For the October review, let’s start off with a spy camera jammer! The Camera and Wifi Jammer transmits on three frequencies, namely on 900MHz, 1.2GHz, and 2.4GHz. These frequencies are the most commonly used frequencies for transmitting spy cameras, not to mention wireless networks that use 2.4GHz. The jammer transmits 300mW of noise on each band which is enough to block the signal of cameras and wifi networks around you, up to a radius of 10 metres. However, the battery only lasts 45 minutes!

The Portable Document Scanner is something you associated with spy movies. Using this rather cool gadget you can scan a single A4 page in just 4 seconds! With 4MB of internal storage, you can scan up to 200 A4 document pages. With both monochrome and colour versions of the scanner, you could scan photographs and colour documents too.

The Portable Audio Jammer claims to interfere with microphones by generating random noise on a range of frequencies and different amplitudes. The idea is that the sound becomes impossible to filter out using computer software, and therefore offers a mask for important conversations going on in the room.

If you want to listen in on conversations from anywhere in the world, then this rather plain looking GSM Bug will do the trick. It essentially has a stripped down mobile phone circuit inside the box which will automatically answer and let you hear conversations going on around it when you dial it. It’s a low cost device, so it doesn’t feature voice activation, but it’s still cheap compared to most bugs!

There are tiny spy cameras, and then there’s the Tiny Spy Camera Recorder. This little device records video at 15 frames a second using the 3GP format. Although the camera claims to be high resolution, if its anything like video on a mobile phone, then the quality is really low. However, it does take small spy cameras to a new level!

We’ll finish off for the October review with something that’s a little bit fun, namely the Estes XB 39 EagleEye Spy Plane. The plane has a large wingspan of 55 inches and carries a small digital camera capable of taking up to 26 photographs. If you want to take a phone, you simply hit the button on the radio remote control. Great for spying on the neighbours!

In September I reviewed a high quality 2.4GHz Wireless Spy Camera and USB Receiver. The camera is quite robust, something a little rare for a 2.4GHz camera. The wireless receiver is really small and also very versatile. The receiver can be plugged into a TV as well as used on a PC to record footage from the wireless camera. A problem with many cheap cameras from eBay is that they don’t have a UK mains adapter, and this kit usefully had 2 power supplies. Good thing really, as wireless cameras eat batteries!

On the camera theme was this spy camera hidden in a cordless phone. As far as spy cameras go, its nothing special. However, its a camera that’s perfectly suited to a hallway or lounge, and could easily form part of a covert video surveillance system in your home.

Again on the camera theme was this wireless solar-powered security camera. The solar panel recharges the internal battery during the day, and the camera will start transmitting if the PIR device detects motion. The camera only transmits video when motion is detected and for the timeout period set on the camera.

Sticking with the environmentally friendly theme, the solar-powered security light is ideal for locations remote from electricity supplies, or even just to save money. You can position the light on sheds, caravans, garages and anywhere else you need light. These cameras aren’t much of a deterrent, but they come in handy when you’re trying to see in the dark!

For the executive spies, the USB drive hidden in a pen makes a nice gift. Pens are quite easy to carry around in a jacket pocket, and are less likely to get lost compared to conventional USB thumb drives. That said, the USB drive in a watch is even more difficult to lose, as its strapped to your wrist all the time! These devices must be a nightmare for high security locations. Far too easy to conceal.

If you’re handy with a soldering iron and want to make something, then the infra-red break-beam alarm kit is an inexpensive little kit suitable for beginner electronic enthusiasts. If you’re really adventurous, you could modify the kit to use lasers! Now that would look cool!

Probably the most interesting product that I reviewed in August was the self-destructing paper. It looks like ordainary paper, but completely disintegrates when you pour water on it.

On a light-hearted note, I found the rather amusing security briefs that has a secret pocket to allow you to hide your valuables. Not very suited for the ladies, but useful for the lads! For something a little more practical, you can also get a beer can safe to hide your possessions too.

One of the products that I sell in the Spy Review Shop is a keylogger hidden in a keyboard. Since the keylogger is so covertly concealed, it is particularly suited for use when advanced computer users are under surveillance.

August was a fairly quiet month for spy cameras, but I did mention some new spy cameras that are going to be on the market soon. This included a new type of button spy camera and a really small spy camera for concealing in everyday objects. There’s also the tiny camera hidden in the earpiece of a pair of earphones!

Another spy camera I reviewed was a wireless spy camera hidden in a Nokia 6610. The camera transmits up to 50 metres and also includes a microphone, which is not that common for spy cameras.

Carrying on the mobile phone theme, there’s the stun gun hidden in a mobile phone. Stun guns are illegal in most EU countries, but many US states permit them. It delivers a nasty jolt of 800,000V, which is enough to drop any grown person to the floor.

I also talked about a service that provides text messages that self destruct. However, on closer inspection, the service uses the rather old fashioned WAP service to read a web page containing the actual message. An alternative and cheaper idea is to encrypt your text messages to keep them private from nosey people.

In the way of sophisticated audio bugs, the motion and voice activated GSM bug is definitely at the top of the list. When the device detects voice or motion, it can send you a text message or it can call you up. This means you can listen to what’s going on around the device without wasting battery life or money calling the unit randomly.

If you fancy some light entertainment this weekend, then perhaps stick on a DVD or two of Spooks. This is a very popular TV show following MI5 agents preventing the UK from a large range of attacks, both domestic and foreign. If you enjoy Alias, 24 and Bugs, you’ll really enjoy Spooks.

So here’s another monthly review, but for July this time. I’ll review the products from August when we get to October too. So from July, my favourite bit of kit was the inductive earpiece and wallet relay kit. The wallet acts as an amplifier for the earpiece so that you can hear communications from your team without any visible wires!

On the earpiece theme, the covert bionic earpiece is a highly sensitive microphone and earpiece that amplifies distance sounds and conversations. Because the earpiece is so small, you can listen to other people talking without them knowing.

It’s amazing how small some spy gadgets are, and this Tiny 2.4GHZ Video Transmitter is the perfect example of this. This particular one is smaller than a coin and costs $900. The transmitter is an incredible 5mm x 6.5mm x 8mm and weights only 1g! It only needs 2xAA batteries to work, drawing only 8mA, and lasts for 4 days on a fresh batch of batteries. It’s a shame that most cameras operate on 8V, so you’ll need a large battery pack anyway.

For finding spy cameras, there’s a new Optical Hidden Spy Camera Detector product that’s on the market. It uses the same technique as the SpyFinder Camera Detector by flashing high intensity red LEDs in the direction of a camera, and you can see any camera lens sparkle in the viewfinder. A very simple device, but very effective at finding wired or wireless spy cameras.

On the tracking theme, the GSM and GPS Based Personal Tracker and Alarm is a simplified device that will immediately send your loved ones an SMS text message with your GPS coordinates if you press the alarm button. You can also call or text the tracker for it to send you its location too. A great device to help ensure your family never get lost.

The Loc8tor Personal Homing Device is a useful device for tracking objects that are in a much closer radius. The Loc8tor tracker can find the tracking tags from up to 180 metres away, great for urban or forested areas. You can also set a geo-fence with the locator device, so that if a tag goes out of a set perimeter, the alarm on the device sounds.

The most novel and amusing device for July was the GSM bug hidden in a glasses (spectacles) case. But, in all fairness, the SpecSavers Spectacle Case bugs have been successfully been used by local police forces for investigations. I do wonder how long these bugs will be around though!

One of the stories in June was a report on using spy cameras to catch fly tippers. Spy cameras aren’t just for watching cheating husbands or housewives!

If you think you might have a covert GPS tracker installed on your vehicle, or you’re just paranoid, then a GPS tracker jammer might interest you. The small gadget transmits on the same frequency as the GPS receiver, and therefore stops it communicating with the satellites. If it can’t communicate, it can’t track you!

For the ultimate in cool and covert spy cameras, then the camera tucked away in a pen would suit you. It’s completely wireless and uses tiny coin cell batteries to transmit the video signal to a nearby transmitter. At £300, its not cheap, but it certainly is a cool piece of kit.

Something that’s recently hit the market are these seriously tiny digital voice recorders. Pretty much the size of a standard keyfob, it has a surprisingly large memory for storing conversations. And they’re pretty cheap too!

On the tiny theme, there’s also this surprisingly small GSM transmitter, which exploits the existing mobile phone networks to allow you to call it from anywhere in the world. It’s only 39mm by 40mm by 9mm, and includes VOX activation and SMS notifications. Very impressive for a tiny gadget.

We’ll end with my favourite gadget from June, the spy camera hidden inside a TV. This camera is remote controlled too, and will allow you to record anything that goes on in front of the TV. There is definitely an irony about a TV doing the filming!

My favourite device from May was the BlueTooth Watch which allows you to see who’s calling your mobile, but by looking at your watch! The device exploits the caller-id on your mobile, and will inform you of the caller or the sender of a text message.

For May’s hidden camera fix, I talked about a colour spy camera hidden in a pack of cigarettes. You can remove the camera from the box very easily, but it gives you a very portable spy camera unit that can be hidden in a range of objects. The rectangular box also makes it easier to mount the camera inside other flat-faced items.

On the hidden camera theme, it was announced on the news that an antique spy camera had been sold in auction for £21,000. The camera is hidden in a pocket watch and dates back to the 1880s.

If you want to track down wireless spy cameras, the wireless camera hunter is a sleek piece of kit that can quickly scan the frequencies typically used by spy cameras. It then receives any signals it finds and displays the video on the display. The unit very handily provides a video output so that you can record anything you receive too.

For those of you interested in the history of spy gear and gadgets, as well as spies during the wars, then you might like to visit The International Spy Museum in the US. You can learn about all of history’s spy masters and how they used the intelligence their spies gathered. Some of the spy masters include, Elizabeth I, George Washington, and Joseph Stalin.

That’s it for May. Look out for June’s monthly roundup too!

I’ve had a strong GSM theme this month, including the GSM Jammer as well as the GSM signal detector. These are both great devices for defeating and tracking down cell phone-based bugs and tracking devices.

There have been some really interesting listening devices in April, including the laser-mic listening device for only £10,000, and a bug hidden inside a computer mouse.

There was also the story about a UK poolworker getting caught for spying on people at the pool he worked at. To help you find you find any kind of hidden camera, wireless or not, I recommended the SpyFinder wireless hidden camera detector. The SpyFinder cleverly uses a series of flashing LEDs to help you find hidden cameras.

There was also the case of the rather wacky mobile phone conversation encryption device. Given how difficult it is for civillians to intercept mobile phone calls, I did think that this device was over the top!

April also marked the release of my new spy shop for Spy Review, called Spy Warehouse. I offer great prices on a small selection of top spy gear!

You can find all of the other stories for April in the archives section.

March was a bumper month for hidden spy cameras, such as hiding a spy camera in a pillow, a spy camera hidden in computer speakers, hiding a camera in a thermostat, and of course the incredible snake camera!

Usually you get surveillance cameras hidden behind wall clocks, but this wall clock has a GSM audio bug transmitter installed in it. I also recommend a few books for making your own surveillance bugs too!

If you’re interested in tiny trackers, the GPS device hidden in a Shoe will appeal to you. A tiny tracker concealed in the sole of a trainer. For slightly more traditional tracking techniques, you could build your own RF tracker too!

And finally there’s the lock picking gun, saving you hours of learning how to pick locks! And only just over $50!

You can find all of the other stories for March in the archives section.