beacons vs Argus

beacons is a free open-source companion app for the soyboi beacon detector. it finds the cameras, trackers, and other recording gear broadcasting around you and puts them on a live map on your phone. A lot of modern surveillance gear announces itself over WiFi and Bluetooth. beacons listens for those signals so you can see what's nearby. beacons pairs the pocket receiver that pairs with your phone over Bluetooth. No detector yet? Open the app and tap "See how it works" on the first screen to explore the whole app on sample data, with no hardware and no permissions required. WHAT IT FINDS - Automated license-plate readers: known fixed sites shown on a map, plus a live flag when nearby gear actually broadcasts over WiFi or Bluetooth (a bonus, not a guarantee, since many report home over cellular and stay silent) - Networked and WiFi cameras from known camera brands, professional and consumer (optional, off by default) - Bluetooth trackers like AirTags (optional, off by default, so everyday tags don't bury the rest) - Drones broadcasting Remote ID overhead - Body-worn and wearable cameras in range - Recording glasses, by the vendor IDs in their Bluetooth broadcasts - Anything you star: teach it your own category and it calls that device out every time it's near PRIVATE BY DESIGN - The detection side only listens. It never jams or spoofs, and can't track or affect any other device. The only thing the detector transmits is the Bluetooth link to your own phone. - No account, no cloud, no telemetry. Every detection stays on your device unless you explicitly export or send it. - The app and the firmware are fully open source, so you can read exactly what it does. HOW IT WORKS - Every detection lands on a live map with signal detail and history. - An optional Drive mode keeps a live counter on your lock screen while you travel. - An opt-in community layer also maps known fixed plate-reader sites near you, drawn from the DeFlock project and OpenStreetMap contributors, as a reference on top of live detection. - Free firmware updates install over Bluetooth, so it keeps recognizing new gear. - Spotted a device it mislabeled or missed? Share that capture from the app to help improve detection. It is manual and optional, and nothing leaves your phone unless you send it. HONEST ABOUT LIMITS It hears what announces itself over WiFi and Bluetooth, not what stays silent. Wired and purely optical systems won't show up, and neither will gear that reports home over its own cellular link, which some fixed plate readers do. A quiet screen means nothing spoke up, not that you're unwatched. beacons needs the beacons hardware for live detection. Learn more at soyboi.tech.

Argus checks any room for hidden cameras and trackers with four scanners on your iPhone: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with a tracker locator, a camera finder with Lens and Infrared modes, and a magnet check. The Lens camera finder is free with no scan limit and no account, and so is finding a tracker. Hotel rooms, Airbnbs and holiday rentals, changing rooms, gym lockers, rental cars. No app finds every camera, and no single method does: one in a smoke detector may sit on the room's Wi-Fi, or record to a memory card and touch no network. That is why Argus checks four ways. WI-FI SCANNER Finds the devices on the network you joined and flags those answering on camera ports: RTSP video streams, ONVIF, Hikvision, Dahua, XMEye, V380, Ezviz, Tapo, Reolink. Printers, routers and TVs that name themselves are set aside. Free: the device count, camera alerts and identified devices by name. Argus Pro shows which device it is: address, open ports and what its service says about itself, often the firmware. Blind spot: hotel guest Wi-Fi often keeps devices apart; Argus says so instead of calling the room clean. BLUETOOTH AND FIND IT Lists nearby Bluetooth devices and recognises item trackers: Tile, Samsung SmartTag, Chipolo, Pebblebee, Google Find My Device tags. Find it walks you to one: a ring fills as you get closer, ticks quicken, an optional beep helps. Free: the count, possible trackers and finding them. Argus Pro: every device by name and signal, and Find it for any of them. Blind spot: a paired, silent device doesn't advertise, and iPhone may hide Apple's Find My tags from apps (iOS warns about those itself). CAMERA FINDER: LENS AND INFRARED Lens mode, free: lights off, torch on, sweep slowly. A lens returns a tight bright glint; a red, green or blue filter makes it stand out. Infrared mode, Argus Pro: night-vision cameras light a room with infrared your eyes can't see, and an iPhone camera often can. Argus looks for that light and beeps when it spots one. Blind spot: both need a dark room, and a shiny point or ordinary light can trigger them. A flag means look closer. MAGNET CHECK, ARGUS PRO Hold the phone close to a smoke detector, clock or charger: the dial jumps at the metal and magnets of hidden electronics, with a buzz and a beep. Screws and pipes move it too, so compare with a similar object you trust. A FIVE-MINUTE SWEEP Scan the Wi-Fi. Run Bluetooth from the bed and follow any tracker with Find it. Lights off: sweep everything facing the bed in Lens, then Infrared. Pass the magnet over whatever stood out. Two checks pointing at one object: inspect it. PRIVACY No account, no ads. What a scan finds stays on your iPhone. Camera frames and sensor readings are never recorded; only Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scans are saved, on your phone. Subscriptions run through Apple and RevenueCat; crash reports and usage analytics are not linked to you. No tracking. In 13 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Turkish, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Hindi, German. FREE AND ARGUS PRO Free: the Lens camera finder; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scans with their counts, camera and tracker alerts; identified Wi-Fi devices; finding a tracker. Argus Pro: which Wi-Fi device it is and its details; every Bluetooth device by name; Find it for any device; Infrared mode; the magnet check. Requires iOS 16 or later. Hotel sweep guide: https://tatrom.github.io/ Argus Pro is a weekly or yearly auto-renewable subscription. The price is shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://tatrom.github.io/privacy-terms/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://tatrom.github.io/privacy-terms/privacy-policy.html