Oct 25, 2024 21:00:00

RFHunter, a device for finding hidden cameras in Airbnb

Airbnb , a private lodging service used in over 191 countries around the world, has over 5 million hosts who have hosted guests over 2 billion times, according to its official website , and the total hosting income of all hosts exceeds $250 billion (approximately 38 trillion yen). However, there are cases where hosts who rent out accommodations install security cameras inside the rooms, which has been criticized as an infringement of guests' privacy. In response, engineer Matthew Rogers has developed a device called ' RFHunter ' to find security cameras.

GitHub - RamboRogers/rfhunter: RFHunter is a device to find hidden Cameras at AirBNBs
https://github.com/RamboRogers/rfhunter

Find Hidden Devices - RFHunter - Details and Build Instructions
https://blog.matthewrogers.org/b/8BCF175A-6CC6-4E61-8310-A91034389015/Find-Hidden-Devices---RFHunter---Det

Unlike regular hotels and inns, Airbnb is a private lodging service that rents out homes and villas to travelers. Some hosts rent out their homes on Airbnb, so some hosts installed cameras to monitor whether guests were disturbing their homes. However, in April 2024, Airbnb changed its policy to prohibit the installation of security cameras in properties, regardless of location, purpose, or prior disclosure.

Airbnb completely bans the installation of surveillance cameras indoors - GIGAZINE

Airbnb has changed its policy to completely ban the installation of surveillance cameras, but CNN reports that 'Airbnb has not yet been able to protect its guests from surveillance cameras.' According to CNN, hosts who install surveillance cameras face light penalties, such as being charged with a misdemeanor. On the other hand, guests who are caught on surveillance cameras are at risk of having their private images and videos spread online. According to a CNN investigation, it appears that several guests have been informed by police that they have been caught on surveillance cameras. An Airbnb representative testified that 'the company has issued 35,000 customer support tickets regarding surveillance devices' over the past 10 years, but in some cases, multiple support tickets are issued for one report. Airbnb has refused to disclose how many complaints it has received about surveillance cameras.

To solve this problem himself, Rogers developed 'RFHunter'. RFHunter is a radio frequency (RF) signal scanner that detects hidden surveillance cameras by displaying the surrounding RF signals. Because it is an RF signal scanner, it can detect not only surveillance cameras but also RF devices such as wiretaps.

The latest version of the RFHunter is the RFHunter V4, which Rogers says can be easily assembled without tools.

Here's what it looks like after assembly:

When RFHunter detects an RF signal, the indicator on the display increases and a buzzer sounds. This means that RFHunter can detect surveillance cameras. You can also adjust the signal sensitivity by rotating the potentiometer at the bottom of the terminal.

When you hold the RFHunter in front of a camera, the indicator showing the RF signal strength rises rapidly.

Click on the image below to watch a video showing how the indicator on the display changes to indicate RF signal strength.

The RFHunter blueprints and source code are distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 .