A Failsafe Baby Monitor

Upon waking one morning, Kevin Lavelle found there was no audio coming from his smartphone baby monitor. His child was fine, but he had no idea how long they had been unheard. “I realized how truly unreliable these products are,” says Lavelle, now the CEO and co-founder of Harbor. Most devices rely on Wi-Fi or your smartphone—both of which can crash at inconvenient times. Harbor, which can connect with either Wi-Fi or radio, and has its own backup link, turns itself back on if it loses connection with the company’s servers. The gizmo also includes haptic alerts that can wake you—but not your partner—if your child is fussing. The company is currently piloting a Remote Night Nanny, a pay service that includes video conferences with a nurse who will monitor your child all night, and only alert you if needed.

Buy Now: Harbor Baby Monitor on Harbor