Why should you unplug the TV when staying at a hotel?

To protect yourself, it is essential to unplug the TV and check electrical devices right after checking into your hotel room.

People often choose to stay in hotels when traveling or on business trips. Although hotels do not intentionally install hidden cameras in rooms, it’s impossible to completely avoid the possibility of someone renting a room and secretly installing a camera with malicious intent.

Typically, after checking into a room, most people will look around to see if anything seems unusual. However, one place often overlooked is the TV, which is one of the easiest spots to hide a camera.
A hidden camera may be attached to one of the sides of the TV or on the set-top box. Both the TV and the set-top box emit infrared signals (used for connecting to the remote control), which can easily be confused with the infrared signals from recording devices, making it difficult to detect hidden cameras.

Therefore, as soon as you enter your hotel room, the first thing you should do is unplug the TV. This way, even if a camera is installed inside, it will not function properly after losing power.

However, hidden cameras are very small and don’t necessarily have to be hidden in the TV. Unplugging the TV doesn’t mean there are no cameras in the room, as some cameras operate via battery storage or wireless networks. Therefore, it’s important to check other areas as well. You can use your mobile phone to assist in this situation.

Most smartphone cameras have very high light sensitivity, which can help detect hidden cameras. The process is quite simple. First, turn off all the lights and close the curtains to make the room completely dark. Then, turn on the flashlight function of your phone and shine it on different places in the room, such as the air conditioner, wall paintings, desk lamps, electrical outlets, or the bathroom. If there is a hidden camera in any of these places, you’ll see a small red dot or the light will reflect back to the flashlight. This is infrared light emitted from the lens of the hidden camera.

Another method is to open your phone’s camera and select the recording mode. Sweep the camera around the room; if there is a hidden recording device, you’ll see bright spots on your phone’s screen. These checks, performed after unplugging the TV, will help you avoid confusion between the infrared signal from the TV and that from hidden cameras.

In addition to checking for hidden cameras in the room, you should also pay attention to safety. When sleeping at night, make sure to check the doors and windows, especially if you are alone. You can securely lock the door and place a cup or something that makes noise. If someone tries to break in, the object will fall and wake you up. Valuable items should also be kept with you to avoid theft.