Baby Monitor Ideas

[jasauders 0]

There's a hundred different possibilities on the table, and I'm of course trying to do this as cheap but logically as possible. I want to set up a baby monitor that is video based. It must be wifi enabled because I want to forward it through my router so my parents and my in-laws can punch in my DDNS URL:port# and see the current feed of the baby. I intend to put a camera at birds-eye-view.

 

I was thinking about using an Atom powered wireless Linux nettop I have sitting on the shelf. I thought about perhaps attaching it to the crib with velcro or double sided tape and have it just permanently sitting there running. Then have a USB webcam hook up to the nettop for the feed. This option is taking a lot of assumptions into account... if you know the answer to any I'd love to hear it.

 

The above is assuming that...

- I can push the audio and video stream this USB webcam picks up on the nettop through my network.

- That I can capture the a/v stream from the nettop-baby-monitor and watch/listen on IPCamViewer Pro (Nexus 7 tablet) OR through my Linux powered laptop with VLC media player.

- That I can forward that stream so it's accessible externally from my network.

 

Those 3 things above are really key to making this work, which makes me nervous that it won't fly too easily. An easier option is probably just to get an indoor camera with IR and an onboard microphone that doesn't suck. While I do have an indoor PTZ Foscam camera, it's microphone is downright terrible. I don't even know why it has a microphone because all you can hear is static noise. This is a current complaint with this Foscam camera, and they have evidently released a new ~200 dollar camera that's better, but it won't make my current Foscam work. I could however use the Foscam and just get an audio-based baby monitor, but I'd rather have a more integrated solution with audio and video controlled from one device. At least in that instance I know setting up the Foscam with port forwarding would be crazy simple to do. That way if my wife is home and wants to sit on the deck while the baby naps she can just bring the tablet or her laptop and fire up VLC to do the job.

 

Do you folks have any other recommendations? Is there something I'm missing, or am I over complicating it? Perhaps there's even a super awesome indoor camera that could make this all happen with extreme ease that I just don't know about (hence why I'm coming to you guys. )

 

Requirements:

1 - Wifi based

2 - Infrared (doesn't need to be viewable from 100 meters or anything crazy)

3 - Viewable through Firefox *OR* Chrome *OR* VLC *OR* IPCamViewer Pro

4 - Very solid microphone

 

PTZ is unnecessary, requirements for Internet Explorer or proprietary software installations on the client is an instant fail and won't be a considerable option.

 

Any insight folks? I'd appreciate any ideas you might have!