Does: Front camera for IR LED hunt, flashlight for lens glint, notes, photos stored on-device, flashlight + slow pan.

Limits: Cannot see powered-off cameras without a physical/optical search. RF “detector” apps are not real spectrum analyzers. Rear cameras often have stronger IR-cut filters.

Use: Test IR: point a TV remote at the front camera and press a button. If you see a flash, that lens can show many 850 nm night-vision LEDs in a dark room.

Legal: Only inspect spaces you own, rent, or are authorized to check. Do not record other people without required consent.

Does: Creates a bright specular return from glass camera lenses, even if the device is off.

Limits: Lots of false sparkles (screws, glossy plastic). Move your head and the light; a lens often keeps a tight glint.

Use: Lights low. Hold the light near your eye. Sweep slowly across smoke detectors, clocks, chargers, vents, USB hubs, stuffed toys, and fake standard screws.

Legal: Do not dismantle hotel or rental fixtures you do not own.

Does: Lets you see behind furniture, TVs, headboards, and under desks without destroying the room.

Limits: Will not find devices inside walls without a reason to open them.

Use: Work a grid: floor → furniture → walls → ceiling. Mark anything that looks newly added, mismatched, or warm.

Legal: Do not cut drywall in a space you do not own.

Does: Creates a time-stamped record that does not live in the same cloud as your email.

Limits: Paper can be lost; photograph the page later if you need a copy.

Use: If you find a suspected device: photograph in place, note date/time/room, do not power it off if you may need law enforcement — ask them.

Legal: Destroying evidence can harm a case. When in doubt, stop and call police or a licensed investigator.

Does: Reduces the chance your own phone is the loudest radio in the room while you listen/look.

Limits: Cheap pouches leak. Test with a call. Not a magic cloak.

Use: Bag spare phones. Keep one device for notes if needed. Never bag a device you may need for 911.

Legal: Do not use to evade lawful process.

Does: Array of LEDs around a viewing port; lenses return a bright point.

Limits: Shiny objects fool it. Use with a physical search, not instead of one.

Use: Darken the room. Scan at several distances and angles. Mark candidates, then inspect up close.

Legal: Same property-authorization rule as all TCSM.

Does: Lights up near some transmitting cameras, bugs, or trackers.

Limits: Misses store-and-forward devices that are silent for hours. False alarms from Wi-Fi, DECT phones, baby monitors, smart meters. Apps that claim to be RF detectors are not this.

Use: Turn off your own Wi-Fi/Bluetooth if you can do so safely. Walk slowly. Investigate spikes by powering down one gadget at a time.

Legal: Receiving publicly leaking RF is generally different from intercepting content. Do not decode others’ communications.

Does: Shows what is using your LAN. Unknown cameras often appear as generic IoT names.

Limits: Cellular cameras never join your Wi-Fi. Guest networks and mesh nodes complicate the list.

Use: Screenshot the client list. Repeat after a sweep. Note MAC vendors. Change Wi-Fi password after guests leave.

Legal: Only on networks you administer.

Does: Unique secrets, breach alerts, and phishing-resistant passkeys.

Limits: The vault is a crown jewel — hardware-key 2FA on the vault itself.

Use: Inventory accounts in Lumina by name only. Never store passwords in Lumina.

Legal: Do not test other people’s logins.

Does: Phishing-resistant sign-in for email, password manager, cloud, and later Lumina.

Limits: You must enroll two keys and keep recovery codes offline.

Use: Email first, then password manager, then financials, then security-camera cloud.

Legal: Keep recovery materials away from the cameras that watch your house.

Does: Keeps recording and alerting through short power cuts — a common sabotage or storm pattern.

Limits: Hours, not days, unless you add more battery or cellular backup.

Use: Put modem, router, PoE switch, and recorder on UPS. Test the alert when you pull the wall plug.

Legal: Follow electrical safety; don’t overload strips.

Does: Alerts still leave the house if someone cuts Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

Limits: The SIM/account can be attacked. Use a dedicated email and 2FA. Jamming is a real issue at the high end.

Use: Independent path from your home ISP. Confirm power-loss and tamper notifications go to a second person.

Legal: Comply with alarm-permitting rules in your city.

Does: Stops the “kick-in” that beats a cheap knob lock. 3-inch screws into the king stud matter as much as the lock brand.

Limits: Glass beside the door still needs film or a different design.

Use: Exterior doors: deadbolt, reinforced strike, hinge screws, door viewer or camera covering the approach — not your neighbor’s bathroom.

Legal: Landlord approval may be required. Don’t trap occupants — egress still matters.

Does: Alerts on the actual entry path. Cameras without door/window sensors are late.

Limits: Cheap sensors die on dead batteries. Check monthly.

Use: Every ground-floor opening, including garage man-door and pet doors.

Legal: Don’t disable fire-egress hardware.

Does: Keeps video if the cloud account is hijacked. Pair with cloud only as a copy, not the only copy.

Limits: A thief can steal the box. Hide/lock the recorder; off-site or encrypted copy if you can.

Use: Cameras on approach paths, not inside bedrooms/bathrooms. Privacy zones for neighbors.

Legal: Audio recording laws vary by state. Many people should disable mic on outdoor cams.

Does: Motion on the sidewalk/driveway before someone reaches the door — early warning.

Limits: Cloud account takeover can silence you, delete video, or watch you. Use unique password, hardware 2FA, and a second alerting path. Privacy controversies exist; read the current policy. Not a substitute for locks and lighting.

Use: Point at your property’s approach. Verify power-loss and offline alerts. Write the date you set it up in Lumina’s heartbeat log.

Legal: Don’t point audio/video into spaces where others have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Does: Warm electronics in odd places (behind a picture, inside a stuffed animal) can stand out.

Limits: Sun-warmed walls, pipes, and chargers create false heat. Powered-off devices may be cold.

Use: After the room has been still. Compare left/right. Confirm with physical inspection.

Legal: Don’t thermal-scan neighbors’ interiors.

Does: Helps you look at OBD ports, bumper cavities, wheel wells, and battery-area magnets where cheap GPS trackers hide.

Limits: Factory telematics and insurance dongles are supposed to be there. Hardwired professional installs need a shop or TSCM pro.

Use: Photograph the OBD port first so you know what “normal” looks like. Sweep after valet, repair, or a contentious dispute.

Legal: Only vehicles you own or have authority to inspect. Removing a court-authorized tracker can be a crime.

Does: Finds semiconductors even when a device is off — the professional differentiator.

Limits: Training required. False hits on every smart TV. This is why DIY is not TSCM.

Use: If you need this, hire a credentialed TSCM team. Lumina’s job is to get you to that decision with a clean record.

Legal: Same authorization rules; some venues require licenses/insurance.

Does: A phone or recorder that never joins your Wi-Fi, never installs your usual apps, never gets repaired by you. Cellular-only or offline. Sensor only. Helper holds it — you do not take it home if every device you own is hostile.

Limits: Useless if you pair it to the owned phone, charge it from the owned laptop, or install a “crime AI” on it. Not a magic APT detector. Will not catch silent surveillance that never changes the air.

Use: Heartbeat every 1–5s is a product later; today: helper records room air, ships a signed copy immediately to two inboxes you do not control, and treats radio silence as the alarm.

Legal: Record only where you have lawful consent. The witness is not a license to intercept other people.