If you’re a parent like me who is tired of spending a fortune on baby products, you can save a little money on some gadgets with DIY hacks. For instance, instead of purchasing specialized equipment, you can repurpose your phone as baby monitor.
On this list, we will not dismantle the phone but rather try some non-invasive methods that can be easily accomplished through online apps.
Let’s explore some popular baby monitor apps for ios and android phone. We will start with the simplest option and then move on to popular choices on the internet.
How to Use Phone as Baby Monitor
To use your phone as a baby monitor we’re looking at some of these baby monitor apps that work on the basis for following features.
- Surveillance camera to monitor the baby
- Motion sensors to know when the baby has woken up from sleep
- Microphone to hear baby’s crying and breathing patterns
- Temperature monitor to identify heat signatures
- Smart noise detection to warn of any intruders
- Push-to-talk feature to talk to the baby
- Monitor remotely from anywhere
- Monitor when the internet is not working
- Battery backup to handle power cuts
- Multicam support for multiple phones
Best Baby Monitor Apps for IPhone & Android
Skype/Facetime
This is the cheapest free alternative that you can use. Setup two different skype or facetime accounts on both your phones. Then, initiate a call from one of them and answer on the other. Place one of your phones facing the baby and the other one can be carried around.
Since Skype is available on both Android and iOS, it is the easiest way to set up a baby monitor with your phone. You can even set up a call on your laptop with the Skype app installed. Facetime is only available for iOS devices. You’ll get both video and audio feed on your phone with both apps. The phone already has a battery so you can just plug it in at all times to handle power backup. The drawback of these apps is that the call may end up accidentally or due to network problems. Then, you have no way of restoring it remotely.
Baby Monitor MVA
If you’re looking for something with less ‘smart’ capabilities, this app is the right choice for you. Baby Monitor MVA is a lightweight app that can run on any Android device. It can send you notification alerts in the form of a call or a text message.
Once installed on your older phone, you can set it up with your number and place it in the baby’s room. Then, if it detects crying sounds, it can send you an alert. It also can take a photo snapshot when the alarm is triggered.
This app is available for free. Also, it does not need Wi-Fi or 3G signal to send you a notification. It also has a sleep log feature that records the baby’s sleeping patterns. Baby Monitor MVA is available only on Android Play Store currently.
Dormi Baby Monitor for Android
Dormi is one of the widely used apps in the baby monitor category. It comes in a freemium model with four hours of monitoring time available for free every month. Dormi has lots of features found in standard baby monitors.
- Connection with or without Internet
- Seamless connectivity
- Multi-device support
- Smart noise detection
- Push to Talk option
- Night vision(as supported by phone camera)
- Push notifications
- Old phone support
Dormi also sends you a notification if the connection is lost or the battery level is low. With minimal bandwidth consumption, Dormi also uses a high-quality audio codec. Dormi can run on devices with Android 2.3 or higher which covers the maximum Android phones out there. It is however not available for iOS devices. With a lifetime license fee, you are covered for all features provided by Dormi.
Alfred Camera
For anyone interested in home security systems, Alfred will be a familiar name. With over 40 million users worldwide, Alfred has the best expertise for turning the old phone into a baby monitor.
The app is available for both Android and iOS. To set up, Install the app on both phones and sign in with your account. Then, you can pair them together and set one phone as a Viewer while the other is the Camera.
Alfred offers a paid subscription model for their service. Alfred also has a web application if you want to set it up from a PC or browser. Keep in mind that you need at least Android 4.0.3 or higher use on Android phones. Besides that, Alfred has lots of features to offer.
- 24/7 live streaming same as a security cam
- Instant notification from motion detection
- Two-way comms to talk to your baby
- Low-light filter to act like night vision
- Siren as an intruder alert
- Person detection using advanced software tech
Baby Monitor 3G
Baby Monitor 3G is focused on users seeking a cross-platform solution. Once purchased, the app is available for iPhone, iPad, Macbook, and even Apple TV. It also has an Android version for android users. It lets you set up devices as a baby station for the baby’s room and a parent station for parents’ use.
Once downloaded on both apps, just enter the 9 digit code to pair two devices together. There’s no need to even sign up or be on the same network. Here are its most-loved features.
- Ability to switch from the video stream to still photos to save data
- Activity log created from sleeping patterns and playback
- Multi-parent support
- Lullaby or music play to calm babies to sleep
- Adjustable microphone sensitivity
- Adjustable Night light for night vision
- Vibration alert on baby’s movements
The app is compatible with phones with Android 4.1 or higher, iOS 9.3.5 or higher, and macOS 10.10 or higher. Also, the purchasing fee is separate on all three platforms. to your device. Once you pay on Android, you can sign in using Google Play Family and install the app for free on other devices. On iOS, you can install it using Family Sharing.
FAQs
Can I Just Buy a Baby Monitor Instead?
You can. Some baby monitors even include wearable accessories. These wearables can record the heart rate and temperature of your babies. They also have better night mode than smartphones. But, you will notice that these devices aren’t cheap. If you’ve already got an extra smartphone, it works just as well with a little bit of setup.
