Could my baby monitor get hacked?

A wi-fi video baby monitor, also known as smart video baby monitor, comes with a camera and a corresponding app. Unlike standard video or audio monitors, you can remotely check in on your baby using your smartphone, tablet and in some cases, your computer.

Smart baby monitors are a useful bit of kit to own as you can look at your little one wherever you are, as long as you have a good wi-fi connection.

However, if the manufacturer hasn't built proper security features in the baby monitor, it could also get hacked and pose a risk your privacy and security. Find out what you need to know about smart baby monitors.

Jump straight to our baby monitor reviews to compare 69 monitors, including 18 Best Buys and 6 Great Value baby monitors

Our smart baby monitor test results

Of the 76 baby monitors we’ve tested and reviewed, 36 are smart monitors. And, on the whole, they were impressive in terms of range and ease of use. Ten smart monitors scored highly enough to get our Best Buy recommendation and quite a few just missed the cut-off point. See our highest-scoring smart baby monitors. 

Smart monitors aren’t generally cheap and only one model managed to earn our Great Value badge, as there aren’t many lower-priced models available. But on the whole, they aren’t much more expensive than higher-end units we’ve tested that don’t have wi-fi and the average cost is £120 (although, one does cost nearly £350). Poor battery life for the parent units was the most common drawback we found among the higher-scoring smart baby monitors. For a warts-and-all overview of the range, read our three Don’t Buy smart baby monitor reviews so you know which ones to avoid.

How easy it is to hack a wi-fi baby monitor

Any product that is connected to the internet without proper security could in theory be hacked by someone with malicious intent, including a baby monitor. 

The likelihood of it happening is thankfully still relatively low, but there are disturbing stories of baby monitors being hacked by strangers who are then able to project their voice through the monitor's speaker.

Additionally, footage from hacked baby monitors has ended up on rogue websites, enabling strangers to watch it.

We assess every baby monitor that we test for how they protect your privacy and security. 

Keep your costs down and kids happy. Sign up for our Family newsletter, it's free monthly

How can I keep my baby monitor safe from hackers?

Hackers tend to crawl the web to find unsecured cameras, and then exploit them. They may do this for criminal gain, or just for kicks, either way you can protect yourself from this activity.

If you've got a baby monitor that can be used over the internet or one that updates data to the Cloud or any third-party site, here's how to keep it as secure as possible:

• Set strong passwords: Set up your camera with a strong password that isn't a repeat of passwords you've used elsewhere. Do not use any default passwords supplied with the baby monitor as they may already be known to hackers. Make sure your home wi-fi router has a strong password, too. 
• Two-factor authentication: Make sure you go the default settings and activate all of the security features available to you, including two-factor authentication if it is available. This is a useful extra layer of security.
• Run updates: Check for any security software updates for the camera and app regularly and make sure to install them. In some cases you can enable updates to run automatically.
• Care what you share: Turn off remote access to your baby monitor if you don't need it. Don't leave it open as a little eye in the room when it's not being used. 
• Demand better security: Don't be afraid to badger a retailer or manufacturer about the security of a device you are considering. The more people ask, the more security will become their priority. 

Best baby monitors - see which impress in our tough tests, how parents rate their brand of baby monitor and tips for buying second-hand

Security cameras are not baby monitors

You’ll find plenty of wi-fi enabled cameras at temptingly-cheap prices on online marketplaces that claim they are suitable to use to monitor your baby. 

However, our testing has not only exposed security issues with wireless cameras, but also that they are more suited to detecting intruders than monitoring your baby’s sleep. 

Don't be tempted to use a wireless security camera as a baby monitor. With Best Buy baby monitors available for as little as £25, there really is no need to do so.

How we test wi-fi baby monitors

Our privacy investigation was a quick snapshot of the vulnerabilities of some popular models, but with more wi-fi baby monitors available to buy now – and many parents potentially unaware of the security issues they could be faced with – we think testing the privacy of wi-fi baby monitors is essential. 

For any wi-fi monitor we'll assess how secure they are and check for any vulnerabilities you may need to know about, such as unsecured data or weak password requirements and if any data could be intercepted.

So you can have peace of mind that you're choosing a safe wi-fi baby monitor to help keep an eye on your baby.

Find out more about how we test baby monitors.