Phone to Phone Baby Monitor App: Turn an Old Phone Into a Baby Camera
Updated
Before you buy a baby monitor, check your junk drawer. If you have an old phone from your last upgrade, you already own a camera, a microphone and Wi-Fi. That's everything a baby monitor needs.
What you need
- One spare phone (the camera) — iPhone on iOS 15 or later, or Android 7.0 or later
- Your everyday phone (the viewer)
- A charger and a long cable — it has to stay plugged in overnight
- Home Wi-Fi
Step 1. Clean up the old phone
Connect it to Wi-Fi and install the latest system update. Take out the SIM card so no calls come in, and turn off notification sounds and vibration. A 3 a.m. notification chime is one of the most common ways a phone "monitor" wakes the baby.
Step 2. Install the app on both phones
Install the same baby monitor app on the old phone and on your phone, and sign in with the same account. Set the old phone as the camera and your phone as the viewer.
Step 3. Pick the spot
- High up, with a clear view of the whole crib — a shelf or wall mount works well
- Out of the baby's reach, and at least 3 feet (about 1 m) from the crib
- Keep the charging cable well away from the crib. Cords should never be within reach of your baby
- Avoid pointing it at a bright window — the backlight makes faces too dark to see
Step 4. Running it all night
Phones aren't built to run 24/7, so watch the heat and the battery.
- Take off the case and leave it somewhere with airflow
- Never set it on a blanket, pillow or anything soft
- Don't use a phone with a swollen battery (the back panel lifts or bulges)
- Turn the screen brightness all the way down so the nursery stays dark
Step 5. Tune the alerts
Turn on motion and sound alerts so your phone buzzes when something happens. Spend the first few nights adjusting sensitivity: too sensitive and you'll get alerts all night, too dull and you'll miss the one that matters.
Where does the video go?
The first question to ask about any baby monitor is where the nursery video is stored. Many cloud cameras upload footage to the company's servers, and anything stored on a server can be exposed — through a hack, or through people inside the company. In 2023 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleged that Ring let employees and contractors access customers' private videos, and in 2024 it sent more than $5.6 million in refunds to Ring customers (Claims Journal).
Momseye connects your old phone and your phone directly. Video is never stored on our servers, and the stream is encrypted end to end, so no one in the middle can watch it. The free plan includes one camera, live Full HD video, and motion and sound alerts.