How to Pick Out a Nanny Camera for Home

Estimated Read Time: 5 Minutes

NOV 19

How to Pick Out a Nanny Camera for Home

At SpygearGagdets, we carry a wide selection of nanny cameras, so we understand it might be confusing picking out one for the first time. This is why we’ve put together this handy guide to help you get started.

Choose WiFi or Non-WiFi

One of the first things to decide is whether you need a WiFi or Non-WiFi hidden camera. Making this choice is usually dictated by a combination of two things - whether or not a WiFi connection is available, and whether or not live viewing is needed.

WiFi nanny cameras are some of our most popular hidden camera models, and have many features and benefits that you simply can’t get with a non-WiFi camera. The main benefit of a WiFi camera is that you can watch your video live on your smartphone or tablet. This allows you to keep an eye on your children while you’re away from home, or just keep an eye on your house while you’re at work.

WiFi cameras do require a WiFi connection wherever they are placed, so if the location you want to put the camera in doesn’t have WiFi, then you’d need a non-WiFi camera.

A non-WiFi hidden camera (also known as a self-recording nanny camera) is one that doesn’t require WiFi, and simply records to a memory card. These cameras are usually quicker to set up, and can often be used in more locations since they do not need a WiFi connection in order to operate.

With non-WiFi cameras, you set the camera to record video (most people use motion detection) and then you can watch your playback later on your PC or Mac by inserting the memory card into the computer for playback.

Select a Nanny Camera Style

After you have decided on whether you need a WiFi enabled nanny camera or not, the next decision to make is what style of camera you think would fit best for your particular situation.

Some of the most common hidden camera styles are wall chargers, clocks, and smoke detectors, but we have nanny cams built into many other objects as well.

In fact, one of our most popular styles of nanny cam is the DIY hidden camera kit, which is simply a pinhole camera and battery pack, which allows you to design your own hidden camera. This allows you to place the pinhole camera almost anywhere, even to build it into an object already in your own home (such as a tissue box).

The style of camera you choose will be highly dependent on the room you want to place it. After all, a camera hidden inside a teddy bear would probably look out of place in a kitchen, so you need to pick a style of camera that would blend in.

Choose the Features You Need

Once you’ve picked out the style of camera, you can also help narrow down which camera to go with based on the features you need. For example, if you are using a nanny cam for home security, you may want a hidden camera that has motion detection alerts. Motion alerts are ideal for home security because they can send you an instant notification to your smartphone if someone enters your home.

Another popular feature is night vision. Many of our nanny cameras have built in IR night vision sensors that allow you to see what’s going on, even in total darkness. Most hidden cameras have invisible 940nm “no glow” night vision sensors, so they won’t attract attention like most outdoor security cameras.

One you’ve decided on the features, there’s just one last thing to pick out, a memory card.

Select a Memory Card

One final option to consider is whether or not you want to use a memory card with your nanny camera. If you have a non-WiFi camera, then you need a memory card to record, since they are needed to record video. If you are going with a WiFi hidden camera however, a memory card is optional, and only needed if you want to record video in addition to live streaming.

Most WiFi spy cameras take memory cards up to 64GB or 128GB in capacity, so be sure to check the camera’s specifications to see what size they can accept.

The larger the memory card, the more video files it can store at once before overwriting the oldest files or before the card fills up. This makes larger cards more convenient, especially for long term use.