Wireless video baby monitors for improvised security

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hso

hso

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I had to pick up a baby monitor the other day and noticed that there were a wide range of video baby monitors. Many of these were wireless video and I realized that they could be placed to act as security monitors as well when you didn't have access to security camera systems.

Prices were as low as $80 for camera/monitor sets.

I know many of us here will point out that there are cheaper options to use small wireless computer cameras and computer monitors, but not everyone is up to the same master geek level and these systems are self-contained and off the shelf ready to go.

Using a little ingenuity you should be able to use this new technology in innovative ways to enhance your security.
 
As one of those techie geeks :D, I'll add that 4 camera systems that attach to the pc, and feed to your smartphone have dropped as low as $250 at costco.

As a Realist, you use the tools at hand, and if one camera fills your needs, or at least gives you more advantage than no camera at all... If the baby has grown up and you have it laying about...

Home security is like a CCW, it only does you any good if you use it.
 
On the other hand, I read somewhere that geek level criminals have accessed wireless tech baby monitors to determine if people are home/active/etc same as they can steal other wi/fi data. Maybe I'm wrong.
I am still thinking about how to run a weatherproof camera over the doors to the computers, but VERY much non techie/non geek.
 
Having picked up two of the baby monitors in the past few weeks, I think they are pretty much crap. One that has a max range of 2000' cuts in and out inside of 300'. The other has a pad that senses baby movement/breathing or sounds an alert at the paging end and babys end. You guess it, once the baby gets good and asleep the dam alarm starts going off waking baby up.

If there are any good ones I would be interested.
 
My wife and I picked up a wireless set with excellent sound and clear night vision modes. Never had any problems with them, but the only thing we've used them for is monitoring the baby for a couple of hours or so at a time. Battery life is about 3-4 hours when fully charged. Its Summer brand. Think they were around 175 bucks at Babies R Us.

No clue on max distance, but we never experienced any cutting out. I doubt we were ever more than a couple hundred feet away, at most. Bedroom to kitchen, or bedroom to living room. That kinda thing. That there are even baby monitors advertised as being good to 2000 feet boggles my mind.

FWIW, an acquaintance of mine got a 10 camera security system (NV capable) bought, installed, and taught to use by company reps, from Costco or Sam's club. Cost him around $700 a year ago, but I heard a slightly upgraded system by the same company is now closer to $500. He never had any problems with his, and they're placed throughout a large house, and outside of it as well. Everything routes to a set of screens in his office, and they're recording on a DVR system 24/7. Seems super reasonable to me.
 
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. That there are even baby monitors advertised as being good to 2000 feet boggles my mind.
Click to expand...

The ones that I have used work inside the house but I would like one that works around the house and out in the shop several hundred feet from the house. Not expecting it to work over the entire property but at least a good as handheld radios would have been nice.
 
I hear ya. Well I'll have my wife watch the monitor while I take the camera end outside, and see how far I can get before it cuts out. I'm at a clinic getting an employment drug screen right now, but I'll post the results tonight. We'll see if the Summer model we have is any good as far as distance.
 
I have a cheapo night vision baby monitor that we got for $40.

How did parents ever live before being able to spy on their kids with night vision? :confused:
 
We never had the video baby monitors, but we did use the audio only monitors. Those things are incredibly sensitive.
 
I agree that the plug and play systems now are so easy to set up and cheap, and don't require you to be a techie/geek to install them.

Tigerdirect has some systems for around $250-$300 that come with 4 cameras, night vision on each camera, and a DVR system. Here's an example (note that I did not study the example, just providing perspective):

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7132707&Sku=Q300-2792

It seems that all you'd need is a drill, some caulk and some time to install them. Fairly simple. I've thought of this a lot recently.

I wouldn't trust baby monitors for a security job, although I have had an acquaintance catch his wife cheating on him with a baby monitor. I've also thought of putting up one of those deer/wildlife cameras up to view the back yard just to see what goes on when we sleep. :)
 
a friend of mine has a camera that links to your homes wifi, and has its own web site, that can be accessed on a smartphone and provides streaming video and sound

it can also be set to start filming and record to a Network attached storage device, like a dvr, when it senses movement

i think he paid 50 bucks for it
 
No need to patch together a baby monitor security kit. You can get a cheapo security system that works pretty well for the same money. I have a Wisecomm wireless color camera mounted system. I can record to my computer hard drive and/or view it from a remote location via a website I can set up. I can also hook it to my TV and record to an VCR. I currently have it on the TV. If I see my motion lights come on, I just switch inputs and see who's outside all from the comfort of my chair. It seems to be a pretty good product, since I've been running it non-stop for over 5 years. It cost me less than 100 bucks.
 
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