Best Baby Monitor? 5 Things to Check Before You Buy One
Updated
There's no single best baby monitor, because the right one depends on your home and what you're comfortable with. So instead of ranking brands, here are 5 things to check before you buy any nursery camera.
1. Where does the video go?
Cameras generally handle footage one of three ways:
- Saved on the company's cloud servers (you can rewatch it anywhere, but your footage sits on someone else's servers)
- Saved on a microSD card in the camera
- Live view only, with nothing saved
Nursery video is about as private as video gets, so find out where it's kept and who can reach it.
2. Is there a monthly fee?
Some cameras are cheap up front but charge a monthly plan to watch recordings. Compare hardware price plus the monthly fee times how long you'll use it, and check what's free (live view, alerts) versus paid (stored clips, more cameras) before you buy. We cover this in Baby Monitor With No Subscription.
3. Does the company take security seriously?
You can't audit a company yourself, but you can notice public records. In January 2025, the New York Attorney General announced a $450,000 settlement with the companies that distribute eufy-branded cameras, doorbells and smart locks. As part of it, the companies must maintain an information security program, use secure software development processes, run regular penetration and vulnerability testing, and encrypt video in storage and in transit (NY Attorney General).
The takeaway isn't about one brand. It's that these are reasonable questions to ask of any camera maker. And whatever you buy, use a unique password and keep the app updated. Our checklist is in Can a Baby Monitor Be Hacked?.
4. Where will it sit?
Think about the distance and angle to the crib, whether you can see in the dark, and how close the nearest outlet is. Keep cameras out of bathrooms and places where leaked footage would be especially harmful.
5. Do you need to buy a camera at all?
If you have a spare phone in a drawer, you may not. A phone-to-phone baby monitor app costs nothing in hardware, and for many families live view plus motion and sound alerts is enough. See Phone to Phone Baby Monitor App for the steps.
Where Momseye fits
Momseye turns an old phone into a baby monitor.
- No new camera to buy
- Video isn't stored on the company's servers, and transmission is encrypted
- The free plan includes live Full HD (1080p) video, motion and sound alerts, one camera and two viewers at once. Sign-up is instant with no credit card, and the free plan shows ads.
- PRO adds 4K, AI cry detection, up to 5 cameras and 5 viewers, automatic event recording, and time-lapse. It's a monthly or yearly subscription you can cancel any time, with prices shown in the App Store or Google Play. Event recordings are saved on the phone you use as the camera.
Learn more in Momseye: A Free Baby Monitor App.