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What is A Wireless Baby Monitor

What is A Wireless Baby Monitor?

Are you wondering what a wireless baby monitor really is? If yes, you’re not alone in this. I’ve come across many more parents, especially the new moms, asking the same question on many parenting forums on the internet. I’ve, therefore, decided to craft this quick post to help enlighten you on what does wireless baby […]

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Though the baby monitor was initially invented to give us parents a peace of mind when we’re not near our babies, it has recently become a risky investment. This is based on the multiple “baby monitor hacked” reports we’re encountering almost every day. While some of the attackers might only be interested in scaring away your little ones, other hackers might have different intentions—like gaining access to your home, for voyeuristic reasons, gain access your personal info, etc. And that makes the devices even scarier! With that being said, you might be asking yourself if there’s a baby monitor that cannot be hacked. To understand more about the “hackability” of the baby monitors, we’ll discuss the most popular types of baby monitors present you’ll find on the market today. We can group these monitors into two bold categories: (1). Wifi baby monitors Wifi baby monitors are doubtlessly the most popular devices for monitoring babies on the market right now. They’re loved due to the convenience they offer you—where you can easily monitor your baby from any location, provided you there’s an internet connection available. Most of them come packed with many other cool features which add to their overall convenience (and popularity!) Unfortunately, wifi monitors are the most vulnerable to hacking. Reason? Well, that’s because they solely rely on the internet to operate so your unsecured home internet will make it easy for attackers to access it. Or the software they use might be having some security flaws. The worst part about a wifi monitor getting jacked is that it’ll create a way for other devices connected on your home network to be hacked. And this might easily give out your crucial personal info. Unless you find a well-clamped wifi baby monitor (obviously after doing sufficient research), you’d want to think twice about buying any wifi operated devices to monitor your baby. If you go ahead and find a good wifi monitor, or already have one, be sure to follow our top tips in this post on how to hack-proof it. (2). Non-wifi baby monitors As the name suggests, non-wifi baby monitors are simply monitors that don’t require wifi to operate. We can further subdivide these monitors into: (i). Analog baby monitors These are probably the most affordable types of baby monitors you’ll find on the market today. Unlike their counterparts above, they operate using similar technology as that of your radio or over the air TV. In other words, they transmit data via radio frequency. That these monitors don’t come incorporated with any complicated software might be the reason why they’re inexpensive. Unfortunately, these monitors are less secure. All a hacker needs to crack an analog monitor is to figure out which frequency it’s using. Despite their less secure nature, analog monitors have a few upsides… First, they fall into the class of low radio emissions category. This means that they’re not hazardous when placed in your baby nursery room. Second, even if an attacker succeeds in hacking this monitor, they’ll not be able to control the camera or even access your personal info. They only thing they might be able to do is listening and seeing the video the feed. (ii). Digital baby monitors Still, under the category of baby monitors without wifi, we've got the digital baby monitors. These are devices that rely on a digital encrypted frequency technology to transmit audio and video signals. Majority of them use the FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) technology. This involves randomly changing the frequency of the signals under transmission, to make it harder for the intruders to determine which transmission frequency is being used at a particular time. Some digital models use another heavily encrypted digital signal technology known as DECC (Digital Enhanced Cordless Communications). Good news: Digital baby monitors are the safest, most secure devices of all! Does this mean that the non-wifi baby monitors hackable? No, they’re not 100% hackable. BUT… trust me; this device needs a dedicated hacker to be able to crack it. Plus, it’ll be one hell of a task for them to successfully hack a digital baby monitor! PRO TIP: Do some research on the manufacturer of the monitor you wish to buy! If you’re really determined to find a baby monitor that cannot be easily hacked, I advise you to do a bit of research of the manufacturer of any device you plan to buy. Many studies have been carried out on various baby monitors companies plus many lawsuits have been filed against companies whose devices have shown security flaws. Google has all this info. All you have to do is to employ your google-fu tactics to ensure you don’t buy from the “bad” companies whose monitors have all sorts of security flaws and vulnerabilities. Final Word Looking at the comparison of all the types of baby monitors on the market today, we can conclude that the digital baby monitors are the safest and most secure of all. On the other hand, the analog and wifi baby monitors are the most vulnerable models. However, with some good research, you can come across a good wifi baby monitor, from a reputable manufacturer who updates the device firmware and software regularly to seal all the possible security loopholes. As much as possible, I highly recommend you to invest in the best non-wifi baby monitor that uses the 2.4 GHz FHSS or DECC transmission technology (or simply the digital baby monitors).

Which Baby Monitors Cannot Be Hacked?

Though the baby monitor was initially invented to give us parents a peace of mind when we’re not near our babies, it has recently become a risky investment. This is based on the multiple “baby monitor hacked” reports we’re encountering almost every day. While some of the attackers might only be interested in scaring away […]

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