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Free Hotel Privacy Checklist: Print or Save Before Your Trip

Obscura optical lens finder close-up

A few practical checks can help you get familiar with your hotel room or rental. Save this one-page checklist before you travel; you can use it with or without a detector.

Download the free hotel privacy checklist (PDF) — one printable page, no signup required.

Before you travel

  • Save your accommodation's address, booking details and support contact offline.
  • If you bring a detector, charge it and read its instructions before your trip.

When you arrive

  • Check that the door closes and locks. Locate the exit and keep your phone and room key accessible.
  • Look around sleeping and bathroom areas for unfamiliar objects or openings aimed at private spaces. Observe without opening, unplugging or moving equipment.
  • Use a flashlight to look for small lens-like reflections. Ordinary shiny surfaces can reflect light too; a reflection alone is not proof of a camera.
  • If using an optical lens finder, follow its instructions and inspect from different angles. The lens must be visible from your position.
  • If using an RF scanner, treat an alert as a radio signal to investigate. Phones, routers and other everyday electronics can trigger it.
  • Remember that a recording camera may not be transmitting. No RF alert does not mean a room has no cameras.

If you find something concerning

Move to a place where you feel comfortable. Document what you observed if it is safe, and contact accommodation staff or the booking platform. Do not dismantle a suspected device. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services.

These checks have limits. They cannot certify that a room is camera-free. No detector finds every camera, and an unfamiliar object, reflection or radio alert alone is not evidence of surveillance.

Want to add an optical and RF check?

Obscura combines an optical lens finder and RF scan in a pocket-size tool. It is $49.99, with free tracked shipping to the contiguous US and Washington DC. Processing takes 1–3 business days; transit is estimated at 7–14 business days after dispatch. Read the product details before ordering.

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For new gear and Specter drops, you can subscribe to Specter emails. The checklist is available above whether or not you subscribe.