4 Tools That Can See Through Walls | DoItYourself.com (2024)

Ever wished you could see through walls? Doing so would make a lot of DIY projects a heck of a lot easier, right? Well, high-tech gadgets are making the prospect of seeing through walls a reality, which is not only helpful but also really cool.

These devices can come in incredibly handy for installing and repairing things like pipes and wires that live behind your walls. Check out our favorites below, and find out how they give you X-ray vision.

1. Walabot DIY Stud Finder

Hanging pictures, mounting televisions, and many other DIY projects demand the need for a stud finder. If you’re a homeowner, the chances are that you’ve used a run-of-the-mill stud finder many times before.

While this can be a cumbersome process, the Walabot DIY Stud Finder has made it a much more simplified process - and a cool one at that. This innovative gadget allows you to see through walls, giving insight into where electrical wires, pipes, studs, and all other inner workings of your walls lie.

The Walabot even has different modes to make it even simpler to gather the information you need as you complete your DIY project. First, “Pan Mode” provides a panoramic view, allowing you to map a large area.

This displays inner features in a color-coded manner for easy reading. It also saves images of your walls for future use, diminishing the need to do the scan time and time again as more projects arise.

“Images Mode” is the next feature. This model provides a clearer view, complete with a graphic representation of each item found within your walls. These images could depict things like a wooden stud, metal studs, pipes, or wires. This is the mode you’d use to detect pests like mice or termites.

Finally, “Expert Mode” is used to display images of raw signals. This adjusts the viewing intensity of the image, allowing you to zero in on the center of a stud or even trace wiring and pipes. This makes it easier to avoid hitting these items when cutting or drilling, which is very useful.

2. General Tools DCiS1 Borescope

Another interesting gadget that lets you see through walls is the DCiS1 Borescope by General Tools. This device uses wifi to create a live video feed that plays directly on your smartphone or tablet.

The 35-inch probe attaches to the inspection camera to allow you into tight spaces, especially given the fact that the probe is super thin—less than an inch in diameter. This flexibility allows you to get into hard-to-reach areas, such as into walls to reveal what’s going on where you can’t see.

The Borescope camera delivers a stellar picture with VGA resolution and boasts different buttons, allowing users to capture live videos or take pictures with the snapshot button.

The video and photo files save directly to your smartphone for easy reference. Easily charge the device with the provided USB cable. You can use this tool to assist with wall wiring projects, plumbing projects, and countless other DIY endeavors.

3. Seek Thermal Compact - All-Purpose Thermal Imaging Camera

Enhance your smartphone with a thermal camera attachment that provides you with X-ray vision. The Seek Thermal Compact plugs directly into your smartphone or tablet and boasts a thermal sensor.

This camera is perfect for allowing you to find and fix issues faster within your walls, such as the culprits behind energy loss, electrical or mechanical failures, water damage, wire issues, and more.

This device has a staggering 1,000-foot detection distance, includes a waterproof case, and doesn’t require batteries or charging. The Seek camera integrates seamlessly with an app, captures photos and videos alike, and has a wide range of nine color palettes in its display.

This is a straightforward tool that allows you to see through walls and to identify and, thus, fix home issues easier than ever before.

4. DEWALT Laser Detector

A simpler tool that can, in a sense, see through walls is the DEWALT Laser Detector. This device has a 165-inch working range and is able to detect laser beams both indoors and out.

Complete with an audible signal, volume control automatic shutoff, top mounted magnets, and a heavy duty quick release clamp, this is a must-have in your toolbox.

How Tools See Through Walls

Ever wished you could see through walls? Doing so would make a lot of DIY projects a heck of a lot easier, right?

High-tech gadgets are making the prospect of seeing through walls a reality, which is not only helpful but also really cool. You can choose any one of several options to get a tool to see through walls.

Magnetometers

Using rare earth magnets, magnetometers detect metal objects in walls like screws, nails, and pipes. This is how magnetic stud finders work.

Sensor Technolgy Stud Finder

Franklin Sensors use 13 different sensors to detect studs. The sensors are arranged in a pattern that triangulates signals to create an accurate picture of what's hiding behind the wall.

The multiple sensors actually allow the stud finder to "see" a clear image of what is inside the wall. This stud finder can clearly define the edges of studs to give you a complete reading of exactly where the studs are and where they begin and end.

This stud finder is self-calibrating, so the sensors will adjust to the situation they are in to give you a picture of whatever wall you're studying.

Radar Technology Scanner

The Bosch wall/floor scanner uses ultra-wideband radar technology. This device can "see" inside the wall or floor up to six inches.

This innovative gadget has multiple detection modes that include concrete, deep concrete, drywall, and metal. It can detect wood, wiring, and even plastic piping.

This device scans the interior of the wall to local cables, rebar, metal, plastic pipes, and studs. It even has leak detection, which is an amazing extra feature that can save you a lot of time and trouble if you get a plumbing leak that's hidden in the wall.

There's a color display that will show you the inside of the wall. This is definitely a new evolution in the world of stud fingers.

RF Technology Stud Finder

The Walabot DIY Stud Finder has made it a much more simplified process to use a tool to see through walls, and a cool one at that. This innovative gadget allows you to see through walls, giving insight into where electrical wires, pipes, studs, and all other inner workings of your walls lie.

The Walabot even has different modes to make it even simpler to gather the information you need as you complete your DIY project. This tool uses radio frequency technology to see a 3-D image inside of walls to four inches.

This device also saves images of your walls for future use, diminishing the need to do the scan repeatedly as more projects arise.

These images could depict things like wooden studs, metal studs, pipes, or wires. This is the mode you’d use to detect pests, like mice or termites.

You can adjust the viewing intensity of the image, allowing you to zero in on the center of a stud or even trace wiring and pipes.

WiFi Wall Probe

Another interesting gadget that lets you see through walls is the DCiS1 Borescope by General Tools. This probe device uses wifi to create a live video feed that plays directly on your smartphone or tablet.

The 35-inch probe attaches to the inspection camera to allow you into tight spaces, especially given the fact that the probe is super thin at less than an inch in diameter. This flexibility allows you to get into hard-to-reach areas, such as into walls to reveal what’s going on where you can’t see.

The Borescope camera delivers a stellar picture with VGA resolution and boasts different buttons, allowing users to capture live videos or take pictures with the snapshot button. The video and photo files save directly to your smartphone for easy reference.

You can use this tool to assist with wall wiring projects, plumbing projects, and countless other DIY endeavors. This is truly a tool to see through walls.

Thermal Imaging Camera

Enhance your smartphone with a thermal camera attachment that provides you with X-ray vision. This device plugs directly into your smartphone or tablet and boasts a thermal sensor.

The Seek Thermal Compact camera is perfect for allowing you to find and fix issues faster within your walls, such as the culprits behind energy loss, electrical or mechanical failures, water damage, wire issues, and more. This really is a see through wall camera.

This device has a staggering 1,000-foot detection distance and doesn’t require batteries or charging. The Seek camera integrates seamlessly with an app, captures photos and videos alike, and has a wide range of nine color palettes in its display.

This is a straightforward tool that allows you to see through walls using thermal detection.

Tools That See Through Walls

Tools that see through walls can paint you a much more accurate picture of what's happening in those places you can't see with your eyes. These devices use all kinds of modern tech to help you locate everything inside the wall.

Instead of knocking blindly to look for studs, these devices truly allow you to see what's behind the drywall or concrete so you know exactly what to expect for all your DIY projects.

Tools That Can See Through Walls FAQ

Is there a tool to see through walls?

Thanks to new technology and all the cool gadgets available today, it is possible to see through walls and really find out what's in there. You can use gadgets to literally send images or video directly to your phone to give you a very clear idea of what is hidden from the eye.

How can you see through walls?

You don't need Superman's powers to see through walls. With certain tech, anyone can get a Superman-like ability to see what's inside a wall.

Modern tools use radio frequency, sensors, magnetic, thermal imaging, and other science to see inside of walls. Some devices can even display those images back to you so you can see with your own eyes what your walls are hiding.

What app can see through walls?

Some tech-heavy stud finders connect to apps that can link directly with your smartphone or tablet to give you real-time images and information so you can see into walls and find out exactly what's in there.

How to see through walls using an x ray stud finder?

An xray stud finder will show you how to see through walls using an xray wall scanner. This is a wall x ray tool that uses actual x ray technology to "see" what's inside the wall.

These devices can give you a very accurate reading of where studs are located. Many high-tech stud fingers use x-ray technology to locate objects inside walls.

Is there an app to see beyond a wall?

It is possible to learn how to use your smartphone to see through walls using a see behind walls app. When you get a tool with wifi technology, you can use a see through walls app free to make the most out of the device.

Lots of newer stud finders have wifi to send signals directly to your smartphone through apps. This allows you to not only see into your walls but even to share images, so you can show professionals what you've got going on and get help when needed.

Can a thermal camera see through walls?

Thermal imaging cameras can even penetrate drywall and other wall materials to detect heat even inside the walls and help to paint a picture of what's going on inside the wall, which is a pretty cool use of the technology.

Can lidar detect through walls?

Lidar devices use "light detection and ranging," which means they use laser imaging to detect what's inside walls. These devices measure the time it takes for reflected light to return to the receiver, which creates an accurate picture of exactly where structures are located.

Since lidar technology uses light, these devices cannot "see" through walls. Anything that light can't penetrate, these devices can't penetrate so don’t choose this tool to see inside walls.

What is the best wall detection device?

What is the best device to see through walls? It's hard to decide exactly which type of wall-penetrating tech you might want to use.

Choose your tools based on what you can afford and what you need for most of the jobs you intend to do, or the DIY tasks you complete regularly. Do you need a stud finder to more easily hang things from the walls or because you have a big remodeling project coming up?

If you plan a lot of extensive DIY projects, you might want to choose a stud finder that has more bells and whistles on it. The one that’s easiest for you to use that also does what you need it to do is the best tool to see through walls.

Can sonar see through walls?

Sonar uses sound waves to detect objects. This technology has been used for many years on submarines and ships, as well as other equipment, to find objects even from great distances.

Some animals even have their own natural sonar, which they use to navigate, find prey, or avoid being preyed upon. But since this technology uses sound for detection, sonar does not penetrate walls.

Sound waves don't really penetrate walls, certainly not in a way that makes the use of sonar an effective method for using this tech to see past and through the wall. This is not a tool that can see through walls.

How do you stay undetected by a thermal camera?

Can you shield yourself from a thermal camera? Isn't the human body giving heat off all the time?

You can't do much about your body heat, no, but you can do something to shield yourself from thermal cameras.

It's not very practical, but you can carry a pane of glass. As long as you're standing behind glass, you will be totally hidden from thermal cameras because they use infrared technology.

Since light is reflected by the glass, the image of your body heat is very effectively concealed when you're using this method.

Fling a reflective foil blanket over yourself. Also known as survival blankets and space blankets, these foil blankets are expressly designed to reflect heat.

Essentially, this shields your own heat from the thermal camera. However, this only works up to a point.

For one thing, you're likely to get hot under this reflective blanket. For another, you will still leave residual heat behind you as you move around.

If you sit on a chair and sit right back down, you might notice that the chair is slightly warm from your body heat. Thermal cameras can see this sort of thing, too.

The foil blanket won't mask these lingering heat signatures but it will protect our body heat signature from thermal cameras.

Sometimes, you can use the natural environment to mask yourself from a heat-sensing camera. Stay near a brick wall that is in direct sun, as this will be hot, for example, or stand near a boiler heating up water or an oven going full blast.

Is there a radar that sees through walls?

Thermal imaging cameras cannot see through walls and laser lights cannot penetrate walls, either. However, devices that can essentially see through walls have been in use by the military for several years and more recently have been used by law enforcement.

Described as a sort of Doppler radar device, these instruments detect movement, like human breathing. The radar uses a series of pulses to essentially see through walls and create a conical "view" of what is on the other side.

Devices like this can penetrate drywall, concrete, brick, wood, and just about any other material used to make walls. However, this device is incredibly high-tech and does much more than tell you about plumbing and wiring so it's really not a DIYer's tool.

With a retail price of around $6,000, it's also not at all a practical solution for any DIYer.

Can laser scanners see through walls?

Laser scanners can create 3D renderings of spaces, which is pretty amazing technology, but they cannot penetrate walls. Lasers essentially operate using light and therefore, cannot penetrate anything that light does not penetrate.

Can you use radio waves to see through walls?

If you've ever lived in an apartment next to a crying baby, then you know that sounds can penetrate walls. This is why radio waves can also penetrate walls.

Radio waves can penetrate solid objects, including walls and trees.

Does aluminum foil block infrared cameras?

Aluminum foil is reflective. Light bounces off aluminum, rather than passing through it.

Because of this, infrared rays used by thermal imaging cameras cannot pass through foil. The rays can't "see" past the foil, in other words.

Foil effectively blocks thermal imaging cameras and prevents them from working.

What materials are invisible to radar?

There are some materials that are harder for radar to read than others, which renders them more or less invisible to some types of radar. However, there are many types of radar and some are more effective at detecting these materials than others.

Materials that radar can have trouble detecting include wood, cloth, plastic, fiberglass, and metal.