Can you use a Nest Cam as a baby monitor? (Watch before buying!)

[@allystanhope4431]

The nest can be a good option as a baby monitor depending on 2 things… 1) layout of your home and therefore monitoring needs and 2) existing investment in the nest eco system. We had a vtech video monitor that bit the dust after 2 months. We already have one nest hub on our main floor so decided to give the nest cam a try since it’s way cheaper than a baby monitor and we only really used the camera/audio on our last monitor and none of the baby centered features. We don’t need a monitor at night because the door to our baby’s room is literally right next to ours so we can hear everything and before now he was sleeping in our room. The nest cam has been working perfectly for us and even with buying an extra google hub for our family room is half the cost of nanit, plus we get monitoring screens outside of our phones.

[@johnrhernandez2342]

I've been using the nest camera for 3 years as a baby monitor, The only draw back I see is the price tag. You do not need background audio when you have the app alerting you of motion. You can also access the camera feed remotely. All you have to do is open up the phone on your app when you receive the alert. You can also just open up any device that can run a browser or the app and you can have your "continuous background audio." There is no missing key feature and its absolutely not crucial.

[@tannazafshar5107]

are the notifications loud enough for overnight sleep? how do you alerted overnight?

[@johnrhernandez2342]

@@tannazafshar5107 It is plenty loud enough for me at night. I turn my phone up volume max and I block other app notification. And if I am too far away. I open up the browser on my laptop or desktop and of course with all the different options of bluetooth and wired desktop speakers, getting alerted will not be a problem if you already have those extra resources.

[@mjw056]

1:29 is where the video starts

[@cmart7164]

Sick of these you tubers waiting till half the vid to get to the point

[@Fathercraft]

Awww - you think I’m a KZbinr?? 🥰

[@tannazafshar5107]

An easy work around for the background audio issue is to get a supplemental audio monitor. Can also travel with it too. The combo Nest and audio monitor is still cheaper than the Nanit and comparables but with a crucial point--added security. The Nest cam has never been hacked, however several reports of Nanit and others hacked (happed to a friend of mine).

[@TubeSwarn]

Totally agree. Most of the budget and mid range baby monitors are trash. They will not even last one year. These security monitors like nest or blink or ring are pretty reliable. Paired with simple simple audio monitors which will cost you $30 bucks is a good alternative and way cheaper and reliable. Once your baby grows older you can still use your security system.

[@A4AveryAndCian]

Can you link to an audio monitor?

[@bradscott2432]

I had a spare nest cam that i decided to set up as a baby monitor but I have an old samsung galaxy tab next to my bed with the running and the screen set to always on. I then have another app running on top of that called 'black me' so i can keep the screen off but still hear the audio then I can just tap the screen to turn it on if needed

[@Fathercraft]

Hey Brad - thanks for the info! That seems like quite the setup.

[@Fathercraft]

Would it be all right if we add this to our blog post on the subject Brad? Seems like a cool idea to share with our readers! fathercraft.com/nest-cam-baby-monitor/

[@Fathercraft]

Have you tried the Nest Cam as a baby monitor? What else are you considering? We'd love to hear! Also, be sure to check out our best baby monitors of 2019 video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpDYlZyngNGMq7c

[@NomosCharis]

We just started using it as a baby monitor. It's a bit of a hassle, but I just keep the app open all night while I'm charging my phone. Might create other probs, but it solves this one

[@thomasanderson7734]

Along with all of the comments indicating that the notifications letting you know to look in and see what's going on, you can also get a smart screen like the nest home hub and have it dedicated to the cam feed and problem solved if this is truly a non starter for you. This is personal preference though for sure and the tech as is works great as a baby monitor.

[@wadebrost7105]

Our friends have used this for both of their kids over the last 5years and it works great.

[@Fathercraft]

Good to know, thanks Wade!

[@verang6494]

What frequency is Nest running on? Im concerned on the emf emission to the baby.

[@Ugene12]

Nice vid. Is there something you would recommend as Id say in three years a lot could have changed in the baby cam market

[@SimonCher]

True, if you only have one phone/parent-unit at your disposal then this is not optimal. But for the rest of us who have old phones/ipads laying around it is a great option. We also have multiple nest displays in the house and we can cast the video to those as well.

[@Fathercraft]

Are you capable of hearing the audio with the app closed on your devices? That’s always been my biggest point of contention.

[@SimonCher]

@@Fathercraft we have an old iphone and an old ipad that never get any use otherwise. These have become dedicated baby monitors running the nest app, so we never close the app... I haven't experimented with closed apps.

[@Smiley9339]

Ive a google nest but we notice we need to keep the app running on the phone with as a monitor as well so what to do?

[@chasemearound15]

I use nest cam linked to a dedicated iPad as well as our phones and overall am happy with the result but do notice brief connection issues with fast network connection. We tried the alro baby for a while but didn’t notice a justifying change. The owlet has been our number one piece of mind since we brought our daughter home (which is flawless)

[@Fathercraft]

Hey there, thanks for the info. Yep, dedicated iPad is the way to go with Nest Cam, for sure ... and we definitely like peace of mind with the Owlet. All the best with your daughter! Paul

[@BusterJiggs11]

Do you have any recommendations instead that offer background audio? (Aside from Nanit!)

[@yevgeniysheludko5648]

While still pregnant, I clearly understood that I could not do without a baby monitor in my house! Moreover, the nursery is far away, and you worry about the child all the time and do not want to leave one unattended. We bought a baby monitor from MonBaby and do not regret buying. Everything works fine, responds to all functions and never fails.

[@chi-chiowunwanne8384]

Thanks for the review. My issue is exactly what you mentioned as the draw back. So what do you recommend?

[@Fathercraft]

You could get a cheap v-tech audio monitor

[@crispinvelez300]

@@Fathercraft how about if I have a Google Home and leave the Nest App Camera feed open on it?

[@MrPilotRose]

Way too much time wasted on asking folks to subscribe; however, thanks for the video as it was good to think about that caveat with the Nest.

[@cdub702]

We use two old Apple devices (2 iPads) with the cloud baby monitor app. It works flawlessly and the video quality is awesome

[@Fathercraft]

That’s a solid option Chris. We use that app when traveling.

[@bewhee]

Easy fix if you wear a smartwatch. Add an exception for the app on your DND/sleep mode and you’ll get vibrations to your wrist. Those will never go unnoticed.

[@musalrubi2718]

Can the Nest Hub Max be used as monitor combined with Nest cam (or any other cam compatible with google home) ? Anyone tried it ? Live stream works on the nest hub max? Thanks for your feedback, as this will help me monitoring my new babies born .

[@zacharys8090]

As a father of two, not being able to hear the baby at all times is what my wife and I prefer. We let our kiddos cry it out. And if you want to hear the notification, you can easily set the notification for the nest cam to bypass your do not disturb.

[@Fathercraft]

Hi Zachary - we definitely agree, being able to hear your baby at all times is a double edged sword. However, when I’m sleeping notifications very rarely will wake me up so I have to have the volume turned way up - haha.

[@zacharys8090]

@@Fathercraft very true. Would rather be woken by sounds, then my angry wife wondering why I didn't help change the kiddo/feed them at night.

[@seththeskier]

Hey Zachary, would you be up to chat for 15 mins about how this is working for you? I'm actually working on a baby monitor app designed that integrates with Nest and I'd love to get your feedback.

[@zacharys8090]

@@seththeskier I don't actually use the Nest as a baby monitor. I use the Eufy Baby cam. Having a non IoT monitor meant much faster access to cam footage, more secure (don't have to worry about someone hacking my cam feed), and much MUCH more reliable.

[@LeeLeeYani]

Is the infrared vision safe for prolonged exposure to baby's eyes? And what is a safe distance away?

[@Fathercraft]

Hi - the infrared light will only activate in night vision mode when, theoretically, your baby is sleeping and even then the light is barely noticeable. Nanit recommends that the monitor is 6 feet from the floor.

[@BrentGerno]

This is the ideal solution for my apartment-with-audiophone-and-doorbel-camera-problem. I life in a apartment with an audiophone to let people downstairs. I have a netatmo cameradoorbell upstairs but offcourse this is kind of worthless when you take into consideration I still can’t remotely open the door downstairs when I’m not home. What I did is the following; my Google nest cam detects the sound as soon as someone rings the audiophone, this sends a message to IFTTT, wich triggers a Switchbot Bot button ON the audiophone To open the door. Then when the visitor is up they ring my netatmo doorbell, wich triggers my NUKI smartlock and opens the door.. just tell me I’m a genius

[@scubasteve22_84]

This is why google recommends using a nest hub display to pair it with if you want to use it as a baby monitor

[@Fathercraft]

I am actually working on a review of how this works. One downside I see is the fact that the nest hub is stationary meaning I can’t stick it in my pocket.

[@hogkill64]

But can't you use a Google hub next to your bed? Phone should be a secondary device.

[@djvdiddy]

That is my question! What if you have the Nest cam with a Google hub? Is it then a fully functioning baby monitor

[@pedroquinones4633]

I agree. If you have a nest hub max it’ll always be on.

[@djvdiddy]

@@pedroquinones4633 I’ve tested it out and it is perfect! I tested it with my Nest doorbell camera. Just opened the video feed for the doorbell on the Hub and just left it on for 2 hours. Screen and audio stays on for as long as you want, which is awesome! Definitely getting the Nest indoor camera. What’s cool is we can name the camera our baby’s name, then when we want to see her, all we have to do is say “Google, show me Lyla”. Really is perfect for a baby monitor!

[@Shawoonaxx]

@@djvdiddy any tips on how to ge the feed to stay on the hub (not max) all night? After a few minutes our hub screen goes dark.

[@djvdiddy]

@@Shawoonaxx hmmm. Haven’t had that issue. I do notice though when I give Google the command to “show me the nursery” video feed, it eventually cuts off in the night, randomly. Not all the time. But if I open the video manually on the Google hub(Max or regular hub) it stays on all night with no issues. Maybe check your settings? Honestly not sure though

[@rgferreira78]

I'm no expert but you might overcome that missing feature by using IFTTT and enabling recipes such as "if nest detects motion or sound then send a notification to my phone" or many others.

[@Fathercraft]

Ha - we’re not experts either. That’s why we recommend a monitor that has that kind of function built in.

[@askSergeyBelov]

Forward to 3:08. Issue with background noise. You’re welcome.

[@Fathercraft]

Thank you so much!!

[@allentracy5794]

We have Echo Shows around the house and have the Nest cam streaming to them. Amazing quality and large video screen, easy to see anywhere in the room. With our Apple TV we can also just have the video up on our television through their app for a gigantic baby monitor, it's awesome.

[@Fathercraft]

Woah that's pretty cool Allen! Would it be alright if we added this idea to our blog post on the subject? fathercraft.com/nest-cam-baby-monitor/

[@joshuahaney1135]

Yeah but it only shows video for 10 minutes

[@allentracy5794]

@@joshuahaney1135 ours stays on longer than 10 minutes unless there's a new update that cuts it off after 10 minutes.

[@joshuahaney1135]

@@allentracy5794 What camera are you using

[@allentracy5794]

@@joshuahaney1135 Nest regular indoor, Nest regular outdoor, and Nest IQ outdoor. I haven't tried streaming for longer than 10mins in a few months though so maybe one of the updates to either the Echo or the cameras is limiting it now. We also have a Nanit camera which is our favorite baby monitor but won't be able to use it as a regular security camera after we're done with it. The Nanit definitely streams longer than 10mins.

[@DK-wd8ju]

trying to decide between Miku, Nanit, or Owlet + Owlet Cam. Would love a review on those 3 together and side by side comparison!

[@velmag583]

D K did you catch the miku/nanit video

[@butterflyyxox]

Hi, i watched almost all your baby moniter reviews..thanks they're great!! But i really need to know something, isnt there any chargable baby moniter that is wireless (i can take with me anywhere) and wifi (stream live video and audio) baby moniter? I need something that is easy for me to take with me to my parents house, or my friend's house etc... which is also a wifi one?

[@Fathercraft]

Hey there, thanks for the kind words! Arlo Baby does what you describe (though not our favorite monitor by a long shot), but battery life is probably only long enough for a nap, not overnight. We find Nanit to be quite portable, but it does need to be plugged in, no battery on the camera. Hope that helps! Paul

[@jakeryankvoe]

Man I love your videos. Due for a baby girl August 18th! I've been using your reviews to make good purchases for the baby room! Keep it up man!

[@Fathercraft]

Thanks Jake! Really appreciate it!

[@pacersgo]

Makes sense. Thank you!

[@Catalanskrr]

I mean, you don’t leave the kid alone for a long time normally. So you just check in every now and then in the app and see if everything is okey. I don’t think background audio is to important tbh.

[@TheWholesalingPodcast]

Great review! Thanks!

[@joshuahaney1135]

I wish there was a baby monitor where you can watch on Alexa that would actually stay on all night long instead of 10 minutes

[@djvdiddy]

What if you have the best cam with a hub? Is it then a fully functioning baby monitor

[@Fathercraft]

It needs to have background audio to be a viable baby monitor in my opinion. Unless you also use a stand alone audio monitor with it.

[@scubasteve22_84]

It’ll work, if you have a hub say in the living room while you watch tv and you have it on your coffee table then it’s a solid setup

[@michaelsoto9232]

Can you leave the app running?

[@Fathercraft]

You can but if you close the audio goes away.

[@markfischer9893]

What about using an nest camera and then also using an Google Hub as the "parent device" that could be left on and can easily carry around the house. Has anyone had issues with that solution?

[@Fathercraft]

Haven't tried it Mark, but sounds like it could work.

[@DutchTesla]

That’s how i do it. Only the hub needs to be plugged in always.

[@DE480FC]

Exactly

[@PrestonGladd]

Missed opportunity with this video. Instead of only saying you don’t think it’s viable you should have given other options to check out and why you recommend those, then linked an affiliate link to Amazon to purchase.

[@lutoph]

They have several other videos dedicated to just that.

[@texcc789us]

The logic of not having or not wanting to have an independent parent monitor, regardless if it came with the camera or if it’s like an old iPad, because it’s too many things to carry around, assumes that you don’t use for phone for anything else besides monitoring your child. Why would someone shut off their communication to the world to run a baby monitor over night, when I could just use a separate monitor. And if that logic assumes they can be reached by xy or z method, then they start to assume that people know what they do and should reach out by xy or z method instead. Moral of this story is use a separate primary parent monitor rather than your phone because unless you want to lock up your phone during those times, you wouldn’t want to go that route.

[@Fathercraft]

Good day. One has the ability to use both one’s phone and baby monitor application at the same time. No need to shut off one will the other is in use.

[@snowboarderrx]

Using the nest cam with a dedicated Ipad for monitoring.

[@surgetkl]

MDPstudios how has this worked out? This is what I plan on doing

[@snowboarderrx]

Works great. The sound is slightly delayed but it hasn’t been an issue

[@1990kurder]

I subbed because of this video.

[@CGMediaproductions]

Nest Cams provide no background audio. There's your answer.

[@Fathercraft]

Yes indeed!

[@mannysanchez7465]

@@Fathercraft What do you recommend that does have background audio?

[@Fathercraft]

@@mannysanchez7465 the Nanit, Miku, or Lollipop. Check out the reviews on our channel homepage if helpful!

[@bruisedleee]

@@Fathercraft thanks!

[@samanthadensberger1253]

What about the Nest Cam IQ? Do they have the same background audio issue?

[@CallmeMrStar]

Liked & subbed

[@athomson999]

Nothing but feedback in the audio. Can't hear a thing.

[@goodtimes5716]

Come on get to the point

[@Phormidable3]

Didn’t have to be a long story...get to the point!!

[@Fathercraft]

Dude - I “get to the point” 1:30 in!!