Anyone using their phones and electronic devices to monitor their LO? What works for you?

I use a ring doorbell to monitor the front door so I can see and talk to anyone to comes to the front door. I can see my mom going out for her daily walk and re-entering the house a few minutes later.

Inside the house I have a monitored security system that sends text messages whenever doors in the bedroom or bath are opened. That lets me know when Mom has gotten out of bed in the morning. A couple of security cameras in the main living area (kitchen and great room) let me check on Mom during the day without disturbing her. There are also help/panic buttons in the bathroom, mom's bedroom and the kitchen. I taped a HELP label on the panic button and we call them help buttons.

I have changed my router passwords and setup a VPN for the internet linked monitoring devices (and changed the password on the device networks too) to make it more difficult for someone to hack into these feeds. It's still not impossible but studies have shown most hackers move on if even basic security steps have been taken.

I have assurance that Mom is fine when I'm away from the house and Mom gets to be "left alone" as she likes.

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I agree on the Arlo as well. It has a 2way communication, so you get to speak to whoever is on the other side. The quality is clear too, even at night. We use it with my father now. I just find it a bit risky that it can be hacked. I don't understand why people would want to invade others' privacy, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't it done the other way around.

97yroldmom
Ditto on the footage of couch sitting. Couple of midnight runs to the loo, alfresco. Good advise about the network, computer and router issues for me to check, thanks Needstowashhair. I worry about my mom constantly. I wake in the morning and wait till my phone alerts that she is in the kitchen eatin her doughnuts and chugging her hot chocolate, I time my breakfast and leave from my house and arrive for the morning routine. I go about my plans and check on her through out the day.

Needstowashhair.
You are like that little girl (Miss Vito) on “My Cousin Vinny” kickin A$$ and taking names. I LOVE having all this info. I’m so glad I came back. lol
AND I did ask for security and not privacy so point very well taken. (Which you had already mentioned).
I’m not too concerned about the privacy. 99% of the footage is a little old lady holding her dog sitting in her chair BUT very good points on the other issues.
No computers there except for cell phones.
Thanks again for all the info.

GAinPA, in general if you aren't paying for a product, then you are the product.

As for securing the cameras at home. By having them be network accessible at all, then there is risk. I think many people would be shocked how often people try to hack into their devices at home. There used to be a website where you could watch the feeds from people's webcams, baby monitors, whatever that had been hacked. Most hackers couldn't careless about what your camera is looking at, they are just trying to recruit your camera into their bot army. People don't realize that most cameras are entire little computers that would have been the size of a refrigerator 30 years ago. So people hijack them to spread viruses or spam out email. Unfortunately, most home network devices like cameras also have network security like it was 30 years ago. So even setting the password may not do much.

It's good that you have changed the password, a surprising number of people don't even bother to do that. But the key to security is to keep it off the internet. I have my cameras on their own internal network. Nothing on that network, my cameras, have access to the internet. I have a bridge to that internet network from another internal network. I have a bridge from that 2nd internal network to the internet. So my cameras are behind 3 firewalls and in order for me to access my cameras from say the coffee shop down the street, I have to establish an encrypted VPN back to the house and then keep going until I'm eventually down to the internal network with the cameras on them. I can poke a hole in to see what's on the cameras, the cameras themselves can not poke their own hole out. Of course, the cameras are also encrypted and have their own security which is the last line of defense. It all seems complicated but not really in use. It's all setup on my phone so it all happens automatically. Which makes loosing my phone the biggest security risk.

Here's a story on ABC about hacking home cameras. Doing what I do makes it far less likely to happen.

https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/home-security-cameras-hacked-streamed-live-online-45602066

Arlo cameras have been discussed in this thread. Those were hacked.

https://blog.newskysecurity.com/brute-force-vulnerability-in-netgear-arlo-f561c3bc1f3d

97yroldmom, yes people need to do their own research. While your friend may have years managing technology, some of us have decades creating it.

The point I made was about cloud services and privacy, not security. While the two can be related, they are not the same. As I said before, generally when you use a cloud service you give the cloud service the rights to your data. That is the case with iCloud. As per the terms and conditions you agreed to in order to use iCloud.

"you grant Apple a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content "

www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/icloud/en/terms.html

Here's a popular media article about what this means. This came up when the FBI was pressuring Apple for a user's data. While they stood firm about the data actually on the user's iphone, they did not about their data on iCloud. Since a user gives Apple the right to their data by uploading it to iCloud, it's in essence no longer the user's data, it's Apple's data.

www.popsci.com/apple-cares-about-your-privacy-unless-you-use-icloud

So once again to be clear, there's security and then there's privacy. Having security doesn't not mean having privacy.

97yroldmom and needtowashhair. I do not have a cloud service agreement with a monthly fee. Basically just whatever storage that comes with the units I purchased. I honestly don’t know how much privacy is protected on their server. Don’t know how long the clips are saved. The computer WiFi at the home is password protected. The devices all have individual passwords. I am not sure if anything else would need to be added to ensure privacy. I previously used the free Presence app that runs on an IPad. I had two old IPads that I repurposed and positioned strategically, but they lacked night vision. After an extended trial run using them with motion detection night lights and a smart plug, I purchased a Zmodo Insight camera positioned overhead for a full room, night vision view and a Zmodo Pivot camera with a hub for windows and door sensors. I use them everyday to monitor daily activities.

GAinPA
While I am never truly surprised when I hear of the latest breach in technology, I didn’t want to reply on the iCloud negative comment until I checked with a personal friend whose opinion I trust. He is an IT mgr (masters degree) years of experience with a Fortune top 5 company. I asked his opinion regarding the security of iCloud. He was extremely positive, said I should feel very secure. So, please do your own research but I feel even more comfortable with my choice than I did before.

needtowashhair thanks for the tip on cloud solutions. Definitely something to keep in mind.
97yearoldmom good to hear that you have had good results with your setup.

I have cameras so I can check to see what's going on from wherever I am. I also have home automation so if it comes down to it, I can call for help and then unlock/open the doors when they arrive. I'm using a local solution since the cloud solutions are inherently not secure either technically or legally. Most people don't read the terms of use and don't realize that they grant the rights to the company for any images they upload to the cloud. Using a local solution allows you to be more secure technically and keep your privacy. The cameras also allow for two way communication although it can be a little baffling for the other side when a disembodied voice is suddenly talking.

I use the Arlo cameras. I can view from my smart phone as long as batteries aren’t dead and I have internet access. It loads to iCloud for free or upgraded features can be accessed for a small fee.
I find it helpful to be able to check on my Aunt and see her interacting with her HH or MOW or morning aide. 
I can see her up and about or sitting in her chair with her little dog.
If I get a call from her Medialert company I can see her interacting with the EMS team if they arrive before I can confirm she is okay. She presses the button by mistake sometimes. 
Also it has been helpful to see how visitors interact with her and as the cameras are very obvious I hope it is a reminder to others that they are being filmed. 
I’ve purchased a Nest but haven’t installed it yet to better manage her AC and heat. I understand that I can manage this on my phone as well.

Hi GA,

I have a video camera that pans and tilts, and has a speaker. There is an app I download on my phone so I can monitor it remotely. I also have a baby monitor so I can hear her.

There are a many products out there now that are not very expensive and can really assist.

All those things were in place for my Dad, it was his caregiver :))

My Dad's daytime caregiver was his motion detector.... she kept all the appointments on a calender on the refrigerator. When the doorbell rang, anyone would have needed to get by her to see my Dad, she was no nonsense to door to door salespeople. She tried her best to keep the temperature in the house at a normal level but Dad would still sneak over to the thermostat and change it.

Dad's caregiver would also eavesdrop on any telephone calls that came in. If it sounded like Dad was talking to a telemarketer, she would ask Dad for phone. No one call Dad's number again :)

Sorry, I am at the age that I just cannot deal with hand held devices or iPhones or SmartPhones. It is just the hearing quality is so poor on those things compared to the tried and true landlines. I still have my flip phone for emergencies and occasional texting.