I am considering getting a TP-Link Tapo security camera as a baby monitor, as I can then repurpose.
any downsides to using a security camera as a baby monitor?
which TP-link Tapo models do you recommend as a baby monitor?
Edit: Plan to use the Security camera for toddler and will use the current dedicated vtech baby monitor for baby.
It also appears that amazon firestick support showing security cameras on tv if needed. But will most use ad-hoc to check on toddler.
Only 3 downsides i can think of.
For what its worth, i'll probably be using one of my many TAPO cams as a baby monitor.
Swipe from the preview to add up to 4 on one screen
Or go into a preview and click the grid icon to go into the 2x2 view
Ah nice one, thanks! Interesting they dont seem to stay streaming reliabily with multiple. Maybe my Orbi RBK50 is showing its age.
I can stream 4 cameras at once with no problems. Each stream is just 100-200 kbps so bandwidth shouldn’t be an issue. Perhaps it is the signal strength?
@hashtagbargain: Good point. It really shouldn't be. Will experiment some more.
EDIT: Oh crap. Just reslized it's our new double glazed windows i think. The wifi signal to the back cams especially is fubar. Looks like I need to upgrade to a 3 node mesh system.
The camera can only stream to one user, if there’s 2 people wanting to watch the same camera then it won’t work.
Agree with the other comments around issues with not be able to always watch.
Another con would be no background audio.
I bought a secondhand lollipop baby monitor for $100. You can turn on background audio and lock your phone so you can hear the baby sleeping. Great for at night if they are in their own room.
Use VLC and the RTSP stream, you can set it to play as audio and turn the screen off while it keeps playing audio. We did it for night time.
I plan to use the security camera for the toddler.
and use my current dedicated baby monitor for the baby.
I have a tapo for each child.
Also look at the 3d print mods for mounts, angles and other bits and pieces
which model do you recommend?
I am getting overwhelmed with the number of Tapo models between Amazon, JB and Officeworks?
@bashar20: They are really all the same
C210 white /C211 black is 3MP
C200 white/C201 black is 1920x1080
Any is fine for monitoring kids
For the price, it’s hard to beat as there is no baby tax.
Home assistant integration works well too.
Back 6 years ago:
- nest camera with rich push notifications (from memory it would show 4-8 frames)
- plus a cheap 50 dollar audio only baby monitor
Baby monitor was our primary to hear if there was a cry or commotion. Camera on our phones would be secondary if we needed to confirm. Worked an absolute treat and gave us good redundancy too.
They're actually doing a $50 off pre-order for a specialised "Smart Baby Monitor" if that interests you:
https://au.store.tapo.com/products/dual-lens-smart-baby-came…
It's $4.99 upfront and they eMail you a coupon for the discount I believe. I don't know where it lists the release date though. But, if you wanted to get a specific model to use as a baby monitor, there's probably nothing beating it.
Seems interesting but many of those 'baby features' are unnecessary.
I can see baby face just fine with full HD, no need for an extra lens/sensor for a close up.
Infrared night vision works just fine.
Thanks. I saw it mentioned previously.
Biggest issue it seems it’s continuously delayed with no real ETA. Also no idea what the price will be.
https://www.facebook.com/TPLINKUK/posts/coming-soon-the-all-…
I used a c210, works great and can set up baby cry notifications. I much prefer it over baby cameras because
:
1. Cheaper
2. Usable after baby ages
3. Quality of camera usually much better.
4. Usable to stream remotely , app etc
Downside, no screen always on if you want that. Maybe could do this on a tablet or Google screen or something.