Baby Monitors
It is not always an easy decision to make, as to whether you need to invest in a baby monitor or not.
You could be wondering if you really need a baby monitor, especially because you were probably raised without one, and you turned out just fine!
You could also have overheard people say how much the baby monitor has completely positively turned their lives around.
It is possible to have lots of questions going on in your mind on the same, and that is why we are here- to help you through this decision.
Table of Contents
Why do you need a baby monitor?
How then do you know if you need to buy a baby monitor or not?
Let us start with instances when you will not need a baby monitor:
- If you are always close to your baby, and you are unlikely to miss out on her cry, then you do not need a baby monitor. If your house is small and there is no way you can be in the same house but in a room far from the baby, then you have no need for the monitor.
- If the baby’s sleeping space is a bedside bassinet or you are still co-sleeping with them, and you will not need to monitor them at night, then you can comfortably do without the monitor.
- If you have a trusted person in the house who is helping with the baby, then you can manage without the monitor. The person can either be the nanny or family.
- If you have an existing and reliable security system already installed in the house, then you can skip the baby monitor.
Let us now look at the various instances that would demand you to have a baby monitor:
- If you are changing the baby’s sleeping space from the bedside bassinet to a separate crib, or you are moving them into their own room, the baby monitor will come in handy.
- If for whatever reason you are worried about your baby, and you would need to keep an eye on them from time to time, the baby monitor will be your all-time friend. It will help you to monitor on the little one without disturbing their precious sleep.
- If you are required to monitor your baby’s breathing, but you are not in the same room with them, the baby monitor will be a great resource.
- If you have a family member who is away from the baby, or they often travel to attend to business matters, the baby monitor can come in handy. It can help you to allow them to log in and view the baby at their convenience.
- Sometimes the best time to run an errand is when the baby is asleep. You would however be more comfortable to run the errand while at the same time keeping an eye on the baby. This is when the baby monitor becomes an asset you must have with you. It allows you the flexibility of taking your dog for a walk, or relax as you make yourself a cup of coffee, or even work in the garden without the fear of missing out on your baby’s cry.
- A baby monitor is an essential tool when you need to monitor your older kids play in a room as you attend to something else in a different room.
Can baby monitor be hacked?
You may be wondering how safe you are with your baby monitor.
There are stories that have gone round of how baby monitors were hacked and that is not something you would want to imagine could ever happen to your baby.
It is good to face reality as it is, so that you are better advised how to handle the same.
As long as a baby monitor is connected to the WIFI, the bad news is that it is possible for it to be hacked.
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It is true that anything connected to the WIFI acts as an open window that gives allows intruders access.
No wonder local news spends lots of airplay on baby videos that were hacked.
The risks expressed in these stories are real and should never be treated casually.
And that does not mean you stop using your baby monitor, no.
All you need is to take care of a few basic security details with your home network connection, as you use the IP cameras.
The good news however, is that not all baby monitors are possible to hack.
The type of monitor you invest in will dictate how safe the gadget is.
You do not need to worry, as much as the baby monitor risks are real, they are also manageable.
How do hackers access baby monitors?
It is good to understand how hackers could get access to your baby monitor so that you know how to take care of your security- or even make a decision on whether the convenience of the monitor exceeds the risk of the same.
You will find two types of monitors- simple ones and the internet-enabled monitors.
The simple ones are the walkie-talkie baby monitors, and usually their box has a baby bear logo.
The internet enabled ones use a wireless router.
How the hacker accesses the monitor majorly depends on the type of monitor as well as its structure.
Radio monitors
These monitors communicate over a specific range.
This falls between short and medium range.
For a hacker to interfere with these monitors, they would need to know where to find the frequency.
They would actually need to physically access the monitor.
They would also need to know which frequency to use for communication.
Serious baby monitor brands have encrypted communication channels.
A hacker would need to go past that to successfully hack the monitor.
Radio monitors therefore, fall under the category of monitors that are very hard to hack.
Monitors that connect over WI-FI
These monitors connect to the network of your home.
In many cases, the home network is connected to the internet.
Therefore, this becomes a big loophole for hackers to access your baby monitor.
If you are using a monitor that sends video feeds to your smartphone, that transmission uses a technology known as (IoT)-Internet of Things.
That technology poses more security concerns.
The hackers find it easier to get past the IoT and hack your monitor.
The last thing you want to do is expose your baby to hacking risks.
Baby monitors can operate in two ways; over the internet or over the private network.
What are the risks when you use your baby monitor over private network?
When using your monitor over your private network, you may want to share videos or information within that network.
A hacker would need to access your router first, for them to hack the monitor.
The next thing the hacker would try is to access all the devices in your home that get connection through that router.
If yours is a modern router, it uses a technology known as Network Address Translation.
It filters out any incoming unauthorized traffic, which makes your monitor fairly safe.
However, with such routers, you need to confirm that the default settings have not been modified.
Ensure that private forwarding is not enabled.
Also check that no demilitarized zone has been created.
While still checking on your router settings, ensure that remote access to your router is also disabled.
This would be so if you had changed the default configurations.
To check that, on your Admin page, check “remote setup” or “enable setup over WAN”
The other check is the strength of your password.
Ensure you create a strong password such that even if a hacker accesses your router, they would not possibly guess your credentials.
Can someone see you through your phone camera?
There are times one can connect their baby monitor such that they can access the same through their smartphones.
How safe is that?
Can one get access to the data via the same phone?
Yes, your phone can be a source of security threat.
If someone gets hold of your phone, 5-7 minutes would be enough to download software such as spyware.
That could then be used to access critical features on your phone.
The spyware could get hold of features such as the contacts, camera, the GPS or the text messages and so on.
Since it’s the same phone that you use to capture precious memories with your baby and family at large, it is important to know the security threats around it, and how to curb them.
Some chatting apps such as Skype need to access features such as camera recording for you to use the app successfully.
All a hacker needs to do to hack your details is convincing you to give them permission to see you through your phone.
There are nefarious apps that often pose as games or fun apps.
Such apps operate in the background of your phone, when your phone is not in active use.
While at it, they take photos or record videos without your awareness.
If you notice unfamiliar activities in your phone, that is a possible sign that someone has hacked your phone.
Be on the lookout for strange phone calls or text messages you did not make or send.
If you notice unfamiliar videos or pictures, you need to check out for possible hacking.
Check on your data usage, is it suddenly extremely high?
Ensure that the data consumption is something you can relate with.
If it is not under activities you have done, still be on the lookout.
The other concern is cellphone tapping.
That enables someone to listen to you through your phone.
The hacker gains access to your phone without your permission, with the sole purpose of listening to you through the phone.
Is it possible to keep your phone secure from hackers?
Check the source of your apps
Only install apps from trusted sources.
The sources should be signed as well.
The only trusted sources as at now are Google Play or Apple App Store.
Careful with permissions
No matter how trusted the source of your app is, do not allow permissions for features the app does not need.
For example, what would a game app need the camera for?
Anti-virus app
Get anti-virus apps for your phone which can help keep malware or spyware away from your phone.
Ensure that the anti-virus is legit.
When you are suspicious that your phone is under attack, there are things you can do:
- Turn off the WI-FI or cellular data radius, and you can easily do that by turning on your airplane mode.
- Ensure that your GPS radio is switched off.
- Shutting your phone completely off and removing the battery as well can help.
How can one keep the baby monitor secure?
There are a number of things you can do to enhance the security of your baby monitor.
Here are some of the suggestions we have for you:
Secure the wireless router
- Ensure that your wireless router is secure, by updating the firmware and also disabling remote access to the same.
- Ensure you not only set a password for your baby monitor, but it should be a strong one as well. Create a strong password such that a hacker cannot easily guess it.
Secure the baby monitor
- Let your baby monitor manufacturer register your product. It will ensure you get regular updates which will keep bugs and other risks from the monitor.
- Do away with all the default login details and create your credentials to access the monitor.
- If your monitor has a DDNS option, disable it.
- Disable the port forwarding option.
- Ensure remote access is disabled.
When you need to access your baby monitor remotely, do the following:
- Check for the default access camera port and change it. In most cases, it is set at 80, change it to anything above 8200.
- Monitor the baby monitor logs as regularly as possible. It will help you to identify any suspicious activities in good time.
Doing all the above will keep your monitor safe for use.
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