Hiring a nanny is often a tricky process. Not only are you handling your nerves about ensuring child safety while you're out of the house, but you're also trying to find someone who's a good fit and who works with your schedule. When you finally find a fit, you still have to go through the process of actually leaving your kids in unfamiliar hands. For this reason, many parents and caregivers alike are turning to covert baby monitors, best known as nanny cams.
Home security has come a long way from clunky computers and VHSs. Now, we can have everyday objects that are fully functioning and double as security cameras. This allows homeowners and working parents to maintain a positive environment in their homes without making it look like a prison.
These tools come with many different levels of complexity and certain features. When you're shopping, it's important to know what's available and what's most important to you. Most people shopping for nanny cams are looking for discreet observation and no disruption to their daily routine.
Whatever specifications you're looking for, there are options on the market that will empower you to oversee your child or other loved one, no matter where you are. You can keep watch for potential issues and catch them early, which translates to a much safer home environment.
The Legality of Nanny Cameras
In general, home security cameras are legal. Since it's your home. You're allowed to record video inside, as long as there's a good reason to do so. You might have guessed this already, but keeping an eye on your baby or your baby's nanny is as good a reason as any to have an accessible camera feed.
Now, if the camera is hidden or disguised, the rules become somewhat different. In most states, you're still allowed to record covertly in your home, as long as it's all public areas, such as the living room, kitchen, and dining room. It is never legal to record someone in a bathroom without their consent. In other states, such as California, there are more stringent requirements. In California, it is illegal to make an audio recording of someone without their knowledge or explicit consent. During the course of your shopping, you might notice that many nanny cameras don't come with audio capabilities for exactly that reason.
It is so important that you look into your state's specific laws regarding recording. With nanny cams, the goal is to create a safe and nurturing environment. If you're breaking privacy laws every time you check in, that's undermining your reasons for purchasing in the first place.
Important Specifications
You know your situation best, which means you know what's going to be most important to you. The tricky thing is, it can be hard to filter through all the information on the internet to find a hidden camera that meets your specifications, has what you need, and doesn't have a bunch of specs you don't need. We're going to cover the most important and most common features that homeowners look for so that you know exactly how to shop for your situation.
Vintage Mid-Century Table Clock Motion-Activated Nanny Camera
Video Quality
When considering video recording, the first thing that comes to most minds is video quality. If your surveillance equipment spits out grainy footage that you can't make out, that's not very helpful. The key thing to know is that the higher pixel rate means clearer images. This becomes especially important if you need the footage for some additional reason, such as a court hearing.
The biggest problem with higher video quality is that it comes with a price tag change. You don't need 4k, but do shoot for something that's minimally 720p. It's better if it's 1080p, but you can make do with something else.
Power Source
There are really two main power sources: battery and plug-in. If you would like to monitor your family constantly, you might want to choose a nanny camera that plugs into the wall so that you don't have to think about it. If you only need a camera every now and again, a battery-operated one might be better for you, since you can move it around and it will still last a long time. Battery-powered is also nice if you need to have the camera very hidden, since you aren't restricted by the nearest outlet.
Audio Capabilities
It's worth reiterating that the only drawback with audio capabilities is that your state might not allow it. If you do check your state laws and it's not illegal, then consider whether or not audio capabilities are worth it to you. Some nanny cams even have two-way audio, which allows you to speak to your nanny if you need to.
Multi-Color Lamp Bluetooth Speaker WIFI Surveillance Camera
Storage Space and Method
Your storage space requirements are going to be specific to your needs. The only recommendation is to make sure that you have plenty of storage to cover your needs.
When it comes to the method of storage, choosing whether you're okay with emptying an SD card or not wanting to deal with that will change what device you purchase. SD cards will need to be emptied at some point, no matter how large they are. Depending on its size and how often you use the nanny cam, you could be emptying it daily or monthly. If you don't want to do that, consider a camera with enough cloud storage that you can leave it be for a while.
WIFI Air Purifier Security Camera
Night Vision
Night vision is one of those more advanced options that not everyone feels like they need. However, if you have a live-in nanny or a night doula with a young one, having night vision for low-light conditions could give you the peace of mind you need to sleep easily.
WIFI Tissue Box Nanny Camera
Motion Detection
Motion detection, as well, is an advanced feature. This allows parents to be notified of unexpected movements, which helps if your camera is in the hallway leading to your child's bedroom, for example. Many households shouldn't have people coming or going from that room at night, which means it could be beneficial to be notified if a person is in that area.
Buying a Nanny Camera
There are hundreds of options all over the internet. Knowing which one to pick, which source to trust, and what's a good price can be incredibly overwhelming. At SpyCentre, we've done all the work for you. We research and compile the best options on the market so that you can be confident in every purchase, regardless of which option you pick.
On top of reading reviews and researching devices, we also order them ourselves before we stock them and test them out under strenuous conditions. The last thing we want to do is offer you a device that won't perform when you need it most. When you order a nanny cam from us, you're ordering from a company that's willing to put its word on the line and say that each device we offer will do the job, and do the job well.
LINK: Vintage Mid-Century Table Clock Motion-Activated Nanny Camera
LINK: Multi-Color Lamp Bluetooth Speaker WIFI Surveillance Camera
LINK: WIFI Air Purifier Security Camera
LINK: WIFI Tissue Box Nanny Camera
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