When you have a WiFi baby monitor in your home, you need to think about how it affects others when you have video running at all times. This little-know etiquette is something that I have had to learn about over time. For simplicity, this post will refer to off-the-shelf video baby monitors and custom solution IP cameras as simply “WiFi baby monitors” as it is about the effects of using these devices and not the devices themselves. To learn more about the benefits of video baby monitors, see my post 5 Things I Love About My IP Cam Baby Monitor.

1. Let your guests know.

First off, if you have any guests staying in a room that has a video camera, you need to let your guests know! A couple of easy solutions for the short-term are to either shut off your cameras or cover them with something like a blanket or towel. After I have disabled viewing from the cameras, I like to show my guests so they are aware that I have taken action to provide them with their privacy. Remember for the consideration of your guests that if you simply cover the cameras with something, you will still be able to hear in rooms with cameras if you open your monitor.

2. Tell your babysitter.

Next, I always make sure and let any babysitters know that there are cameras in the home for viewing the kids. Now, the cameras are pretty obvious, but still, the ethical thing to do is to let the sitter know that we can, and do, look in on the kids. This has never been an issue for a babysitter, but they are always appreciative that we let them know in advance.Nanny cameras are used more for security purposes and that is not what we are talking about here. I would assume that with a private nanny camera, one may not want to make the “nanny” aware of the camera.

3. Have a secure WiFi system.

Security is another consideration. With any video system, you need to ensure that you have your WiFi password-protected. Additionally, if you allow your connection to be viewable outside of your own internal network, you need to ensure that your connection is encrypted and not available to shady characters.The important part is to recognize that privacy is important (as is modesty to most people), so be sure that you are open and honest about the monitoring systems you have in place.What other video camera etiquette have you come across or do you use yourself?