Is it true that with the correct equipment you can listen into other people's baby monitors?

Question

Shocking if it's the case! Do people realise they are effectively 'broadcasting' to the nation when they fit these things?

Answer 1

Yes, this is true. I don't know what's so shocking about it, though. The baby monitor is a transmitter and can be picked up with a lot of receivers. It's the same with a lot of cordless phones. Your neighbors could easily be listening in on your calls if you have a cordless phone in your house. (Not a cell phone, the cordless kind you use in your house.)

I'm not sure why anybody would want to listen to your baby crying or getting a bath, but some people do strange things. But if you want to make sure your phone call is private, don't use the cordless phone.

Answer 2

It broadcasts FM type signals in the 49 MHz range. This freq. is just below the bottom end of the FM music broadcast band.

With a high gain antenna that you could buy or build for $50, you could probably receive these signals at a distance of a mile or two.

Answer 3

It's true since they are only basic radio transmitters and tend to broadcast on the same frequency.

Fortunately they only output a very low frequency so you'd need to be within about 20 feet to pick it up. Any higher frequency could contaminate the area with electromagnetic radiation.

Answer 4

Yes, Most baby monitors operate around 49MHz. Any of your cheap Radio Shack scanners will tune in that band. With a scanner, you can also tune in the local McDonald's Drive thru.

Answer 5

I had a shitty monitor that I bought at a car boot sale. When I took it to my mum's house, I could also hear the baby 3 doors up. Shocking, ain't it?

Answer 6

yeppers, and you don't even need special equipment! they only transmit in a very narrow frequency range, so there is a good chance that your neighbour will have one on the same frequency and you'll be able to overhear each other. when i was in my late teens and my gran had senile dementia we used a baby monitor, only to find out that grandma had avid listeners across the road where they had one working on the same frequency.

Answer 7

when my daughter was 2yrs old,i could hear my neighbour who lived 7 doors away giving her son a bath,at first i thought it was funny,but then i realised if i can hear them,can they hear me,i had my son a couple of years later and had moved house,my son was in bed,and i heard screaming,so i went to check on him,he was fast asleep,listened more on the intercom,and heard a woman swearing and screaming at her baby which only sounded young,so upsetting to hear as i didnt know who they were,i couldnt do anything,but felt so sorry for that poor baby.

Answer 8

We could hear anyone on their CB radio when they went by. It came in useful when the local council were arguing with us about flooding and we could hear the fella in his van saying that it was only a temporary flood etc - he thought we were witches when we were able to wade over and answer all his comments to base! Useful.

Answer 9

Yes, it's true. We heard the neighbors down the street talking to their baby over our CB (Citizens Band) radio.

Answer 10

I could hear my neighbor's baby monitor through ours.....kinda freaky.