Nanny cams come in many different forms. We’ve picked several of the top choices on the market to help you find the best nanny cam for your home. Logitech offers free 24 hours’ worth of cloud storage. But if you want more room or access to the person detection feature or set motion zones, you have to pay more. While 14 days of extra storage is just $4.99 a month, a full 31 days of storage and access to the camera’s special features cost $9.99 a month. That’s a lot to fully use a product you already bought at a high price. Still, we understand that sometimes a hidden camera is the best choice. In that instance, the Logitech Circle 2 is not the best choice. This is a good-sized camera. It’s hard to conceal. The SIRGAWAIN has no cloud storage service and doesn’t connect to a Wi-Fi network, so you can’t check it remotely using an app. You also can’t quickly transfer videos to your mobile devices. Instead, you have to remove the SD card and download the clips frequently. What is this, 1992? On the other hand, a fully functioning object won’t draw as much attention to itself, and we love that the DIVINEEAGLE charger really works. The camera hidden inside may never be noticed.
Logitech Circle 2: Best value—The Circle 2 is an all-around reliable camera that will work well as a nanny cam. SIRGAWAIN Mini Spy Camera: Best mini cam—If you’re looking for a petite option, this tiny camera is incredibly discreet. DIVINEEAGLE Spy Camera Charger: Best covert cam—This camera gives you the most discreet camera option—but you’ll have to wait to download the footage before you can see what happened while you were away. Canary All-in-One: Best for multi-use—The Canary All-in-One gives you both a camera and some environmental sensors—but you’ll pay extra for two-way audio. Arlo Baby Monitor: Best for child’s room—If you don’t want an ugly eyesore in little Hazel’s nursery, try this cute camera.
If these suggestions aren’t cutting it for you because of cost, try some less expensive options. Just know that when using a nanny cam to watch a nanny or other caretaker, you can stray into tricky legal territory. Whether you’re a working parent, trying out a new babysitter, or traveling out of town, a nanny cam can provide a lot of comfort to parents and allow reassurance that your kids are happy and safe. If you have older loved ones, nanny cams can also be useful to keep an eye on them and their caregivers. Just be careful of legal restrictions. One other thing: a nanny cam is not a nanny. Don’t leave a camera in place of a sitter when you have to leave the house. If a child’s not old enough to be left on their own, they aren’t old enough to be watched by just a camera. It’s also legal to have a camera in public areas of your home, like the kitchen, living room, playroom, hallways, or patio. But if the camera’s hidden, all 50 states in the US forbid you to record audio unless you inform the nanny (and anyone else who’ll be recorded) that you’re doing so.2 If you have a live-in nanny or caretaker, you can’t put a camera in their room, even if you disclose it. Legally, the nanny can expect privacy in their bedroom. Unlike with your minor children, you don’t necessarily have a right to know what goes on there. If you worry that your nanny is violating house rules or other contract agreements, you need to come up with a more direct way to resolve the problem. You might wonder why we advocate for disclosure. We think that, in the long run, it’s going to work out better for you. Most people don’t like being secretly videoed. If you don’t disclose your camera to your nanny and they find out about it, they might look for a different job. If you worry that disclosing your cameras will make you less likely to catch your nanny in questionable behavior, then yeah, it probably will. But even if your nanny was originally planning something nefarious, if they know about the cameras, they probably just won’t do it. Preventing problems from happening in the first place still gives you the desired outcome, which is to keep your kids safe. In spite of that, if you’d like facial recognition, you’ll have to go with something pricey. Nest Cam IQs currently have that feature, but they cost quite a bit. Check out our best home security systems review to explore a nanny cam-security system combo.
