IP audio monitor?

[PhiDeck]

I need to remotely monitor audio in an elderly relative's bedroom (video too intrusive).
Is there an integrated solution that is less expensive and bulky than an IP camera with its lens covered?
WiFi is not essential, as I can bridge Ethernet over MOCA to that room.

 

[bp2008]

I've never found a remote microphone device like you want. Best bet is to find a small IP camera with audio, but then of course you are spending enough to get a premium microphone and ending up with one that cost 25 cents to manufacture and sounds like a cell phone from the 1990s.

 

[PhiDeck]

A Raspberry Pi with an USB microphone comes to mind as a homebrew solution, albeit costing as much as a cheap camera.

 

[jhankins]

I think you can do this with Blue Iris (probably others too), if your computer is close enough to the room you want to monitor. I don't think BI has a "dummy" camera, but there is software out there (not free, that I saw during a quick search), or so you can simulate a "dummy" camera if you add a Screen Capture camera (or whatever, I tried with the built-in USB webcam on a laptop) with a very low frame rate (video doesn't matter, so minimize CPU use). Use a Windows audio input device for the audio (to avoid tying up the mic on my laptop, I used a $8 USB headphone/mic adapter) and run whatever length headphone cable to a small microphone in the room. Should be able to do audio triggering, etc. You could use it to trigger alerts (SMS, e-mail, whatever) but not actually record any audio/video. There are variations on this idea.

I did something kinda similar to add audio to a camera that didn't have audio using these parts, plus a long headphone cable:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004REA7MG (mic)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VRL632 (p/s for mic)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I97G0U (RCA to headphone adapter)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRVQ0F8 (USB headphone/mic adapter)

 

[PhiDeck]

Closure: We ended up using a $50 Lorex LNC324 camera. The microphone, while not hi-fi, has good sensitivity and range. Its video, with very restricted access, is proving useful re sleep habits.