We all want to take care of the things that matter most to us, but we can’t keep an eye on them all the time.

The good news is there is an affordable solution available, a spy camera. These cameras come in small shapes and sizes and are perfect for covertly recording.  With hundreds of mini cameras in the market today, finding the right one can be daunting. Don’t worry.

GadgetsSpy has made a guide after over 40 hours of research into the best mini cameras around we found the SS Wireless Hidden Cam was the best. This guide includes what to look for and how to choose and many other related topics to help you make an informed buying decision.

You may want to check the best usb spy camera here.

Best Mini Camera This Year – Top 11

This little spy camera is known as one of the smallest and most affordable spy cameras in the market. Because of this combination of affordability and small size we have put it #1 on our list.

Highlights

• This spy camera uses a motion detection technique. It will start video recording or taking a snapshot when there is movement detected inside the room. This allows the camera to save battery life instead of running full time with useless video. 
• As a video recorder, the ss 1080P Hidden Mini Camera can provide high resolution and excellent quality videos at 1080P.
• You are guaranteed to have clear videos and picture. The video recorder can support loop video recording meaning each video file can have a length of 1 to 20 minutes with expandable memory of 32GB.
• The camera comes with the additional benefit of an led for night vision functionality and because of the motion detection the battery can last up to a week with it on (100 minutes of constant recording).

Highlights

• The video is high definition at 1080P resolution. It enables the camera to take pictures instantly, and the video is clear and stable. The resulting picture is more than 12 million pixels, allowing you to see every detail.
• One of the best features of this one is its wifi capabilities which allow it to support connectivity up to 20 meters away! Just connect with the provided app and your good to go!
• Aside from the wide viewing angle of 140 degrees, this camera uses motion detection technology that allows the camera to start recording only when there is motion detected within its viewing radius.
• Once the camera is activated, it records immediately. This saves precious battery life since the camera will work only when there is movement.
• Another important feature of this camera is the night vision function. With the help of infrared lights attached to the camera, it can record clear video even at night, or when there are low light conditions.
• A very useful feature especially if you are using the camera in dark locations. It has a built-in lithium battery that can work for up to 60 minutes. 

Highlights

• You can connect the camera to a power outlet. It will make it work continuously for 24 hours. It can support a micro SD card of up to 64GB for memory enough to support long videos.
• Let’s talk about the videos; this tiny spy camera has a video resolution of 960P at the rate of 30 frames, so you have clear videos and photos. The video automatically overwrites the older videos to replace them with the new ones.
• WiFi connectivity is necessary for the new mini cameras that are coming out in the market, and this spy camera has the technology.
• You can download a app that is available for both Android and IOS.
• Using the app, you can remotely view the feed from the camera anytime and anywhere. The videos are also real time, and you can view them on your tablet or PC too.
• Another great feature of the 960P WiFi Mini Camera is its motion detection technology, where the camera will start taking videos only when they detect motion within the radius inside the room.
• In turn, when you have the app, it will send you a notification message in real time when it detects movement in its field vision.
• The cam also comes with a night vision capacity
• One note is that this is a wired camera, it does not come with a battery, which is not a big deal since the other mini cams have very short battery life anyway

Highlights

• The video resolution is at 1080P, a clear video quality that you can see even the minute details.
• The motion detection allows the camera to save on battery life because it will only take videos or photos when the camera detects motion within its scope of vision.
• The settings for this motion detection are customizable, and it sends a notification to the phone when in an uninvited guests visits your place.
• As a hidden wireless camera, it provides ease of use. With WiFi connectivity, it allows the camera to send live streaming of videos straight to your mobile phone. Surveillance is easy with this feature and with the alarm function and pushes notifications; by informing you whenever there is movement inside the room, it enhances its security function.
• The camera derives its power from a 2500mAh battery. You can charge this battery while you are recording. You can also charge it in different ways like the ordinary household power socket, a vehicle power supply, and even a portable power source. No worry about running out of battery power.

What this spy camera is lacking is the night vision feature, it cannot produce a clear video in low light conditions, and some the pictures may appear grainy. However, positioning the camera in the right location can remedy this.

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Highlights

• The device is small and has a round shape design. It’s portable and you can place it anywhere in your home, office, backyard, or anywhere you wanted it without worrying if it will be noticed.
• The two-way audio has a built-in microphone and speaker within its camera, this makes it more convenient for you to hear and speak with your family members or office personnel. It can be accessed via your mobile phone any time you want and anywhere you may be.
• It also comes with motion detection and night vision features that enable you to detect and send a notification to your phone. Its WiFi camera has an IR-CUT filter technology that is very much important in capturing clear videos and photos during the night or in a low-light area.
• This WiFi camera allows up to 5 maximum people watching the live stream all at the same time.
• This also supports cloud storage for your video storage and on loop recording. The subscription doesn’t come free, you have to pay for it to make the most of this feature. It has a built-in SD memory card slot that can support up to 128GB.

Highlights

• It has a 90-degree viewing angle with 1080P full HD video output.
• This means that you can view recorded videos in high definition. The USB charger also serves as protection for the micro SD card.
• Once this charger with the camera is placed is disconnected from the power source, it will automatically stop its recording to prevent the SD card from being corrupted. This spy camera cannot record video at night because it has no IR sensor, but it does have a motion sensor.
• Therefore, the camera will start recording once there is a slight movement detected. Using this spy camera is very easy, you just have to plug it into a power source, and the video will start recording.
• You can download the videos by plugging it into a computer. The memory card inside the USB charger is 32GB and is capable of loop recording. Meaning it automatically overwrites the data once the memory is full.

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Highlights

• It has two-way audio that enables you to monitor your home or office whether it’s night or day.
• There is a customized motion detection system that enables you to receive a notification right away on your phone when the device detects activities within the area.
• One great feature also for this Blink Mini is the live view, though it’s not continuous it is enough for you to watch, hear, and speak to people while you’re away from your office or home.
• You may opt to sign up for their cloud storage which has a free trial until December 2020. The Blink Mini is a device that is an Alexa-enabled device that you can use at your convenience.

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Highlights

• Aside from being wireless, you can use its 24/7 Livestream feature enabling you to watch footages anywhere you are. This sure gives you a secure feeling that your home or office is being protected.
• There is 4 recording mode for this device. The Full-time mode, it auto turn on your camera for a 24-hour loop recording and can work without wifi, just make sure you have inserted an SD Card.
• Second, the time recording mode which allows you to record at a preset time.
• Third, the motion detection recording mode which allows you to record when there’s movement detected within the area.
• Lastly, in the phone recording mode, you just have to click the “video” button and it will start recording and then you can also turn it off by the same button and it will stop recording and save your file into your app.
• The special design allows you to zoom even if it just being hook in your shirt or pants. The device is extremely compatible with iOS and Android devices.
• Package includes one mini spy hidden camera, one USB cable, two strong stickers,s, and one detailed user manual.

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Highlights

• The mini hidden camera is capable of recording the view in 1080p HD clarity and images in 12MP resolution. It captures a broad view in 140 degrees wide-angle lens.  
• It has the night vision function, which allows the camera to record up to a specific distance even during low light conditions.  
• This mini camera comes with 6 invisible LED lights and provides clear quality recordings. 
• It retains 60 minutes of battery working time with a single charge and supports 24/7 recording even when it is getting charged.
• This hidden camera has a discreet design, making it perfect for versatile use. For instance, you can use it as a nanny cam, spycam, home surveillance camera, and more.  
• You will get a mini hidden camera, a pin, fastening clip, card reader, 360° rotation clip, neck lanyard, USB cable, and user guide. 

Highlights

• It is a perfect companion for many outdoor activities because it is compact and high performing.
• At home, it can be a security camera or a nanny camera. This mini camera is equipped with six Infrared sensors for night vision function.
• You can record high-quality videos even during the night or in low light conditions. It can also record in two video resolution 720p and 1080p depending on your choice.
• The photos and videos are captured with 1.2 megapixels lens.
• It also has a motion detection feature that can reach up to the range of approximately 5 meters. This tiny spy camera is also capable of audio recording.
• One major flaw of this tiny spy cam is it is not compatible with WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity. The battery can handle up to 100 minutes of recording when it is fully charged.
• It can handle continuous operation when it is plugged into a power source all throughout. It has a backup the battery in case you are out of power source.
• Your recordings and photos are all stored on the micro SD that is expandable up to 32 GB. This nifty camera is so tiny it weighs only about 9 grams making it ideal to hide in many places. It is also easy to mount as the package comes with a variety mounts to satisfy your requirements.

What is a mini hidden camera?

A mini hidden camera is a camera that is capable of capturing video and audio without the subject’s knowledge. They are mainly used for surveillance activities although sometimes they are also used for commercial purposes. Spy cameras are hidden in ordinary objects around the home or business. There many different types of these cameras, some of them can be customized to suit the environment and their uses. It can also be wired or wireless. Wired is when the camera is connected to a storage device while wireless is when the camera is transmitting the recording to a receiver within the specified radius.

Buyer’s Guide to Choosing the Best Mini Camera

The quality of information that a spy camera can uncover depends on the hardware. Wireless spy cameras can come in the smallest sizes but full of amazing technology and innovations. Here are the key features that you need to look for to get the best of this cool gadget.

Most Common Types

In selecting the best mini camera, you should be able to decide first on its type. The market is already saturated with cameras of all sorts and to make the right choice it should be able to answer your needs. To simplify, if you need a camera to film at night, it should have a night vision capability. If what you want is to secure your home, then the motion-activated option is the best choice. You should also need to know how the camera operates because this too will determine the type of camera you will be looking for. There are the types that save the cam footage in an internal memory card while there are others that send them to other devices. Here is where the likes of Wi-Fi spy cameras and USB cameras are categorized. To simplify the matter, here are the most common types of small spy cameras. This nugget of information can help you a lot to make the right choice.

Motion Activated Camera This is the perfect camera for your home because it can record everything that is happening inside a room. When there is no activity, the cam will be idle which saves its battery life and memory storage.

The sensors will only be activated when there is motion in a room, so you do not have to watch useless materials when reviewing the captured video. There are two types of motion-activated mini cameras, one is with their internal memory storage, and the other is the one using other device’s memory storage. A camera with an SD card, records the footage on the card, therefore; you do not need a big memory capacity. For cameras with motion sensors, they do not need much memory for it will only record when there is somebody in the room it monitors.

WiFi Mini Camera Wireless hidden cams connect to other devices, and you can set the alarm to alert you every time the camera detects movement. There is also a mini camera that lets you live to stream the video to your smartphone or PC.

USB Mini Camera The best USB spy camera is equipped with an SD card as one of its integral parts and therefore can store footage. The memory cards also require small so expect these types of mini cameras not to be the tiniest in the pack. Instead, they are usually hidden inside other devices, so the size does not matter. These spy cameras have other features like providing HD footage and night vision. You may also want to check the USB spy camera instructions, in case you wanted to know more.

Peephole Camera These cameras come built into your door’s peephole so when you get a ring or someone is at the door you can see exactly whose there and decided accordingly whether to open the door or pretend your not there. These cameras come in many shapes and sizes some even offer the option to communicate back and forth with the people outside and some allowing you to use your smartphone to answer the door.

Nanny Camera These types of cameras are just like the mini camera and in the literal sense of the word they are mini cameras however they differ in the way that they are implemented. Usually, nanny cams come in two options the hidden ones which are not easy to spot and are put within picture frames and other types of home appliances and items and then there are the consensual ones which are larger or more kids friendly letting everyone know your watching.

Button Camera These cameras are more of a spying item than a casual mini camera, they are built extremely small to look like a button and fit within a button to allow you to spy on people and record without anyone finding out. Because of their smaller size sometimes video quality may suffer but more often than not they are just as powerful as regular cameras because they keep the recording technology within a box that is encased separated while the actual lens is usually at the top of a long wire.

Hidden Camera Clock Now this item is only listed here because of its popularity, it can double as a nanny cam or just a regular cam. It is a hidden camera and makes sure that its primary function looks like that of a clock and not an obvious camera. The recording quality is great on most of these clocks and they are popular because of their ease of use and practicality to put and point in private places, especially popular with those trying to catch a spouse cheating.

Tips for Perfect Positioning

Now that you have delineated the choices for mini spy camera, the next step is to know how to position it well to capture decent footage. Let us face it is not as easy as you may think. Without familiarity and preparation, you might not have your desired outcome. Here are some tips on how to capture, unobstructed and useful footages using the spy cam.

Practice Filming – you have to test the camera in the environment in which it will be used. This is the only way to make sure that the footage will come out right. You can address the issue of poor lighting or obstructions like potted plants at this early.

Check the cameras field of view – you have read from each camera has its own viewing angle. Choose wisely because it will determine how much of the room will be captured without moving the camera.

Motion activated cameras extend memory and battery life – Do not disregard the memory and battery life of the camera. It is important for you not to miss anything happening inside the room you have the camera on. If the room for this purpose has long periods of inactivity, it is wise to invest in spy cameras with motion detection technology.

Solve the problem of tricky placement – There are three goals when installing. First, it should be able to capture the faces of the people within the viewing angle. This means that the height should be just right. It should be placed inconspicuously, which means hiding the camera behind an unsuspecting item like the lamp or wall clock. Lastly, make sure that nothing is obstructing the view. When rearranging things to hide the camera, do another practice filming.

Getting the lighting right – place your camera facing away from the natural light because the shadows will ruin the video or photo. Check for glare or the effects of artificial lighting on the video quality before finalizing the camera placement.

Closing words

A mini camera can be the best option if you want to keep an eye on your loved ones and your property. All the mini cameras mentioned have different features, each serving a different purpose. It is an excellent investment to protect yourself and your family. Give it a try.