Video Monitor? or Audio Monitor?

rlyttle · April 2014

We just had an audio monitor with DS and it was fine. I turned it off at 4 months when I went back to work. My mom wants to buy us a video monitor for this LO. It would be nice to have, but they are expensive and I didn't use the monitor for that long with DS. We got by just fine with an audio monitor with DS. I'm sure I would love the video monitor, but I try to keep things simple. Plus I've been hearing some weird stuff about video monitor lately. I'm on the fence. What are you guys doing? Any STM out there thinking of switching?

CplusJ=S · April 2014

We didn't need a video monitor until around 18 months when DD started tying to climb out of her crib during naps. If you're only planning on using it for a few months I would stick with an audio.

rlyttle · April 2014

I would probably use it longer if I had a video monitor, but I don't want to get addicted to it either. haha It was good for us & DS to turn it off at 4 months.

suitern · April 2014

We have a video monitor and still use it all the time. DS is just over 2 and I have used it literally for every nap and bed time since he started sleeping in his own room.

JSS1002 · April 2014

LO is 13 months and we just have an audio monitor. We planned to get a video one but haven't needed it yet - but we might once he starts climbing... also, I've heard they are great entertainment. ;-)

The only reason I wish we had one right now is so that when he (rarely) cries in the night, I would love to be able to glance and see what the problem is: ie, are limbs stuck in the slats, etc.

MrsKasel10 · April 2014

I have both and prefer a video monitor especially when LO gets older. I just recently stopped needing/wanting to turn it on and my DD is 3. $:\$ ">

JSS1002 · April 2014

GingerGiraffe said:

I've heard a lot about the video monitors being hacked recently. I have an extremely tech savvy friend of the family, who just had a little girl so I asked him about it. The ones that have been hacked mostly have been accessible through a web or mobile interface. He explained it to me in terms I understood, what he said was the devices accessible through apps or websites open a port which makes your IP address publicly available. All a person would need to do is run a port scanner on a set of public IP addresses and look for ports that are out of the ordinary. Once a person sees those they can quickly look up what they're usually tied to and hack your monitor. We're still getting a video monitor, to be safe though we're not getting anything that runs through an app or website, one that only streams video to the receiver. There is also something called FHSS technology that some monitors use which makes it way more difficult to intercept the traffic from the monitor.

I've heard this too and it isn't surprising. We originally wanted a Wifi monitor, but tried two different kinds and neither of them really met our needs, and then we never bothered getting a non-wifi one and just stuck to the plain old monitor.

Timscutie01 · April 2014

We have a video monitor for DD and will absolutely have one for DS. Like previous posters have said it's more for when they start moving around in the crib and climbing. My child is monkey and I have had to get her down from her changing table, take apart a rocking chair that she was stuck in, and put her back in a diaper and pjs at least once every snooze time. It's so funny and I'm so grateful to be able to see her through that monitor.

MMason12 · April 2014

We are getting a video monitor that will not be hooked up with our wifi network. My husband will be on night shift leaving me alone most nights with out LO. I would like a video monitor so that I can see whether or not I really need to get up or not.

LisaKF3 · April 2014

We had audio until it was time for LO to sleep in their own room then I started panicking and bought a video monitor so I could see her. We have the $250 Motorola one (not all Motorolas can move the camera remotely). It's real nice to see if she is just chattering to herself or asleep or just hanging out.

jlove1821 · April 2014

we just have the summer infant black and white one and still use it for DS whose 3.. its great to not have to open the door to check if he's asleep/breathing/ playing .. gives me piece of mind and allows me top not start over and waking him up when I was trying to get him to sleep.. dont feel like the WIFI one is neccessary. We will just use this one for new LO..

Flowerchica · April 2014

I'll probably sound like a helicopter mom but I used a video monitor well into 2 years old. I loved the ability to simply look in on her without going upstairs. For example - I could tell if she was really napping or running around. She also had a habit of climbing onto her furniture in her room so I liked being able to check. Also - during nap strikes - it was great being able to see if she was asleep or not without giving her hope if she was awake. It's really up to you to be honest.

bumpuser5078523 · April 2014

We were gifted a video monitor and I love it! Babies are so noisy and it's nice to peek at them and go back to sleep. He is a year and we still use it. We are buying another one for this baby.

At a year, it has come in handy when he falls asleep sitting, so he's folded in half, or his leg is stuck in the side of the crib.

Flowerchica · April 2014

Just wondering - does anyone know if the risk for exposure on a webcam is still there if you use a secure password and keep your camera on our network but not internet enabled?

Just wondering ..... I have been researching this but haven't seen anything.

sprocketsngadgets · April 2014

We'll be setting up an ip security camera (night vision, two way audio) and using one of our old iPhones as a dedicated device. I know a lot of people that have gone this route since it's about $70 as opposed to $250 for a Motorola monitor that uses the exact same camera. You need to be a little tech savvy to get it set up correctly though. DH has assured me to not be concerned about someone hacking into it since we already have some computer wizardry going on that I don't understand.

Ceridwen21 · April 2014

We have a Summer Infant video monitor and love it. DS is 2.5 and we still use it every day. It was so handy to be able to see what he was doing in his crib (and now bed). Sure, we could have lived without it, but I really like having it. We might even buy a second one for this LO so that we can keep DS' in his room.

I would personally avoid any type that has an internet connection, especially after hearing this story yesterday: https://time.com/79170/stranger-hacks-into-baby-monitor-and-screams-at-child/

rlyttle · April 2014

Thanks ladies. It sounds like they are really handy to have. It worked out just fine not having one for DS, but I can see the benefits of having one. I've heard several people say they don't like their Summer monitors. I was leaning more towards the Motorola. I'll have to do some more research. Thanks!!

whitney4126 · April 2014

I'm struggling with this decision too. Our house is pretty small, so I was thinking an audio monitor would be fine. But, I haven't thought about babies being noisy when they aren't crying, and being able to check would be nice. Anyone know of and want to link to a certain video monitor that would be safe from the hacking, since I am not very technologically savvy?

melbehar · April 2014

i am getting an audio one if we do end up getting one, cause i read an article this weekend about video monitors getting hacked into and the hacker looking around the room which scared me and made me think twice bout getting a video monitor. i just dont like the idea that someone could easily hack in and spy on my baby.

JSS1002 · April 2014

GingerGiraffe said:

Flowerchica said:

Just wondering - does anyone know if the risk for exposure on a webcam is still there if you use a secure password and keep your camera on our network but not internet enabled?

Just wondering ..... I have been researching this but haven't seen anything.

How do you view the video feed?

I had this question too -- you view the feed on your personal device (iPhone, droid, iPad), but if you're on a home network and the network is password protected, is that any different than having a secure connection otherwise? I would think you'd be covered, but IDK.

Ceridwen21 · April 2014

whitney4126 said:

I'm struggling with this decision too. Our house is pretty small, so I was thinking an audio monitor would be fine. But, I haven't thought about babies being noisy when they aren't crying, and being able to check would be nice. Anyone know of and want to link to a certain video monitor that would be safe from the hacking, since I am not very technologically savvy?

Get one that isn't connected to the internet in any way.

Flowerchica · May 2014

So we have a ton of devices on our network - from share drives to ipads, phones, laptops, servers, ip cameras etc. Not all of our devices are allowed on the web. For example - we can access our ip cameras from home within our internal network - but we couldn't do it from outside of the house. If that makes sense? My gut says our ip cameras aren't accessible remotely because they are connected to our internal network - but aren't allowed to reach the web...

Want a personalized experience?

Video Monitor? or Audio Monitor?

Re: Video Monitor? or Audio Monitor?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards