Baby monitors are not as safe as they may seem. CBS 12 was shocked when we found how we were able to see inside local homes, children in their cribs, parents sleeping, and even hearing conversations.

CBS 12 first found out about this when two moms who are neighbors started seeing each other's child in their monitors. We then hit the streets to see if we could pick up the signal inside local homes, and it was startling how easy it is.

"I turned on my monitor and I was like, that's not my son's bed," said Kim Morrissey, who couldn't believe what she was seeing.  "My son is at grandma's house, so this is not my son (on her baby monitor)."

Her son's baby monitor was showing her neighbor Crystal Phillip's son Logan, from two houses down. Logan also has a TV monitor in his room.

The cheapest versions of these baby monitors which most people have are analog, meaning anyone could pick up the signal from your home. CBS 12 tested it out, strapping a monitor to our dashboard and driving around a West Palm Beach neighborhood.

We picked up a little girl on the baby monitor. But we were so far from her home when we picked up the signal, nearly an entire city block, that we had to knock on several doors before finding her home. Azalea Bruns 3-year-old daughter was only the first. We also picked up Mark Conklin's 20-month-old son, and feet later another baby in a crib.

The most frightening part was that we were able to hear inside some homes. But our tech expert Craig Agranoff, says you should not worry too much. It's hard to pinpoint which home the signal is coming from, especially in a neighborhood.

"If you happen to be in a very tight radius and there are 10 homes that all have the same baby monitor, it's very hard to figure out which baby is which because the clarity of these video devices aren't so great. If you want to protect yourself there are many ways to do so," said Agranoff.

Crystal Phillips is not taking any chances, she is opting for a more secure monitor. As for Kim Morissey, she's turning her's off when she's not using it, giving anyone who might want it less opportunity to spy on her family.

We tried to contact the manufacturer of this device, Summer Infant, but the company did not return our repeated calls and e-mails. But it appears a lot of the newer versions being made by this company are more secure.

How do you know if your monitor is secure? In this case, you truly do get what you pay for. The cheaper TV baby monitors in the $100 range are analog and anyone can pick up an analog signal.

If you get a digital monitor, it's a little harder to pick up the signal. If you get one that has a digital signal and autoscans the signals before finding it's frequency, that is even more secure and it will cost you about $200.

The most secure are the monitors that hook up to your wi-fi. As long as your wi-fi is password protected, then no one can see those. These types are well over $200. Piece of mind though may be worth it.

 

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