Big Brother is Watching
There is nobody better in the world at surveillance than China. The CCP has cameras on every street corner, in every building, and by brainwashing their citizens ratting each other out.
That’s why it’s maddening that American brands would outsource something as sensitive as security cameras and baby monitors to China. If anyone thinks I’m being overly paranoid here, you probably haven’t been following the latest news. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Internet-connected cameras made in China exposed the United States to espionage and the ability to cause disruption to infrastructure.
Does the CCP really care if Junior is throwing a tantrum? Yes and no. On the one hand, on an individual level they’re probably not hacking into every baby monitors. On the other hand, with millions of cameras installed in millions of houses across the United States, that’s a LOT of data at their disposal to figure out vulnerabilities in our society that they can exploit.
They are our #1 geopolitical enemy and have access to amounts of data—and the AI technology to process it—that Hitler and Stalin would have given anything to get.
How can baby monitors be exploited?
Basic hacking risks aren’t unique to China. Any baby monitor made anywhere can be hacked. That’s why regardless of where you buy baby monitors, you should make sure to do the following:
- Change default passwords
- Keep firmwear and apps updated
- Use WPA2 or 3 Wi-Fi with a very strong password
- Ideally, use a local-only model that’s not connected to the Internet
- If that can’t be helped, ensure that you use encryption and turn off remote access whenever you’re not using it
But here’s where China manufacturing makes it much worse.
- Data storage and jurisdiction – If your baby monitor’s app routes video and audio through servers in China, that data falls under Chinese data laws, which gives the government broad access rights
- Government access – Chinese laws such as 2017 Cybersecurity Law, 2021 Data Security Law, and 2021 Personal Information Protection Law obligates Chinese companies to comply with state security services. They can demand access to footage or account data
- Supply chain risks – Supply chains are so complex, and vulnerabilities such as backdoors (either intentional or accidental) can be built into components
- Vendor transparency – If you’re buying from a China vendor, there’s a reason the price is so low. They have no customer support, privacy policies, legal protections, or commitment to security patches. If something goes wrong, they just close shop and open under a new name.
- Cloud dependence – Cheap Chinese baby monitors often require always-on cloud access, even when steaming locally. This increases the chance your video data will pass through insecure or government-accessible servers.
While you’re a bit more protected with bigger brands, parents should still be outraged by brands like VTech, Nanit, Infant Optics, Babysense, and Summer Infant who send all our money to China funds their increasing monopoly of supply chains and production—executives don’t care because all they care about is the next quarter’s earnings. And stay far away from brands like HelloBaby, eufy, VAVA, and Motorola which are entirely based in China.
While there aren’t a lot of options the good news is that in many ways the monitors on this list are far superior than anything you can get in China.
Best Baby Monitors Not Made in China
1. Lollipop Baby Monitor
(Note that Amazon is paying a commission for purchases through this site; as always, this did not factor into my review or ranking of this product).
The Lollipop Baby Monitor has quickly become one of my favorite finds, not just because it’s thoughtfully designed, but because it was designed AND made in Taiwan.
The flexible silicone “lollipop” stem makes it incredibly easy to mount almost anywhere, whether that’s wrapped around a crib rail or placed on a shelf, and the companion app is clean, intuitive, and full of genuinely useful features like true crying detection and sleep tracking. You can read about their continuous innovation on their Web site. Companies that make baby monitors in China, on the other hand, do not innovate. They pick (or steal) a design and just keep churning it out.
The video quality is crisp, the audio is reliable, and the overall design feels modern without being intrusive. For parents who care about both functionality and peace of mind, the Lollipop strikes the rare balance of being stylish, practical, and responsibly manufactured in a free country.
2. Harbor Baby Monitor
(Note that Amazon is paying a commission for purchases through this site; as always, this did not factor into my review or ranking of this product).
One sad trend I’ve noticed is that a lot of startups SAY they don’t want to make things in China, but once they get big they (or the VCs funding them) invariably go to China for manufacturing so they can maximize their profits.
Harbor is NOT that kind of company. In fact, they go out of their way on their blog to talk about the security issues and quality issues that come out of China manufacturing.
They stand behind what they say with the Harbor Baby Monitor. The parent unit (monitor) is made in Vietnam, and the camera is made in India, with processors sourced from US-based Qualcomm and Ambarella—a reassuring departure from many monitors built entirely in China.
The monitor really feels premium. The 10″ monitor feels more like a digital photo frame than a gadget. I like that it works with or without Wi‑Fi, using a direct radio connection as a failsafe so even if the Internet goes out the monitor stays connected.
Security and privacy are at the forefront of Harbor’s design: video and audio stay local to your home network unless you deliberately access it remotely, and everything is encrypted end‑to‑end—so there’s no cloud storage to worry about.
Also cool: there are no subscriptions. You get lifetime access to multiple membership features, unlike companies that nicke-and-dime you for every little thing. It was named as a best baby monitor of 2025 by Wired, Forbes, and Time.
3. Spotcam BabyCam Wireless Security Camera
If you’re looking for a reliable and feature-packed option for keeping an eye on your little one, the SpotCam BabyCam Wireless Security Camera is a strong choice. I named this company one of the best security cameras not made in China, and I was happy to see they make baby cams too. I love that this one is shaped like a bear; it’s little details like this you don’t get with mass produced derivative China products.
It delivers crisp 1080P video and night vision for clear monitoring day or night, while the pan/tilt function and baby tracking let you follow every movement.
Parents will appreciate the built-in lullabies and white noise to help soothe their baby, along with two-way talk for instant comfort and connection. The camera also includes motion and sound alerts so you’re always notified of activity, and unlike many competitors, it offers free full-time cloud recording, giving you peace of mind without extra subscription costs.
Conclusion
Today, you cannot buy a consumer drone from anywhere except for China. There was a time you could, but China companies stole IP, mass produced their product, undercut pricing, and manipulated Amazon to to dominate search rankings.
You won’t find these brands on Amazon, and if you do, it’s only because they’re paying extra for search visibility—something they won’t be able to sustain for long while Amazon continues to send millions of free clicks to China brands. The only way to fight it is to tell people. Share this page, buy something on this page as a baby gift, do whatever you can to get the word out there there ARE alternatives to China made, and they’re good.
Do you know of other baby monitors not made in China worthy of mention here? Let us know in the comments!
