As new parents, my husband and I decided we didn’t need a video monitor for our new baby—surely a traditional audio monitor would work just fine. We quickly discovered just how wrong we were! Without being able to see our daughter when she cried, we couldn’t tell what she needed, whether she was really awake or just fussing, or if something was wrong. We learned the hard way that being able to see our sleeping baby (and, later, our not-sleeping toddler) was priceless in terms of peace of mind and quality of sleep for everyone.
Best Wi-Fi Baby Monitors: Peace of Mind from Far Away
June 20, 2017
One of the coolest features that many of today’s baby video monitors offer is Wi-Fi connectivity so you can monitor your baby’s sleep directly from your smartphone. We evaluated the products based on first, their level of security and second, how well they accomplish their primary purpose of letting you monitor your baby. We looked at the quality of the video and audio, the night vision range, and the pan/tilt/zoom capabilities, as well as the price and any extra features that set the monitors apart from the crowd. Based on these points, we’ve selected three of the market’s top offerings to review and recommend as the best wi-fi baby monitors, plus two more honorable mentions that are definitely worth a look.
Best Baby Monitors Overview
| Baby monitor | Vimtag Fujikam 361 HD | iBaby Monitor M6 | Gynoii GPW-1025 Wi-Fi Video Monitor | Nest Cam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View product | ||||
| Resolution/speed | 1280 x 720p HD; 25 fps | 1280 x 720p HD; 30 fps | 1280 x 720p HD; 25 fps | 1920 x 1080p HD; 30 fps |
| Night vision | Yes; 10 meters (32 ft) | Yes; 5 meters (16 ft) | Yes | Yes |
| Audio | 2-way | 2-way; also plays built-in lullabies, songs from phone, recorded voice | 2-way; also plays songs from phone | 2-way |
| Pan/tilt/zoom | 4x zoom; Remote 320° pan/120° tilt | No zoom; Remote 360° pan/110° tilt | Digital zoom; Remote 355° pan/100° tilt | 8x zoom; manual tilt of 180° |
| Storage | SD card | Free cloud storage | Uses phone storage | $10/month cloud storage |
| # of cameras | 8 | Unlimited | Unlimited (4 suggested) | 10 per home per account |
| # of viewers at once | 3 | 4 | 4 | – |
| Temperature/humidity |  No | No | No | No |
| Wall mount option |  Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Read our overview | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review |
A Note About Security
Because these cameras connect to your phone via Wi-Fi, there are several ways people could potentially hack into your video feed. While there have been reports of this happening, many baby camera companies have responded with higher levels of security, including bank-level encryption, to keep uninvited viewers out. Here are some additional basic security measures you can take to make sure your family is protected:
- Default settings: Don’t use the default names and passwords for your baby monitor.
- Passwords: Make sure to set strong, secure passwords, on not only your baby monitor account, but also your home Wi-Fi router.
- Updates: Keep your software and firmware up to date by regularly checking for and installing updates for your router, baby monitor, and baby monitor app.
- Product registration: If there is an update to your product’s software, companies will be able to let you know if your product is registered.
These may seem like simple, common-sense solutions, but you’d be surprised how often these things get missed. Taking these basic measures will protect your video monitor feed and your family from unwanted viewers.
Vimtag Fujikam 361 HD
#1
While not intended for use as a dedicated baby monitor, this high-quality home surveillance camera fits all our most important qualifications at a fantastic price, making it our top pick. One of its best features is that it can be set up to take a picture if the motion alert is triggered, day or night, so you can view your baby’s activities on your phone as soon as he or she is awake. The motion detection settings are adjustable, so it can be set to pick up small movements or to notify you after large or consistent movements are detected.
The Vimtag Fujikam stores photos and videos on an SD card, so there’s no need to worry about cloud security or the footage using up space on your phone. It may not have some of the extra features other Wi-Fi baby cameras have, but it’s versatile, reliable, and completely secure with bank-level encryption and external SD storage.
Pros
Night vision for up to 10 meters (32 feet)- Two-way audio
- Remote pan (320u00b0) and tilt (120u00b0)
- 4x digital zoom
- Add up to 8 cameras
- Guest access to view live video feed
- App is compatible with iOS (5.0 and higher) and Android (2.1 and higher) devices and computers
Cons
Plugs into outlet; no backup batteries- No cloud storage
iBaby Monitor M6
#2
The iBaby M6 video monitor is unique in its design, allowing for a complete 360° pan of a room. The camera is controlled through the app on your smartphone, and you can pan or tilt with just a swipe of your finger. The monitor has several built-in lullabies you can play to your little one, plus you can play your own song choices or even record your voice to play when baby is fussing. This monitor also stores all pictures on videos on the cloud but without any additional monthly fees.
The app is easy to install and very easy to use with lots of adjustable settings, though many users report that the Android app can be a bit glitchy. This model does not have a temperature/humidity sensor; however, there is a more expensive model, the iBaby M6T, which does, though the higher price for only one main feature difference kept the M6T off our list. The iBaby M6 comes in second to the Vimtag Fujikam in terms of price and the quality of some of the features, but this is an all-around solid choice for your home at an average price for comparable monitors.
Pros
- Full 360u00b0 pan rotation and 110u00b0 tilt
- Night vision up to 5 meters (16 feet)
- Easy to take pictures and video from the app
- Motion and sound alerts with photo and video options and adjustable sensitivity levels
- 2-way audio
- Play lullabies/songs or record your voice
- Expand to an unlimited number of cameras
- Guest access for up to 4 viewers at once
- Easy installation
Cons
- Android app can be glitchy
- No zoom lens
- Not available on a web browser
- Wall mount attachment sold separately
- Plugs into outlet; no backup batteries
Gynoii GPW-1025 Wi-Fi Video Baby Monitor
#3
The Gynoii GPW-1025 baby monitor has all the features you’d expect and want in a Wi-Fi video monitor, plus one or two extras that make it especially appealing. One of those features is easy time-lapse video creation and sharing. You simply set your camera to record, then when you turn off the recording, the app will create a 20- to 40-second time lapse video so you can review your baby’s activities during that time. You can also share your time lapse video easily with lots of quick social media options.
As with the iBaby M6, the Gynoii app can run in the background of your phone, and there is an “audio only” setting which will play the audio coming from the monitor even while you are using your phone for other things. However, some users have reported problems with the sound, including it being too soft, static coming through the phone, or even a lag time between the video and sound. These concerns knocked the Gynoii to third place, but its excellent features still make it one of our top picks for Wi-Fi baby monitors.
Pros
- Night vision
- 355u00b0 pan and 100u00b0 tilt
- Extendable to an unlimited number of cameras (though four is the recommended limit)
- Guest access
- Sound and motion alerts, including audio only
- Two-way audio
- Easy setup and installation
- Time-lapse video options
- Social media sharing
- Can be mounted on the wall
- Compatible with iOS and Android devices, as well as computers
Cons
- Plugs into outlet; no backup batteries
- Some reported issues with static and too-soft audio
Honorable Mentions
Nest Cam
#4 Honorable mention
The Nest Cam, the updated version of the Dropcam Pro, is primarily a home security camera, but it has (almost) all of the features you’d want in a great baby monitor. Its top feature is security: even though it is accessible via Wi-Fi, the Nest Cam hasn’t had any reported hacks and uses very high levels of security. The Nest Cam’s biggest drawback is that it doesn’t allow for continuous monitoring if you switch to a different app on your phone. This means that you’d have to leave the app open and running all night if you are using it as your primary baby monitor. The easiest solution would be to use a second device (such as a tablet or older phone) as a dedicated monitor, but this may not be feasible for some users.
The other downside to using the Nest Cam is that many of the advanced features cost a monthly fee, including storing video on the cloud. Because of these two drawbacks, the Nest Cam didn’t make our Top 3 list, though it came very close.
Pros
- Night vision
- Two-way audio
- 130u00b0 viewing angle
- 8x zoom
- Up to 10 cameras per home
- Sound and motion alerts
- Magnetic base can be mounted on the wall
- Compatible with iOS (6 and higher) and Android (4.0 and higher), as well as on a computer
Cons
- App must be open and running to receive alerts
- Monthly or yearly charges for cloud storage
- Must have a Nest account
- Manual tilt (180u00b0) only; no remote pan/tilt options
Wrapping up
Whether you are a first-time parent or you just think it’s time to finally update your monitoring system, all of these Wi-Fi video monitors are solid choices. Once you find the system that best fits your family’s needs, you’ll be able to rest easy (and hopefully sleep more easily, too!) knowing that you can keep an eye on your little ones anytime and from anywhere.
