How to check a room with NookScan
About five minutes, from walking in to knowing where to look. Six steps, in this order.
Video walkthrough
A short video of a real room check is coming soon. Until then, the steps below cover everything it will show.
-
Get ready
Join the room's Wi-Fi, not your own phone hotspot. Turn on Bluetooth and Location. The home screen shows what's ready and fixes the rest with one tap.
-
Start the sweep
Tap Start sweep. NookScan checks the devices on the Wi-Fi network for open video ports and camera announcements. With Pro it also checks nearby hotspots with camera-style names and Bluetooth devices close by. It takes one to two minutes.
-
Do the camera sweep
With the flash on, turn slowly around each wall at knee height, eye level and near the ceiling. A camera lens reflects the flash as a tiny steady dot, and NookScan circles it. In a dark room, switch to infrared mode to spot night-vision LEDs.
-
Read the results
Each possible device is rated Low, Medium or High with the reasons. "What was checked" shows every scan and anything that couldn't run, such as hotel Wi-Fi that hides other guests' devices. A flagged device can be something ordinary, like a smart TV.
-
Find where it is
Use the room check: take a reading by the door, in the middle and on the far side, and NookScan shows which devices are likely in your room. Then follow the tracking bar: it fills up and vibrates faster as you get closer to the signal.
-
Search the room
Most hidden cameras record to an SD card and never transmit, so finish with the room checklist: 15 usual hiding places, from smoke detectors and clocks to USB chargers and vents. The mirror test and power-source check cover two-way mirrors and suspicious chargers.
If you find something
Don't touch it. Photograph it where it is. Contact the host or booking platform, and report it to local police.
NookScan cannot detect devices that don't transmit, such as SD-card cameras or offline recorders, which is why the physical search is always the last step.