Honest Nanny Cam Reviews

If you’re in a hurry and just want to find out what the best nanny cam is, I’d recommend the Nest Security Camera.

Leaving your child with a nanny for the first time can be daunting for parents. One of the security measures that you can take is installing a security camera in your home. Fortunately, we’ve provided honest nanny cam reviews that should help simplify your buying decision.

In this article, I am breaking down the best nanny cams, and in the end, I’ll choose the winner.

Here are the nanny cams I will be reviewing:

• MyEagleEyes Spy Camera Charger Hidden Camera
• Nest Security Camera
• Modernway Mini Spy Camera
• ELValley Hidden Spy Camera
• FULAO Spy Camera

Things To Consider When Reviewing Nanny Cams

If you’ve never installed security cameras in your home, you may be overwhelmed trying to figure out whether you should do so and, if so, how to go about doing so. Below, you’ll find the primary criteria to consider when reviewing nanny cams. 

The Legality Of Nanny Cams  

Before considering a nanny cam, you must first decide whether it’s in your best interest to have a camera in the first place. Cameras can be beneficial as they allow you to:

• Monitor your children
• Ensure their safety
• Make sure your nanny is following the instructions you’ve left

However, nanny cameras are useful only if you use them appropriately. One of the most significant concerns about nanny cams is whether they are legal.

Generally, it is legal for homeowners to make video recordings of inside of their home, so long as they have a legitimate reason for doing so. Many states and municipalities consider baby monitoring a valid reason.

Most of the time, it does not matter if the camera is hidden or in plain sight. However, the camera must be in “common” areas or public areas. You should not place a nanny cam in areas where individuals would expect privacy, such as in a bathroom or private bedroom.

We also recommend checking your state laws to learn more about statutes surrounding nanny cams.

In some states, it is illegal to record audio unless the individual you’re recording has consented. If you wish to purchase a nanny cam that records audio, you should check your local laws and perhaps ask your nanny to sign a consent form.

This article from the U.S. Department of Justice highlights how illegal audio recordings are inadmissible in court, even if you catch your nanny committing a heinous act.  

Talking With Your Nanny

The goal of a nanny cam should be to monitor your child and save money on childcare, not catch your nanny in the act doing something wrong. If you are reading nanny cam reviews, you should consider talking with your nanny to let him or her know your line of thinking.

If you don’t tell your nanny, you may not only be jeopardizing the law, but you could also risk a vital relationship.

If your nanny were to discover a hidden camera, they would likely feel hurt, violated, or embarrassed. There’s also a strong chance that the nanny would not work for you again in the future. The International Nanny Association recommends parents or employers be upfront with nannies about the camera before they accept the job.

Explain to your nanny that the camera is in place for you to check in on your child and still feel connected, even though you are not present. Also explain that the cameras are not meant to capture abuse, but rather to prevent it from happening.

Both you and your nanny should be comfortable with the camera before proceeding.

Features To Consider

When reading nanny cam reviews, there are a few features that will likely jump out. These are the primary features that we feel you should consider before making your purchase. First and foremost, the camera should film in at least high definition, if not 4K. The high definition video format is standard in many of today’s nanny cameras, which allows you to shoot crystal-clear footage.

Because these videos are of such high quality, you’ll also need to make sure that you have adequate storage space. Similarly, you’ll want to compare whether the camera stores its footage on an SD card or a network video recorder.

SD Cards are convenient, although they can fill up quickly. DVR systems are a separate system that burns your footage to a disc drive, allowing continuous recording and playback.

You should also consider whether the camera has remote capabilities. Many of today’s nanny cameras allow two-way audio. Not only can you hear your children, but you could also speak to them as well.

As we noted above, be sure that your nanny consents to this before buying this type of camera. These cameras tend to work with iOS, Android, and Windows devices, such as your:

• Smartphone
• Laptop
• Tablet

Here Are The Best Nanny Cams

We’ve scoured hundreds of nanny cam reviews and narrowed down the choices to some of the ones that customers most often purchase. We also outline the positives an negatives of each camera, so that you can make an informed decision.

MyEagleEyes Spy Camera Charger Hidden Camera

If you’re looking for an inconspicuous hidden camera, you’ll want to check out this option from MyEagleEyes. The product is built like a USB Charger, allowing someone to plug their cell phone, headphones, or other electronic device into the unit. However, above the charging port, there is a tiny camera that records in Full 1080P HD.

Parents will find that the camera provides a full field of vision, recording 90-degree angles. Customers won’t need to connect to WiFi for this camera to function. Instead, they’ll need to insert up microSD card. The maximum SD capacity is 32GB, which should be enough to record for a couple of days. The camera relies on motion detection, which means it will only record when someone walks by.

If the SD card fills, then the camera will overwrite the oldest files so that it can record the most recent footage. Homeowners will need to make sure that they check the footage every couple of days so that they don’t lose old footage. The camera is affordable and weighs about 0.3 ounces. It measures 1.2” x 1.2” x 2.2”. MyEagleEyes offers a one-year manufacturer’s warranty with this product as well.

Nest Security Camera

The Nest Security Camera is expensive, but we feel that the capabilities that it provides parents makes it well worth the investment. The camera offers the latest in smart home technology. For instance, it works with Amazon Alexa, although you must purchase those devices separately.

Additionally, it relies on motion detection, although the camera can distinguish the difference between minor hand movements and a person entering the room.

Parents will need to plug this camera into an outlet to power it on. However, this means that they will receive 24/7 live streaming and won’t ever have to worry about changing the batteries. If parents connect the camera to WiFi, then they will receive a motion detection alert on their phone.

Whenever the camera detects motion, a smartphone app will ask if you’d like to view the video feed.

Nest will store up to 30 days of continuous video history in its cloud. Additionally, parents can use the Sightline feature, which allows them to quickly review photos from the last three hours of recorded footage. The camera weighs a bit more than seven ounces and measures 2.9” x 4.5” 2.9”.

Modernway Mini Spy Camera

We feel as though this is a decent option for parents, although there may be better ones available. The camera is attractive because it offers a 150-degree wide viewing angle, essentially allowing parents to view an entire room with one device.

Modernway markets this camera as one that parents can hide easily. However, when running on battery power, it doesn’t last for more than an hour. If parents plug the camera into a power source, it will run continuously. However, having a wire extending from the camera to an outlet makes it significantly more visible. The camera weighs four ounces and measures 5.6” x 3.6” x 1.7”.

The camera features infrared night vision, which could be ideal for monitoring a sleeping baby. Parents can connect the camera to WiFi.

However, they cannot view video footage from the camera when doing so. Instead, they receive a still image that the camera captured. Furthermore, the SD card on the camera captures still images and does not record long video.

ELValley Hidden Spy Camera

Those in search of a hidden spy camera should find this option from ELValley attractive. The camera records dual 1920*1080P video with a 90-degree wide-angle lens. The camera is affordable and does not require a WiFi connection, as it comes with an internal WiFi hot-spot.

The camera comes with a default lens and a do-it-yourself lens that extends outward.

Unfortunately, the camera only has two hours of battery life, although a charging cable comes included so that customers can plug it into a wall outlet for continuous power. The camera does not come with an SD card, which means customers will need to invest in a storage option. The camera supports SD cards up to 128GB.

Lastly, this camera stood out to us because it features smartphone technology. Parents can view up to four camera feeds at one time on their smartphone or tablet. Parents can also receive motion detection alerts on their devices as well. The camera weighs 1.1 ounces and measures 1” x 1.1” x .6”.

​FULAO Spy Camera

This product offers a 120-degree wide angle lens as well as 1080P high-resolution video. The camera supports loop recording.

Customers can purchase an SD card up to 128GB for use with this camera.

The camera comes with six infrared lights and a night vision distance of five meters. When the camera detects motion, it will send a push notification to your phone with an image that was just shot. Parents can also view live video streams when using this camera.

Parents can mount the camera anywhere using the magnetic mount that come with the product. However, the battery lasts for less than an hour, which means customers will need to run a power supply to the camera.

The company offers a one-year warranty on the product. The camera is a bit heavy, weighing 6.4 ounces.

Final Thoughts

If you’re thinking about adding cameras to your home to monitor your child, we feel that the Nest Security Camera is the best option available. You likely cannot hide this camera, but that’s ok. Hidden cameras will catch a nanny in the act, but only after it’s too late. 

The Nest Security Camera provides parents with two-way audio, allowing them to communicate with their child and nanny from anywhere.

We also liked that Nest offered 30 days of cloud storage for any video that the camera captures. Although customers may have to pay a nominal fee to access this service, it could be a price well worth paying.

The cloud service is likely cheaper than having to purchase an additional storage drive. Although the camera is a bit expensive, it provides all of the features we look for in a nanny cam.