seems conspicuous with a wall clock.

If you connect the wall clock to a power supply, which some models provide, the power supply is usually in the socket at the bottom of the wall and the wall clock at eye level, so that everyone sees the supply line of a power cable to the wall clock.

This is unusual for wall clocks and looks conspicuous. Who does not come up with anything here (like z.B. a flush-mounted cable) is immediately noticeable even to any third-rate burglar. To that extent such wall clocks are only conditionally suitable, if one would like to record inconspicuously.

Table clock with spy camera in the test

The most convincing in the test were still table clocks with hidden spy cam. A spy camera built into a table clock is at least inconspicuous if it is not just a clock, but the clock also has a radio and / or an alarm clock function and anyway z.B. had a luminous display. Any burglar and anyone who goes into a room with such a clock will find nothing unusual about it. A clock stop. Due to the fact that you do not have to rely on the smallest construction of table clocks, you can also install a good camera technology in the clock. However, we encountered differences in the test of various models, which can be significant for the function of the spy camera in the watch:

• Battery-only operation is possible: With some models only battery operation was possible, power supply by mains adapter was not possible. This will not allow continuous operation of the surveillance camera. At some point the batteries are empty.
• Red indicator lights for camera operation: Some of the tested models had an additional red light shining in camera mode: This would indicate a person in the room, if necessary. attract attention. Here one should pay attention to.
• Missing night vision possibilitysome spy cameras in the test delivered only insufficient picture quality when it gets dark. This leads to unsatisfactory results. Make sure it is night vision capable.
• night vision with red infrared lightsSome models have red lights for illumination that are visible from afar, which would make any burglar aware of the camera. Nowadays there are real night cameras without the red light illumination. Pay attention. As professional appeared only models with integrated radio, night vision capability without fixed lighting and power supply via cable, which allows continuous operation.

Spy camera in the alarm clock cube

As a real solution for people who want to monitor a room inconspicuously, reliably and permanently, without it being immediately noticeable, appeared a Premium solution: A spy camera unobtrusively built into an alarm clock cube. This camera appears from the appearance absolutely inconspicuous in any living environment, both in the bedroom, in the office and in the kitchen. The alarm clock cube with spy cam integrates perfectly with existing furniture and looks absolutely inconspicuous next to other furnishings. On the desk as well as on the bedside table or the kitchen shelf.

Nobody would suspect a camera in this cube. And, what is also important: the burglar will not steal a clock radio either, because he does not attach a high value to such a clock radio.

What is most convincing about the alarm clock cube with spy camera??

We have several points on the alarm clock cube personally convinced, which is why we consider it All-in-one premium device hold:

• Full HD 1080 P video and picture quality
• FM radio, alarm clock and clock in one device
• Real night vision function without red warning lights
• Reliable motion detection
• Covert spy camera installation
• Control with smartphone via WIFI function possible
• Push notification on motion possible
• Mains power supply enables long operation, but it is also possible to use the device on batteries only
• Can even be used as a Bluetooth speaker

The premium product alarm clock cube with spy camera Combines all these functions and possibilities in a small inconspicuous device, which looks like a normal piece of furniture. Neither your cleaning lady, nor your child, nor a burglar will suspect behind this alarm clock cube what it is: a premium all-in-one device with spy camera, which can send you a message to your phone as soon as something happens in the monitored room. So you can quickly clear a suspicion against someone (or even get it confirmed) and can go on vacation in peace, because they know:

As soon as someone breaks in, you get a message on your cell phone. With picture. You can then immediately inform the police or anyone else. And the best part: The burglar does not even notice. until the moment when the handcuffs click in front of the door.

For the alarm clock cube there is a App available, which makes the handling of the monitoring function playfully easy. If you can make phone calls, you can also operate and evaluate your spy camera in the alarm clock cube, – the app for it is that simple.

The one-time investment in this alarm clock cube with spy camera pays for itself with the first prevented burglary. But of course you can also use the alarm clock cube in the children’s room to use sleep monitoring of their baby: As soon as the child wakes up and crawls around in bed, they will be informed. A universal premium device.

Spy camera for bathroom and bedroom at home – with night vision and remote access

Who wants a decent spy camera once installed in the bathroom or bedroom always has the Remote access via his cell phone on it. This has z.B. clear advantages if bedrooms or bathrooms are located in such a way that they can act as possible burglary locations from the outside for burglars. Often lie z.B. Bathroom windows in dormers convenient for burglars to reach and are inadequately secured – or even slanted for ventilation. With a spy camera in the bathroom, from now on they do not have to worry about a burglar in their absence. Wherever you are, you will be informed about the burglary with the appropriate camera function or at least have a sharp picture of the burglar later, which should make the police’s job much easier.

Of course, a bedroom spy camera would also record if your partner is doing things in the bedroom with a stranger that they wouldn’t have wanted to do. It goes without saying that video surveillance of trusted persons may of course only be installed if they are also informed about it.

As burglary and surveillance protection such spy cameras may be used of course and fulfill their services also to 100%.

The prerequisite is an inconspicuous design of such cameras. For this purpose are especially spy cameras in the form of a power supply, a Radio Alarm Clock or a cell phone charging station optimally suitable. Nobody would suspect a camera there.

Important of course in room surveillance is the night vision function that the camera should have. It should also provide sharp images at night. Hardly any burglar turns on a fixed light during his burglary, but most burglaries are committed in the dark or semi-darkness. Then it is good if the spy camera has a very good night vision function.

Hands off cheap devices Cheap Spy Cams

There are also cheap devices on the market, which often do not even have a WIFI function and thus can not stream live to the cell phone. Other cheap devices have only an Asian instruction manual. Such devices are not recommended. Buyers of such devices are quickly dissatisfied and buy twice: After the cheap purchase is then usually bought a reasonable device of the premium class, which has all the necessary functionalities and recording and alarm reliably and has a live transmission to the cell phone integrated

The spy camera in the socket

In every household there are a lot of power supplies: The power supply for the razor, the one for charging the cell phone and the power supply for the computer monitor. The power supply for the printer, the router and the satellite box. Power supplies in the socket are completely inconspicuous in an apartment or house.

The developers of a spy camera have taken advantage of this and built a premium spy camera into a small, inconspicuous power supply unit with the help of high-tech, which you would not expect from the outside of the power supply unit.

It looks like a normal power supply unit from the landline telephone or the charger of your cell phone. With one difference: It is additionally a premium surveillance tool and works as a spy camera. Completely unnoticed. The power supply is also permanently secured when plugged into a socket. No more running out of battery. Completely unobtrusive design. But what are the highlights of this premium product?

The advantages of this power supply unit with a built-in spy camera:

• 100 degree wide angle camera
• You can actually charge cell phones with it, so even relatives won’t suspect anything
• Full HD videos can be recorded
• Videos can be streamed live to your cell phone
• Motion detection: recording on motion
• USB charging port
• With additional SD card up to 128 GB possible (micro SD card)
• No batteries needed, because there is always power available in the power socket
• Night vision of up to 10 meters possible
• Control via app possible
• CE mark
• Alarm/push function in case of motion: Message to your cell phone!

Since the device can be operated both via Android, but also an iOS app controllable is, you can operate it with virtually any popular smartphone very easily. On top of that, it still charges your phone if you want it to. The device does not need to be configured cumbersomely on the PC first.

The advantage of this device is that it can be operated in virtually any 220 volt outlet.

And there are plenty of them in German households. You can easily take it with you from one room to another. More importantly, you can also take it to hotel rooms when you z.B. suspected to be stolen there. Just plug it into the wall socket, check the function with the app and off you go. Easy as pie. A premium-class security feature that proud owners will no longer want to do without. So you can lie on the beach in peace and still know exactly what is going on in the hotel room or at home.

Spy camera charger

A spy camera in a charger is pretty much one of the smartest ideas of surveillance technology in the field of camouflaged WLAN cameras, that has come on the market in the last few years. Many spy cams Due to their size, spy cameras have the problem that at some point, the available space in the device is used up Battery empty and then nothing is recorded. This is of course bad if you want to make sure in a 3-week vacation that no one breaks into your home and then nothing is recorded. After a few hours, at the latest after a few days, the battery is all and nothing is recorded more. Stupid, if the burglar then breaks in.

Therefore one developed with the help of the minimization technology now a power supply/charger, which looks, like a completely normal Handy charger, like it everyone knows and also not much larger is, but additionally a sophisticated technology contains.

This premium charger not only includes a spy camera that can take simple pictures, but additionally includes a motion sensor that only takes pictures when something moves. Also not only still images are possible, but also videos. But the best is yet to come: The small power supply unit also contains the technology that informs you when something is happening in your apartment. If the motion sensor reacts and therefore records something, you can set the device so that they automatically get a message on your phone, a so-called push message. As soon as the burglar z.B. comes into the range of the power supply, it is recorded and you get a picture of the burglar on the cell phone. Gives you enough time to immediately inform the neighbors and/or the police. If the burglar then leaves the apartment with your flat screen, the police may already be waiting outside the house in handcuffs. The TV comes back into the home and the burglar into a cell. And all this just because she plugged a small device into the socket, which looks like one of thousands of power supplies that exist in the world. No one suspects anything, but you know the little secret of the device and can relax even on vacation. A power bank that has WIFI connectivity and takes HD pictures that can not only be stored on an SD card but also transferred to your phone. It does not get any better. The premium class of surveillance technology. The way it is usually used only by professional services.

What convinced us about the premium spy power supply in particular?

We were particularly convinced:

• Permanent power supply via socket, no battery that runs out quickly
• Can be used everywhere whether at home or in a hotel. Everywhere where there are 220/230 volt sockets
• Alarm in case of movement (push message)
• Recording with date/time (watermark)
• Night vision function Basic
• On demand: motion detection (recording starts when there is movement in the room)
• Can also charge the cell phone (USB)
• 1080P Full HD video resolution
• No cumbersome configuration on a PC required
• App solution both for Android and iOS (Apple)
• Viewing angle not only straight ahead, but also 15 degrees upwards
• Commonly used file formats like .jpg or .mov
• Up to 30 images per second
• WIFI module installed
• Micro SD card up to 128 GB possible

The included user manual is easy to understand and shows even technical laymen how to use the device. This makes it a surveillance technology that even technical laymen will quickly understand. You don’t have to have studied computer science or install cumbersome programs on a PC first to work with this small but useful monitoring tool. And is it so small that you can quickly take it everywhere with you. Many have several devices in use: one for home and one for the hotel or vacation resort. Everyone, as he wants. Big technology in a small device.

Nobody suspects anything

Who has such a small charger in the socket, will not arouse suspicion with anyone. Not in the hotel, not at home. The chambermaid will think "Aha, someone has charged his cell phone" and at home it is not noticed at all. It’s just one of those chargers that’s always stuck in a socket somewhere because you need a charger on so many devices:

• landline phone
• Printer
• PC monitor
• Router
• Satellite box
• Router
• Halogen lamps
• Etc.

So it doesn’t look suspicious if another power supply/charger is plugged in somewhere in the apartment. No one will bother with it more closely. And this is the reason of the success of this spy camera in the charger: nobody recognizes it. Therefore, recordings can be made that no one even suspects are being made.

Spy camera in radio / radio alarm clock with hidden camera

A clock radio on the Bed or in the office is convenient, because it does not only show the current time, but at the same time also can play music. Because such devices are available in many households, no one will suspect if you also have such a device. Not even if it has hidden technology that includes a spy camera. But only the camera would be too simple: in a premium device, in addition to the alarm clock, radio and camera functionality, there are additional functions hidden, such as the Alarm function: If you want it to, the device will inform you as soon as something happens in the room. A Motion sensor detects the movement and automatically makes recordings, which you then z.B. can be played on their cell phone.

Thus, even when walking in the woods or lying on the beach, they notice that someone is in their home at the moment. Even if you are visiting friends, you always have your own home in view. You will not miss anything. As soon as someone moves, you are informed.

Because the person who is captured by the spy camera does not notice this, he does not stop his action at first and does not feel disturbed. Gives you time for actions. Z.B. Informing the police, neighbors or relatives, who will then check once. Usually the police is on the spot before the burglar disappears and can pick up the thieves right away. Such protection does not cost a fortune, but the premium spy radio alarm clock costs significantly less than an average burglar would otherwise steal in your home values. So it pays off.

Such a device can of course also provide security in the personal environmentIf you are not sure whether a person you know is stealing or doing things in your home that you do not approve of, such a premium spy camera will give you certainty about what is going on in your home when you are not there. This can also be relieving for someone you may have unjustly burdened subconsciously. Get to the bottom of things with a spy radio alarm clock. A camera hidden almost invisibly in the radio alarm clock ensures that things are recorded that move in the environment. In the optimal case the clock radio does not record anything, but otherwise no burglar, house friend or long-fingered person is safe from a recording. Because the recorded picture is sent immediately to your cell phone by push message if you wish, it is also of no use if a perpetrator destroys the device. The picture has already been taken and forwarded. This can not be undone by a perpetrator.

Shapely design incl. Hidden camera

The premium radio alarm clock with the hidden camera as a spy cam is housed in a stylish design and has a modern touch control panel. A stylish device, which does not stand out on the bedside table or in the office. No one will be suspicious even in the living room shelf. Neither in the kitchen. Everywhere else in these rooms there are radios with time display, so it is completely unsuspicious to place such a device there. What only nobody from the outside suspects: the most modern technology is hidden in the prettiest device:

• night vision up to 10m motion detection
• function as a wireless stereo speaker
• FM radio (FM)
• USB charging port, on which you can z at night.B. can also charge their cell phone
• 3-level brightness adjustment for the time display
• WIFI function of the spy camera (push messages possible)

It goes without saying that you can also change the clock in the premium device from 12- to 24-hour display and the alarm clock also has a snooze button. So, as you would expect from an alarm clock without a spy camera. The all-in-one device is also not very big, it is not bulky and does not take up more space than other common clock radios as well.

If you order a micro SD card with it, you can expand the data storage up to 128 GB, which is recommended.

Control and monitoring via smartphone

While simple spy systems often need to be programmed and set by computer (PC), this high-end premium device can be easily set by Smartphone app can be set and operated. So light that even children would quickly grasp it.

Not only camera, also microphone in the radio alarm clock

However, the clock radio with spy camera not only takes pictures when something moves, but also has a microphone that also records voices heard in the room. Many an apartment owner has learned the names of those who were in his room, because a second person addressed him by name and the spy clock radio recorded it. Simple devices often have only a poor resolution camera without sound. Here is an HD camera with sound. A simply perfect High-end device from the premium sector. You should not settle for less. you can easily listen to conversations from a distance.

Long-term monitoring through loop function

Loop function and an optional 128 GB card allow you to make virtually unlimited recordings, as old recordings can be easily replayed. In the app you can decide for yourself which images you want to save permanently and what is simply transferred. Receive a message about an uninvited visitor in their home, just save the images permanently.

Full baby monitor

The spy radio alarm clock device can also be used as a full-fledged baby monitor be used. As soon as your child wakes up or unfolds activities, you will be informed if you have placed the device correctly in the room. And the best: The children do not even notice it, because there is simply a radio cube on the shelf.

Surveillance camera – hidden camera

A surveillance camera can be used to monitor rooms and places. Mostly surveillance cameras are visible to everyone, which is sometimes intentional as a deterrent. Who knows that a surveillance camera films him, destroys this before possible offences or masks itself, so that on possible pictures nothing is to be seen. That’s why many companies and homes are moving to increasingly use so-called hidden cameras, they are not noticed by possible perpetrators. This has the distinct advantage that the perpetrator behaves as if he is not being observed. For example, the burglary is then without disguise or the mask is removed in the house or several perpetrators talk to each other during the burglary, whereby the first names are sometimes dropped, but at least the language can be assigned. Hidden cameras can record all this: both the images and the speech. Without the perpetrator or the person being filmed noticing it.

Premium technology with hidden cameras

The premium class of camouflaged cameras today is distinguished by the fact that the technology is tiny and not only records images and sound, but also via WIFI/WLAN sends the images immediately to a smartphone designated by you. To any place in the world. You can be on the other side of the world: as soon as at your home z.B. someone breaks in you will immediately receive a push message to your smartphone about this event – incl. Live image transmission to cell phone from the apartment. You can react immediately and inform police or neighbors, who then intervene.

Spy cameras take better pictures than before

While early spy cameras, which today are often still sold at cheap prices, make only the simplest pictures, which are so coarsely pixelated that you can hardly recognize anyone on them, modern spy cameras deliver the best pictures Premium devices HD resolution with 1080 P. The night vision capabilities of modern premium devices have also improved. In the meantime, up to 7-10 meters at night generate recordings via motion detection – without the recording device turning on suspicious red lights that are supposed to illuminate the image. So in the past, any perpetrator immediately became aware of night vision cameras. Modern devices avoid this perpetrator information and film without alerting the perpetrator.

Modern radio alarm clocks with spy camera also have Bluetooth

The modern premium spy radio alarm clocks not only have a hidden camera with night vision and alerting via WIFI, but also feature Bluetooth connection. So you can use them like an external soundbox for playing music. Since in the meantime in many households such Bluetooth speakers If your radio alarm clock with spy camera is placed on shelves and sideboards, it will look even more inconspicuous in the apartment landscape and can perform its services completely unobtrusively. No one will notice.

Smallest spy camera in the world

The smaller a spy camera is, the more inconspicuous it is. That’s why modern hidden surveillance devices are equipped with very small cameras, whose lens consists of practically only one point, and which, if cleverly installed, will not be noticed by anyone in the vicinity.

In 1930 the Minox company caused a sensation with small cameras. Walter Zapp designed a camera there, which was much smaller than usual cameras. The camera called Minox A worked with a film format of 6.5 mm x 9 mm at that time. Revolutionarily small by the standards of the time. Only: At that time cameras still needed a film, because digital cameras and SD memory cards were simply not invented yet, which today make the use of even much smaller spy cameras only possible.

Today’s pinhole cameras are usually still 12 x 12 mm in size and can thus be hidden in many everyday objects. Pinhole cameras operate without an object and are equipped with a small aperture. Pinhole cameras using CCD technology can be constructed quite small through the use of light-sensitive components and can be incorporated into everyday objects. More space is then taken up by the accompanying technology such as WIFI/WLAN or Bluetooth, but today it can also be compressed into the smallest possible space. This produces images in HD quality.

The smallest camera in the world

The OVM6948 is considered to be the world’s smallest camera. It is only 0.65 mm x 0.65 mm x 1.158 mm and thus not much bigger than a grain of sand. This micro camera from Omnivision is probably the smallest commercially available camera in the world. At least that’s how the Guinness Book of Records sees it and has awarded the camera with a sensor of 0.575 x 0.575 mm. The camera was designed for the medical field. With such a camera, z.B. Traversing veins and arteries to find constrictions in blood vessels. Surgeons even use such cameras to penetrate heart vessels to see if z.B. where a stent needs to be installed or an installed stent needs to be reworked. This can be done on a living patient, who can even follow the journey through his body live on a monitor. If he wants to. However, the resolution of what must be the world’s smallest camera is only 200×200 pixels, which is significantly worse than modern spy cameras. However, even this state-of-the-art camera manages 30 frames per second and requires only 25 mW of power to do so. With a 120-degree viewing angle, that’s quite enough for doctors as they travel through the body.

However, this small surgeon’s camera cannot do what modern spy cameras built into power supplies, clock radios or cell phone chargers can do: It cannot inform via WIFI – push message when something suspicious happens in front of the lens. Only the premium devices used in spy technology have this advantage.

When designing a camera, a compromise must always be made between size and performance: If the camera is too small, it will not record accurately enough, which is of no use to anyone. Today’s spy cameras are so small, however, that no one notices them built into the device and they still record what is to be recorded sufficiently sharply. And that quietly, silently and unnoticed.

Premium devices in the following classes are the most popular: