Baby monitors suggestions

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#2636379 16-Jan-2021 10:06

k1w1k1d:

I also don't know why a baby monitor is required nowadays?

its piece of mind, when you are out in the lounge watching a tv/movie you can hear them stir/cry, same goes for if your are in your yard or garage etc.

Also means you can talk back to them if your device supports it.

just because it wasn't a thing "back in your day" doesn't mean it doesn't make things easier/less stressful these days.

timmmay

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#2636392 16-Jan-2021 10:43

We find them extremely helpful, and prefer the reliable dedicated device rather than something more generic. Even at 4 it is useful to be able to talk to them when they are in their room.

allio

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#2637960 19-Jan-2021 11:44

I found it hard to decide between a dedicated (RF) device and a smart (wifi) camera. As a geek the wifi appealed. Ended up going with the RF and have been so glad of that decision on many occasions. Believe me, your wifi will choose the exact moment that your kid is going down for a badly needed nap to go down itself, and your partner is not going to be happy with your urgent, sleep-deprived attempts at troubleshooting. And it's super convenient to be able to just grab the camera, display unit and a USB battery pack and instantly be up and running at someone else's house without needing to connect to their network.

I got the Eufy (Anker) Spaceview and have been very happy with it, though the battery life on the display unit has dropped quite significantly over 18 months of ownership.

jonathan18

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#2638015 19-Jan-2021 12:07

We were totally happy with the old Philips audio-only monitors, and used them for about 12 years until last year (we have an external HT we often use in the evening when the kids are asleep). Key advantages were we were able to buy additional receivers so have them in more than one room (ie, portable unit based in bedroom, and another in the HT), and they just worked without any fuss. Also easy to pack up when we went on holiday. I’d probably go with video if I was having kids now, but still stick to non-wifi based units. Think about practical stuff like what happens with babysitters if access is via a device, for example, or if you want to take it away.

David321

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#2705874 11-May-2021 10:02

I am still deciding between the Vtech BM5500 and the Vtech RM5752. What has got me puzzled as they are the same price (when neither of them are on special) but one has a motorized camera and the other does not.

I figure the one with the motorized camera must be slightly inferior to the one with the non motorized camera to be the same price?

The thing is I can not find any difference between the two except that one has a motorized camera

_David_

ShinyChrome

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#2705900 11-May-2021 11:14

The BM5500 has a lower resolution screen and motorized pan/tilt camera, whereas the RM 5752 has the better quality 1080p screen and fixed camera. The RM 5762 model (and others) have both, but I didn't think the pan/tilt is worth the extra $100 personally.

I have the RM 5752 and really rate it; the picture quality is pretty good and no issues with reception. I much prefer the higher resolution over the pan/tilted camera, as it is only ever pointed at a cot.

The only point to note is RM 5752 and above need WiFi to work, whereas the models below use 2.4ghz FHSS. Not a problem for me as my WiFi setup gives me a greater area of reception than the direct connection.

David321

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#2705946 11-May-2021 13:11

@ShinyChrome

ShinyChrome:

The BM5500 has a lower resolution screen and motorized pan/tilt camera, whereas the RM 5752 has the better quality 1080p screen and fixed camera. The RM 5762 model (and others) have both, but I didn't think the pan/tilt is worth the extra $100 personally.

I have the RM 5752 and really rate it; the picture quality is pretty good and no issues with reception. I much prefer the higher resolution over the pan/tilted camera, as it is only ever pointed at a cot.

The only point to note is RM 5752 and above need WiFi to work, whereas the models below use 2.4ghz FHSS. Not a problem for me as my WiFi setup gives me a greater area of reception than the direct connection.

Hey, thanks a lot for your answer. Great that you own one as hands on experience feedback is the best obviously. Could I ask you a couple more questions?

1, Does it operate on 2.4ghz WiFi? the 5g on our router does not have much range but the 2.4g is much better.

2, Can the camera be plugged in to mains or does it require recharging?

3, Is the level of noise in which is required to send an alert adjustable? (I have heard of a few sending alerts for very quiet sounds which cause false alarms for parents)

Thanks

_David_

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ShinyChrome

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#2705955 11-May-2021 13:38

David321:

Hey, thanks a lot for your answer. Great that you own one as hands on experience feedback is the best obviously. Could I ask you a couple more questions?

1, Does it operate on 2.4ghz WiFi? the 5g on our router does not have much range but the 2.4g is much better.

2, Can the camera be plugged in to mains or does it require recharging?

3, Is the level of noise in which is required to send an alert adjustable? (I have heard of a few sending alerts for very quiet sounds which cause false alarms for parents)

Thanks

No problem David, happy to help. For your questions:

1. Yes, it is 2.4ghz only. I run mine on a separate "IoT" SSID that only broadcasts a 2.4ghz band.

2. Yes, camera is plugged into the mains, and the viewer has a battery or can be run off the mains with the supplied DC adaptor. Battery lasts a good couple of hours, dependent on if you leave the screen on all the time. It also has a motion sensor mode which leaves the screen off until it senses movement, then flicks it on with an audible sound, which helps with battery life. Or you can trigger it with a button press, and leave the audio going, which is what we do most of the time.

3. I think you can fine-tune the sensitivity of the mic pick-up in the viewer, but I will check that. It seems to be quite reasonable on it's base setting though; it only goes into the red when she is kicking off.

David321

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#2706067 11-May-2021 14:37

ShinyChrome:

David321:

Hey, thanks a lot for your answer. Great that you own one as hands on experience feedback is the best obviously. Could I ask you a couple more questions?

1, Does it operate on 2.4ghz WiFi? the 5g on our router does not have much range but the 2.4g is much better.

2, Can the camera be plugged in to mains or does it require recharging?

3, Is the level of noise in which is required to send an alert adjustable? (I have heard of a few sending alerts for very quiet sounds which cause false alarms for parents)

Thanks

No problem David, happy to help. For your questions:

1. Yes, it is 2.4ghz only. I run mine on a separate "IoT" SSID that only broadcasts a 2.4ghz band.

2. Yes, camera is plugged into the mains, and the viewer has a battery or can be run off the mains with the supplied DC adaptor. Battery lasts a good couple of hours, dependent on if you leave the screen on all the time. It also has a motion sensor mode which leaves the screen off until it senses movement, then flicks it on with an audible sound, which helps with battery life. Or you can trigger it with a button press, and leave the audio going, which is what we do most of the time.

3. I think you can fine-tune the sensitivity of the mic pick-up in the viewer, but I will check that. It seems to be quite reasonable on it's base setting though; it only goes into the red when she is kicking off.

That's awesome, thanks a lot for your feedback, really helpful and appreciated.

Im pretty sure ill go with that model now :)

I have heard on another forum there have been reports of hacking these, but I would imagine that would be a risk with most WiFi baby monitors, any simple steps to take to prevent this for someone who has intermediate computer skills?

_David_

ShinyChrome

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#2706193 11-May-2021 17:54

David321:

That's awesome, thanks a lot for your feedback, really helpful and appreciated.

Im pretty sure ill go with that model now :)

I have heard on another forum there have been reports of hacking these, but I would imagine that would be a risk with most WiFi baby monitors, any simple steps to take to prevent this for someone who has intermediate computer skills?

De nada mi amigo.

Are those reports of hacking specific to this model or just in general?

As you say, it's part of the risk, but I wanted the higher quality video and the greater coverage of my own WiFi.

I have mine segregated to it's own VLAN with appropriate firewall rules as well as all DNS requests forced through a pihole, for whatever thats worth.

MadEngineer

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#2706206 11-May-2021 18:28

k1w1k1d:

I also don't know why a baby monitor is required nowadays?

My only thought on this would be for parents of prem babies that need additional monitoring but not quite at the level of needing a life monitoring pad.

Personally as a parent I found one’s ears become super tuned to a baby's cry

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

mulac

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#2706208 11-May-2021 18:35

What are these monitors with White Noise? Sorry I haven’t actually got a baby monitor so not overly clued up on how they work, but I’m guessing they would filter out noises up until a certain decibel so you don’t hear all the odd noises I’ve recently come to learn a baby makes

timmmay

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#2706221 11-May-2021 19:29

Monitors help you hear your baby if you're too far away from them to hear directly. It also does things like flash a light which can help heavy sleepers. We also used the Owlet, which monitors blood oxygen levels - it went off once, not sure if it was a false alarm or real alert, but we were pleased to have it. It was probably too much, but the cost is trivial compared with all the other costs of a baby, or the loss of a baby.

Mulac, some monitors can play music, sounds, or white noise to help sooth a baby. Our basic Philips sound only monitor plays a few tunes, and has a little night light in it my son still likes at 4.

mulac

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#2706222 11-May-2021 19:32

Sorry, I meant if I played white noise seperately in the bedroom while the baby slept, would that white noise be filtered from the microphone so it wouldn’t be heard through the receiver? Trying to avoid hearing everything and just being notified of a cry, else we’d just keep the baby in our room!

timmmay

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#2706224 11-May-2021 19:36

Some monitors filter out the small noises and only let you know about big noises

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