How to Use Two Phones as a Baby Monitor

If you own two phones, you already own the parts of a baby monitor. One phone has the microphone and camera. The other has the speaker and screen. The hard part isn't connecting them. It's making sure the setup keeps working at 3 a.m. when you're asleep.

This guide walks through a setup you can trust, including the tests most people skip.

What you need

Two phones, or a phone and a tablet or laptop
An internet connection on both devices
A charger for the phone that stays near the baby
A browser. Babyphone runs in the browser, so there's nothing to install

The phone near the baby doesn't need a SIM card or a new battery. An old phone is ideal, as long as it charges reliably.

Step 1: Place the phone safely

Do this first, because it matters more than anything else in this guide.

Keep the phone and its charging cable at least three feet from the crib, out of your baby's reach. Never put the phone in the crib or attach it to the rail. Cords near cribs are a known strangulation hazard, and a charger cable is still a cord. Our placement guide covers this in detail.

A shelf or dresser across the room usually gives a good view and keeps the cable away from little hands.

Step 2: Keep it plugged in

Streaming sound and video uses a lot of power. Plug the phone in and leave it plugged in.

Step 3: Link the two phones

Open Babyphone on the phone near the baby and tap Use this device near baby.
On your own phone, open Babyphone and tap Scan or paste.
Scan the QR code shown on the other phone.

You only do this once. Both devices remember each other from then on.

Step 4: Keep the nursery phone awake

Mobile browsers can suspend the microphone when a phone locks or when the app goes to the background. So the phone near the baby has to stay awake, with the app open.

Babyphone holds the screen on and turns it solid black so it doesn't light up the room. To stop anyone from leaving the app by accident, turn on Guided Access on iPhone or Screen Pinning on Android.

Step 5: Choose what wakes you up

On your phone, decide whether you want continuous sound or sound only on detection, and whether you want alerts for crying alone or for any noise. Turn on notifications when asked.

Keep the app open on your phone. There's no push server behind Babyphone, so a closed app can't alert you.

Step 6: Test it before you rely on it

Spend five minutes on this while your baby is awake and with you:

Sound check: Talk in the nursery and listen from your bedroom with the door closed.
Range check: Walk to the farthest place you'll be and confirm the connection holds.
Detection check: Play a crying sound near the phone and see whether you get an alert.
Failure check: Turn off the Wi-Fi on the nursery phone. You should hear the alarm on your phone within about 20 seconds.
Volume check: Make sure your own phone's volume is high enough to wake you.

If any of these fail, fix them before you depend on the setup.

One thing a monitor can't do

A baby monitor helps you hear your baby from another room. It doesn't make sleep safer, and it isn't a substitute for safe sleep practices or for an adult being nearby.