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Home daycare starter kit

The 2-camera home daycare kit

A short Amazon shopping list, our pre-configured appliance, and about an afternoon of your time. Two care rooms live for parents, with your family's off-hours privacy guaranteed by schedule.

$399–$449 to start, two rooms$349 appliance, pre-configured$49/mo · no contract
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The shopping list (you buy on Amazon)

Three commodity items, and these are the exact models we'd buy ourselves. Buying them yourself keeps the cost down and the hardware yours. Prefer a different brand? Most RTSP/ONVIF cameras work just as well.

ItemWhat to getTypical price
2× Anpviz 4K PoE cameraModel IPC-D3B83W-S. 8MP turret, RTSP/ONVIF, H.265, metal body, IP66 for indoor or covered outdoor. Any RTSP/ONVIF camera works; this is the one we'd buy.≈ $55 each
1× TP-Link TL-SG1005P5-port switch with 4 PoE+ ports. Powers both cameras over the same cable that carries the video, so nothing plugs in at the camera.≈ $40
2× ethernet cablesCat5e or Cat6, long enough to reach each room from wherever the switch sits.≈ $8–20

Prices checked August 2026 and shown for planning only. Amazon pricing moves; check the current listing before you order. About $170 all in for the two-room wired setup.

No-wiring alternative (WiFi): 2× TP-Link Tapo plug-in cameras (≈ $25–50 each): skip the switch and cables entirely; each camera just needs a wall outlet. We recommend wired PoE by default; reach for Tapo only if a room genuinely can't be wired. See Tapo cameras for daycare.

From us: the CareCam appliance: a small, silent, pre-configured box (~8 watts, $349 one-time), which pulls your cameras' streams and serves them securely to parents. It arrives ready: plug into your router and power, done. Software is $49/month for home daycares, parents watch free, no contract.

Get the exact shopping list

Want the exact Amazon links for your setup?

Tell us how many rooms you have (and whether you prefer wired or WiFi) and we'll email you the exact current model links, sized for your home, plus the printable setup sheet. Free, no call.

Free for parents · No spam · We reply by email

Setup: five steps, no technician

  1. 1

    Order the parts

    Buy the cameras, PoE switch, and cables from Amazon (list above). Tell us your order so we ship your pre-configured appliance to arrive around the same time.

  2. 2

    Mount the two cameras

    One per care room, up high in a corner, angled to see the room, never bathrooms or changing areas. Run each camera's ethernet cable back to the PoE switch. The same cable carries power, so there's nothing else to plug in at the camera.

  3. 3

    Plug in the switch and the appliance

    PoE switch into your router, cameras into the PoE ports, CareCam appliance into the switch (or your router) and a wall outlet. No monitor, no keyboard, no router settings.

  4. 4

    We bring it live the same day

    The appliance phones home automatically. We detect your cameras, you confirm each room's name and your care hours by email, and we verify the streams end-to-end on a real phone.

  5. 5

    Invite your parents

    You get a ready-to-forward announcement for your families. Parents create free accounts and see only the care areas, only during your care hours, from any phone or browser.

Camera placement rules and the paperwork side (parent consent, handbook policy) are covered by our free home daycare camera policy & consent templates.

Kit questions

What does the whole 2-camera setup cost?
The cheapest path totals about $399–$449 upfront: two plug-in WiFi cameras plus CareCam's pre-configured appliance ($349 one-time), with no switch or cabling. Then $49/month. Going wired instead adds a PoE switch and cables, roughly $120–200 in hardware from Amazon rather than $50–100. One room instead of two starts around $374–$399. Parents always watch free. No contract, cancel anytime.
Why do I buy the cameras myself?
It keeps your cost down and the hardware yours. Cameras, switches, and cables are commodity items. Amazon sells them cheaper than we could bundle them, ships them fast, and handles returns. We supply the one piece that needs expertise: the pre-configured appliance, ready to stream the moment it's plugged in.
Do I need to configure anything technical?
No. The appliance arrives pre-configured for your program: plug it into your router or switch and power, and it connects on its own. We detect the cameras and finish the setup remotely. You never touch a router setting or a camera config screen.
Can I use WiFi cameras instead of running cables?
Yes, if a room genuinely can't be wired. Two TP-Link Tapo plug-in WiFi cameras (≈ $25–50 each) skip the PoE switch and ethernet runs entirely, each camera just needs a wall outlet. We still recommend wired PoE by default: it's more reliable and simpler for us to support.
What if I already own cameras?
Tell us the models before you buy anything. Wired Reolink, wired Eufy indoor models, Tapo, and most RTSP/ONVIF cameras work as-is. Many home daycares need zero new cameras.
Is my family's privacy protected outside care hours?
Yes, streaming follows the care-hours schedule you set. Evenings, weekends, and days off, the parent stream is off. Cameras go only in designated care areas, and viewing is limited to enrolled families with individual logins. See our home daycare camera policy templates for putting it in writing.

Already own cameras? Check your brand: Ring · Nest · Wyze · Eufy · Reolink · Tapo

Ready to set up your two rooms?

Tell us about your home and cameras. We'll send the exact shopping list and ship your pre-configured appliance.

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