Hiring a nanny can be a nerve-wracking experience. As a father of two, I know just how unsettling it can be to trust a stranger (even one carefully vetted and background-checked!) to take care of your kids. That’s why many parents, myself included, have turned to using home security cameras as nanny cams.
While home security cameras are usually thought of as tools for spotting burglars and porch pirates, they are also commonly used as pet cameras and baby or nanny cams, with several brands, such as Eufy, Lorex, TP-Link, and Wyze, marketing them for this purpose.
Our security camera ratings include results on over 70 models, so to pick the best nanny cams, we homed in on cameras that perform well in our data security tests—since privacy is critical with these cameras—and have features well-suited for keeping an eye on kids and caregivers. Those include pan-and-tilt controls, intelligent alerts for crying and loud noises, and privacy shutters to disable the camera when you want to.
For more information on choosing a security camera for any use, check out our home security camera buying guide.
Best Nanny Cams
Here are the home security cameras best-suited for use as nanny cams. As with all our tested products, Consumer Reports bought these at regular retail outlets.
Arlo Essential Indoor
Arlo Essential Indoor Security Wired VMC2040-100NAS
Price: $59.99 - $99.99
Free video storage: None available.
Storage subscriptions: There are three Arlo Secure plan tiers to choose from. They all come with 30 days of cloud video storage. The prices are $5 per month for one camera or $13 per month for unlimited cameras; $18 per month for unlimited cameras, plus in-app emergency response buttons; and $25 per month for all those features plus the Arlo Safe personal safety app and professional monitoring.
CR’s take: The Arlo Essential Indoor security camera offers decent video quality, strong data security, speedy alerts to the app when motion is detected, and a decent number of smart features. Those features include two-way audio, voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, and an automated privacy shutter if you want to disable recording while you’re home. With one of the three Arlo Secure plans noted above, you’ll also get monitoring zones and intelligent object recognition for people, packages, vehicles, and pets.
Cync by GE Lighting
Cync by GE Lighting Indoor Smart Camera
Price: $59.31 - $119.98
Free video storage: Yes, up to 128 gigabytes on a microSD card (sold separately).
Storage subscriptions: Through a Cam Cync subscription, you can get 14 days of cloud video storage for $3 per month or $30 per year.
CR’s take: If the idea of buying a security camera from a lighting company gives you pause, know that GE Lighting was acquired by the high-end home automation company Savant, so it knows a thing or two about security cameras. This Cync indoor-only model offers great video quality, strong data security, and speedy response time in our tests. It also offers a decent array of features, including a microSD card slot for local video storage, two-way audio, a manual privacy shutter (if you don’t want the camera watching you while you’re home), voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, person detection, monitoring zones, and alerts for loud noises.
Lorex 2K Pan-Tilt
Lorex 2K Pan-Tilt WiFi W462AQC-E
Price: $54.99 - $72.99
Free video storage: Yes, with included 16-gigabyte microSD card.
Storage subscriptions: None available.
CR’s take: The Lorex 2K Pan-Tilt WiFi W462AQC-E has a winning combination of solid performance and a relatively low price. It scores well on just about every test, especially for video quality. Its only weak spot is its middling data privacy score, but that’s common among top-rated security cameras in our ratings. This Lorex camera’s features include motorized pan-and-tilt so you can remotely move the camera to change its view (handy for large rooms or open floor plans), two-way audio, person detection, monitoring zones, alerts for loud sounds, a privacy mode to stop recordings, voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, and a microSD card slot for local video storage. (Lorex doesn’t offer cloud video storage.)
TP-Link Kasa Smart Pan & Tilt
TP-Link Kasa Smart Pan & Tilt KC410S 24/7
Price: $39.99 - $59.74
Free video storage: Yes, on up to a 256-gigabyte microSD card (sold separately).
Storage subscriptions: Through a Kasa Care plan, you get 30 days of cloud storage for one camera for $3 per month (or $30 per year) or 30 days of storage for up to 10 cameras for $10 per month (or $100 per year).
CR’s take: The TP-Link Kasa Smart Pan & Tilt KC410S 24/7 security camera offers stellar video quality and quickly sends alerts when motion is detected, CR’s tests find. This low-priced camera also earns a strong rating for data security and a midrange rating for data privacy. It features voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, two-way audio, monitoring zones, person alerts, and alerts for loud noises.
TP-Link Kasa Spot
Price: $49.99 - $55.29
Free video storage: Yes, up to 128 gigabytes on a microSD card (sold separately).
Storage subscriptions: Through a Kasa Care plan, you get 30 days of cloud storage for one camera for $3 per month (or $30 per year) or 30 days of storage for up to 10 cameras for $10 per month (or $100 per year).
CR’s take: The TP-Link Kasa Spot KC401 is an inexpensive indoor camera that offers impressive video quality, speedy alerts when motion is detected, and strong data security. However, it doesn’t do as well in CR’s evaluation of its privacy practices. Its features include two-way audio, person detection, app and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, monitoring zones, alerts for loud noises, and a microSD card slot for free, local video storage.
For another option from TP-Link with similar performance and features, check out the TP-Link Kasa Cam KC120.
Wyze Cam Pan V2
Price: $43.99 - $49.98
Free video storage: Yes, up to 128 gigabytes on a microSD card (sold separately) or with a Cam Plus Lite subscription.
Storage subscriptions: Through a Wyze Cam Plus subscription, you can get 14 days of cloud video storage for one camera for $3 per month, or for up to 99 cameras in one location/account for $10 per month.
CR’s take: The Wyze Cam Pan V2 is a budget-friendly pan-and-tilt security camera that receives great scores in our tests for video quality, response time (how quickly the camera sends you alerts), and data security. It also offers a decent number of features, including two-way audio, monitoring zones, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant. With the payment-optional (it’s essentially donation-based) Wyze Cam Plus Lite subscription, you’ll also get cloud video storage for 12-second clips and person detection. In addition to cloud storage (described above), a paid Wyze Cam Plus subscription adds intelligent sound detection (for crying, barking, meowing, and talking), and object recognition for people, packages, vehicles, and pets.
Common Features in the Best Nanny Cams
Here are key features you’ll find in many security cams, including those for indoor use.
- Monitoring zones: This feature allows you to highlight areas of the camera’s field of view, such as a driveway, to monitor for movement—or ignore when there is movement, such as a busy street.
- Person detection: The camera can detect a person’s presence in its field of view and automatically record footage.
- Crying and loud noise detection: The camera’s microphone can detect loud noises and/or the sound of crying, and record footage at those times, as well as send you alerts.
- Privacy mode or privacy shutter: The camera may have a setting (or physical hardware shutter) that disables the camera and prevents it from recording.
- App and voice control via digital assistants: The camera may work with third-party digital assistants and smart home systems. That means you could ask an assistant to pull up the camera feed on a smart TV or smart display, or view the camera feed from one app that consolidates several smart home devices. Popular platforms include Amazon Alexa, Apple Home and Siri, Google Home and Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings.
Using Nanny Cams Ethically
The big problem with both security cameras and baby monitors is that they aren’t very private. That’s why for several years we’ve advised readers not to place cameras inside their homes. However, we understand there are valid reasons to do so, such as using them as nanny cams. Your best bet is to turn your camera off when you don’t need it, or activate the privacy shutters or privacy mode, if available.
Related to privacy is the issue of consent. Depending on where you live, it might be illegal to record someone without their knowledge if there is a reasonable expectation of privacy (such as inside your home!) or if you live in a two-party-consent state. This applies not only to nannies but also to friends, other children during playdates, houseguests, etc.
If you live in a one-party-consent state, then you technically don’t need to tell anyone that you’re recording them. However, it’s still a good idea to be transparent, especially with your nanny. If you aren’t, it could harm your working relationship and trust when the nanny inevitably finds the camera. In addition, nanny cams aren’t a foolproof way to keep your child safe, and if you don’t feel your nanny is trustworthy, then you should find another childcare provider.
How Consumer Reports Tests Security Cameras
To evaluate home security cameras, we focus our tests on how quickly a camera sends alerts to your smartphone when motion is detected, as well as its video quality, smart features, data privacy, and data security. Video quality is key for a home security camera, which is why we set up a room with multiple resolution charts, everyday objects, and mannequins as stand-ins for people, and evaluate how clear the video is from cameras in good light, low light, and zero light (to test night vision).
We also test all these cameras for data privacy and security. In these tests, we evaluate each company’s or service provider’s public documentation, such as privacy policies and terms of service, to see what claims the manufacturer makes about the way it handles your data. The tests include inspection of the user interface and network traffic from each camera and its companion smartphone app to make sure it’s using encryption, following security best practices such as encouraging complex passwords and multifactor authentication, and not sharing your data with irrelevant third parties.
Best Baby Monitors
Consumer Reports has tested 14 of the most popular monitors on the market, from Eufy, Microsoft, Owlet, Vava, VTech, and other popular brands. They range in price from roughly $40 to more than $400, but our testers find little correlation between cost and performance. You can get a solid pick for under $100.
Nearly all baby monitors have a camera and microphone that stay in the baby’s room. (There’s just one audio-only model in our baby monitor ratings.) Many also let you talk to the child or even play a soothing lullaby through the monitor. If you have more than one small child, you can buy a second camera and monitor both feeds on the same screen. And monitors with an infrared function allow you to watch the baby, albeit in black and white, even when the room is dark.
When it comes to watching the video feed, baby monitors fall into two broad categories. Some transmit the sound and visuals via radio waves to a receiver unit that you can carry with you from room to room. Others send the audio and video through the internet to the manufacturer’s servers, then to your smartphone. Each type has its benefits and drawbacks.
Models that use your smartphone display are convenient. If you’re out on a date night, you can check in on your baby directly, instead of asking the caregiver for a report.
However, monitors with a display of their own have an advantage when it comes to security. The video feed stays local, in your home. That means the feed is less likely to get hacked—something that has happened from time to time, though it’s rare. It also prevents the manufacturer from accessing the video and other information that can be gleaned from the device.
Consumer Reports tests baby monitors on factors that include ease of use and the quality of the video feed. But we put the internet-connected baby monitors through additional evaluations to look for potential risks. Most of them receive middling marks for security against potential hacking, and for privacy (how the companies collect and handle data from the devices).
Eufy Spaceview Baby Monitor / $169 USD
VTech VM5254 Baby Monitor / $79
Wyze Cam v3 Pro WYZEC3P / $50 USD
Lorex 2K Pan-Tilt WiFi W462AQC-E / $70 USD