Camera and Apps for Baby Monitor

[coltonconor]

My wife and I are expecting our first child, and looking for recommendations for an IP camera for the baby's room. The requirements are:
-HD Resolution of 720P or higher
-The camera to have a built in microphone to hear the baby
-Zoom would be nice, either optical or digital
-Pan and Tilt would also be nice

Right now I have a Foscam FI9826PW Plug and Play 1.3-Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom H.264 Pan/Tilt Wireless IP Camera. The camera is alright, but the software seems buggy. We like the optical 3x zoom, pan, tilt, mic, and speaker built in. Its nice that it has wifi, but I do have a Ethernet jack next to the baby's crib, so wireless is not the issue.

At my office, I have a NestCam. I like the Nestcam because the apps are all the same across every platform (andorid and iOS), but it lacks tool useful for a baby monitor such as noise alerts, pan/tilt, and optical zoom. While its 1080P, the picture does not look as clear as the Foscam's 960P. Also, I wish Nestcam had an Ethernet jack built in.

The one product that seems to be a step up from the Foscam would be the Amcrest ProHD 1080P WiFi Wireless IP Security Camera - 1080P (1920TVL), IP2M-841 (Black). Its cheaper than the Foscam (which I can return), has 1080P instead of 960P, and seems to have Armcrest apps (though the ratings don't look great on the software).

Any thoughts to what to do for a baby camera?

 

[nayr]

Check this out, I think it would suite your needs well: https://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/9163-Dahua-Mini-Black-Face-PTZ-(SD29204S-GN)

works across platforms, has audio alarm...

FoScams are junk, send em all back if you can.. the best one they make is worth about $35, no idea why people pay near $200 for em.

and 1080p (2MP) is the new minimum, if its 720p (1MP) run away.. they have 4k cams on the market now (12MP) and 3MP, 4MP, 5MP, 6MP, 8MP cams.. more pixels is better for IPCams because it gives you an effective digital zoom without pixelation, think "Enhance" on CSI.. it does work, if you shot at an insanely high resolution

this is also a great option if you can live w/out PTZ, with that 2.8mm lens in a corner it'll see the entire room: http://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-DS-2CD2432F-IW-Wireless-microphone-Security/dp/B00UJMTQ6I

but I do like having a PTZ in the kids room, I have another dahua in there now... but would rather have the one I linked you in there... you can zoom in on em wherever they fall asleep and record there sleeping patterns for analyzing for health issues.. or find them when they decide to play with legos right under the camera's blindspot.

 

[coltonconor]

Nayr,

Thanks for the suggestions. That Dahua Mini Black Face PTZ (SD29204S-GN) looks really nice. Question, it looks like you would typically mount these in the ceiling/hanging. However, could you put their base on down like on-top of a dresser or crib? Would the image be upside down?

I have seen a couple other people recommend that Hikision, and it looks like a good solution as well. I like the idea of PoE and not having another power cable in there.

With both of these options what do you do about smartphone apps and access? My wife has Apple products, I have android, and we both have surface computers. I am worried about having different apps for each platform, and the complexity involved. I am involved in networking for my job so Ip port forwarding, DDNS, and HTTPS are no problem, but it has to be simple for my wife once setup.

 

[nayr]

you can flip the image internally so it'd sit on a table, but it wont be able to look down.. just straight out and up..

both Dahua and Hikvision have excellent apps for both iPhone/Android.

if your involved in networking at work then you'll be able to use a VPN, dont open ports.. cameras run full blown operating systems without security updates and should not be exposed to the internet unless you want them to be hacked.. both android/ios have built in VPN clients.. you just need to host a VPN server on your router or somewhere.

im sure a bunch of pervos on the internet would love to watch your wife breastfeed, just sayin.

 

[surfius]

Frankly speaking, I never used the camera and I don't see the necessity to put it. Really, we are always near each other with my child. Whether I go, he will be in the same room, even when he is sleeping. And honestly, I had no cases in 3 years, so I wouldn't trust my child and he never gave me a reason to follow him through the camera. More than all when he was small he always slept all day long, sometimes I even forgot that I have a child. LOL. Unfortunately, O had no milk and we fed him with the perfect whole formula for babies on stage 2. But on the other way, it was very convenient that my husband could help me with finding.

 

[SarahConarh]

Frankly speaking, I never used the camera and I don't see the necessity to put it. Really, we are always near each other with my child. Whether I go, he will be in the same room, even when he is sleeping. And honestly, I had no cases in 3 years, so I wouldn't trust my child and he never gave me a reason to follow him through the camera. More than all when he was small he always slept all day long, sometimes I even forgot that I have a child. LOL. Unfortunately, O had no milk and we fed him with the perfect whole formula for babies on stage 2. But on the other way, it was very convenient that my husband could help me with finding.

Do these guys provide discounts?I hope it will be a good acquisition as my budget is limited