CCTV baby monitor wired to TV?

[Badfish740]

I'm almost finished with my family room project and over the weekend we picked up the centerpiece:

http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-E601i-A3-60-inch-1080p-120Hz/dp/B009H8JOZS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358200794&sr=8-2&keywords=vizio

Now we can watch TV comfortably down in the basement, which is great, except that in the living room where we used to watch TV, it was easy to hear lil Badfish if she was not sleeping well and/or trying to escape her crib (yes, we're in that stage now), but now we're downstairs on the opposite side of the house, so we're in the market for a baby monitor. They've come a long way since the crappy old walkie talkie types that my parents used. Everything now is wireless and either has its own screen or is web-based. The monitors with their own screens are usually $100+, and I'm not crazy about the web-based ones. Sure they're easy, but putting a live feed of my little one sleeping onto the WWW (password protected or not) isn't my cup of tea. This one looks cheap enough:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U8VL9K/ref=s9_simhw_p421_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=03209G5J2BQXZ7HK4KWC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846

Even with the 50' of power/video cord it would only be about $60. The question is, would I be able to feed the signal to my HD set? I have component inputs, but they're for 1080-if I plugged the single RCA into one of the three inputs would I get any picture at all? If not, are there cameras that will send a signal via coaxial cable? I have plenty of that laying around and there is of course a coxial input on the TV. Basically the goal is to be able to just have one of my inputs designated "BABY MONITOR" and to be able to flip to it in between channel surfing or during a movie/football game/etc...

 

[maverick06]

You sure you want to do that?
Not sure how your kid(s?) are, but for me, I have the little monitor with a screen on it all the time. It just sites there and lets me know when the little monster is awake or messing around. I looked into getting it piped into the tv but quickly realized i wouldnt want to keep flipping back and forth. This also let me go elsewhere in the house without having to worry.

Also, my little girl will sometimes, more often than not, get out of bed and wander around her room messing around with things. She is safe in there, but at a year and a half old, I dont want her walking around on her own too long, she might find the power outlets or something.

The one we have is about $119, and we paid another $44 for the second camera. Now we have one receiver and 2 cameras, it will go to whichever one has noise, or which one you want to watch. With kid #2 due any day now, it seemed like a good idea. Very happy with it. To each their own though. At least we have the option of monitors now.

 

[stee6043]

We recently upgraded to the two room version of the Motorola unit linked below. Has worked great for us. I personally would not waste my time hard wiring such a thing. Eventually they will outgrow the need for monitoring (at least I hope).

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VL2VRO

Based on my pre-purchase research the big difference between cheap and expensive is the quality of the night vision. The camera above has pretty great night vision. Being able to move the cameras from the monitor is pretty awesome too...especially when Junior becomes fully mobile and can have his own party in the diaper bin.

 

[Dtunes]

We recently upgraded to the two room version of the Motorola unit linked below. Has worked great for us. I personally would not waste my time hard wiring such a thing. Eventually they will outgrow the need for monitoring (at least I hope).

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VL2VRO

Based on my pre-purchase research the big difference between cheap and expensive is the quality of the night vision. The camera above has pretty great night vision. Being able to move the cameras from the monitor is pretty awesome too...especially when Junior becomes fully mobile and can have his own party in the diaper bin.

We got this one as a Christmas present from the in-laws. Its pretty awesome, but pricey. You can move the camera around remotely and the night vision is very good. Not sure if I would have bought it myself, but I'm very happy to have it. The wife and I enjoy watching the little guy sleep, not to mention his pre-sleep antics.

 

[midwestcoast]

Can't help on the technical side, but:
Another vote for that Motorola unit here. It is spensive, but was about the only piece of baby gear we bought since everything else was handed down. Works like we hoped it would.

One big difference of a dedicated unit vs cctv cam is that it has audio, so you hear a noise & glance at the monitor to see lil-bad dangling from the crib rail by her foot, lol! I guess an old school audio only monitor could give that too & they're cheap now.

The motorola unit & others have an intercom so you can yell at comfort the little one without moving your butt off the couch or straining your delicate vocal cords. My wife & I laughed at that feature, but have actually used it to calm baby back to sleep a few times and to talk to each other. Thinking it will be usefull when she's older.

 

[maverick06]

"when she's older" AGREED, its wonderful for my 1 1/2 year old when she is walking around, i can yell at her to go back to bed, she usually does.

And when she is 16 I think the monitor will be even more useful!

 

[TradEddie]

You all need to chill. Everyone, you and the children will sleep much better without any monitor at all. Kids make noise, and 99.9999999% of the time, there is no reason to worry. Those hundreds of dollars will do much more good in a college savings account. Get one of those walkie talkie types for when you're asleep, turn the volume down real low, you don't need to wake when they fart, and throw it out when they are 6 months old.
Being a parent is scary, the secret is to relax.

TE

 

[stee6043]

You all need to chill. Everyone, you and the children will sleep much better without any monitor at all. Kids make noise, and 99.9999999% of the time, there is no reason to worry. Those hundreds of dollars will do much more good in a college savings account. Get one of those walkie talkie types for when you're asleep, turn the volume down real low, you don't need to wake when they fart, and throw it out when they are 6 months old.
Being a parent is scary, the secret is to relax.

TE

I don't think it has so much to do with being uptight parents. It's no different than us Americans buying 60" TV's when a 13" will display the same program. Nor is it any different that using a microwave when a stove does the same thing. Why have a baby monitor with a steerable camera and a two way audio system? Because we can. And because it's neat, and useful, and provides some value. Could a cell phone not be described in the same way?

Not to mention that as us middle class Americans continue to increase the size of our homes compared to our parents we are facing a slight variation on the age old challenge of listening for kids - distance. Our houses are bigger, rooms are further away from each other, better insualted, etc and so on.

Video monitors are pretty neat. So is an iPhone. Do I need either one? No. Were they both worth my hard earned cashola? For sure. Am I an uptight parent? I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone that would describe my wife and I as "tense"...

 

[TradEddie]

I really don''t want to stop you or anyone else from stimulating the economy, we need all the consumer discretionary spending we can, but IMHO a baby monitor, especially a video one is likely to make you more uptight as a parent. Best thing we ever did was turn it off.

TE

 

[midwestcoast]

Do I still need to chill if I'm outside stacking wood with the monitor on while baby is napping? How about if my wife & I return to sit by the fire pit after she's gone to bed? Or just talking and laughing (loudly) with our friends downstairs while she sleeps upstairs? All of these are times when we couldn't hear baby screaming so we probably wouldn't have done it without a monitor. Heck a couple times we've actually returned to our friends house right across the street after she's gone to sleep because we could hear & see if she woke up. Only takes 15 seconds to get back here, but no way would we leave her alone without the all-seeing, all-hearing monitor helping out. So it actually helps us to relax & have some fun as much as it would help an up-tight parent be up-tighter.
She's not in a crib either. Cribs are for parents that need to chill
You ever get 5 mins from your house after a long car ride and baby finally falls asleep? She will always wake-up if we move her, so that's what 2 iPhones & Facetime are for. Baby gets her nap in the driveway & we can unpack...
Sure we were all raised just fine without this technology, but I bet our parents would have used it if they could.

 

[stee6043]

Do I still need to chill if I'm outside stacking wood with the monitor on while baby is napping? How about if my wife & I return to sit by the fire pit after she's gone to bed? Or just talking and laughing (loudly) with our friends downstairs while she sleeps upstairs? All of these are times when we couldn't hear baby screaming so we probably wouldn't have done it without a monitor. Heck a couple times we've actually returned to our friends house right across the street after she's gone to sleep because we could hear & see if she woke up. Only takes 15 seconds to get back here, but no way would we leave her alone without the all-seeing, all-hearing monitor helping out. So it actually helps us to relax & have some fun as much as it would help an up-tight parent be up-tighter.
She's not in a crib either. Cribs are for parents that need to chill
You ever get 5 mins from your house after a long car ride and baby finally falls asleep? She will always wake-up if we move her, so that's what 2 iPhones & Facetime are for. Baby gets her nap in the driveway & we can unpack...
Sure we were all raised just fine without this technology, but I bet our parents would have used it if they could.

HA! I thought we were the only ones that have beers with the neighbors after bedtime. Sadly, our Motorola monitor will not go 2 houses down so we do exactly what you do - two iPhones with facetime. And I agree - it's about the only time we can truly relax without having to get a babysitter. Everybody wins.

 

[Badfish740]

You all need to chill. Everyone, you and the children will sleep much better without any monitor at all. Kids make noise, and 99.9999999% of the time, there is no reason to worry. Those hundreds of dollars will do much more good in a college savings account.

Hundreds? I found what I needed from Amazon for $60.

Get one of those walkie talkie types for when you're asleep, turn the volume down real low, you don't need to wake when they fart, and throw it out when they are 6 months old.
Being a parent is scary, the secret is to relax.

You didn't read the OP. The family room is on the extreme opposite end of the house from her room on a different floor. We put her to bed around 7:30 and usually go downstairs to relax/unwind/watch TV until about 10:30. I'd rather not have my daughter wake up an hour or two after she goes down (which she sometimes does) and scream and cry until one of us happens to go upstairs to use the bathroom or get something from the kitchen and hears her. Toddlers tend to get a little scared when they wake up in a dark room alone. Also, she is getting close to being able to climb, so all the more reason not to leave her to her own devices when she's awake. If that's being uptight oh well...my little girl had major heart/lung surgery at six weeks old, I think I can handle toddlerhood bedtime...

 

[Swedishchef]

We recently upgraded to the two room version of the Motorola unit linked below. Has worked great for us. I personally would not waste my time hard wiring such a thing. Eventually they will outgrow the need for monitoring (at least I hope).​

+1! We have the same monitor and can't complain. Great investment. Motorolla make a great product and the night vision works great, the sound sensitivity is perfect and I love how you can add multiple cameras and plug the monitor into a TV

ANdrew

 

[Swedishchef]

On another note, we don't panick and don't listen to the kid all the time. However when we are outside it is nice to know that we can hear/see them if need be. INstead of running back in and out of the house.
For our first one we had one without video and it crapped out. After reading reviews for that motorolla unit and finding it on sale, it was a steal of a deal!

A

 

[mywaynow]

The camera on the Amazon link comes with a BNC connection. That is the video signal. Any RadioShack will have in stock a BNC to RCA adapter which will provide a signal to your yellow RCA input. It may not be as clear as it should/could be, but will work. Clarity is mostly comprimised by a lack of signal strength, I believe. You may want to look into a video/audio version. Sometimes what you hear is more important than what you see. Those cameras are hard to find in most cases since the eves dropping of audio is illegal in most cases.