An old iPad or tablet as a baby monitor: the camera or the parent screen

This page covers only what is different about tablets. Pairing, cord safety and the night light are in the old-phone guide, the placement rules in where to put the camera; both apply to tablets word for word.

Camera or parent screen: which role suits a tablet?

A phone is a great camera and a small screen. A tablet is the opposite: a big, comfortable screen and an awkward camera that weighs three to four times more and won't sit in a phone stand. Unless you have no spare phone, give the tablet the job it is good at.

A common setup: a phone or a Wi-Fi camera by the crib, the old iPad on the nightstand, and your own phone in your pocket during the day. Several parent devices can watch one camera at once.

Which old iPads and Android tablets work?

Mamoon needs iPadOS 17 or later. Apple's list of iPads that run it:

• iPad: 6th generation (2018) and later
• iPad mini: 5th generation (2019) and later
• iPad Air: 3rd generation (2019) and later
• iPad Pro: 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch 2nd generation (both 2017) and every later Pro

An iPad Air 2, a 5th-generation iPad or an iPad mini 4 is stuck on an older iPadOS and can't run Mamoon.

On Android, Mamoon runs on Android 8 and up, which covers most tablets from about 2017 onward (Samsung Galaxy Tab A and S, Lenovo tabs and the like). Check Settings → About tablet → Android version.

A Wi-Fi-only tablet is all you need. Mamoon sends video over your home Wi-Fi, never through the internet: no SIM card, no mobile data, no account, and it works with the internet down.

Step by step: the tablet as the camera

1. Install Mamoon on the tablet and on your phone, and on the tablet choose "Stay with the baby".
2. Pair them by scanning the QR code on the tablet with your phone, or by typing the six-digit code.
3. Put the tablet in a sturdy stand on a shelf or dresser, 3–6 feet (1–2 m) from the crib and above the mattress, front camera facing the crib. The preview on the tablet shows what the camera sees; aim until the whole mattress is in the frame.
4. Plug in the charger and run the cable away from the crib, at least 3 feet (1 m) from it.
5. Leave a dim night lamp on if the room goes fully dark; a tablet camera needs a little light, like a phone camera.

The tablet's screen can go dark; Mamoon keeps watching.

How do I mount a tablet by the crib?

This is where tablets are honestly worse than phones: a phone stand tips over under an iPad. What works:

• A weighted desk stand (the kind sold for video calls) on a dresser or bookshelf at chest height.
• A folio case standing in landscape on a shelf high enough to look down at the mattress.
• A gooseneck holder rated for tablets, clamped to a shelf or table, never to the crib.

The tablet stays outside the crib and out of reach. It is heavy enough to hurt if it falls, so give the stand a good shove before the first night.

Is it OK to leave an old tablet plugged in all night, every night?

Yes, and it's the right thing to do: a worn battery with the camera on may not make it to morning. Mamoon shows how many hours the camera device has left, so you'll know quickly.

• Keep it cool. Apple's battery guidance says charging inside certain cases can generate excess heat and reduce capacity, and that heat above 95 °F (35 °C) can permanently damage a battery. Take the case off and keep the tablet off the radiator and out of the sunny window.
• Cap the charge if the tablet can. Newer iPads have a Charge Limit in Settings → Battery → Battery Health that stops charging at 80%, which Apple recommends precisely for devices kept connected for long periods. Samsung's Protect battery setting (Settings → Battery → Protect battery, under More battery settings on some models) does the same at 85%. Older tablets don't have the option; that's fine, just keep it cool.

The tablet as the parent screen on the nightstand

On an iPad, Mamoon's parent view spreads out: the live picture takes the left side, and the right side shows the room's state (Calm, Stirring, Crying or Offline), the sound level and the buttons. You can read it from bed without picking anything up.

At night, tap Night. The screen turns almost black at 1% brightness and only brightens a little when the baby cries. Alerts still come as notifications on your phone, so the tablet can also stay in the living room as the daytime screen.

A tablet on the nightstand is a magnet for older siblings. Two built-in tools keep Mamoon on screen:

• iPad: Guided Access. Turn it on in Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, set a passcode, open Mamoon and triple-click the top button. The iPad is now locked to Mamoon until you triple-click again and enter the passcode.
• Android: app pinning. Enable it in Settings → Security (→ Advanced on some versions) → App pinning. Open Mamoon, open the recent apps view, tap the app's icon and choose Pin. Unpinning asks for your PIN.

When a tablet is not the right choice

• The room goes fully dark. A tablet camera needs a little light. Put a cheap Tapo with night vision by the crib and keep the tablet as the screen.
• You have no good place to stand it. If the only spot is the crib rail, use a phone or a wall-mounted camera instead. Nothing goes on the crib.
• The iPad won't take iPadOS 17. Then it can't run Mamoon; see the list above.
• You want two-way talk, lullabies or recordings. Mamoon doesn't do those. A dedicated monitor or one of the other apps might suit you better.

In return you get a big, quiet screen by the bed, a camera that costs nothing, and cry detection that tells a cry from the dog, all inside your own Wi-Fi with no account. Mamoon is free for 30 days, then $3.99 a month or $24.99 a year; only the watching device pays.

Frequently asked questions