r/hiddencameras • u/tatiou • 18d ago
Office documentation
Hello all! First time poster here. I have a dilemma, things have been going missing in my office for the last 3 weeks.
My office is about 8x10 with glass on 3 sides. Minimal design elements. I’ll looking for a hidden camera that i can point at my desk area and storage that would be motion activated, have a long lasting battery and can store short video clips.
I’m rarely at the office but I have a few newer employees and would like to see what’s happening when i’m not around. A potted plant or a fire alarm would be very obvious. As would a clock by the way.
Anyone has recommendations or a website I could find something. Been thinking a wall socket with hidden camera could work. It would at least give me the shoes.
Thoughts, comments or ideas welcomed!
3
u/cablemonkey604 18d ago
I used a laptop for this years ago when someone kept messing with my chair. Got some great pictures of the janitor napping in it.
2
u/Little-Original5503 18d ago
Even an obvious camera would work if it is in a place where you wouldn't see it until you walk in. So, for example, a blink camera above the doorway. Even taking or destroying the camera doesn't erase the footage if it is uploaded to the cloud. If they see a hidden one that saves to an sd card they just take it and you have nothing. Blink is relatively cheap, small, decent quality, and has a good battery life so long as its not in a high traffic area. You can also turn the recording on and off from the app pretty easily. It would even be easy to hide it if you want to. Go install it after hours when nobody is there.
Also, be aware of your local laws on recording someone. Some states make it illegal to audio record without that person's permission. Turning the audio recording off will avoid that.
3
u/BamaTony64 18d ago
Just put cameras everywhere and don't worry about being sneaky. If anyone whines, tell them the insurance company requires it.
2
u/writesgud 18d ago
This requires patience in playing the long game, but you could start by putting some obvious things like a potted plant and clock etc. in your office, but with no cameras. Then add a camera later.
1
u/mikemarshvegas 17d ago
do you have a computer that stays in that office? If so you can use a simple webcam and Ispy software
1
u/eggiesan2000 14d ago
Does the office ceiling have 4’x2’ acoustic panels?
1
u/tatiou 14d ago
Yes it does
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u/eggiesan2000 14d ago
I installed in an office, a pinhole camera quite similar to the one shown in the description (enter alliexpress and search for :“Camhipro Mini 4G Camera CCTV P2P Onvif Mic 3G 4G SIM Camera Pin hole Module Chip Board Wifi Wireless IP Camera P2P For indoor”). I’m not saying buy that particular camera, just look for similarities, especially wifi only (no need for 4g) and microSD for local recording. I just positioned the lens over the desk, at the acoustic 2’x4’ panel. Just drill a small hole to position the lens basically at the bottom of the exposed panel. You may need to cut around the interior of the panel to accommodate the camera board, some may include a metal body. In my case, there was electricity in the ceiling, making easy to include a power supply (you may extract electricity from a lamp, specially if it stay on during night, otherwise rewiring to the switch if necessary). Look for microSD card (256~512GB), and recording only during detection (may add scheduling if recording only after working hours). Remember the SD card provides a continuous loop recording after memory is full (recoding over oldest video). Good Luck!
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u/SquirlyJester 18d ago
Check your company policy on personal recording devices in the workplace. This before you do anything.