Baby monitor...neighbors listening in???

[ilovepcot]

I have someone in my home that's recuperating from surgery. They're in another wing of the house and can't be heard if they call for help. I installed a baby monitor so they can call for me when necessary. When I'm in their room talking, is it possible my neighbors (with the right equipment) can hear us? And just what would the "right equipment" be?

 

[worm761]

Yes and I don't know what equipment. I know that my baby monitor picks up all sorts of stuff. So they have to run on the same frequencies. I think, but don't know, that they work on radio frequencies.

When DS was little, every time our neighbor had a phone conversation, we heard it through our monitor.

 

[sam_gordon]

I have someone in my home that's recuperating from surgery. They're in another wing of the house and can't be heard if they call for help. I installed a baby monitor so they can call for me when necessary. When I'm in their room talking, is it possible my neighbors (with the right equipment) can hear us? And just what would the "right equipment" be?

All you would need is a radio tuned to the same (or close) frequency. That could be a cordless phone, a scanner, or even another baby monitor. Depending on how big your "wings" are, and how far your neighbors are, they might be able hear your recuperating patient better than you.

 

[ilovepcot]

All you would need is a radio tuned to the same (or close) frequency. That could be a cordless phone, a scanner, or even another baby monitor. Depending on how big your "wings" are, and how far your neighbors are, they might be able hear your recuperating patient better than you.

OMG...we're ruined! Going to have to move. We trashed ALL the neighbors.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We heard the neighbors all the time through the monitor and I only assumed they heard us also. DD was colicky so she cried forever. Maybe they actually tuned us out!

 

[FireDancer]

Most commercial baby monitors transmit at 900MHz. It would be pretty easy to eavesdrop on anything being transmitted at that frequency because there is so much equipment out there that listens for it. I doubt anyone would care to listen in though. The random call for help probably isn't all the exciting to anyone.

 

[lizabu]

On my baby monitor I could hear my neighbours arguing and telephone conversations. I lived in a large apartment building and had no idea which neighbours they were.

 

[jen1977]

We used to pick up our neighbors phone calls thru our baby monitor.

 

[novajeanjellybean]

I want a house with wings

 

[ilovepcot]

I doubt anyone would care to listen in though. The random call for help probably isn't all the exciting to anyone.

No, the call for help is not the worry. It's when I get to the person's room where the *baby unit* is and she wants to "chat". It's the "chat" that I'm afraid is being heard from the baby unit in her room that could hurt the feelings of the neighbors.

 

[miss.potatohead]

Why don't you turn off the monitor when you get into the room then if you are so concerned about them picking up what you say? Then turn it back on when you leave!

 

[SaraJayne]

No, the call for help is not the worry. It's when I get to the person's room where the *baby unit* is and she wants to "chat". It's the "chat" that I'm afraid is being heard from the baby unit in her room that could hurt the feelings of the neighbors.

If you're worried about it, just turn off the monitor when you come into the room and turn it back on when you leave.

 

[jsmith]

Oh yeah they can most definately hear you-years ago ( my kidlets are grown) a friend from high school lived across the cul de sac from me-we used to use ours to talk to each other

 

[ilovepcot]

Yeah, a great idea turning that monitor off...until you forget to turn it back on. This is an 86 year old aunt who had hip surgery and I'm in and out of the room round the clock. She frequently calls for me around 4 a.m. and it's hard to always remember when you're soooo tired. I did turn it off a few days ago and failed to turn it back on. She hasn't let me forget it! I've already phoned for a night nurse to end some of this madness.

 

[FireDancer]

No, the call for help is not the worry. It's when I get to the person's room where the *baby unit* is and she wants to "chat". It's the "chat" that I'm afraid is being heard from the baby unit in her room that could hurt the feelings of the neighbors.

Got it. I guess the two options are:

1) Turn it off when you get into the room.
2) Get a walkie-talkie instead of a baby monitor so your Aunt has to press a button to call you but you don't have to press anything to hear her.

Since 1 seems to be out I guess 2 is the way to go.

I have to be honest, I can't imagine anything I'd talk to my 80+ year old relative about that would offend my neighbors or hurt their feelings. Do you guys sit around and gossip about your neighbors or call them names or something?

 

[daisyduck123]

14 years ago, DH & I always used to hear an Asian family talking/eating dinner in their kitchen over our baby monitor. This went on for months.

We were always shocked because there were no Asian families living on our street. The nearest one was two blocks away. They had a little kid, so we assumed it was them.

 

[RitaE]

We listened to the breakfast conversations of some neighbor for a couple of years over a baby monitor. We never did figure out who it was .... it wasn't any neighbor close to us but ~somebody~ in the neighborhood. That was the only time of day we'd get them too, right at breakfast.

There was never anything juicy enough for gossip and we never could tell if they could hear our conversations too.

I have to be honest, I can't imagine anything I'd talk to my 80+ year old relative about that would offend my neighbors or hurt their feelings. Do you guys sit around and gossip about your neighbors or call them names or something?

uh believe me. Elderly, in pain, sick relatives often lose their mouth filters. There's opportunity for a bunch of stuff said that is cringe-worthy.

 

[SandrA9810]

You can't argue back with an old person either. So even if they get all snotty about the neighbors, the best you can do is agree with them. Which would make it sound even worse.

Even walkie talkies can be picked up if turned to the same frequency, but there's usually more options for frequency.

 

[FireDancer]

You can't argue back with an old person either. So even if they get all snotty about the neighbors, the best you can do is agree with them. Which would make it sound even worse.

Even walkie talkies can be picked up if turned to the same frequency, but there's usually more options for frequency.

Right, but you have to be pressing the button for them to transmit as opposed to just being in the same room like you would with a baby monitor.

 

[ilovepcot]

I have to be honest, I can't imagine anything I'd talk to my 80+ year old relative about that would offend my neighbors or hurt their feelings. Do you guys sit around and gossip about your neighbors or call them names or something?

There's nothing I can say concerning my neighbors as I don't know them yet. I inherited this house and have recently moved in and am busy renovating. My aunt has lived in this town all her life. It's apparently fun to her to "fill me in" on the intimate details of these people's lives. And yes, the things she says are shocking and embarrassing, and more so if it's overheard by others. When "some" people reach an advanced age, they feel they've earned the right to say what they want. Their moral filter seems to dissolve. It just happened to hit me earlier today that the things being said could possibly be overheard and I would be crushed if the feelings of these people were hurt.