Where to place a baby monitor

Distance and height

• Mount the baby unit high on a wall or shelf, at least 1 m (3 ft) from the crib or bed.
• Keep it out of your child's reach. Never put it inside the crib or on its edge.
• Children who sit and stand reach further. Place the device higher and farther away than you think you need, and move it again as your child grows.

MeiMei asks you to confirm the distance before every night or nap. There is no way to switch that check off.

The cable

• Keep the device and its cable at least 1 m (3 ft) from every part of the crib, and route the cable out of reach.
• The safest cable is none. For naps, and for any session the battery can cover, unplug the baby unit and use low-power mode.
• If the battery would not last, use the charger, with the cable out of reach.
• Check the cable again whenever the device is moved.

MeiMei asks you to confirm the cable as well, and a session cannot start until both steps are confirmed.

Camera angle

• Choose a spot where the camera can see the crib from above and at a slight distance, so the whole crib is in the picture.
• Use the preview on the baby unit before you start. Adjust the stand or the mount until the crib fills the picture.
• Avoid pointing the camera at a window or a lamp. Bright light behind the crib makes everything in front of it dark.
• Keep the lens clean and free of cases, stickers and curtains.
• Look at the picture again in the evening light, not only at midday, because the view changes as the room gets darker.

The camera measures movement over time. A steady picture from a fixed position works best, so avoid placing the unit where it can be knocked or tilted.

Light and night

• Phones, tablets and laptops have no infrared camera, so in a dark room they see very little.
• A dim, warm night light lets MeiMei see movement. Keep the cord of the night light out of reach too.
• Without a light, MeiMei listens only.
• Screen light from the baby unit is dimmed during a session; still, avoid pointing it straight at the crib.

Sound

• The microphone hears best with a clear path to the crib. Do not put the unit in a closed cupboard or behind a curtain.
• A fan, a humidifier or white noise machine close to the microphone makes it harder to tell cries from background noise. Place the unit away from them.
• MeiMei recognises crying, coughing and babbling on the device itself, and ignores sounds such as a fan, traffic or a dog, but a quieter room helps.
• Talk-back plays your voice through the baby unit's speaker, so you can soothe your child from the parent device.

Wi-Fi

• Without an account, both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network.
• Check the signal where the baby unit will sit. If your router is far away, a weak signal means a choppy picture.
• On the same Wi-Fi, the devices connect directly, and MeiMei keeps working even if the internet goes down.
• Move the router, or the baby unit, if the picture keeps freezing.

A short check before every night

1. The baby unit is high, on a wall or shelf, at least 1 m (3 ft) from the crib and out of reach.

2. The cable is out of reach, or the unit runs on battery.

3. The camera sees the crib, and there is a dim night light with its cord out of reach.

4. The parent device is connected and its sound is on.

MeiMei does the first two checks with you at the start of every session.

What placement cannot do

• A well-placed monitor helps you hear and see, but it is not a substitute for watching your child. Stay close enough to see and hear them yourself.
• A monitor does not make sleep safer, and MeiMei makes no such claim. Place your baby on their back, in an empty crib.
• MeiMei reports sounds and movement. It does not measure breathing, oxygen or heart rate, and it cannot tell you whether something is wrong. If you are worried, look at your child yourself.