The parents today are facing an avalanche of information about parenting. New baby-focused technology appears in the market every second. Therefore, children have never been the target of marketers than now. Read here everything you need to know about Top Baby Monitors!
Trending right now are the baby monitors to keep watch over babies. So much are the choices of best baby watchers that parents become confused about what to do.
If you have been following my discussions about best baby monitors, you must have read Best Baby Monitor with Sensor Pad and Camera. Perhaps, you have read the article on Best Baby Monitor with the Longest Range.
In both discussions, I intended educating parents about advancement in the baby monitors to help choose what is right for babies.
However, my interactions with parents show the need to help make the best decision regarding the choice of top baby monitors.
In this final series on top baby monitors, I want to address parents’ fears about this essential baby gear. This discussion is to help choose the best and safe monitor for baby.
The previous series already discussed the industry’s best products in baby monitors. This last of the series will address safety issues relating to baby monitors.
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Common fears about best baby monitors
There are several questions on the top baby monitors. I will list and treat a few to drive home the focus of this discussion:
- How safe are baby monitors?
- How secure are baby monitors?
- Do baby monitors record?
- Can baby monitors cause cancer?
- Do baby monitors affect dogs?
- Can baby monitors prevent SIDS?
- Does baby monitor have radiation?
- Are baby monitors harmful to babies and parents?
- Is a baby monitor safe from hacking?
- Are baby monitors with Wi-Fi securing?
These are a truckload of fears expressed daily by caring parents about buying a baby monitor; this is why this discussion is apt. Topmost on the list of issues is the concern about safety.
Of course, if this is you, I am aware that not every baby monitors can be trusted. The main concerns regarding the safety and security of baby monitors are in two folds: Health and Privacy.
Let’s dwell a bit on these two for proper understanding and necessary actions.
• Health safety issue
This concerns the fear of exposing a child to harmful electromagnetic elements. The main concern with EMF is due to the use of radio transmission that sends video/ audio signals over a distance; such as display unit between child and mother.
While transmission technology is not necessarily hazardous, the overall makeup of a device can be a cause for concern.
In a simple language, the type of electromagnetic component used in a transmission device can expose the user to electronic radiation.
A 2011 research by the World Health Organization office of International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), affirmed that all radio generated frequencies can cause cancer.
This study makes it clear that all devices with radio frequencies can lead to cancer if one is unduly exposed to it. As we know, every modern baby monitor with transmission capacity uses DECT or FHSS technology with a frequency range of 1.89 GHz or 2.4 GHz.
These are the technology found in microwaves and Wi-Fi routers capable of releasing a high level of EMF to the environment. It is this technology that modern baby monitors use to send video signals from the baby end to the mother’s display unit. The burst of microwave radiation that takes place is about 100 times per second; even while on standby.
The fear about devices using such transmission power around a baby, who is at developmental stages of life, is that it puts them at risk of radiation influence. The baby’s body formation, especially the brain, is sensitive to radiation until they attain the age of 20.
Therefore, the possible effects of overexposure of babies to EMF include:
- Brain developmental problem
- Disruption in the cycle of sleep
- Immune system disorder
- Reproductive system disorder
- Higher chances of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)
Possible solutions
Do not be overly alarmed by these potential side effects of exposure to EMF through modern baby monitors. Life experiences have shown us that where there are challenges, possible solutions are within reach. Therefore, the good news is you can protect your child from baby monitor radiations.
Before I discuss the solution to baby monitor’s induced EMF, let’s talk about the fear of insecurity relating to baby monitors.
• Privacy safety issue
Recently, the New York Department of Current Affairs released a “Consumer Alert” about unauthorized access to Wi-Fi baby monitors. This disturbing news warned parents that virtual predators might be watching and talking to their babies.
Before now, baby monitors are audio only, but that changed with the advancement in technology.
As we all know, every technology has its ‘good and bad’ sides, and we must understand both possibilities to be safe.
The question is how safe is your baby’s privacy?
Due to growing concerns of unauthorized entry by hackers, parents are worried; not only about their babies but the whole family.
High-tech baby monitor means you can see your little one over a distance using phone or dedicated display unit. While news of this nature is disturbing, we should remember that our phones stand the same fate if unsecured.
Hence, if you care about your kid, you need to understand the technology before using it for her. Let’s see how hackers can see your baby:
How hackers access baby monitors
There are various ways hackers can hack a baby’s monitor. It’s a long list of weak points; I will list the common ones:
- Hidden accounts. Accounts are used for administration or support. Hence hidden accounts are created for baby monitors. These system accounts are hardcoded, making it readily inaccessible to users. It is such accounts that hackers explore to go through the back door to access the camera and gadgets attached to the monitor.
- Poorly encrypted default passwords. To access the internet, a baby monitor requires an identity and default passwords. Sadly, the device’s serialnumber which serves as user-ID and the default password is unprotected, thereby allowing internet marauders to discover the access information for unlawful entry.
Solutions to baby monitor’s health and privacy safety issues
- Health safety solutions
It will help to know that the closer we are to EMF source, the higher the levels of exposure. Therefore, the closer a monitor is located to a baby increases her vulnerability to electromagnetic radiations. In this regards, you must know that baby monitor:
- Always emit microwave radiation while switched on (both the base and the parent handset)
- Have ‘fine print’ warnings to locate the device at a certain distance, not less than 20 cm from the body
- Are risky because a baby’s brain is developing and is vulnerable to EMFs
- Privacy safety solutions
There are things to do to find a genuinely secure baby monitor:
- The first thing to assess your home network security regularly. Check if your router still has the default password in the setting or its changes? Have you changed your Wi-Fi access password to recommended secure combination and you can remember it with ease? Do you recognize all the devices on your network, and is there any unknown gadget to eliminate?
- Take your time to follow recommended due diligence when shopping for the top baby monitor. Also, be sure you can modify the device password to what you prefer. Do a Google search to find the best baby monitors with “Security” and “vulnerability” as search terms. Take note to see if the monitor features in news articles relating to breaches, leaks, hacks, etc., and be careful not to buy it.
- Lastly, if you need a baby monitor to be online with cloud storage, or sends push notifications when your baby has not moved for a given period; do your search carefully.
The above three points are all vital to securing your baby monitor. But among all, the first is most important. If you cannot change the password, you’ll never be able to escape the hackers; this applied to all IoT devices.
Therefore, if you cannot reach the security settings, you don’t have control over your security – and that alone is a danger signal to stay away!
Therefore, how do you protect your baby from unlawful access and EMF hazards? The answer is technology; you need a monitor that offers protection against security venerability and EMF danger.
By carefully searching for a baby monitor that shields your baby from illegal access in the virtual space and reduce exposure to radiation, you will rise above the impending risks.
The Solution is here
I have done the heavy lifting for you; check out my article featuring products with reported reduced EMF and heightened safety levels. Also, follow these tips to reduce your baby’s radiation exposure:
- Don’t place the monitor directly next to your baby. The more distance between your child and the baby monitor, the less EMF exposures.
- Turn on the baby monitor only when you need it.
- Placing a tin foil barrier between the camera device and your baby, and making a small pinhole for the camera lens, has been recommended to reduce EMF exposures. However, I would avoid placing tin foil within grabbing-distance of your child.
A final note on EMF risks for your baby
Since baby monitor is not the culprit in radiation spread around your home, you need to be careful about the following household gadgets:
WiFi Routers, Digital Alarm Clocks, Smart/Wireless Security System, Wireless Modems, Smart TVs, Smart/Wireless Thermostat, Cordless Phones, Bluetooth Devices (keyboards, speakers, and computer mouse), Wireless Printers, and Cell Phones.
Can a top baby monitor bring peace of mind to parents?
Parents who want peace of mind mostly ask the following questions in their search for the right baby monitors:
- What is the top baby monitor with a thermometer?
- Do baby monitor works with iPhone?
- Which baby monitors has the longest range?
- Is there a baby monitor for breathing?
- Are there baby monitors for deaf parents UK?
- Is there baby monitors with 2 cameras?
- Are there baby monitors for elderly?
- How do baby monitors work?
- Which are the top monitors for babies UK?
These parents expressed concerns regarding how using a baby monitor can improve their lives. As a parent, I know how it feels when you need to take a peep on your kid and at the same time want to finish a job with your boss breathing down your neck.
There are instances you need quiet time, alone in the room, but you just have to visit your baby to know how she’s doing. When you think of such scenarios, you need a magic wand that will make you see your baby and be at peace.
Of course, you don’t need magic to see your baby anywhere you are right now; what you need is the top baby monitor.
Without any fear of health or privacy risk, the following article contains the top baby monitors with peace of mind.
Tips to keep your baby safe and protected from the best baby monitor
Top baby monitors are parents’ friends to watch over their babies. Since baby monitors that transmit signals over distance emit microwave radiation and may be hacked by internet predators; follow these tips for your baby safety and your peace of mind:
- Carefully pick a monitor that gives you control over the settings
- Maintain FCC RF prescribed distance (at least 20cm) between the monitor antenna and your baby
- Don’t use multiple transmitters together with your baby monitor
- By only tested and trusted best baby monitor
Conclusion
There are several baby monitors currently in the market. Some are made to explore the new opportunity in the booming baby gadget niche while some are building on long term reputation in the industry. Although being a newbie in the industry is not significant on a product’s quality, the vital thing is the manufacturer’s reputation.
Before you select a baby monitor, it is vital to read reviews and follow up on existing users to see if they are satisfied with the product.
With that said, I have delved into the technical explanation of baby monitor related fears in this article to ease parents’ anxiety about safety. Although EMF is all around us, we can take precautionary measures to stay safe!
Should you have comment and concern, please leave it in the comment.
Thanks for reading.
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