'Imagine hearing a voice you don’t recognize': Woman uses Owlet baby monitor. Then someone hacks their Wi-Fi

Kelsey Rose Thomas thought she was safely observing her toddler's slumber on her smart baby monitor. But turns out, she and her husband weren't the only ones monitoring their baby.

This isn't the kind of stranger danger they teach you about in schools, so listen up. If you've ever wondered why your little one suddenly wakes up screaming in sheer terror, you probably start with the usual suspects—bad dreams, sleep regression, or maybe even a fear of the dark.

But what you don't expect is some rando potentially speaking to your kid via baby monitor in the middle of the night. That's exactly what Kelsey and her husband began to suspect when their 2-year-old son, previously an "all-star sleeper," suddenly started waking up hysterical.

We're talking full-blown panic, lights on, camera unplugged—basically, a toddler's version of pulling the fire alarm. She tells us for two months, they tried everything to calm their child. Nightlights? Check. Sleep routine updates? Check. A call to a pediatric sleep consultant? Also check.

Then one fateful night, Kelsey's husband noticed something peculiar. "A red light comes on when somebody is watching on the Owlet Cam and my husband was getting our oldest son changed after bath time and he noticed the light was on." Normally, this wouldn't be alarming—except it was past bedtime, Kelsey was downstairs, and neither of them had the app open.

That's suspicious. So, he did what any rational man of the house would do: He called his wife. On speaker, right next to the camera, Kelsey's husband asked, "Hey, are you watching through the app?" And just like that—the red light turned off.

"Imagine hearing a voice you don't recognize in the middle of the night," she told us, "That would terrify me, let alone a toddler!" We're scared just thinking about it. Poor baby.

The Internet Weighs In: Wi-Fi Baby Monitor Hacks

To test the theory, Kelsey's husband pretended to leave the room. Their son, now walking around, unknowingly triggered the camera's red light again—and neither parent was logged in.

If you're currently clutching your Wi-Fi router in horror, same. Though they may never know who did it or exactly what was said to their son, their quick thinking saved him from more sleepless nights.

The Problem with Wi-Fi Baby Monitors

For the uninitiated, Owlet makes smart baby monitors designed to let parents check in on their kids remotely. The Cam 1 model, which Kelsey received as a baby registry gift in 2024, streams live footage through an app—meaning it relies on Wi-Fi.

The problem? Any device connected to your network is a potential backdoor for hackers. Anything from weak passwords to outdated firmware can serve as an entryway.

Expert Advice

One TikTok er emphasized this, stating comprehensively, “This is usually a user security error not a product fault. Make sure you're using strong passwords and keeping your software up-to-date.”

A Word of Caution from Kelsey

Kelsey explains, "It's a bummer because as technology advances and we find new and more ways to stay connected, it also presents opportunities for people to hack into your life uninvited.”

Unplugging Your Wi-Fi Baby Monitor: A Lesson Learned

"Unplug that s*** immediately," Kelsey advises. "It's a small price to pay for peace of mind." If you've got a Wi-Fi baby monitor, consider this your sign to quadruple-check those security settings.

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