Best Baby Monitors: Reviews

Maintaining constant attention on your baby is of immense importance. This is perhaps because you can’t be in his/her room every hour, every day. However, if you sleep in the same room or live in a small space where you can hear or monitor easily, you probably don’t need one.

For those living in separate rooms, a baby monitor comes in handy. You not only need to get a baby monitor but the best baby monitor for this case. Baby monitors can also double as nanny cams that not only keep an eye on the child but also their caretaker.

Which is the best?

There are many best baby monitor types. However, they are categorized based on two aspects. That said, whereas some are audio only, others provide audio, and video feeds. In brief, baby monitors began as audio devices that were used to listen to a child from a different room. However, they have since evolved to video devices with cameras and other features that let you keep an eye on the little one.

Baby monitors effectiveness can be compared to your home security cameras. This is perhaps because they let you watch a different location providing great color video, sound and night vision. This makes it easy to notice anything going amiss. They can’t, however, function as security cameras as they are prioritized to keep an eye on your child, with specific features varying from security cameras.

How baby monitors work

Baby monitors and security cameras work in the same yet different methodologies. That said, whereas security cameras offer watching capabilities, a baby monitor offers tracking services. Going over some footage from previous periods is not as important as watching your child momentarily. This is why these monitors aren’t programmed to save videos for later viewing. They can, however, take snapshots or short clips when they detect baby movements. So to say, they are excellent in identifying your child’s paranormal activity sequel.

Instead of offering time-lapse videos, they feature options that notify you when something might be wrong with your little one. Temperature and humidity are the two common aspects that high-end monitors provide alerts and notifications. Modern baby monitors are internet connected thus lets you watch your infant on your phone or tablet through a connecting app.

A two-way audio is the other vital feature these devices come with. As the name suggests, the device has inbuilt speakers that let you talk to your baby from a different room. As if this isn’t enough, others have inbuilt lullabies which can be played to calm your infant if your voice isn’t enough. Other models feature night lights and mini projectors that display soothing images in your little one’s room with a single button push. This makes them both soothing and entertaining.

Having mentioned these, it is imperative to find a top-notch model monitor for use. From the description above, it is evident that there are numerous monitor models and brands available in the market. Therefore, getting your priorities and understanding what brings the difference is important. Note that with advancing technology, baby monitors improve on their features. Mentioned below are some of the best baby monitors available in the market.

Top 3 Baby Monitor Reviews

The iBaby monitor M6S

This is a full-featured monitor that makes it easy using your phone to keep tabs on your little one. Unique features coupled with excellent performance is the least this monitor can provide. Being the most notable startup baby monitor in the market, The iBaby monitor M6S stands out in various technical areas. Daytime visuals appear highly detailed with no barrel distortion but bright colors. Black and white night videos have excellent contrast for easy viewing.

Features of The iBaby monitor M6S

Design

The iBaby monitor M6S is shaped like a tilting snowman. This presents a unique design that works exceptionally well. Its camera is housed in a white plastic measuring 2.2 inches held in place by magnetic connectors. The base of this device has a motor that rotates 355 degrees providing a full-room panning. The small enclosure rotates to 100 degrees. Panning and tilting are quite simple. You only have to swipe the screen of your phone on either side.

Camera

The iBaby monitor M6S features a 1080p video crystal clear resolution. It is fitted with nine infrared LEDs that provide up to 20 feet black and white night videos. It also has a Wii-Fi circuitry connecting to either a 2.4 or 5GHZ band.

Speakers

Like other models, the M6S has an inbuilt microphone with speakers that let you hear any sound or cries from your infant. You can also soothe the little one with your voice. Additionally, it has pre-programmed lullabies, a total of 10, that keeps your child calm. The monitor also lets you play other music from your phone’s library.

The iBaby app

With an iBaby app, you can view videos and control the monitor camera from your Android or iOS phone. However, there is no provision for accessing the camera through the web. With the app, you can access live feeds including temperature, humidity of the baby and Wi-Fi strength. There is also a settings menu that leads you to the media gallery where you can access pre-recorded videos and photos. You can also set other options including sensitivity, enabling motion, alert tones and other notifications.

Installation and performance

Installing The iBaby monitor M6S is quite simple. All you need to do is download and install the iBaby app, create an account, plug in power and connect to your phone via a USB port. Add the device, allow Wi-Fi sharing and wait for approximately 30 seconds for the camera to connect to your Wi-Fi. You can then disconnect begin using the device.

Pros of The iBaby monitor M6S

• Provides an excellent video quality
• Comes with loads of features
• Has a responsive pan and tilt feature
• Easy installation
• Motors are very silent
• Has a clear speak and listen audio that provides clear audio on both ends
• Accurate temperature and humidity readings
• Excellent motion and sound sensors
• Affordable

Cons of The iBaby monitor M6S

• Has no web access

The Holababy P1 HD Video Baby Monitor

The Holababy P1 HD Video Baby Monitor is an HD monitor with imperative features for excellent baby monitoring. It uses sound and motion to detect and alert you when your baby moves or cries in its crib. The monitor is fitted with various baby centric features including lullaby features, multi color nights and projectors that display a colorful pattern on the crib’s ceiling. Other intriguing features of this monitor are outlined below.

Features of The Holababy P1 HD Video Baby Monitor

Design

The Holababy comes with a unique shape that can be described perfectly as a sideways brandy snifter. The monitor measures 4.7 by 4.2 by 3.7 inches and white with pink trim in color. Its matching base has 14 small embedded LEDs acting as night lights and a hinge letting you swivel and tilt the camera. Other inclusions in this monitor include a mounting hole at the bottom, a 54-inch cord, ethernet cable, quick start guide and user guide.

Camera

The Holababy P1 HD Video Baby Monitor is fitted with 1280 by 720 camera offering a 74-degree field of view. It has nine infrared LEDs which provide a maximum of 33 feet night vision. It also connects to your set Wi-Fi network via an 802.11b/g/n. The camera top has a lens which projects a colorful pattern of stars, birds, trees and other shapes to the ceiling. At the back of the camera, there is an ethernet port, reset button, power jack as well as two speakers.

Other features

The Holababy P1 HD Video Baby Monitor has a small round ball protruding from the rear end of the camera. This ball holds a sensor which monitors your infant’s room temperature. There is also a microphone beneath the lens housing. There are four buttons used for selecting any of the ten soothing sounds as well as used to adjust playback volume. The sound system of this device comprises of eight lullabies, rain forest, and a heartbeat. Unlike other models of this caliber, you can’t play music from your phone.

Holababy app

This is yet another interesting feature of this device. You can access live videos from this app which is compatible with Android and iOS. From the app, you can invite an unlimited number of users as well as view various images. From this interactive app, you can configure Wi-Fi settings, passwords, updates, notifications and much more. You can also set and enable motion detection, motion sensitivity, audio detection, audio sensitivity and temperature alerts.

Installation and performance

Installing this monitor is quite easy. You can use its ethernet port or opt for a wired connection via Wi-Fi or to your router. Ensure that you enter the correct password as missing one character will require that you re-download the app again.

Pros of The Holababy P1 HD Video Baby Monitor

• Provides excellent daytime photo and video highlight and well-saturated colors
• Night videos, black and white, show good contrast and sharp.
• Has accurate motion detection
• Alerts are immediate
• Lullaby and other nighttime features

Cons of The Holababy P1 HD Video Baby Monitor

• Quite expensive
• Has inconsistent audio performance
• Provides no set temperature thresholds

The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor

The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor is the second baby monitor from San Francisco firm and the first monitor with an interchangeable lens technology. This allows clear video streaming in real time to a 3.5” LCD colored display that provides a crystal-clear image devoid of grainy and pixelated textures. Note that its continuous display doesn’t act on battery life. So to say, it provides a long-lasting battery with 10 hours on power saving mode as well as 6 hours with a constant display screen.

Features of The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor

Design

The camera is 4 inches tall and slightly over 2.5 inches wide. This device features the usual tilt, pan, and digital zoom features as well as eight LED sensors for excellent night vision. The camera has a slot at the rear end that allows for mounting the camera on the wall.

Interchangeable lens technology

As mentioned, The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor is the first baby monitor that allows you to take full control over your baby’s room. With this camera, you can customize performance through switching various lenses and camera in seconds. You can choose a suitable focal length as well as viewing angle like other professional camera systems. You can as well watch and record baby monitor video for monitoring purposes.

Remote tilt and pan control

The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor has smooth, quiet and discrete remotely controlled camera. This makes the reality of controlling your view on the baby’s room quite easy.

Can be charged anywhere

This monitor can be charged anywhere. You can charge from the laptop or any other USB outlet. This not only makes it portable as well as convenient as you can set up multiple charging stations at home.

Two-way talk

With The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor, you can communicate with your baby through the intercom push to talk feature.

Pros of The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor

• Provides a long battery life
• Easy recharging
• Easy to install
• Has an optical zoom lens

Cons of The Infant Optics DXR-8 Monitor

• Has limited features
• Come users have raised complaints about its glitchy reception

Conclusion

Baby monitors are vital devices for those with babies. Especially during the summer where you are greatly involved in outdoor activities, getting a baby monitor summer is prudent. This will minimize activity interruption as you sneak in to check on the baby. Apart from the three top baby monitors mentioned above, others include the Motorola baby monitor and baby monitor owlet.

Finding the best among the options can be quite daunting. For instance, for video models, try understanding the difference between the two main categories namely smartphone based versus the standalone monitors. Also, have a look at the features of the specific monitors before settling on one. Other factors include consulting widely, checking on price and individual needs.