To be paranoid the baby monitor is hacked

[pizzawinecake]

This is half in AIBU for the traffic as I need some urgent reassurance as I'm panicking, but also half here as my DH thinks I'm overreacting and this could not possibly be hacking.

So we have a leapfrog WiFi baby monitor, but I've not yet ever connected it to WiFi so just using it in range. Last night I was watching tv and suddenly noticed the view of the baby had gone darker and suddenly most of the bedroom wall was in the camera view. Thought it was weird, had a little play around of the buttons, couldn't figure out how to significantly change the view so left it. A few minutes later I literally saw the view rotating so that it panned across the whole bedroom including my bed (cot is in our bedroom). I thought maybe it was a delayed reaction from my playing around. Another 5 minutes again I saw the camera angle change again. I definitely hadn't touched anything this time. No weird sounds or anything I don't think.

It's not connected to WiFi so apparently can only be hacked by someone in the immediate vicinity. DH said no way someone on our road would do that and it's a technical glitch and to stop being silly. He thinks maybe it automatically changes angle if the camera detects motion (I don't think this is the case). I'm just panicking at the thought of someone watching me and the baby. I turned it off last night.

Thoughts, any experience of this, and what would you do?

This is why we've never used a monitor. Our house is tiny, it's unnecessary!

My partner bought one. I spent about 2 mins online to check it was secure. Decided it had to go. Got an old fashioned baby monitor instead. From memory, the complete lack of mention as to security on their website was a red flag for me.

DH said no way someone on our road would do that

Respectfully, there's absolutely no way to know what people are truly like or what they're capable of.

It could be a frequency issue but personally I would be binning it and either going back to sound only or absolutely no wifi cameras.

And baby cams aren't just used for babies... Some people use them for internal home security, dogs etc etc

Using the same model to watch animals overnight - things like lambing, farrowing, horses giving birth.

Yeah I'm no expert on this but if you've not connected/secured the monitor, it seems feasible that sometime else could connect it to their network.

Wifi baby monitors can be easily hacked. I have no idea who ever thought it a good idea to make a baby monitor connect into the home network.
But as you haven't connected it yet, its most likely to be on the same frequency as something nearby.

Absolutely get into the settings and change the admin name and admin password if you are going to connect it to your network. Otherwise anyone nearby can connect it to theirs, which is madness. And unlikely but it does happen.

If you are still worried about it, i'd get an old school one. One which is on all the time not those noise detection ones which only come on if there is a sound.

.

.

It just happened again. I reconnected it tonight to see if I was losing my mind but have been watching it all evening and took a pic of the camera view in the original place. At around the same time it happened yesterday I saw the unit unlock and the arrows to move the camera came on screen. The right arrow came up on screen and the camera view moved to cover the bed again in one smooth movement and stopped there.

Unplugged immediately and never using again. Really do think someone was spying unless the confused frequency argument still stands up? Is there anything that can be done at all? Feel pretty violated at the fact someone may have been watching us in the privacy of our bedroom for god knows how long.

Was going to suggest this.

You've just said your room? Do you and your partner go to bed around now? Maybe they have watched erm a show 🤔 and now check in around the same time to see if your making another one

Have you stopped using direct mode, and connected it to your network as advised in the instructions?
It has nothing to do with "Confused frequency", that relates to very old analogue baby monitors. which this one isn't.

In short please read the instructions, it will enable you to make it secure.

Overnight (post midnight) we did a control test in another room and yep overnight the view change. Will be speaking to leapfrog shortly and won't be using. But at least I know for sure it was moving now and not my imagination.

I asked leapfrog yesterday why they recommended not using it in direct mode. This isn't for security reasons they said, it's for enhanced viewing and ability to use the different features, such as the app. In direct mode this is the apparently the same as a non WiFi monitor (tell me if anyone disagrees with that advice from one help desk consultant)

Probably because they don't want to explain that it's a default connection, and therefore potentially a security risk.

Their verbal advice contradicts their own instructions which tell you "It is not recommended to use direct mode after installation"

Again, I suggest you follow the instructions and connect it to your wi-fi and see if you continue to observe the reported issue.

I don't think I can help you any further, good luck.

Honestly just buy a new monitor, change your wifi password and the new monitor password and set it up properly.

And if it reccommends you don't do something, don't do it anyway.

Clearly the baby has hacked it so he can play Super Mario under the covers all night

Maybe get a different baby monitor with no picture capture. Think mum's are a bit paranoid these days. My baby monitor was my ears if I heard the baby I would go check.

Reset WiFi password, just don't use EIEIO

I have a pet monitor which often changes view of it's own accord if it has been on for a while

Had a garage door opener that would raise the garage door of the house across the street and two doors down. Fun for a minute!

Could be something other than a baby monitor interfering? About every 6 months my neighbour's car key pairs with my doorbell and sets it off every time they lock/unlock their car. Equally had problems with neighbours using those remote things to turn plugs on and off and it pairing with stuff in our house. Even fire alarms are often paired now. It could be coming from anything, especially if it's happening at a similar time each night.

Update- leapfrog management called me today as I had called to find out exactly how the technology works (I've got some background in tech) so I could figure out the vulnerabilities. They said they'd in the past few days had some glitches in the monitors and reports of cameras 'having a mind of their own'
Still worrying as to what this means but they reassured me that it hadn't been hacked and mine was one of a number of similar stories in the past few days that they are looking into.

Has the firmware recently been updated? If not that sounds like BS

No firmware updates for a LF2936FHD, on their support site, so how strange it should suddenly behave differently....