Show HN: WebRTC LAN Baby Monitor for iOS and iPadOS

(apps.apple.com)

49 points | by ryan-a a day ago ago

8 comments

  • pcardoso 11 hours ago ago

    Congratulations on this project, excellent idea.

    I sometimes used a FaceTime call between an iPad and my phone as a make shift baby monitor. Audio only, I don’t think video is really necessary. In fact, our Angelcare monitor at home was audio only.

    Ours also had sleep apnea detection (a mat to put below the mattress), perhaps the accelerometers could be used to detect lack of movement.

  • pfexec 13 hours ago ago

    This is DOA not because there is anything wrong with the app, but because iDevices make objectively poor baby monitors.

    Babies sleep a lot. A LOT. Any halfway decent baby monitor needs the ability to see in the dark (IR illumination) which iDevices don't have, so unless it's relegated to monitoring play areas during the day, its usefulness is limited. That doesn't mean the software isn't well designed, the hardware is simply not fit for purpose.

    • thebruce87m 24 minutes ago ago

      LiDAR could be an option

    • pcardoso 8 hours ago ago

      I think video is not really required in a baby monitor. A nice to have, perhaps.

      As I said in another thread, I used a audio-only baby monitor with 3 kids and didn't feel the need for video.

      We just wanted to know if the baby started crying or woke up. And in our case, if it stopped breathing (we were afraid of SIDS - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIDS).

    • HelloUsername 13 hours ago ago

      Being able to use the microphone only is more than enough

    • bartvk 11 hours ago ago

      For a couple of years, we used a baby monitor on an iPad in the baby room. We never used IR illumination, instead we just waited until we got a notification on our phone, then watched the video. It was never utterly dark in the baby's room, but you can also remotely turn on the iPad LED light.

  • zuhsetaqi 8 hours ago ago

    Thanks for creating this app, makes a solid first impression. First thing I miss is the ability to switch the back camera which should perform better in low light.

  • davsti4 19 hours ago ago

    THIS ↑ is what we need more of. Thanks Ryan.