D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera - not just for babies

Those of you who know me know that my boys are no longer babies, so you might be wondering why I'm reviewing a baby monitor.  I do know that a lot of my readers DO have babies, so when I was offered the D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera to trial and review, I thought it might be something of interest, and I had some ideas for other uses for it too.  Don’t run away if you don’t have a baby – read to the end and you’ll see how this camera is a lot more than a baby monitor! 

D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera DCS-825L

When you first unpack it, the D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera looks like a large webcam.  Just plug it in to the power, download the app to your phone or tablet (it’s available for iOS and Android) and you’re guided through the Setup Wizard.  The camera has its own Wi-Fi code, which you enter into the app to link it to your phone or tablet, then you link the camera to your home Wi-Fi network.  The whole set up took less than 10 minutes.  The last step is to create an account with D-Link which means you can monitor the camera from anywhere in the world just by visiting the D-Link website and logging in.

What’s so special about this baby camera?

• Rather than just hearing your baby you can see your baby.

• Distance isn't a problem - you can be in the living room, in the garden, or at your neighbours home. 

• High definition vision quality means that even in a dark room you can still see up to 5 metres.

• 4 x digital zoom from your phone or tablet.

• There’s two way audio, which means that as well as listening to your baby, you can also talk to your baby.  There’s even a lullaby player built in with five different tunes.

• Set it to alert you when motion or noise is detected, or when there’s a temperature change in the room.

• Insert a microSD card and record video or images.

• Both the blue and pink coloured rings come with the camera, so you can colour coordinate with your baby’s décor.

This camera would be perfect for a parent who has to travel for work, or worse, who works/lives apart from their family for any length of time.  I know for me, being away from my family is hardest at night, and luckily that didn’t happen when my boys were babies, but to have been able to see them tucked into their beds and sleeping would have at least assured me that everything was OK.  Just log in to your camera via the D-link website and you view the camera images live, even from the other side of the world!

Apart from being a brilliant baby monitor/camera, there are plenty of non-baby uses I came up with

• Pet owners – do you have a pet who frets when you’re not there?  You can talk to it via the camera, as well as checking that it’s not doing something it shouldn’t!

• A sick child at home and you have to work, or go to the shops?  You can make sure they’re ok while you’re out.

• If your house is for sale you can be a ‘fly on the wall’ during an open for inspection

• An older parent living alone – you could check occasionally to make sure they’re ok

• Recently my father spent his first night out of hospital with us.  I wish I’d had the D-Link then, because if he needed something in the middle of the night, all he would have had to do was speak into the monitor.

• My parents still live in their own home and my father is the carer for my mother who has dementia.  They live in a two storey house and twice so far my mother has fallen over while my father has been downstairs.  With the D-Link camera set up he could have seen what was going on upstairs and heard my mother when she called for help.

Luckily it’s a few years since I've had to worry about this, but lately there have been a few posts on other forums, so I know it’s an issue a few face.  I once had a friend whose child delighted in tormenting one of my sons whenever they visited, but it was never when their mother was around, so she never saw what happened.  If I’d had the D-Link baby camera then I would have had my iPad in our view wherever we were so we could both see exactly what he little ‘angel’ got up to out of her sight!

Then there’s a whole lot of other uses once the kids got hold of it during the holidays

• Hide and seek/44 Homes changes completely when the camera is set up to monitor a strategic location, with the iPad left on a table where those ‘in the know’ could casually take a look.

• My boys love Prank Patrol on ABC3, so Aaron’s first thought was how to use the camera to prank his little brother!  The two way audio was perfect for making his little brother and his friend think the house was haunted!  He just hid the camera in Danny’s bedroom and spoke into my phone (and watched the results) from the other end of the house.

• I really don't suggest this one unless you want World War III - set up the camera behind your opponent while playing a card game and you can glance at your phone occasionally to see their hand!

The D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera 825 costs between $180 and $250, depending on where you buy, and you can read more about it here 

What would you use the D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera for?

Disclosure:  Whilst I was given the D-Link Wi-Fi Baby Camera to review, all opinions are my own