The best spy cameras in 2024: how to see other people without being seen - Digital Camera World
The best spy cameras allow you to protect yourself from harm, without being noticed. They're different from normal home security cameras in that they're much more discrete. In other words, they're either too small for anyone to notice, or disguised as something other than a camera, such as a clock.
Best Spy Cam: Quick Menu
The best spy camera is one with a wide field of view, so you can see as much of your surroundings as possible. It also needs to be high resolution, although there's a balance to be struck here. You don't want the bother and expense of processing huge 8K files when 720p will suffice. You might also want night vision and motion detection, which means the camera only starts recording when something moves.
"Spy camera" is a pretty broad term, and there's quite a bit of overlap with other types of cameras. So if none of the devices on this list seem suitable, also check out the best pet camera as well as our guides to action cameras, and home indoor security cameras, because many of these provide similar functionality to spy cameras.
Top picks
1. Blink Mini
Best Overall
The Blink Mini blends in without being actually hidden – it just feels like part of a safe modern home. The Blink app is good, too.
Read more below
2. Ciodgdgo Spy Camera
Best Spy Camera for fitting
The hidden camera tucks the main electronics around the corner with a flexible cable allowing very discrete positioning.
Read more below
3. Spy Camera Wall Clock
Best spy camera for simplicity
Being hidden in plain sight makes the spy clock easy to fit quickly with no special tools, but it does the job.
Read more below
5. Arlo Essential Spotlight
Best CCTV
If you're looking for a solid CCTV camera, this is your best bet to keep track of intruders.
Read more below
Adam Juniper
With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones.
Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones.
He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones, The Smart Smart Home Handbook, 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook.
The best spy camera in 2024
Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.
Best overall
Low on funds? This is a solid choice for anyone on a budget. It's easy to set up, and its diminutive dimensions make it easy to put somewhere out of sight.
The camera can shoot Full HD and comes with a suite of security features, including motion detection and infrared night vision. Plus there's two-way audio, in case you need to tell off a pet that's getting too close to the snack drawer.
The main downside is that it has no SD slot, and in fact, no internal storage at all. If you want to save footage and images, then, you're stuck either signing up for a subscription plan to get some cloud storage or paying the same price as the camera again for the Sync Module 2 hub, which allows you to offload clips to a USB stick or similar device. This is hardly ruinous as the camera is so cheap, to begin with, but it's something to think about.
Read our full Blink Mini review for more details
Best for fitting
This spy cam keeps a low profile by pushing the electronics – including the battery and microphone – back down a cable where they can be discretely hidden. That means you can have all the simplicity of a phone-friendly camera, but it's a bit easier to hide.
Equipped with motion detection or plain recording options, the camera also has a loop mode – to keep the most recent footage at the expense of older. There is a 32GB TF card included, which you can review easily on your computer, or place a larger card in should you choose. The 30fps means you'll get about 4 hours of recording time with that 32GB.
There are two versions on the market, one with wi-fi in the electronics pouch, so you can monitor from your phone, and the other with a plain microphone and recording device (to the card). Check which version your retailer is pushing. Wi-fi signals can draw the attention of those with signal detectors but are more convenient.
Best for simplicity
A pleasant-looking spy solution, this wall clock containing a spy camera won't look out of place in an office or kitchen. The lens is well hidden, so it is unlikely to be discovered – and the clock works, so it has an everyday use, too. The video recording is motion activated, triggering an app on your phone, but also recording footage to an SD card.
Best wearable
We couldn't do a roundup of spy cameras without featuring at least one option that's secreted within the best camera glasses. While there are a lot of pocket money options from brands we've never heard of online, the look tends to be more Austin Powers than Tom Cruise. These glasses from Ray-Ban, though, are fashionably stylish as well as providing great functionality.
A tie-in between Ray-Ban and Meta, they feature dual 5MP cameras, offering a photo resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels, and video at 30fps, 1184 x 1184 pixels. The main appeal here is an eyeline point-of-view perspective when recording hands-free.
Obviously, outside of a James Bond movie, the creepy factor is high, and so Ray-Ban has included a colored light indicator on the front of the glasses, which lights up when camera recording is in use.
That said, most people still probably won't work out that you're filming them, so it's up to you where you feel that using these glasses is appropriate, and/or legal.
For more details, see our full Ray-Ban Stories review
Best CCTV
Comments
Post a Comment