While taking care of Nayul, I can't always be by her side, whether I'm eating, doing household chores, in the bathroom, or working from home. Typically, most people would use a home camera in such instances. Neither my wife nor I knew who we would be meeting as a postnatal helper (especially in tense situations given the news about incidents involving infants), but we wanted to set up a home camera to ensure nothing went wrong with Nayul during postpartum massages.
At the time, we weren't sure if we would care for Nayul in the bedroom or living room, so deciding how many cameras to install and where became a dilemma. However, a friend introduced us to the Alfred Camera, an app that can transform phones into home cameras. Since I usually buy phones without a contract, I had several old phones lying around. The Alfred Camera app was great because we could set up multiple cameras around the house using those old phones. We set up phones in the living rooms and by the baby's crib, then designated our current phones as viewers.
My experience with the app was mostly positive. It easily connected all devices under one account, and despite some limited functions depending on the phone, the camera's low-light settings were helpful for nighttime monitoring. Motion detection with auto-recording was a nice touch. Although the free version has many ads, we decided to upgrade to the paid version. Subscriptions varied based on the device but were about 38,000 won for Android and 35,000 won for iPhone.
For those considering baby/home camera options and have unused phones, I'll briefly introduce the app.
Alfred Camera
Account linking options: Google, Apple, or email. Logging in on multiple devices for sharing is recommended.
Equipment & Usage
- Required: Phones (both for viewing and as the camera). Install the Alfred app on each.
- After login, choose whether the device will be a camera or viewer.
Features Offered
- Basic recording feature. Motion detection auto-records movement. Playback feature allows for revisiting older footage.
- With the viewer phone, you can control the camera phone’s flashlight and low-light settings, transmit voice, and review recorded footage (stored for about 13 days and downloadable).
Drawbacks of Alfred Camera
1. Screen adjustment: Limited to zooming in and out.
2. Subscription payments: Need to manually cancel the subscription.
3. Ads: Frequent ads in the free version.
4. Security: Concerns about personal footage being accessed if server security is compromised.
Personal Benefits
One standout feature is the web page support. As someone who primarily works on a laptop, the web viewer/camera support was incredibly helpful.
The web version supports all app features, and I didn't need to turn on my phone to check on Nayul.
To wrap up, here's a video of 37-day old Nayul recorded via the app. The audio and video quality are surprisingly good.
For 35,000 won a year, it feels great to monitor Nayul anywhere in the house. I hope this post helps those considering home cameras.
Childcare Diary, May 11, 2023