Do Baby Monitors Send Video to the Cloud? What to Ask Before You Buy

Short answer: many Wi-Fi baby monitors do. Video often passes through, or is saved on, the manufacturer's servers so you can watch from anywhere, review clips or get smart alerts. That isn't automatically unsafe, but it means your nursery's privacy depends on that company's security. Before you buy, find out where the video goes, who can access it, and how it's protected.

Three kinds of baby monitors

Type	How video travels	Privacy trade-off
Non-Wi-Fi (radio) monitor	Camera to a dedicated parent screen, directly	No internet involved, but range is limited and older models may not encrypt the radio link
Wi-Fi monitor, cloud-based	Camera to company servers to your phone	Easy remote viewing and recordings; video may be stored or processed by the company
Wi-Fi monitor, local-first	Camera to your phone over home Wi-Fi; remote viewing is encrypted device-to-phone	Video stays in your home by default; features depend on the design

Many products mix these approaches, so the details in the privacy policy and settings matter more than the box.

What has gone wrong before

These cases come from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces consumer protection law:

• TRENDnet (2013). The FTC said a flaw in TRENDnet's internet-connected cameras, which were marketed for uses including baby monitoring, let anyone with a camera's internet address view its feed. Hackers posted links to live feeds from nearly 700 cameras, showing, in the FTC's words, "babies asleep in their cribs, young children playing, and adults going about their daily lives." The FTC also alleged that login credentials were sent and stored in plain, readable text. TRENDnet settled. [1]
• Ring (2023). The FTC alleged that Ring let employees and contractors access customers' private videos, and that one employee viewed thousands of recordings of female users. It also alleged that hackers took over the accounts of more than 55,000 U.S. customers between 2019 and 2020, exposing videos including children's bedrooms. Ring agreed to a $5.8 million settlement for consumer refunds, while disputing the allegations. [2]

The lesson isn't that every connected camera is dangerous. It's that design choices and company practices decide who can see into your home.

10 questions to ask before you buy

1. Does live video go through your servers, or directly from the camera to my phone?
2. Is video ever stored in the cloud? If so, for how long, and can I turn it off completely?
3. Is it end-to-end encrypted, so even the company can't view it?
4. Can company employees ever view my video? Under what circumstances?
5. Does it work if my internet goes down? A monitor that needs the internet for live view stops when your internet does.
6. Does it support two-factor authentication on the account?
7. Does it force a unique password, with no shared or default passwords?
8. How long will it get security updates, and are they automatic?
9. Is AI analysis done on the device or on company servers?
10. Which features require a subscription, and what still works without one?

If a company can't answer these clearly, that tells you something too.

How to lock down the monitor you already have

• Update it. Turn on automatic firmware and app updates.
• Use a strong, unique password for the monitor account, and turn on two-factor authentication.
• Secure your home Wi-Fi with WPA2 or WPA3 and a strong router password. Update your router too.
• Turn off features you don't use, such as cloud recording, sharing or remote access.
• Review who has access. Remove old phones, family members or caregivers who no longer need it.
• Read the privacy settings after major app updates, since defaults can change.
• Unplug and factory-reset before selling or giving a monitor away.

Frequently asked questions

Are non-Wi-Fi monitors completely private? They avoid the internet, which removes many risks, but radio signals can travel. Look for models that encrypt their connection, often listed as "FHSS" or "encrypted digital."

Is cloud storage always bad? No. It can be convenient and secure if it's encrypted and well managed. The key is that you understand it and can control it.

Can I watch a local-first monitor when I'm away from home? Some local-first designs offer remote viewing by connecting your phone directly to the camera with encryption, instead of storing video on a server.

How the ARC is designed to help

The Selah ARC System, now in development, is designed local-first. Live video and sound are processed on the devices in your home, it's designed to keep working if your internet goes down, and remote viewing is designed to be encrypted from the camera to your phone, not stored on our servers. Follow the build.

This article is general information, not legal or security advice.

Sources

1. Federal Trade Commission. Marketer of internet-connected home security video cameras settles FTC charges it failed to protect consumers' privacy. September 4, 2013.
2. Axios. FTC says Ring employees illegally accessed users' private videos. May 31, 2023.