Can anyone identify this device pointed at our bathroom windows?

November 1, 2015 9:56 AM

Here are a couple of photos taken from inside our bathroom. I'm afraid I might seem paranoid, but we've been having an ongoing dispute with the neighbors who placed it there (which recently culminated in being forced to file a restraining order). Someone suggested it might be some kind of carbon monoxide or VOC detector, since they had accused us of letting smoke waft onto their property. But the window has remained closed thus so far, and there's something inside of it that glints like a camera lens when the light hits it just right.
posted by prosopagnosia to Technology (34 answers total)

Put tape over the window and then watch if the device gets moved to a different spot. If it gets moved, it's a camera.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:01 AM on November 1, 2015 [8 favorites]

Flippant answer: it's an intimidation device, and it's working. Ignore it.

I can't tell what it is from that angle only, but it seems to me more likely to be some kind of air filter/purifier than a dedicated impurity detector.
posted by ctmf at 10:05 AM on November 1, 2015

Definitely need a better picture but it looks a little like a air conditioning unit or a computer part than anything.
posted by arnicae at 10:12 AM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Definitely a webcam. Police. Call them. Now.
posted by sexyrobot at 10:24 AM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

doesn't look like any of these webcams to me. i'd be wary of people provoking you to panic without proof.
posted by andrewcooke at 10:29 AM on November 1, 2015 [12 favorites]

Sexyrobot - could you post a link to similar webcam so people can evaluate for themselves why you think this is a "call the police" moment?
posted by metahawk at 10:30 AM on November 1, 2015 [34 favorites]

It's hard to tell from the photo, but my parents have a little LCD weather station with a remote temperature/humidity sensor that looks almost exactly like that. It's also something that somebody might rationally put next to a window. I can't find the one that my parents have with that same sort of design, but it's along the lines of this.

It could also be an antenna for a GPS or satellite radio receiver, some of which look sort of like that and would also rationally be placed near a window.

And yes, sexyrobot, that's bad form. Don't do that.
posted by eschatfische at 10:37 AM on November 1, 2015 [6 favorites]

Hmmm, I just searched 'rectangular webcam' and found a couple items that I could imagine might match the pic you posted. Frankly, I would put up some of that removable contact paper that mimics frosted glass. One aspect of harassment is causing discomfort. Don't let the neighbor win.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:39 AM on November 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

Unless laws are significantly different where the OP lives, having a camera inside a private residence pointed out a window is not illegal. OP, can you just close the bathroom curtains/blinds? Or get some opaque film and put that over the window?
posted by Beti at 10:39 AM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Beti:

The neighbors had been harassing us and attempting to cause trouble with our landlord. We eventually had to go in front of a judge, who sided with us and issued a restraining order. The main concern is that they might be trying to manufacture some kind of evidence to use against us, or that they have some other kind of scheme in mind.
posted by prosopagnosia at 10:46 AM on November 1, 2015

Given the circumstances, there's no question that whatever it is, you should block the window on your end. Blinds, a curtain, or that removable window-covering contact paper.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:48 AM on November 1, 2015 [9 favorites]

From that picture I can't tell where it is in relation to your window. Right now to me it looks like you're holding an old Nokia cell phone up to a mirror and taking a picture of it and I know that's not right. Is it peeping out of their window into yours? Right up on your window? How far away from your window is it? Can you take a picture from your bathroom door or somewhere to provide perspective?
posted by good lorneing at 10:53 AM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

No idea what it is but agree you should block that window. I can personally vouch for this particular window frosting film. It's nonadhesive (clings with just a bit of water) so it's super easy to put on and take off or readjust if needed and it does a really good job of blocking your view. Let's in light and only vague shadows. Buy some, put it up, and try to ignore what's happening outside of it.
posted by phunniemee at 10:54 AM on November 1, 2015 [10 favorites]

I understand you are in the middle of a conflict but it's still not illegal for them to have a camera pointing out their window, regardless of the circumstances. So if they are trying to film something in your bathroom and you put up curtains, they will have video of a bathroom curtain. I'm not sure what answer you are looking for here. Either it's a camera and you let them film a curtain. Or it's not a camera and this part of the problem is a non-issue.
posted by Beti at 10:57 AM on November 1, 2015 [7 favorites]

It looks a bit like a humidity detector to me.
posted by wintersweet at 11:03 AM on November 1, 2015

Can you explain a bit better what we're looking at here? Is that your bathroom window that we see, or is the "thing" inside their stucco sided house with white trim? Or is that a picture of a reflection? It's hard for me to tell what you're asking.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:09 AM on November 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

eschatfische: It's hard to tell from the photo, but my parents have a little LCD weather station with a remote temperature/humidity sensor

That was precisely my first thought, and that they have it angled on the windowsill. (I used to keep mine on my windowsill and the base was too deep for me to keep it parallel to the window without being precarious, so I had it on an angle.)
posted by mochapickle at 11:13 AM on November 1, 2015

Agreed with those above that this looks almost exactly like the little weather device that we have. But, if curtains will make you feel better for peace of mind, certainly go ahead and put up curtains!
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:19 AM on November 1, 2015

Response by poster: good lorneing and humboldt32:

The "thing" is inside their stucco-sided house. The photo was taken through our bathroom window, to show that it's been angled toward having a clear view into our home.

I'm not at home right now, but I will try to provide better photos/more perspective later.

I appreciate everybody's suggestions for dealing with the problem, although knowing what it is for certain would still give us some peace of mind. I understand if that's not possible given the limited identifying information though.
posted by prosopagnosia at 11:31 AM on November 1, 2015

I understand you are in the middle of a conflict but it's still not illegal for them to have a camera pointing out their window, regardless of the circumstances.

This is not true in many, and probably most, jurisdictions. Taking photos of someone's bathroom could give rise to charges of voyeurism, for example, since it's a place where people are habitually nude. This is true even if the place you or your camera are situated are places where you or it are otherwise legally permitted to be.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:37 AM on November 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

The front looks much more like an cheap LCD than it does like a camera lens. The plastic casing is different, but it looks to me like it's approximately the same size and shape as the cheapo digital hygrometer I got off of Amazon to see when I need to put the humidifier on. The front of which is definitely shiny and so would be reflective under the right lighting. If they really wanted to use it as a camera, it would seem to stand to reason that they'd place it level, not at a weird angle. My first thought was that it was timer or thermometer that was sitting in something near the window and got knocked off and they may not even be aware it's on the windowsill.
posted by Sequence at 11:58 AM on November 1, 2015

Impossible to tell from these pictures. Taken out of context, I would be hard-pressed to say whether the object in the images was even an electronic device at all. It's hard even to tell how big it is, or how far from the window it is located. I really do not think this is an answerable question, given the information at hand.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:16 PM on November 1, 2015 [5 favorites]

That thing doesn't really look like a webcam I've seen, and from the angle it's shown at, I'm not sure how it could really see into your apartment. Can you post a non-zoomed in photo for context? Any chance you could open you window and stick your arm out to get a better photo? How close is your window to their window? The most immediate and simplest solution is definitely to cover up your window, either with blinds/curtains/etc or you can buy a frosting pattern that will cling to the glass. Either way, a trip to Home Depot, Lowe's, or your friendly neighborhood home store is in order.
posted by AppleTurnover at 12:21 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

We really need a complete image of this device for accurate identification. Instead of this partially-obscured photo from inside your house, better to go outside and take a picture through their window, straight-on. (If you're worried about being observed, just do this when the neighbors aren't home.) From what I can see, it could be a thermostat.
posted by Rash at 12:23 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Or let's turn it the other way. If we (you) can't see the whole thing from your vantage point, how is the thing supposed to see anything much at your end?
posted by Namlit at 1:01 PM on November 1, 2015 [5 favorites]

That would be a really ass design for any kind of camera lens, enough so that I'd say it's almost definitely not that. Besides, imagine the quality of image you'd even get from some crappy little half-obscured webcam sitting at an angle trying to get images through two separate windows.

I mean, put up a curtain or something if there's a clear view from their home into your bathroom, but not because of that thing.

I can't really tell how big it is, but it could be any of a number of things. A handheld scanner of some sort. A studfinder and/or level. A weather station display. It sort of looks like a display screen on front, and the darker colored part at the top could be a design element or a light source of some sort. But it doesn't look even remotely nefarious to me.

I wouldn't go sneaking up to their house to take pictures of a thing you saw, and just in case you need another person to say it, holy cats, don't call the police.
posted by ernielundquist at 1:25 PM on November 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

This is TOTALLY a digital weather station thingy. I swear my old share house had almost the exact same one. I can't find a picture of the 100% match, but look at how kinda similar this one looks. There's way more similar ones on there, but that's just a random quick example. You can almost make out like, C/F° or something like that on the first button shown in your picture too, imo.

Looking through a google images search for "digital weather station" and "home weather station" will show you a TON of very, very similar looking ones. None are identical, but they're all way too similar in design for it to not be some weird store-brand variation with slightly different case colors.

As for why it's near the window, the cheap ones of these(and that one looks very cheap) either need a wire running out a window for the little outdoor sensor, or use a really crappy wireless sensor unit that loses signal with interference or bad weather unless the unit is physically very close to it.


On a more general note, i have had problems with shitty neighbors who escalated things like this and tried to cause landlord problems, etc. I can't figure out a way to phrase this that doesn't sound weirdly dismissive or gaslighty or something but... It makes you, after a while, start to see problems that aren't there or attributing actions to them that they aren't taking, or that someone else just happened to do in the area. And in the end after you get all upset, it really was something innocuous. This really really seems like one of those times, imo. And i really wish i could find an exact-match picture and close the loop.
posted by emptythought at 1:29 PM on November 1, 2015 [5 favorites]

Oops. Posted before I was done.

It could be a handheld CO or VOC detector, I guess, but really, what if it is? What practical measures would you take knowing that your neighbor had a detector sitting in their home?
posted by ernielundquist at 1:30 PM on November 1, 2015

I am just clarifying that you are asking about item A here, and not item B.

Frankly, B would make a much better web cam than A. A seems to have a manufacturer or brand name on the lower left -- borrow some binoculars and you will undoubtedly be able to settle this with a Google search. It just looks like an LCD control station to me.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:57 PM on November 1, 2015 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Looks like a SkyScan alarm clock to me. We used to have one of those; it supposedly receives information via satellite, tells the time & the weather. They may have jammed it against the window in desperation to receive a better signal.
posted by smellyhipster at 2:25 PM on November 1, 2015 [33 favorites]

It also looks like the top of an older cordless phone, if not a candybar cell.
posted by sageleaf at 2:42 PM on November 1, 2015

Dang! smellyhipster totally has it! Mystery solved.
posted by Namlit at 2:44 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

The situation being what it is, maybe they would like you to think it's something nefarious so that if you take them back to court for breaching the order and harassing you, they can be all injured innocence and smugness as they produce the alarm clock that it really does resemble. Poor you, living next door to bad neighbours - we had that a few years ago and it's just draining and stressful. I would try and ignore it for a few days - if they are playing games, they'll get bored if you don't respond and you might find said thingy disappears.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 4:11 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Looks like a SkyScan alarm clock to me.

Yep. Not only that, to ensure you pick up the time change for daylight savings time, you need to put it near a window to receive the radio signal.
posted by JackFlash at 4:14 PM on November 1, 2015 [5 favorites]