What is The Best Video Baby Monitor? The Complete Buying Guide
Are you looking for a baby monitor to be reassured when you are away from your little one? Go about your business with peace of mind by knowing you will be warned when necessary and to be able to react on time?
A monitoring device is an essential accessory for parents who care about the comfort and safety of their baby. This article aims to help you choose the best baby monitor so you can find the one that best suits your needs and especially your lifestyle.
We have tested baby video and audio monitors and here is our round up
Video Monitors
Infant Optics DRX-8 Video Baby Monitor
The Infant Optics DRX-8 has a night vision by infrared camera that makes it possible to monitor the child even in the most complete darkness. The interchangeable lens system complements a tilting camera, which also has a zoom feature.
This device can expand up to 4 cameras when needed. The design of this baby video monitor is particularly enjoyable, thanks to a very intuitive user interface and its five buttons positioned on the right side of the screen.
Added to all these features is the display of the temperature in the child's room and the walkie-talkie mode, which is activated at the touch of a button.
The lightness of the receiver allows it to be carried anywhere without difficulty, while the camera fits easily in any child's room.
The rounded shapes of the baby unit eliminate any risk of injury even if the child seizes it. Despite its many features, this device is very easy to set up and use.
Anmeate Digital
The Anmeate Digital is a video baby monitor that accommodates up to 3 additional cameras. It is wireless. Its camera is equipped with a night vision to monitor the child at any time of the day and night: an infrared diode is indeed activated automatically in low light conditions.
The parent unit is also equipped with a sensor which provides information on the noise level of the sound emitted by the child.
Its camera is equipped with a high resolution display for a perfectly precise and clear image.
The LCD color screen is 2.4 inches in size. This device is also equipped with a night light function, which can be controlled remotely, to soothe the child and put him to sleep without having to move in his room.
It also allows parents to talk to the child for example after a nightmare, thanks to the two-way voice function.
The range of this device is 960 feet, without any interference.
Audio Monitors
VTech DM111
The device VTech DM111 has a range of 1,000 feet. Its DECT 6.0 interference-free technology and the high sensitivity microphone that equips the baby unit ensures optimum sound quality.
The convenient belt clip on the parent unit allows you to take advantage of the long range capability.
It has a 5-level sound indicator LEDs on the parent unit that light up according to the activity of the child. It also warns parents if the baby unit is out of reach.
These different elements guarantee a perfect control of everything that happens in the child's room. The data transmitted is protected, coded and encrypted for complete peace of mind of the parents.
Long Range Monitors
Babebay Baby Monitor
The Babebay Baby Monitor is a long-range baby monitor since it offers a range of up to 1,000 feet outdoors, when the field is free, which is ideal in a house with garden but also in a house with floors or thick walls.
The night light can be set continuously or triggered by the voice activated function. An audible alarm warns parents in case of low battery but also when the receiver is out of range, especially when it is too far.
It can support up to 4 cameras in different rooms.Its design is attractive and very suitable for the child's room, while its two-color black and white give a touch of elegance and modernity to this long-range baby monitor.
Connected Monitors
Nanit Smart Baby Monitor
The Nanit Smart Baby Monitor is a connected baby monitor that uses Wi-Fi connectivity and allows you to communicate with the child, but also to monitor the child from a smartphone, tablet or PC.
The camera, with an HD resolution has an infrared night vision, a panorama function, and a zoom, to never lose sight of your baby.
Its remote control makes it possible to observe the child live or to postpone the viewing until later by recording the images.
The Nanit easily mounts to the wall behind your crib giving you an overhead view of baby.
The video format is MJPEG / H.264, an ideal compression format for delivering crisp, sharp images without any loss of quality but especially speed. All data is encoded and protected by encryption and a history of photos and movements is available.
This baby monitor has a temperature sensor that allows you to control the temperature in the child's room to adapt it to the needs of the baby, for perfect comfort.
Alerts are sent regarding temperature, movement and sound, but also the low level of battery. The sound volume can be easily controlled.
Why Use A Baby Monitor?
Homes, large apartments, or thick walls make it difficult to hear even the loudest sounds. To avoid the distance from one room to another preventing you from missing a crying baby, you will obviously need a device like this baby monitor to listen to all the noises from his room.
A monitoring device comes in handy to catch baby's sounds especially if you are on the phone or captivated by a movie.
And of course when your baby sleeps deeply or is sick and you want to pay attention to him without disturbing him by opening the door constantly, you need a baby intercom.
The Different Types Of Baby Monitor
Audio Monitors
A basic baby listening unit is the audio model. It is an easy-to-use electronic device that uses radio waves to connect the transmitter to the receiver. This analog baby monitor has the advantage of emitting harmful radiation to the health of the child. The audio model exists in three forms. It is primarily conventional by selecting the same frequency to connect the transmitter to the receiver.
Its only inconvenience in this case is that it may experience interference from nearby devices. The analog baby intercom can also be designed with digital coding that has multiple channels, which can solve interference problems. It is a long range unit.
Video baby monitor
Obviously digital, the video version makes it possible to supervise baby both in an auditory and visual way. The sounds and images have to be of good quality to appreciate the features of this type of baby monitoring unit. This video device usually has a rechargeable battery and optional accessories.
The infrared night vision system, for example, can be used for surveillance at night or in the dark. A mechanism warns the parents when the battery is running low or when the transmitter is malfunctioning.
The more features the device has, the stronger the waves it emits. Given the risks to baby's health, manufacturers have thought of designing video baby monitors with low electromagnetic emissions.
Connected Monitors
The baby intercom connected is a video copy connectable to digital equipment such as smartphone, computer, tablet. The device stands out for its unlimited range that it owes to its wifi or bluetooth connection or via an ethernet cable.
Unlimited range allows the user to monitor their child from anywhere in the world where connection is possible. New products can even control the baby's actions from an application. The digital nomads are delighted to be able to observe their little one from everywhere.
Long Reach Monitors
Unlike the connected baby intercom which is defined by its unlimited range, the long-range version is an analog device. The PMR technology allows it to have a long range of 3 to 5 km when other devices have a range of less than 1 km.
The PMR, a private mobile communication network, is similar to a walkie-talkie. The long-range specimen with a catch radius of 3 km is preferred to the short-range version when it comes to monitoring a larger space while ensuring control of the child. Also a preference for those who can not access a wifi or bluetooth connection.
Criteria of Choice
The Scope
One of the most important criteria for choosing your baby monitor is the scope. The future user must determine in which situations he will use a baby monitoring device and thus give an order of magnitude as to the necessary reach. Aside from the connected version which has unlimited range, the range of a baby intercom varies from 10 to 1000 meters in a clear environment.
The analog audio copy has a wider coverage than the video device. Indeed, while the range of the audio model often reaches 1000 meters, or even 3000 meters for versions equipped with PMR technology, that of the video model is on average 300 meters.
Walls, especially concrete, or any other wall reduce the reach of the baby monitor. A range of 50 to 100 meters will suffice for thin walls. On the other hand thick walls or homes with garden will require a range greater than 100 meters.
Autonomy
A criterion to take into account for those who want a baby intercom operation without prolonged interruption, autonomy. Battery-powered devices have the advantage of being able to be recharged provided they have spare batteries. A long autonomy allows the user to move or activate as he pleases without worrying about a sudden stop of the baby intercom, thus gaining serenity as to the quality of supervision of his child.
The Options
The user looking for a baby intercom may find it interesting to add cameras or baby modules. This feature is optional on some models. It can connect other cameras or baby units. The Touch Screen versions divide the control screen into four parts.
Parents who want to monitor all the children in their respective rooms are happy to take advantage of this option. The Touch Screen even allows parents to film or photograph their children.
The lullaby function or integrated night light is also an option that seduces parents, just like the motion detector model.
Design
The design of baby monitors varies from one device to another. Various proposals are available on the market so that parents find the model best suited to the child's room or the most practical from an aesthetic point of view.
The most sophisticated digital models highlight advanced styling. They are generally compact, elegant and modern. The receiver has size and looks like a cell phone. The transmitter allows fantasies to make his view sympathetic to the baby.
It can take oblong or pyramidal shapes by being hardly bigger than the receiver. It can be cubic or rectangular to identify with an awakening, spherical to be discreet or to represent an object as a flower to give more cheerfulness.
The Price
Although inexpensive video models exist on the baby monitor market, the most costly analog audio devices are the cheapest. Then the price increases with the complexity of the device. The more features, options, and sensors in the hardware, the higher the premium category, the higher the price.
Quality also has a cost. Prices start from around twenty dollars and can reach hundreds of dollars for luxury versions.
Choosing between a video or audio baby monitor
Both devices have advantages and disadvantages. The video capture baby intercom allows you to see and hear your baby when the audio model only allows you to hear it. So parents who want to see their child will tend to prefer the video device.
However, the audio model, analog type, has the advantage of having a longer range, to be inexpensive to purchase and emit no pulsed radiation. Although video baby monitors are more advanced models than audio versions, they are small in scope and focus a large amount of electromagnetic waves around the module that is placed near the child.
At a young age, the brain being more receptive, this aspect can distance parents worried about possible risks of overexposure of the child to the waves.
Additional Features
Thermometer
The thermometer feature makes the baby intercom able to measure the temperature of the room where the child is. This option allows the parent to know if the child may be in a hot or cold environment and intervene to balance the ambient air temperature. As a result, the child is not exposed to hot flashes or cold snaps
Hygrometer
The hygrometer option allows you to find out about the humidity level in the baby's room or where it is located. Depending on the child's state of health, this value will be interesting in order to correct excessive differences. Too dry or too humid air can, depending on the child and his state of health, disturb his sleep or the quality of his breathing.
Walkie-Talkie Function
The walkie-talkie or intercom function is used to communicate with your child. Parents, who know how much their child needs to be reassured by hearing their voices, are not immune to this feature. The walkie-talkie mode allows them to say a few sweet words to their baby or to sing a lullaby to soothe and sleep without difficulty.
Vibrate Mode
The vibrate mode is integrated with some baby intercoms. It provides a vibration alarm that replaces the visual or audible alarm of other models. This alarm system is very convenient when the parent user is in a noisy environment that prevents him from perceiving the alarm sound of a baby monitor and is too busy to react to a visual alarm. The vibrator mode is also suitable for deaf and hard of hearing people who will be able to receive the alarm directly when their baby wakes up.
Additional Transmitter
An additional transmitter can be purchased in addition to the first one when parents need to listen to their child in the two rooms they frequent the most. They do not need to systematically move the first transmitter probably placed in his room. They just have to engage the second transmitter already ready for use. Two transmitters also serve parents who have twins and need to be as attentive to each other. Parents of triplets will be able to buy three transmitters and so on.
Wifi and Compatible Smartphone
Thanks to the influx of applications of recent times, a version makes it possible to transform your mobile phone into a baby monitor. Now the brands in child care provide parents with downloadable applications compatible with smartphones. In this case, the user places the mobile phone in the room where his child is. Then he connects this phone to another device such as smartphone, tablet or connected watch. He can see and hear his child from a distance, talk to him or take a picture. This option assumes that both the transmitter and receiver elements operate simultaneously on the same Wi-Fi or 3G network. More sophisticated applications also work when the internet is not available, when the screen is off or during phone conversations.
DECT Technology
DECT technology, translated from the English advanced digital wireless phone, is a signal transmission process that operates over a wide frequency range. This technology enhances the digital aspect of the signal emitted by the baby intercom.
This digital enhancement up to 1800 MHz eliminates interference that interferes with transmission between the transmitter and the receiver. A technology that is noticed by those looking for a device with an optimal sound quality.
Wireless
Depending on the model, the baby monitor works with batteries or a battery, is connected to an electrical mains or does not have a power cord. The wireless baby monitor is advantageous from the point of view of the freedom of movement that it offers to the user since mobile.
Nevertheless, the DECT technology that is used in wireless baby phones is often questioned given the digital enhancement that emits more waves and can have a negative impact on the child's health. Absence of scientific evidence on the harmfulness of this technology, but as a precaution parents will prefer to avoid that their baby is too exposed, knowing that at his age his brain developing very quickly is very receptive.
Leave a Reply