5 ms·

Except a $10 spare smartphone can be turned into a wifi camera very easily. So it only works if they are using one of those two off the shelf cameras.

by ck2 11y ago

aaronem 11y ago
So says the script's own front matter, and it is at least better than nothing.
lordnacho 11y ago
The smartphone can also be its own WiFi network that beams an IP camera's output to the owner. No way to stop that with this script.
pavel_lishin 11y ago
Are there any guides to doing this? We're about to have a baby, and don't want to drop a few hundred bucks on a baby video monitor system - I'd rather just ziptie a phone to the shelf above the crib.
- grahamburger 11y ago
  Search either app store for 'baby monitor' and take your pick. I can't remember the name of the one we settled on when my son was born earlier this year but all of the ones I tried worked reasonably well.
- jonknee 11y ago
  There are a lot of apps that do this. http://www.igeeksblog.com/iphone-apps-to-use-iphone-as-webcam/ http://www.igeeksblog.com/iphone-apps-to-use-iphone-as-webca... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam...
- JabavuAdams 11y ago
  Q: Why do you want a baby monitor? We got one as a gift, but hardly used it. Of course both my kids are little Darth Shnorkulas. I just can't really think of a scenario where the monitor helps. I mean I've had those panicked moments where I'm like "Is my kid dead, and I've just been sitting here playing computer games?" But either get up and check, or just keep playing. They almost never die.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    Some children sleep in rooms that have decent sound insulation, and the parents want to know if the child is awake and distressed. (You don't start sleep training a child who is under 6 months.)
    - JabavuAdams 11y ago
      Don't worry, you'll know when they're awake and distressed. I tend to let kids cry for at least a minute before intervening, well, unless they're old enough to be asking for help. The alternative is madness and leads to divorce or murder-suicide. EDIT> Actually, I just made that number up. It's all context. My main warning / peeve is that our unrealistic standards of care as modern, educated, intelligent, self-improvement-minded parents actually leads to a shitty child-rearing experience that produces somewhat shitty children, rather than a more laissez-faire approach. Crying is like the weather. We don't always have to fix it.
      - pavel_lishin 11y ago
        I agree with you, and hope I'll be strong enough as a parent to not always come running when my kid starts crying.
        DanBC 11y ago
        When the child is under 6 months you probably don't want to delay when the child is crying. Under 6 months they cry to communicate a need - they're hungry; they need changing; they're in pain; they're cold' they're lonely. Most people think it's a good idea to address those needs. Even the people who like sleep training think you probably shouldn't start when the child is under 6 months. There are a couple of people who think you can start sleep training under 6 months (Ferber; Gina Ford), but even Ferber sets a minimum age of 4 months. If you are going to go down the "cry it out" route you will want to carefully investigate the different systems. Some of them have been discredited as harmful and cruel. Ferberization (or Gina Ford, they're pretty similar) is about the harshest system that a modern parent could get away with, but you need to be aware that a lot of people hate this method.
- brbsix 11y ago
  No need for a guide. I've done this several times and it's very simple. Assuming you have an Android, use the following app: IP Webcam https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam It will be accessible on the local network via web browser (it starts a web server on the phone) or client app on another phone (e.g. tinyCam Monitor).
- lostlogin 11y ago
  I saw a great app that turned old iOS devices into baby monitors. It wasn't the one I link to below, but you get the idea. Another weird hack was to buy a pair of cheap phones with unlimited minutes or unlimited to one number on one of them. Dumb phones are best as the battery is better. Then just call the phone and leave the call running. Unlimited range as long as you have cell signal. Telcomes here in NZ got wise and limited the minutes of a call. Cloud Baby Monitor https://appsto.re/nz/N99Yz.i https://appsto.re/nz/N99Yz.i

Except a $10 spare smartphone can be turned into a wifi camera very easily. So it only works if they are using one of those two off the shelf cameras.

by ck2 11y ago

Except a $10 spare smartphone can be turned into a wifi camera very easily. So it only works if they are using one of those two off the shelf cameras.

aaronem 11y ago

So says the script's own front matter, and it is at least better than nothing.

lordnacho 11y ago

The smartphone can also be its own WiFi network that beams an IP camera's output to the owner. No way to stop that with this script.

pavel_lishin 11y ago

Are there any guides to doing this? We're about to have a baby, and don't want to drop a few hundred bucks on a baby video monitor system - I'd rather just ziptie a phone to the shelf above the crib.

grahamburger 11y ago
Search either app store for 'baby monitor' and take your pick. I can't remember the name of the one we settled on when my son was born earlier this year but all of the ones I tried worked reasonably well.
jonknee 11y ago
There are a lot of apps that do this. http://www.igeeksblog.com/iphone-apps-to-use-iphone-as-webcam/ http://www.igeeksblog.com/iphone-apps-to-use-iphone-as-webca... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam...
JabavuAdams 11y ago
Q: Why do you want a baby monitor? We got one as a gift, but hardly used it. Of course both my kids are little Darth Shnorkulas. I just can't really think of a scenario where the monitor helps. I mean I've had those panicked moments where I'm like "Is my kid dead, and I've just been sitting here playing computer games?" But either get up and check, or just keep playing. They almost never die.
- DanBC 11y ago
  Some children sleep in rooms that have decent sound insulation, and the parents want to know if the child is awake and distressed. (You don't start sleep training a child who is under 6 months.)
  - JabavuAdams 11y ago
    Don't worry, you'll know when they're awake and distressed. I tend to let kids cry for at least a minute before intervening, well, unless they're old enough to be asking for help. The alternative is madness and leads to divorce or murder-suicide. EDIT> Actually, I just made that number up. It's all context. My main warning / peeve is that our unrealistic standards of care as modern, educated, intelligent, self-improvement-minded parents actually leads to a shitty child-rearing experience that produces somewhat shitty children, rather than a more laissez-faire approach. Crying is like the weather. We don't always have to fix it.
    - pavel_lishin 11y ago
      I agree with you, and hope I'll be strong enough as a parent to not always come running when my kid starts crying.
      - DanBC 11y ago
        When the child is under 6 months you probably don't want to delay when the child is crying. Under 6 months they cry to communicate a need - they're hungry; they need changing; they're in pain; they're cold' they're lonely. Most people think it's a good idea to address those needs. Even the people who like sleep training think you probably shouldn't start when the child is under 6 months. There are a couple of people who think you can start sleep training under 6 months (Ferber; Gina Ford), but even Ferber sets a minimum age of 4 months. If you are going to go down the "cry it out" route you will want to carefully investigate the different systems. Some of them have been discredited as harmful and cruel. Ferberization (or Gina Ford, they're pretty similar) is about the harshest system that a modern parent could get away with, but you need to be aware that a lot of people hate this method.
brbsix 11y ago
No need for a guide. I've done this several times and it's very simple. Assuming you have an Android, use the following app: IP Webcam https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam It will be accessible on the local network via web browser (it starts a web server on the phone) or client app on another phone (e.g. tinyCam Monitor).
lostlogin 11y ago
I saw a great app that turned old iOS devices into baby monitors. It wasn't the one I link to below, but you get the idea. Another weird hack was to buy a pair of cheap phones with unlimited minutes or unlimited to one number on one of them. Dumb phones are best as the battery is better. Then just call the phone and leave the call running. Unlimited range as long as you have cell signal. Telcomes here in NZ got wise and limited the minutes of a call. Cloud Baby Monitor https://appsto.re/nz/N99Yz.i https://appsto.re/nz/N99Yz.i