HomeKit Baby monitors.

[cupcakes2000]

Any baby monitor suggestions? Was thinking about a Logitech circle view to use, but also heard good things about Arlo Baby, and that has the added benefit of being an actual specific baby monitor. Have a budget of around 200, and not really interested in a subscription model, outside of the 200gb iCloud sub I already have.
I like end to end encryption, that’s the biggest selling point for me.
What do others use?

 

[Itinj24]

Does the baby sleep in a place you can hear at any given time, anywhere in your home and would wake you up in the middle of the night if need be? If not, a dedicated baby monitor with a constant audio/video stream would be best. A Circle View would only work in this scenario if you have the stream constantly open. It’s more of a security camera. I used a Summer baby monitor with pan/tilt/zoom and came with a monitor screen/controller that lived on the night stand throughout the night. My wife and I were able to sleep knowing we wouldn’t miss a thing, not even the slightest sounds.

 

[pcd213]

Revisiting this thread...has anyone used an Arlo baby monitor before, or another app based monitor? I'm considering going with the cloud/app monitor style but was concerned about security/privacy.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Revisiting this thread...has anyone used an Arlo baby monitor before, or another app based monitor? I'm considering going with the cloud/app monitor style but was concerned about security/privacy.

That’s what I ended up getting actually. It’s ok, but you need very good wifi, and the supplied app is terrible. Works great with the home app though. Seems ok privacy wise, I’m privacy conscious myself, so I don’t use the recording features anyway. No need for that on a baby monitor, for me at least. Though I believe the recording go into you iCloud rather than their servers anyway, unless you pay a sub.
Anyway, I didn’t find a better one privacy wise, within my budget anyway.

 

[pcd213]

That’s what I ended up getting actually. It’s ok, but you need very good wifi, and the supplied app is terrible. Works great with the home app though. Seems ok privacy wise, I’m privacy conscious myself, so I don’t use the recording features anyway. No need for that on a baby monitor, for me at least. Though I believe the recording go into you iCloud rather than their servers anyway, unless you pay a sub.
Anyway, I didn’t find a better one privacy wise, within my budget anyway.

Does the webcam video appear in the Home app without you needing to use the Arlo app? Second to privacy, app quality is my next priority/concern.

 

[patton76]

We’ve been using the Arlo baby for the last 2,5 years too monitor our daughter - which is now 2,5 😊- without any problem. Arlo has become a trusted partner and never let us down. The nightvision is good, the fact you can have a live listening mode is very useful. It’s always in her room and we take it with us when we travel. As soon as she’s in her bed we turn on the Arlo on the iPad to monitor her. When we ourselves go to bed we use an iPhone to listen.

if you have any questions, let me know.
Dave

 

[pcd213]

We’ve been using the Arlo baby for the last 2,5 years too monitor our daughter - which is now 2,5 😊- without any problem. Arlo has become a trusted partner and never let us down. The nightvision is good, the fact you can have a live listening mode is very useful. It’s always in her room and we take it with us when we travel. As soon as she’s in her bed we turn on the Arlo on the iPad to monitor her. When we ourselves go to bed we use an iPhone to listen.

if you have any questions, let me know.
Dave

Thanks Dave! Do you know anything about their security/privacy?

 

[cupcakes2000]

Does the webcam video appear in the Home app without you needing to use the Arlo app? Second to privacy, app quality is my next priority/concern.

Video QT is amazing, as is the night vision. It does appear in the home app, but not sure what you mean without the Arlo app. You need the Arlo app initially I think - I’m not sure, to set it up. Also not all settings are available in The home app, so you’ll need it there too. But it works without interacting with the Arlo app most of the time.
You can listen without watching, whilst the phone is off- but you can only use the Arlo app for that, for example.
It’s definitely a good cam.

 

[patton76]

Thanks Dave! Do you know anything about their security/privacy?

The app has mandatory two factor authentication. You can make different users, so my wife and I have an account. In the past I made one for the babysit with limited rights, but in the end it was easier to just set up the iPad when they came over.

 

[pcd213]

The app has mandatory two factor authentication. You can make different users, so my wife and I have an account. In the past I made one for the babysit with limited rights, but in the end it was easier to just set up the iPad when they came over.

Last question...if I have do not disturb mode on after, say, 11pm, I won't get a notification from Arlo about a noise/crying, right? So is that why you maintained a totally separate device (the iPad) as your "monitor"?