As a new parent, most of your time is spent taking care of your new baby—but while you might be watching over them for the majority of the day, you can’t keep an eye on them 24/7. Work meetings and other commitments can take time away, and sometimes you need to just let your baby rest.
Baby monitors are the perfect way to continue watching your child even while they’re in another room napping or sleeping for the night. These devices will transmit noise to you whenever your child is dealing with sleep disturbances, allowing you to quickly react to ensure they’re okay. Modern technology has improved the ways these devices work, allowing parents to even work out in the yard while listening in on their baby.
But when it comes to modern technology that relies on digital transmission, one of the most common things people think about is hacking—whether that is having a cellphone hacked, a computer hit by a virus, or a home security system being commandeered by someone who’s accessed your home Wi-Fi network. With this worry in mind, the question arises: Can your baby monitor get hacked?
The short answer is yes, internet-connected baby devices can be hacked like any other device that uses the internet. But the point that requires consideration is how they can be hacked and what ways you, as a parent, can help reduce the chance of a potential hack.
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Baby Monitors Most At-Risk for Hackers
Traditional baby monitors that rely solely on radio waves are unlikely to be hacked. Why? Because a hacker would have to access the specific frequency that is being used to transmit audio from the baby’s device to the parents’. Furthermore, many brands will utilize encrypted channels for communication, which makes it more difficult to access as a hacker.
However, Wi-Fi monitors work by connecting to your home’s internet network. Many digital devices also rely on the Internet of Things (IoT) for information sharing nowadays, where data is shared and easily accessible across many different devices. This internet connection is a particularly weak spot, as it leaves devices open to a potential breach—if an internet network can be hacked, it is very easy to then access all devices connected across it.
How to Prevent Your Baby Monitor from Getting Hacked
Modern baby monitors are the norm nowadays, meaning that many parents are utilizing devices which work off of Wi-Fi connections that require a transmitter which collects audio and video and shares it to an interconnected app that can be accessed via a parent’s phone, tablet, or computer. While this channel of data sharing can be hacked, there is a way to prevent hacks from ever taking place. Here are some of the most reliable methods:
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Update Your Baby Monitor’s Software Regularly
It’s important to regularly update the software of any digital device you use, as the device will make improvements to its firmware and security applications. The same goes for your baby monitor and any security cameras you might have in your home. Potential security glitches happen, and they can be caught and fixed by conducting a software update.
If you’ve noticed that your baby monitor hasn’t released an update in some time, it might be time to get a new one. Apps regularly undergo updates to improve the security of such devices, helping to reduce the possibility of hacks.
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Make a Custom User ID and Password That Are Not Easy to Guess
One of the simplest ways to increase the security of your digital accounts and devices is to regularly update your user ID and password—particularly the latter. This is especially true of digital baby monitors, which will often come with a default user ID and password. If left unchanged, all a hacker needs to do is look them up and, suddenly, they’ve hacked into your device with no issue at all.
This process involves more than changing your password to the same one you use for your Facebook, Instagram, and email accounts. You should be using a different password and username. Why? Because if a hacker learns it from one account, they will test it for continuity across other sites, leaving your personal information, privacy, and security vulnerable.
To keep things fresh, use variations of user IDs that are still accessible. Furthermore, make your passwords indistinguishable from one another: Don’t use whole words, don’t use repeating numbers, use a mix of upper- and lowercase letters, make it longer than nine characters, and use symbols and numbers. This will make it more difficult for a hacker to access your baby’s monitor.
Here’s an example of a good and bad password:
Bad: allmylove82
Good: Rv75$23LuGew!
This might be difficult to remember, but that’s the point. Find a place you can store your passwords, whether in a physical journal or a password manager app.
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Limit Remote Access to Your Baby Monitor
Baby monitors are usually accessed simply by a hacker remotely connecting to your internet. Such an issue can be easily resolved by limiting internet access to your baby monitor if possible.
Public internet is often accessed through an IPv6, a unique address that allows a device to connect to the internet, often without password access. If possible, you should consider disabling IPv6 access in the settings of your baby monitor. Moreover, you can even disable the IPv6 on your home router, to disable access to your devices throughout your home from outside assaults.
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Stay Attentive to Signs of Hackers
There are some basic signs of hacking that can be sniffed out when it comes to baby monitors. If you’re regularly hearing a noise or a break-in signal, that could be a clear sign. Consider watching the device’s connection history to see when it is being accessed throughout the day. That can tell you whether it’s coming from you or someone else.
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Use a Router with a Wireless Encryption
Encryption is an easy way to protect your wireless devices. This provides users with a simple way to make their devices safer, making them further password-protected to limit network access. The three data encryption models used are WIFI Protected Access (WPA), Wired, Equivalency Protection (WEP) and WIFI Protected Access 2 (WPA2), with the latter—WPA2—being the safety option of them all.
Top-Quality Baby Monitors to Limit Your Risk of Getting Hacked
There are various types of baby monitors available on the market, but the best baby monitors come from companies developing devices meant to protect you from possible hacking. Consider doing your research instead of buying the cheapest option you can. Protecting this device is another way of protecting your child in the long run, ensuring they’re safe at all times.