Baby Monitors are one of the most purchased home communication devices. And for good reason, everyone with a baby should have one. Choosing the best one for your particular situation is sometimes difficult with so many features to choose from.

Anyone with baby monitor experience has probably lived through the early noise interference problems, the buzzing noise when you turned on your microwave and even hearing your neighbors baby monitor. Today's models are quiet, more sophisticated, and some providing video not just sound.

Unfortunately all baby monitors use a radio signal. If you can hear it, so can others. Essentially you have bugged your house so the neighbors can listen to conversations going on in your house. Millions have bugged their own homes and then wondered why the neighbors are giving them strange looks.

Burglars have found wireless baby monitors to be as handy as an unlocked door or open window. What kind of sensitive matters could you be talking about? How might a potential thief , kidnapper, or rapist benefit from knowing your daily routine? Is the bike rider passing by with ear buds in their ears listening to music or listening to in-house conversations? This is not high tech James Bond or Mission Impossible type stuff. An inexpensive radio scanner will do just fine. How convenient for the thieves to know when you are going to be away from your house.

By far, the most common threat to our home is burglary. Becoming a burglary victim can leave a family feeling vulnerable and violated. Although home burglaries may seem random in occurrence, they actually involve a selection process. The burglar's selection process is simple. Choose an unoccupied home with the easiest access, the greatest amount of cover, and with the best escape routes. In many cases, this selection process is aided by monitoring a target homes baby monitor or cordless phone.

I purchased a scanner to monitor the radio dispatcher at my company. I was going to set it to monitor one frequency. However when setting it up for the first time, it started scanning and I suddenly was eavesdropping on my neighbors, listening in on their baby monitors, and cordless telephones. While having exchanged greetings and light conversation for over a year, I suddenly knew more about them then I needed to know, who was gay, who was pregnant, who had relatives coming, who would be away for the weekend, and who was making vacation plans.

If you are using an older model baby monitor, or even a newer inexpensive model most probably your conversations can be easily picked up blocks away. Does that mean that you should stop using this handy device. No, just be aware that your conversations may be accidentally overheard by neighbors or purposely monitored by burglars. Consider turning off the unit when not needed.

The latest digital models offer the best performing technology available in baby monitors. Features now include two-way communication, and even video monitoring. Digital monitors scramble the signal as it travels between the monitor and the receiver, making signals nearly impossible to be heard by others. Now you can ensure the safety of your child at all times, and the best part, without compromising your privacy.