What Is Power over Ethernet (PoE)?
Power over Ethernet means your camera gets both its network connection and its electrical power through a single Ethernet cable. No wall outlet needed near the camera — just one cable running back to your network switch.
This makes PoE cameras the most reliable option for baby monitoring. No WiFi signal to drop, no power adapter to deal with. One cable, and you’re done.
What You Need
- A PoE IP camera — We recommend the Amcrest 5MP PoE Camera (see all tested cameras)
- A PoE switch or PoE injector — A PoE switch powers multiple cameras; an injector works for a single camera
- An Ethernet cable — Cat5e or Cat6, long enough to reach from your switch to the camera location
- A router — Your existing home router
- An iPhone or iPad with LocalNanny installed
How It Connects
The camera connects via Ethernet to the PoE switch, which provides power. The switch connects to your router, and your iPhone connects to the same router over WiFi. Everything stays on your local network — no internet required.
Step-by-Step Setup
1. Mount the Camera
Choose a location with a good view of the crib or play area. PoE cameras don’t need a power outlet nearby, so you have more flexibility in placement. Most come with ceiling or wall mount hardware.
2. Run the Ethernet Cable
Run a Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet cable from the camera location back to wherever your router and PoE switch are. This is usually the longest step, but you only do it once.
3. Connect the Cable
Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the camera and the other end into a port on your PoE switch. The camera will power on within a few seconds — no separate power adapter needed.
4. Connect the PoE Switch to Your Router
Use a short Ethernet cable to connect the PoE switch’s uplink port to your router. This puts the camera on your home network.
5. Find Your Camera With LocalNanny
Unlike WiFi cameras, PoE cameras don’t need a companion app for initial setup — there’s no WiFi network to configure. When you plug the camera in, your router automatically assigns it an IP address via DHCP, the same way it handles any other device on your network. You don’t need to know what that address is.
Open LocalNanny on your iPhone, tap Add Camera, then tap Scan for Cameras. LocalNanny will use ONVIF to search your network and your camera will appear in the list within a few seconds. Tap it, enter the camera’s login credentials (usually admin / admin, a blank password, or one printed on the label), and you’re streaming.
Note: Some cameras require you to set a password before they’ll accept connections. If LocalNanny finds the camera but can’t connect, LocalNanny shows the camera’s IP address in the list — type that into a web browser on your phone or laptop to access the camera’s web interface, where you can set a password and enable any required settings.
Why PoE Is Best for Baby Monitoring
- No WiFi drops — Wired connections don’t suffer from interference or signal loss
- No power outlet needed — Mount the camera anywhere you can run a cable
- More reliable — One less thing that can go wrong compared to WiFi
- Cleaner install — Single cable instead of power cord + WiFi
Recommended PoE Cameras
- Amcrest 5MP PoE Camera — Our top pick. Great video, reliable ONVIF support.
- Lorex 4K Outdoor IP Camera — Stunning 4K with color night vision.
- Browse all Amcrest PoE cameras
See our full compatible cameras list for more options.
No Ethernet Wiring?
If your house doesn’t have Ethernet run to the nursery, you can use MoCA adapters to send network over your existing coaxial (cable TV) wiring. Pair that with a PoE injector and you get a fully wired camera setup with no new cables in the walls.
Read our MoCA + PoE guide for the full walkthrough.
Next Step
Once your camera is connected, follow the LocalNanny setup guide to start monitoring.
Having streaming issues? Read our RTSP UDP vs TCP guide to understand how video transport works and how LocalNanny picks the best option automatically.