Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Looking to set up a nannycam, anyone know how?

freeny

freeny

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 27, 2005
2,064
65
Location: Location:
My wife and I are looking to set up a nannycam to watch our 3yo and nanny. I know very little about this and am looking for anyone who knows how. We would like to peek in from our computers at work.

Of course Im pretty sure we need to start with the camera, any special software etc?
 
freeny said:
My wife and I are looking to set up a nannycam to watch our 3yo and nanny. I know very little about this and am looking for anyone who knows how. We would like to peek in from our computers at work.
Click to expand...
I don't have any experience with this but am interested in learning what you find out. We have at least one store here in Madison (the Alabama Spy Shop) that specializes in surveillance equipment and that's where I'd go if I were looking for such a thing; you might check your yellow pages to see if there's a similar kind of store near you.

Googling for "nanny cam" of course turned up a number of vendors (and, to my surprise, practically no smut!), but this guide seems to have some good, ostensibly objective information about some of your options.
 
Doctor Q said:
I've used an iSight with EvoCam and can confirm that the combination works.
Click to expand...

Likewise. iSight + Evocam is a good combo, it can stream real-time video to the net without a problem.
 
So do you set up a camera in every room of the house that you'd reasonably expect the nanny and child to be in? Is that just a decision that you have to make based on your personal comfort level?
 
So, um covert cameras in the house. I guess you guys will be watching them. But the question is, who will be watching you?

You could just hire a nanny you trust instead of doing the paranoid thing and setting up cameras all over the place.
 
Chundles said:
So, um covert cameras in the house. I guess you guys will be watching them. But the question is, who will be watching you?

You could just hire a nanny you trust instead of doing the paranoid thing and setting up cameras all over the place.
Click to expand...
I guess you dont have children do you?

You will never fully trust anyone alone with your child that is not a close family member.
And even some family members cant be fully trusted.
 
freeny said:
I guess you dont have children do you?

You will never fully trust anyone alone with your child that is not a close family member.
And even some family members cant be fully trusted.
Click to expand...


Just seems totally over the top to me.
 
Chundles said:
Just seems totally over the top to me.
Click to expand...

So is putting a GPS and camera in your teenagers' car. Mine are not driving age, yet, but I'd consider it. Heck, I'd take them to the vet for tracking chips, if it was legal. :D

I'll have at least one network camera in my house, if only for a virtual housewarming party in September ;)
 
Chundles said:
Just seems totally over the top to me.
Click to expand...
Again, I assume you dont have children.

You really do become a different person once you have children.
Your life becomes immediately secondary to the well being of your child.
I will bet you cant find a single parent that wouldnt lay down their life in a millisecond in benifit for their child.

From the moment of birth nothing will ever be safe enough for your child.

People without children will NEVER get it until they have their own.
This is why that once you have children you tend to loose touch with your friends without children and gravitate to others with children.

A total metamorphosis.

Having a camera watching your child is just another safety net.
 
It would probably be a good idea to check with local laws to ensure that you're not violating them. You'd think it'd be legal to record what's going on in your own home, but don't just assume that. Otherwise, if you're in a state or location which bans such activity without consent of anyone who might be seen with the system, you're looking at a potential lawsuit. I'm pretty sure that you can record whatever you want if you get consent, no matter where you live, but I'd look into it.

Of course, given that the iSight is by no means a covert camera, the nanny would probably know anyway.

FWIW, it's trivially easy to record audio discretely - far easier than video - and I think audio recordings are allowed in more places than video ones.
 
jsw said:
...You'd think it'd be legal to record what's going on in your own home, but don't just assume that. Otherwise, if you're in a state or location which bans such activity without consent of anyone who might be seen with the system, you're looking at a potential lawsuit.
Click to expand...

Just put a sign up at the end of your driveway that says "Premises Under Video Surveillance", put one camera in a very obvious location, and hide the rest. ;)
 
freeny said:
You really do become a different person once you have children....
Click to expand...

very true.

what sometimes people don't realize is that children can be so incredibly frustrating that even a parent can lose their temper. it is not so far fetched to imagine a nanny getting angry and doing something unwise to a child. it's like those commercials about never shaking a baby. (that made me feel sick) while i never ever would do such a thing, i can imagine how a person can get to that point. i love my son with all my heart but he can really piss you off. i have felt completely overwhelmed and just wanted him to shut the hell up. i am wise enough to just put him in his room and go sit by myself for a while but not every caretaker has done that. this is when abuse happens, and as a parent i would rather know if someone hit my child or what have you. (so i could then go and pummel them for it)
there is something to be said about the price of peace of mind.

good luck getting a good system worked out freeny.
 
Thanks blue.

In times when our son pisses off either my wife or myself, we usually pass them off to the other parent and take a breather. Its very rare that we both are pissed at the same time, so its good to have your spouse around.;)
 
freeny said:
Thanks blue.

In times when our son pisses off either my wife or myself, we usually pass them off to the other parent and take a breather. Its very rare that we both are pissed at the same time, so its good to have your spouse around.;)
Click to expand...

my husband works nights AND is a musician so he is seldom here. or when he is, he's sleeping. :rolleyes: so i'm more or less on my own with our son. the good news is that he'll be back on day shift again soon so perhaps i can have some semblence of a life again. but yeah, this is why it's good to have a spouce around, absolutely. :)
 
While i agree that having kids changes the way people think, act and feel. I also tend to agree with a previous poster that if you feel the need to have a cam with the current nanny you should probably just get another.

If you feel like you need the cam with any nanny, i hate to be the bearer of bad news but if they were going to be up to no good it makes it easier for them to plan out where and when to do it. They also then have "proof" at a later date that they haven't done anything wrong. And not telling them about the camera is an issue in many contries and states. Alot of the time you cannot film people without there knowlegde on private property. You may also be required to have the nanny sign a waiver to be completely above board.
 
i.Feature said:
... if you feel the need to have a cam with the current nanny you should probably just get another.
Click to expand...
If my wife and I were to hire a nanny to look after our as-yet nonexistent children, we would put her through a screening process of some kind. We would need to have really positive endorsements for her from past employers and other character references. We'd need to verify that she's fully qualified to do this kind of job. We're not just going to hire some random stranger to look after our kids.

But even given all of that, there's going be a kind of trial period up-front where we want to be sure that she's the right person to be taking care of our kids. She's got to earn our trust. I can imagine that after some period of time, after we've come to know and trust this person, that we wouldn't feel the need to check up on her.
 
After checking the New York Sate laws on the matter I have found that I do not need to inform the nanny.

I guess its really up to the parents and from this thread we can see there are different opinions on the matter.

Finding a nanny and a good one at that is not all that easy in NYC. You can screen for months before finding the right one, and some people dont have that time.

Nanny services are $$$$, so finding one yourself is at times the only option. Our last nanny of 2+ years was really good but was "nanny jacked" from us by someone who was willing to pay allot more.

Some times a nanny who puts on a good face for the interviews and grace period will slowly become complacent and start to slack after a while as our has. A reassessment may be necessary. Things become a whole lot different once there is a face to your child.

Simple things like feeding your kid the same meal day after day because its easy becomes a reality and the need to check in becomes a nessessary option.

People who dont have children, even the ones who are expecting cant understand or relate. Im a different person then before birth, and that includes the time while my wife was pregnant.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back