Baby monitors are simple but very handy devices that let you hear your sleeping baby. Baby monitors work primarily by exchanging radio signals to transmit information in the form of audio.
It might compel us to wonder; can baby monitors pick up cell phone conversations?
There are instances where people have noticed alien sounds from their baby monitors. If you have been already using a baby monitor, chances are you might’ve heard your neighbor speaking to someone over the phone.
I remember when I heard someone making weird noises in the room where my baby was sleeping. I freaked out by the thought it might be a ghost. Only to find out that it was my neighbor’s kid talking to his friend and telling him how he cheated on the exam today.
Can a baby monitor intercept radio signals?
It’s very possible that your baby monitor is picking up other signals. Most of the baby monitors are tuned to the same frequency. They can even pick landline phone conversations, signals from radio stations, or voices from other walkie-talkies. We’ll see how this mechanism works.
How does a baby monitor pick up phone conversations?
Some baby monitors operate on the same frequency as a few old models of cordless phones. You shouldn’t be surprised if you can hear your neighbor talking to someone as soon as you turn on the baby monitor.
The reason is simple; all such related devices work on the same frequency.
A radio signal with a certain frequency will always look for a receptor with the same frequency range. If the match is found, the signal transmits over to the receptor.
To prove it by an experiment, you can get a radio scanner from an electrical equipment shop and try to pick up the signals from a baby monitor.
Most baby monitors are tuned on a frequency of 49-50 MHz that is the same as a standard radio scanner. That’s why a radio scanner will catch the signals from a baby monitor if it’s within the suitable range. Other frequency ranges can be harmful to the baby as well.
No, cell phone conversations cannot be intercepted
However, fortunately for us, this sound interception business is restricted to landline and cordless phones but not cell phones. One cannot intercept or decrypt conversations from cell phones that easily. Only law & enforcement agencies or some very experienced hackers can intercept cell phone signals.
The creep in your neighbor cannot hear your conversations using a baby monitor, wireless talkies, or radio scanners. Note that this does not apply to cordless handheld phones as they use a similar radio frequency mechanism to transmit signals.
Final Note
A baby monitor is just a fancy radio and so it can pick up signals from landline phones, cordless phones, radio scanners, taxi radios, and even other baby monitors. It’s a very common phenomenon and nothing to worry about.
You can talk to your neighbor and adjust your devices to different channels or frequencies. However, your cell phone is immune to signal interception by baby monitors so cheers!
