Article: Many hidden cameras require bright light to work their best. At the same time, they are unable to clearly record images when such light is shone directly into their lenses. Position your camera facing away from major light sources. Make sure that whatever you're trying to film is well-lit at the specific time of day it's most likely to be seen. A hidden camera does you no good if your target knows it's there. There are two major strategies for making sure hidden cameras stay hidden:  Make the camera itself small and difficult to see. In other words, a camera with a tiny visible lens that is put in a discreet location. This is what comes to mind when most people think of hidden cameras. The truth is this type of disguise is much easier to spot since an effective hidden camera must have an unobstructed view of whomever it's watching. If the lens can see a person, the person can see it. Disguise the camera as an everyday object. Tissue boxes, coffee makers, alarm clocks, digital picture frames, wall hooks, and even plug-in air fresheners are all examples of commercial nanny cams that blend seamlessly into the home environment. A person is much less likely to see a lens that was designed to look like a button compared to a separate camera that has simply been hidden. There are hundreds of different commercially available hidden cameras and each comes with its own particular set of installation instructions.  If you've purchased your camera secondhand, try looking up its model number online. The user manuals for many electronic devices are freely available for download. Don't forget to install any necessary software. Most hidden cameras rely on external software to function. This can be a program that was bundled with your camera or one made by a third party available for download. Some programs are even meant to be installed on you smart phone for you to keep watch while on the go. It's very important to check your camera's functioning, especially if it's motion- or sound-activated. It's a good idea to make sure that your camera switches on when given the right stimulus. How you do this will vary greatly depending on your particular camera and any companion software.  Start by waving your hand in front of the camera to see if your camera records at all. Check your computer or the camera's internal storage to see whether or not this motion was recorded. Try mimicking a real world scenario, such as walking into the room, to see if the camera records your actions with appropriate image quality. Test it again in a few hours and yet again a few days later to ensure that it continues to work. Even if setup was a breeze, you will likely need to do some maintenance from time to time to make sure your camera is still working.  If your camera runs on battery power, you will need to either swap in fresh batteries or recharge the device. Consult the owner's manual for advice on how often this should be done. If no suggestion is provided, make a note of how quickly it takes the battery to discharge. Clean out the camera's memory regularly. For cameras with limited internal storage, you should review and purge footage often. If your camera is hooked up to a server with a vast storage capacity, you may never need to do this. Like all electronics, your camera may break or wear down without you immediately knowing. Periodically double-check your camera to make sure it's still working.

What is a summary?
Check the lighting. Make sure your camera is camouflaged. Follow any applicable installation instructions for commercial cameras. Test your camera. Maintain your hidden camera.