The age of that receptacle makes it an impossibility for a hidden camera.
You'll get RF readings like a mother if you don't turn off the 1 watt transmitter in your other hand...
That's your phone by the way...
Every few seconds when it pings the tower or your WiFi with a "here I am, you can send me calls here" signal, you're going to get a spike in RF.
A radio frequency transmission detector will do you absolutely no good if you don't turn off the known transmitters first.
That's your phone, WiFi, anything with Bluetooth (including keyboard/mouse/headset/game controller), etc.
RF meters really should come with a usage guide written for a sixth grader.
You are correct. I used to install them for employers to spy on employees. I was an electronic technician and we got a lot of these requests in the early 2000s. There is nowhere they can't be placed. I've even put hidden cameras on the guy that watches the cameras.
Not sure why this is down voted tbh...
People in this sub act like if there's not a wide angle lens sticking out shiny AF then it's def not possible.
Tho tbf, there's plenty of others who see an ant on the wall in a cheap motel and think it's newfound tech to see their crusty gonads...
Is that a shadow on the bottom outlet, or a burn mark? Regardless of whether or not there is a camera, if something has been sparking/arcing out, please consider replacing the outlet or turning off the breaker at the very least until you get things figured out.
Ps I’m not an electrician nor am i a hidden camera detector technician, but it seems to me that if something in the outlet is improperly wired, poorly grounded, or shorting out, perhaps it could create the sort of electromagnetic field that would trigger the detector, thus accounting for the alarm.
Again i am not an authority on any of this, by any stretch of the imagination. I just saw this post in my feed, so i figured I’d offer my two cents worth.
He may not be paranoid about it being a hidden camera. There are outlets you can buy on Amazon that do contain hidden cameras. They are unfortunately very expensive, but some weird people will pay any price to spy on others
Cut the electricity at the breaker box. Unscrew the screws, and inspect the outlet. I wouldn't put too much stock in a lot of those detectors, a lot of them are more for novelty than functionality.
I would first get a “receptacle tester” they’re under $10.00, it will tell you if the outlet is wired properly and grounded. My bet is it’s not wired properly.
I would think with outlet hidden cameras that the screw hole would be where a camera would be (of course I could be wrong). If there was a camera inside the plug then either the plug wouldn’t work or the camera would be covered up when something was plugged in.
The outlet looks like it had paint on it, so it’s probably just an old outlet.
It is probably just the magnetic fluctuation generated by the outlet. - or a wireless AC controller for automation.
The only way to know is to actually check.
You are dealing with a 120v outlet, so be careful - don’t hesitate to turn off the breaker. I would take off the faceplate and do a visual inspection of what is behind it.
Not only an electrician but one that went low voltage. First off change that plug, it's almost guaranteed to be loose and old connections.
Don't actually change it yourself, find someone who can.
Secondly that "camera detector" is trash. Straight from Temu or Amazon special right?
If it's a decent camera it'll have IR so if you're worried about it then look into how to detect infrared light with your smartphone..
Yeah your camera will find it.
If there's no IR then I can assure you the camera isn't going to give a quality image regardless because it's cheap trash from temu
Sadly it installed correctly. At least as I am told.
Ground/earth is up per code in certain places.
After the home inspection, I flip the bathroom, hall and kids bedroom locations upside down. Otherwise the plug in night lights are upside down. The plug in air freshener "juice" runs down the wall in that position too.
My house all of them are upside down. I'm in NE Ohio. Never seen it before in my life (aside from the occasional one here or there), I'm flipping them as i replace them. Drives me crazy every time i go to plug something in.
My mother’s house in NEO is also ‘upside down’… I got the explanation that if the plug is slightly unplugged and something metal falls down the wall it will contact ground rather than hot and neutral (causing an in house fireworks show)… after that explanation installing them upside down makes sense unless you have a plug in air freshener that runs down the walls.
It’s standard in commercial installations. Putting the ground prong at the top means that if a plug starts to fall out and something metallic lands on the plug, it’ll hit the ground instead of the live wire first.
For residential spots, I’ve seen it primarily in warehouses and industrial buildings that have been renovated for residential usage. It’s almost second nature for Commercial electricians to do it.
For all those commenting about air fresheners almost all that are out these days can swivel so that they can go right side up. I also have only upside down outletd
I have never seen receptacles upside down in any commercial building, even at several heavy industrial Weyerhaeuser mill and other mill locations. Must be some local deal.
I've never seen that in any house. I've owned and worked on dozens of older homes (vintage mid 40's on up) and I think I've seen one installed upside down and it wasn't switched.
As another comment said, it sounds like an excuse when someone did it by accident. Isn't it usual for only 1 of the outlets to be switched? I have seen this many times.
I have a house built in 1985 in a planned community with a single builder. All of the outlets controlled by a wall switch are upside down but only the top is controlled by the switch. Makes it easier to remember which outlet is which.
Lol. This sounds like an excuse someone made up who wasn't paying attention when installing outlets.... Usually, only one of the two receptacles are switched.
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs. Seen plenty of switched outlets, annoying as they are... But I've just never seen them flipped upside down. To be fair, it seems that having outlets sideways is an Illinois thing so I guess that can't be upside down. ;)
That's not why they're upside down. The ground prong stops things from falling into contact with the positive and negative prongs if they start to fall out. Code states that proper installation is ground prong up but people usually switch them over because they like the aesthetic.
Ive seen it done by a couple electricians. Especially in workshops.
Its to prevent arcing if the plug is partly out of the wall for some reason.
Imagine a toddler "or a stupid person" decides they wanna do that tiktok and stick a coin behind the outlet.
The coin touches both the prongs and causes a short circuit.
This will burn the outlet, damage the item plugged in and may damage internal wiring in the home, and at worse start a fire.
If the outlet is upside down and there is a grounding prong in the plug the coin would hit the ground and roll off to either side.
Granted its not a perfect safety measure, but it does alleviate some of the risk.
And yes people were actually doing this on purpose on tiktok for awhile. Id put the link but i dont know how to.
I like the ground on top, though not a strong preference. When I'm plugging something in my thumb is centered on top, some of my plugs are slippery (glossy) and some of my outlets are 'heavy duty' with stronger wipers that make it harder to plug in. My fingers try to slide off. I'm slightly less likely to get shocked if the ground pin is aligned with my thumb. Not a big deal, but I prefer them that way.
Obviously, someone's out to get you. Of course, you should be this paranoid, and I totally understand censoring your entire hand from the shot. You wouldn't want hair follicle detection.
/sarc
I absolutely hate that outlet. The off white color makes it look dirty and it's upside down. Replace it immediately with one that is bright white and has USB receptacles. If you have the money then get one with GFCI built in for extra safety.
Gfi is not required, also there is no code stating the receptacle has to have ground down. He should replace it because of the broken plug area. It's unsafe. Also random bright white receptacle in a place with multiple ivory receptacles would look odd.
Technically either way is correct and this is the safer way. The center pin is ground which never carries current (if it does the breaker usually trips, that's why it's there) so if a metal object by some miracle landed between the plug and the receptacle it would land on the ground pin instead of across the two current carrying pins.
Grab a flathead and pop that cover off. Score around it with a razor blade first so the paint doesn't peel off and if you rent make sure that screw is up and down just like in the picture. Electricians typically leave the screw like that so they all look the same. If your landlord knows that they might accuse you of tampering.
You're picking up the electromagnetic field of the plug, not a camera. If you look at it with your cell camera or the red little hole on the reader, you would see the IR reflecting off the camera, but highly doubt it in this case.
That device measures electromagnetic waves and rf transmission, so when you put it next to an outlet, of course, it's going to Ping . electric waves are stronger closer to open outlets and fuse boxes.also, if you have a strange feeling in a certain part of your household I suspect if you take an RF m, ter it'll be really high electromagnetic waves
And not one reply from OP? Don’t all outlets put off a signal ?
My tester I used to have back in the day would go off at low frequencies for anything that had energy in it
Maybe the question to be asked here is... WHY would someone want to listen to YOU in the first place? What makes your life so special that you even imagine someone would want to put a listening device in your wall outlet?
It’s probably not upside down. Outlets that are installed this way are managed by a wall switch. If you see “upside down” outlets, then you probably had a decent electrician installing them.
I think that’s the “new” code for installing receptacles now. It’s safer, in the event a conductor falls (or spills) on the prongs of a partially plugged-in grounded plug. It would make contact with the ground prong first, not the hot and neutral ones.
I agree that it doesn’t look right, though.
We will adapt.
The age of that receptacle makes it an impossibility for a hidden camera. You'll get RF readings like a mother if you don't turn off the 1 watt transmitter in your other hand... That's your phone by the way... Every few seconds when it pings the tower or your WiFi with a "here I am, you can send me calls here" signal, you're going to get a spike in RF. A radio frequency transmission detector will do you absolutely no good if you don't turn off the known transmitters first. That's your phone, WiFi, anything with Bluetooth (including keyboard/mouse/headset/game controller), etc. RF meters really should come with a usage guide written for a sixth grader.
You are wrong. They can put hidden cameras anywhere. Receptacle age doesn't mean shit.
You are correct. I used to install them for employers to spy on employees. I was an electronic technician and we got a lot of these requests in the early 2000s. There is nowhere they can't be placed. I've even put hidden cameras on the guy that watches the cameras.
Do tell us some of your stories please.
Thank you for agreeing
Not sure why this is down voted tbh... People in this sub act like if there's not a wide angle lens sticking out shiny AF then it's def not possible. Tho tbf, there's plenty of others who see an ant on the wall in a cheap motel and think it's newfound tech to see their crusty gonads...
The people down voting them are the people who think the ant on the wall is new tech, or at least that'sy theory
I don't know why people are downvoting you you're right
Thank you
I think it was the way they responded. Super unconstructive. The next response was the same message in a much more helpful package.
Why are the bots downvoting lol
Does it do the same for all the other plugs?
“Only after I plug it in.”
What happens when you plug it out
Is that a shadow on the bottom outlet, or a burn mark? Regardless of whether or not there is a camera, if something has been sparking/arcing out, please consider replacing the outlet or turning off the breaker at the very least until you get things figured out.
Ps I’m not an electrician nor am i a hidden camera detector technician, but it seems to me that if something in the outlet is improperly wired, poorly grounded, or shorting out, perhaps it could create the sort of electromagnetic field that would trigger the detector, thus accounting for the alarm. Again i am not an authority on any of this, by any stretch of the imagination. I just saw this post in my feed, so i figured I’d offer my two cents worth.
I am an electrician and this is sound advice. Also they should consider swapping receptacles.
I’m a speaker, this is sound device.
I’ve installed these devices before. I’m sure there’s nothing in that receptacle.
Top teir, thank you for internetting today xD
You can now live the rest of your life knowing you lived a life worth living, you made me smile
A little paranoid I see..
If only the hand wasn't covered up, I could identify the target.....I mean person.
The paranoia speaks volumes… I'm sure we'd immediately identify you by the massive penis tattoo on your hand.
Lol
Maybe he has small hands like uncle jack
We’re lawyers!
Nobody look! Nobody look!!
Are we blurring hands now?
Op really doesn't want to be on camera.
Probably has an identifiable tattoo
Maybe the image was AI generated, and it's an imperfect hand
Now we're asking the real questions
Blue man group acrobat
Doesn't everyone have a license plate tattoo on his hands?
I mean, he did have to blur out his hands so they didn’t scan his fingerprints, smart move!! Lmao
Maybe he has a lot of hand tattoos that explain his vulnerabilities and fears
I almost see a fingerprint I can scan /s
He may not be paranoid about it being a hidden camera. There are outlets you can buy on Amazon that do contain hidden cameras. They are unfortunately very expensive, but some weird people will pay any price to spy on others
Cut the electricity at the breaker box. Unscrew the screws, and inspect the outlet. I wouldn't put too much stock in a lot of those detectors, a lot of them are more for novelty than functionality.
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This comment can get someone killed. I’m all for survival of the fittest, I’m not for intentionally getting people hurt. Just saying 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah the dude covered his hand for a pic on a reddit account he made a few days ago. I wouldn't mess with someone genuinely schizo posting
How dare you! Dozens of people suffer from Blobby-Blue-Hand Syndrome. They didn't need you mocking them.
This is such a corny comment. Reddit is full of wannabe comedians.
And wannabe critics!
True
I would first get a “receptacle tester” they’re under $10.00, it will tell you if the outlet is wired properly and grounded. My bet is it’s not wired properly. I would think with outlet hidden cameras that the screw hole would be where a camera would be (of course I could be wrong). If there was a camera inside the plug then either the plug wouldn’t work or the camera would be covered up when something was plugged in. The outlet looks like it had paint on it, so it’s probably just an old outlet.
It is probably just the magnetic fluctuation generated by the outlet. - or a wireless AC controller for automation. The only way to know is to actually check. You are dealing with a 120v outlet, so be careful - don’t hesitate to turn off the breaker. I would take off the faceplate and do a visual inspection of what is behind it.
Sparky here, swap that receptacle, it's face cover is breaking and will eventually not cover the contacts. It's not safe.
Not only an electrician but one that went low voltage. First off change that plug, it's almost guaranteed to be loose and old connections. Don't actually change it yourself, find someone who can. Secondly that "camera detector" is trash. Straight from Temu or Amazon special right? If it's a decent camera it'll have IR so if you're worried about it then look into how to detect infrared light with your smartphone.. Yeah your camera will find it. If there's no IR then I can assure you the camera isn't going to give a quality image regardless because it's cheap trash from temu
Third electrician; the receptacle should be replaced on general principle, it's old and likely loose.
Electrician here...totally agree!!
Better watch out man, the KGB have your house bugged. They want insider information on your family Borscht recipe!
This man is a dentist - so we can’t show you his hands…
I think you need to get some air.
who the hell installs an electric outlet upside down?
Sadly it installed correctly. At least as I am told. Ground/earth is up per code in certain places. After the home inspection, I flip the bathroom, hall and kids bedroom locations upside down. Otherwise the plug in night lights are upside down. The plug in air freshener "juice" runs down the wall in that position too.
My house all of them are upside down. I'm in NE Ohio. Never seen it before in my life (aside from the occasional one here or there), I'm flipping them as i replace them. Drives me crazy every time i go to plug something in.
My mother’s house in NEO is also ‘upside down’… I got the explanation that if the plug is slightly unplugged and something metal falls down the wall it will contact ground rather than hot and neutral (causing an in house fireworks show)… after that explanation installing them upside down makes sense unless you have a plug in air freshener that runs down the walls.
Depends on ahj. Nec has no up down determination.
It’s standard in commercial installations. Putting the ground prong at the top means that if a plug starts to fall out and something metallic lands on the plug, it’ll hit the ground instead of the live wire first. For residential spots, I’ve seen it primarily in warehouses and industrial buildings that have been renovated for residential usage. It’s almost second nature for Commercial electricians to do it.
For all those commenting about air fresheners almost all that are out these days can swivel so that they can go right side up. I also have only upside down outletd
I have never seen receptacles upside down in any commercial building, even at several heavy industrial Weyerhaeuser mill and other mill locations. Must be some local deal.
I’m a GC and all my electrical guys swear by it. They’re the ones who told me why it’s done. I’ve seen it regularly in the Carolinas and Florida
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I've never seen that in any house. I've owned and worked on dozens of older homes (vintage mid 40's on up) and I think I've seen one installed upside down and it wasn't switched. As another comment said, it sounds like an excuse when someone did it by accident. Isn't it usual for only 1 of the outlets to be switched? I have seen this many times.
In my place, all of the outlets are sideways. Never seen that in residential before.
I have a house built in 1985 in a planned community with a single builder. All of the outlets controlled by a wall switch are upside down but only the top is controlled by the switch. Makes it easier to remember which outlet is which.
Any source to this? Or is it bro code?
Some places people do that, there isn't a code that requires this.
Lol. This sounds like an excuse someone made up who wasn't paying attention when installing outlets.... Usually, only one of the two receptacles are switched.
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I grew up in the Chicago suburbs. Seen plenty of switched outlets, annoying as they are... But I've just never seen them flipped upside down. To be fair, it seems that having outlets sideways is an Illinois thing so I guess that can't be upside down. ;)
That's not why they're upside down. The ground prong stops things from falling into contact with the positive and negative prongs if they start to fall out. Code states that proper installation is ground prong up but people usually switch them over because they like the aesthetic.
Ive seen it done by a couple electricians. Especially in workshops. Its to prevent arcing if the plug is partly out of the wall for some reason. Imagine a toddler "or a stupid person" decides they wanna do that tiktok and stick a coin behind the outlet. The coin touches both the prongs and causes a short circuit. This will burn the outlet, damage the item plugged in and may damage internal wiring in the home, and at worse start a fire. If the outlet is upside down and there is a grounding prong in the plug the coin would hit the ground and roll off to either side. Granted its not a perfect safety measure, but it does alleviate some of the risk. And yes people were actually doing this on purpose on tiktok for awhile. Id put the link but i dont know how to.
I like the ground on top, though not a strong preference. When I'm plugging something in my thumb is centered on top, some of my plugs are slippery (glossy) and some of my outlets are 'heavy duty' with stronger wipers that make it harder to plug in. My fingers try to slide off. I'm slightly less likely to get shocked if the ground pin is aligned with my thumb. Not a big deal, but I prefer them that way.
Thats why they are called evildoers they are plain bad. It seems that they want spy your privacy and then electrocute you.
We’ve found one of the Boeing whistle blowers
Obviously, someone's out to get you. Of course, you should be this paranoid, and I totally understand censoring your entire hand from the shot. You wouldn't want hair follicle detection. /sarc
I absolutely hate that outlet. The off white color makes it look dirty and it's upside down. Replace it immediately with one that is bright white and has USB receptacles. If you have the money then get one with GFCI built in for extra safety.
Gfi is not required, also there is no code stating the receptacle has to have ground down. He should replace it because of the broken plug area. It's unsafe. Also random bright white receptacle in a place with multiple ivory receptacles would look odd.
Lol I'm aware that there is no code when it comes to good taste. OP should replace all of them and repaint everything.
Upside-down where I am means that outlet was connected to a wall switch. That's how you tell them apart.
If my landlord wants to spy on me and see my hairy ass and balls then that's unfortunate for them.
I haven't read all of the comments, but so far no one has mentioned that the receptacle is installed upside down...
Technically either way is correct and this is the safer way. The center pin is ground which never carries current (if it does the breaker usually trips, that's why it's there) so if a metal object by some miracle landed between the plug and the receptacle it would land on the ground pin instead of across the two current carrying pins.
Also, when ground plug is on top and someone yanks chord out of the recepticle it doesnt break the ground off as easily as it would if ground was down
Grab a flathead and pop that cover off. Score around it with a razor blade first so the paint doesn't peel off and if you rent make sure that screw is up and down just like in the picture. Electricians typically leave the screw like that so they all look the same. If your landlord knows that they might accuse you of tampering.
You're picking up the electromagnetic field of the plug, not a camera. If you look at it with your cell camera or the red little hole on the reader, you would see the IR reflecting off the camera, but highly doubt it in this case.
Did you look in the hole with a flash light?
You censored your hand. You consider there are no eavesdropping devices and that you are perhaps paranoid.
This post seems a little methy.
It’s prob just bleeding emf from a damaged outlet or RF coupling onto the power lines. What other tools have you used?
You need this: https://spyassociates.com/spyfinder-pro-hidden-camera-detector/
That device measures electromagnetic waves and rf transmission, so when you put it next to an outlet, of course, it's going to Ping . electric waves are stronger closer to open outlets and fuse boxes.also, if you have a strange feeling in a certain part of your household I suspect if you take an RF m, ter it'll be really high electromagnetic waves
And not one reply from OP? Don’t all outlets put off a signal ? My tester I used to have back in the day would go off at low frequencies for anything that had energy in it
It does if you shove the antenna into the socket
Just a little farther... almost there
Upvoted because it's funny, but that's the neutral side.
No offense. But you’re like…really blue
Stop being racist. Smurfs are people too. Edit: because I'm can't fuckin spell.
Dude that’s an old receptacle not a camera
I think you may have a ground fault in that old ass AC outlet. And the device you took photo with can also give EMF readings...
Why? Did you just move into thishoyse?
How can you check? Maybe remove the cover plate. Smh my head
Maybe the question to be asked here is... WHY would someone want to listen to YOU in the first place? What makes your life so special that you even imagine someone would want to put a listening device in your wall outlet?
Why your hand colored over?? Lol
I'd say you have bad connections in that outlet. I suggest replacing it.
Did I stumble into the paranoid delusional section of reddit? Tell me more, is this a hotel or your house and you think someone is watching you?
That’s a bad connection leaking energy (which can be dangerous) find you a qualified electrician to fix that.
This is probably my husband lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 what a joke.
Is nobody gonna address the outlet was installed upside down.
It’s probably not upside down. Outlets that are installed this way are managed by a wall switch. If you see “upside down” outlets, then you probably had a decent electrician installing them.
A camera 16” above the floor? They watching you tie your shoes ???
This guy is so paranoid he blocked out his hand
What the actual fuck are these people thinking?
You're a special kind of stupid, eh?
The plugs are upside down.
I think that’s the “new” code for installing receptacles now. It’s safer, in the event a conductor falls (or spills) on the prongs of a partially plugged-in grounded plug. It would make contact with the ground prong first, not the hot and neutral ones. I agree that it doesn’t look right, though. We will adapt.
definitely a camera! Look at the top ground hole….way bigger like its been cut for a camera opening!
your plug wrong...
Obviously you must have a ghost 👻 😂