SUMMARY
This article describes how to setup a high quality baby monitoring system. The system uses a small footprint cheap wi-fi camera, and is accessible
both from a computer browser as well as any mobile device, Android or iOS (any iPhone, etc.)
I use the system described here in my apartment to monitor my 2 daughters, Laia and Sofia, 2 years and 2 months respectively, while we watch TV in the evening.
We output the image onto a 42" LED TV which is setup next to my projector. The pictures below illustrate it better:
GETTING STARTED
Let's star going through the list.
1. The wireless camera: Foscam FI8910W
Many options available here. After trying a few, I settled with the very simple Foscam FI8910W. This is a very cheap camera
that does an excellent job. It has a 640x480 resolution, which is plenty enough to watch your baby, and it comes in black or white -
I always prefer white, blends in much better with the surroundings. Probably the best feature of the camera is its infrared vision
which lets you watch your baby clearly in a pitch black room. You can configure it to auto-turn on when it detects the room is
starting to get dark. This way you can enjoy the vibrant color image during the day, and at night automatically cut into infrared mode.
The camera comes with software and simple instructions, and it's easy to setup. You can use a wired ethernet connection, or you can
have it connect to your wireless network - which is what I did. As long as you are within range, the wireless connection is very stable
and works very well. You can also control the camera remotely, and have it pan and tilt which is very handy. The range of motion is great
and you can use to pretty much scan an entire room if you mount the camera on the ceiling.
The camera comes with the base and wall bracket, and necessary hardware to mount them on a wall if you want to do that. It also
comes with a small power adaptor to power it up.
 
Price: Typically $60
Other options you can consider:
-Foscam FI9821W. This is the 720p version of the same camera. It's a newer model, with a higher resolution image and the same capabilities otherwise. I also own
one of these, and it works well, but in my experience I find that it is a little slower to start up and manipulate, and generally slightly less stable
than the "classic" version. Like I said, it does offer a sharper image, and costs a few more bucks. If you have a fast network at home and you don't mind spending
a few more bucks, you can try it.
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-Dropcam Pro. This is a pricier camera, has a few nice features. For one, it's small, and it has a nice app to manage it. It also
has a nice wide angle lens on it, and an easy setup process. I endorse it, though you are going to be paying about 3-4x what you
will pay for the Foscams. In my opinion, not worth it, but not a bad choice either.
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2. How to monitor the cameras
You can manage the Foscam cameras from a web browser or from an app on your phone. Foscam provides
a free app for both iPhones/iOS devices, as well as for Android. Both the browser and the app work well,
they let you watch the video feed, change resolution, change infrared settings, and move the camera around.
You can also change things like brightness and contrast.
The app I personally use on iOS is called IP Cam Viewer, and costs $3.99. It is super stable and lets you view
and manage the cameras very well
You can make your cameras available just in your own wireless network (home or apartment), or you can make them avaiable
through the open internet (obviously, you will want to setup a strong password for the camera if you do that, as well as
pick some non-obvious port rather than running on the default port 80). Setting access through the internet so you can watch
on your phone from anywhere requires setting up a dynamic DNS service, or having a fixed IP, and configuring your internet router
to do port forwarding so requests are forwarded to your camera. This is explained in the camera manual, but requires a bit of
tech skills. If you are interested, write in and I will post a detailed article on how to do it step by step.
Sample screen shot of the Foscam web browser monitoring interface:
A few people have also asked me about a good quality inexpensive TV that they can use as a baby monitor, like the one I showed on the pictures above.
I like the 42" size for this, not too big and very manageable. Here are a few suggestions:
highly reviewed TVs
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