Best Nanny Cams of 2021
*Amazon.com price as of 2/10/21 at 6:00 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
Whether you’re keeping an eye on the kids or their caretakers, nanny cams are a great home security tool.
For your best option, we think the Wyze Cam Pan takes the prize with its quality picture, low price, and easy app. It has impressive pan/tilt/zoom features thanks to its swiveling base and moving camera eye.
We tested a few more favorites on video quality, two-way intercom features, app navigation, and smart home compatibility. The other top spots go to Blink Indoor and Google’s Nest Cam: small, lightweight cameras with motion detection, video playback, and more.
Here's our roundup of the best nanny cams
Compare the best nanny cameras
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$37.98 | View on Amazon |
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$79.99 | View on Amazon |
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$129.99 | View on Home Depot |
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$199.99 | View on Arlo |
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$99.99 | View on Amazon |
*Amazon.com price as of 2/10/21 6:00 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
1. Wyze Cam Pan: Best overall
Amazon.com price as of 2/10/21 6:00 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
The subtle Wyze Cam Pan fits in almost anywhere in your home, comes at a low price, and assembles easily.
It has smooth pan, tilt, and zoom action, so you can easily look around the room to see your kids and their nanny. The picture is 1080p full HD, and the six infrared LED lights let you see up to 30 feet in the dark.
Affordable price tag Simple installation 360° field of view
Not compatible with Google Home Not wire-freeSetup is easy with Wyze too. Simply plug in the camera and download the Wyze app onto your smart device. Connecting is a snap, but there are step-by-step videos if you need help along the way.
From the app, you can watch past videos, adjust settings, and use the two-way audio to talk to anyone on the other side.
Once you’ve set the camera to your preferences, you’re good to go. Overall, we’d recommend the Wyze Cam Pan to anyone curious about nanny cams. And, at under $40, the Wyze Cam Pan is the cheapest on our list.
2. Blink Indoor: Best for hiding
Amazon.com price as of 2/10/21 6:00 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
Without wires to hold it back, the Blink Indoor camera can hide in spaces like planters and on shelves. If you’re looking for a hidden nanny cam, this battery-powered beauty can slide into a range of covert spots.
No wires required Cloud storage Motion alerts Silent mode
Slight video and audio lag No two-way audioWithout wires to hold it back, the Blink Indoor camera can hide in spaces like planters and on shelves. If you’re looking for a hidden nanny cam, this battery-powered beauty can slide into a range of covert spots.
Blink Indoor comes with a small hub that links your Wi-Fi, smartphone, and camera together. Once that’s set up, you can place it anywhere in your home. As Blink picks up motion and passersby, you’ll be able to look over notable events, replay, save, and send any footage you capture.
Blink Indoor has a wide field of vision for such a small camera. We were able to see the entire room where we set up, plus part of the next one over. And while there was a slight lag in the audio and video, we got consistent motion alerts whenever it sensed activity.
Read our full review on Blink and Blink XL for more details.
The new Blink Mini
The Blink camera has a new baby brother. The Blink Mini camera is a small indoor camera with a pint-sized price (around $30).
It shoots in sharp 1080p, has motion detection, and sports two-way communication so you can speak to anyone on the other side from the Blink app.
Unlike the standard Blink camera, the Blink Mini needs to stay plugged in. So while it’s not as portable, it’s still small enough to fit in a shelf or mount on a nursery wall.
All 50 states allow recording without sound, but only a few allow video and audio. Check your state’s laws before you start recording to ensure any evidence or clips you capture can hold up in court.
3. Google Nest Cam: Best livestreaming
Data as of 2/10/21 6:00 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
The Google Nest Cam delivers 130° of live picture. Set it up to watch live feeds of the playroom from your desk at work or from the next room over. The livestream feature saves up to 30 days of continuous video footage, allowing you to review everything at your convenience.
Easy setup 24/7 livestream Facial recognition Versatile uses
Not wire-free ExpensiveThe Google Nest Cam can be trained to recognize familiar faces too. This makes searching and tagging videos featuring your nanny, kids, or other members of the household easy to access.
All these features come at a steep price (nearly $200 per camera), but the Google Nest cam is versatile. It can be a nanny cam or video baby monitor—or a regular security cam once your little ones no longer need it.
Learn more about the entire family of Google Nest Cameras for indoors and out.
4. Arlo Baby: Best for baby
Data as of 2/10/21 6:00 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
The Arlo Baby is the only nanny cam that made us say “aww.” Dressed as a bunny, puppy, or kitty, the Arlo Baby is more than just cute.
Its unique talents include a smart music player for lullabies, an air sensor to monitor room temperature and humidity, a baby crying alert, and a smart night light. Using the Arlo app, you and your nanny can work together to keep your kiddos safe and happy all day.
Eye-catchingly adorable Extras for kids like lullabies and a multi-colored night light Air quality sensor
Limited night visionPerfect for nights in the nursery, the Arlo Baby can see up to 15 feet in the dark and sense motion up to 50 feet away. And while the Arlo model is expensive, you can use it for years—first as a video baby monitor, then as a nanny cam for your little one’s room.
We’re also impressed with its connectivity—this cam works with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, and Stringify. It didn't make our top spot because it's more expensive than others and not everybody may want these extras in a nanny cam.
We reviewed Arlo’s security cameras too. Read our full review to learn more.
5. Swann Pan and Tilt: Best night vision
Amazon.com price as of 2/10/21 6:00 p.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
The Swann Pan and Tilt camera has the most impressive night vision capabilities in our lineup. Its powerful infrared LED lights can catch footage up to 50 feet in the dark.
50-ft. night vision Pan/tilt/zoom capabilities Secure local storage
Not as portableThis camera can pan, tilt, and zoom just like the Wyze Cam. Instead of uploading data to the cloud, your footage can be stored on an SD card up to 64 GB. Local storage can be a good safeguard against hackers.
Like our other nanny cams, this Swann model links to your phone through an app, allowing you to control it, change settings, and monitor footage.
It’s charged by a cable, so it isn’t as portable as other cameras like Blink, but you get high quality and a wide field of view to watch your children and their caretaker.
Final word
We like the Wyze Cam Pan best for its 360° field of view, affordable price point, and pan/tilt/zoom prowess. Whether you’re checking in on your child’s safety or ensuring they ate their veggies while you’re out, this nanny cam keep tabs on your kiddo and their caretaker.
Our other favorites are close contenders:
- The Blink Indoor camera’s wire-free design makes it easy to conceal.
- The Google Nest Cam boasts quality live streaming, facial recognition, and versatile usage.
- The Arlo Baby is majorly cute and offers loads of extras like lullabies, a night light, and air quality sensors.
- The Swann Pan and Tilt camera has local storage and the best night vision of the bunch.
Things to consider before you buy a nanny camera
While there are plenty of hidden nanny cams on the market, we looked into the more conspicuous options.
Hidden nanny cams and spy cams can fall under hazy legal territory, so we feel it’s best to be open with your nanny or any in-home caretaker about your monitoring system. This helps build a trusting relationship and makes better use of the camera itself.
For example, your babysitter can reach you through the nanny cam’s two-way audio when needed or help you find important clips in case of an emergency.
Before you get a nanny cam, you should hire a nanny you can trust to watch your children. Nanny cameras make sense if you have reason to suspect something’s wrong, but they aren’t usually necessary when you have a trustworthy child care provider.
Do you know the nanny cam laws in your state? We gathered them in our FAQ.
Want inspiration for building a smart home that benefits your baby? These will help:
Nanny camera FAQ
Different rules apply to hidden and exposed nanny cams. Hidden nanny cams can be cleverly disguised in devices like alarm clocks and picture frames to monitor your nanny without their consent.
It’s legal in all 50 states to record video-only footage in your home from a hidden camera as long as it isn’t set up in a private space.1 That said, there are 11 states that require “two-party consent” for video and audio footage in public or private spaces.2
- California
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- Pennsylvania
- Washington
- Hawaii
Even if you don’t live in one of these states, we recommend getting consent from your nanny before recording audio, video, or both. Their consent can also help you avoid prosecution and loss of evidence.3
In other words, without their permission, you could be sued, and your footage won’t be admissible in court.
Picture resolution is simply a pixel count on your camera. Numbers like 1080p refer to the vertical lines of pixels lined up across your camera’s view. Generally, the more pixels create a sharper picture, but this can change based on how closely you zoom or the size of the screen you watch a video on.
Most smartphones screens are 1080p and up, so it’s best to find a nanny cam with a similar resolution for a clear picture.
It varies from camera to camera, but most nanny cams use a separate SD memory card or send videos to a cloud that you can access online. Both can be uploaded and shared to different devices.
Battery-powered nanny cams can hide almost anywhere. Spots like potted plants, bookshelves, stuffed animals, kitchen cabinets, and out in the open can all give you a good view of your home and anyone inside.
Nanny cameras powered by cables are more restricted because they need to stay plugged in to work. Cables can also give away your hiding spot if they aren’t concealed properly.
All 50 states allow silent video recording within your own home. But we still think it’s best to tell your nanny that you’re recording. If they consent to be filmed and recorded, you can use audio in addition to your video. You don’t have to tell them where you’ve hidden the camera, but if you want audio, most states require their permission.
Related pages
Our approach
For this review, we tested the Nest Cam, Blink, and Wyze Pan Cam in-house. For the most authentic experience, we set up each camera and proceeded with our day as usual. When we got alerts from each camera, we used the apps to check the footage, speak through the cameras, and share footage.
We selected the other two cameras, the Arlo Baby and Swann Pan and Tilt, based on top user reviews and product specs that fit our standards for quality nanny cams. Learn more about how we test and research by reading our full methodology.
Sources
1. Upcounsel, “Video Surveillance Laws by State: Everything You Need to Know,” Published June 2020. Accessed February 10, 2021.
2. Digital Media Law Project, “Recording Phone Calls and Conversations,” Accessed February 10, 2021.
3. United States Department of Justice, “1050. Scope of 18 U.S.C. § 2511 Prohibitions,” Published January 2020. Accessed February 10, 2021.
Disclaimers
*Amazon.com list price as of 2/10/21 at 6:00 p.m. (MT). Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. SafeWise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
(Google only): †Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
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