Bug Detector Guide: Five Ways to Know If You’ve Been Bugged

Once upon a time, few individuals other than spies would have required the services of a bug detector. However in a world where litigations, divorce cases, and big business deals have made everyday individuals prime targets for electronic surveillance, a bug detector has become an essential weapon for protecting privacy. If you suspect that someone has been monitoring your home or office, then check carefully for these five tell-tale signs of surveillance activity and use a bug detector to help secure your environment.

1. Should you notice volume changes, static, high-pitched beeps or unusual sounds coming from your phone when the handset is in use or hung up, then you will need to use a phone tap bug detector to determine if someone is eavesdropping on your private conversations. These bug detectors are relatively inexpensive to install, and work by monitoring the line for fluctuations in voltage. A phone tap bug detector will also warn you if somebody picks up another extension to try to listen in on what you are saying.

2. Sudden interference with the radio in your home or car could indicate the proximity of an eavesdropping device and may call for a sweep of the immediate area using a portable bug detector. You can also try using the radio itself as a makeshift bug detector, by switching it to mono and slowly swinging it around the room until it emits a high-pitched tone that locates the bug.

3. Discolored spots, chipped paint or pieces of grit, dust and debris at the base of walls and switches could indicate that a pinhole camera has recently been installed. Use a bug detector with a lens finder to quickly spot reflections from even the tiniest of lenses. If any new household items have recently appeared in your home seemingly out of nowhere then be sure to also meticulously check these over with the bug detector to identify possible hidden cameras or microphones.

4. Perform a thorough sweep with a wireless bug detector if your home or office has recently undergone a break in but nothing was stolen. Scanning the area with an rf detector would also be a sensible precaution to take if you get the feeling that things have been rifled through or moved, but there is no obvious evidence of an intrusion.

5. You have good cause to check your premises with a bug detector if you have received an unexpected visit from maintenance personnel claiming to be attending to problems with the electricity, phone or air conditioning systems. Service vans often parked nearby with nobody in them can also be a clue that covert listening is taking place, so consider whether it’s worthwhile investing in a bug detector that will defeat laser surveillance as well as allowing you to check for hidden transmitters.

If you have indeed been the victim of a privacy violation, then a bug detector will prove invaluable for providing undisputed legal evidence of the invasion as well as restoring peace of mind that your privacy is secure.