Which Wi-Fi cameras work as a baby monitor with an app (and which don't)

This page is the "will my camera work" list. For the actual setup, step by step, go to the IP camera as a baby monitor guide; Tapo owners have their own guide. If you have no camera yet and no wish to buy one, an old phone does the job too.

The 30-second test: will my camera work?

Three questions decide it. The camera's own app usually answers the first two; VLC on a computer answers all three.

1. Does it have RTSP? Look in the camera's app for a setting called RTSP, ONVIF, "Camera Account" (Tapo), "NAS / RTSP" (eufy) or "Local Network Access" (Arlo). If there's nothing like it and the maker says the camera streams only through their cloud, stop here: it won't work with any third-party app.
2. Is the video H.264? In the video settings look for "encoding" or "codec". H.264 (also called AVC) works. H.265 (HEVC) doesn't, but most cameras that default to H.265 have an H.264 sub-stream or let you switch.
3. Is the audio G.711? In the audio settings, G.711, G.711A, G.711U, PCMA or PCMU all mean yes. AAC means no. Hikvision and Dahua let you choose; Reolink and eufy don't.
4. Not sure? Ask VLC. Open VLC → Media → Open Network Stream, paste the camera's RTSP address, then Tools → Codec Information (Ctrl+J). You want to read "H264" and "A-law" or "mu-law" (that's G.711).

Cameras that work fully

Mamoon has built-in presets for all four, so you don't type these addresses; it finds the camera and asks for the user name and password. Checked against the makers' documentation on September 29, 2026; see sources.

A Tapo C200 or C210 is the usual pick if you're buying: inexpensive, infrared night vision, pan/tilt, and cry detection works with no extra settings. Details in the Tapo guide.

Cameras that give a picture but can't be listened to

Two well-liked brands stream locally but lock their audio to AAC. Mamoon shows the video, but without sound it can't hear crying, so it tells you it isn't monitoring rather than pretending to listen.

• Reolink. RTSP and ONVIF are there (switch them on in the Reolink app). Video is H.264 on 2, 4 and 5 MP models; 8 MP models send H.265 on the main stream and H.264 on the sub-stream, so use the sub-stream. Audio, per Reolink's own page, is AAC on every camera "and it cannot be changed".
• eufy. Some models (eufyCam 2 and 2C, Indoor Cam 2K, Solo IndoorCam C24, the 2K PTZ) offer an RTSP stream under Storage → NAS (RTSP Stream). eufy's guide fixes the video at 1080p H.264 and the audio at AAC-LC. Same result as Reolink: picture, no sound.

The fix is a small streaming server called go2rtc, which comes with Home Assistant and Frigate. Point it at the camera with the ffmpeg source and add #video=copy#audio=pcma: it passes the video through and converts the audio to G.711 on the fly. Then give Mamoon the go2rtc address (RTSP port 8554) instead of the camera's. The Home Assistant guide walks through it.

Cameras with no local stream: they don't work directly

These cameras send video to their maker's servers and back to the maker's app, even when your phone is on the same Wi-Fi. There is no address on your network that another app could read, so no third-party app can use them without a bridge.

Checked on September 29, 2026 against the makers' pages and the go2rtc, ring-mqtt and blinkbridge documentation; sources below. Bridges carry the video through the maker's cloud, so they stop with the internet.

My camera is H.265. Is that a problem?

Only for the main stream. Nearly every camera that records in H.265 also offers a second, smaller stream (Hikvision 102, Dahua subtype=1, Reolink sub-stream, Tapo stream2) which is H.264. For a crib in a dark room that resolution is plenty, and it's lighter on your phone's battery. Many cameras also let you switch the main stream itself to H.264.

Night vision and infrared

This is the reason to use a camera instead of a phone at all. Every camera on the "works" list has infrared LEDs and shows a sharp black-and-white picture in a blacked-out nursery, which no phone can do. Two small things: don't aim it at a window, since the glass reflects the infrared back into the lens, and keep the cord at least 3 feet (about 1 m) out of the crib's reach.

Pan and tilt from the app

If the camera supports ONVIF (Tapo, Hikvision, Dahua, Reolink, and most Imou pan/tilt models), Mamoon turns it from the parent phone, so when the baby drifts to the far corner of the crib you follow without getting up. On Tapo, the same Camera Account covers it.

Limits worth knowing before you commit

• One camera per parent phone. Mamoon shows one crib at a time; there's no split view for twins or two rooms.
• A camera allows only a few viewers at once. Tapo allows about three, and only two of Tapo Care, microSD recording and ONVIF run together. If Mamoon can't see the camera, close the Tapo app or turn one of those off.
• No two-way talk, no lullabies, no recording. Mamoon listens and watches; talking to the baby stays in the camera's own app.
• If your camera is on the "no local stream" list and you don't run Home Assistant, an old phone by the crib gets you a working monitor tonight, cry detection and all. Your camera keeps doing what it does.

Frequently asked questions