So I will start with the fact that I have purchased 4 different monitors :1) 2.4GHz DIGITAL WIRELESS BABY VIDEO MONITOR SYSTEM WITH NIGHT VISION -2.4" Color LCD Screen (Two-way Radio communication) by Smart AV ,
2) MOBICAM DXR DIGITAL MONITORING SYSTEM,
3) SAMSUNG WIRELESS VIDEO SECURITY MONITORING SYSTEM w/ 3.5" LCD,
4) SUMMER INFANT BABY TOUCH COLOR VIDEO MONITOR by Summer infant.
I have a 3yr. old and I was still using my Sony baby call monitor which I still love, but now I need to see when she gets out of her bed and I wanted the two way feature "talk to the baby feature" so I could talk to her and tell her to get back in her bed. I should also say that I want to see as much of her room around her bed as I could her room is 11 ft. by 12ft I put the camera in the corner on a shelf eight feet off the ground about 10 and ½ ft away from her bed, so if she got out of her bed I could see where she was. I could also see her during the day playing in her room. Well, let me say that they at least at this moment they don't make a monitor with a 100% "clear" picture for day and night vision.
First up, I bought the 2.4 GHz MONITOR by SMART AV: It was good I could see her ok during the day, and at night with the night vision and I could hear her and she could hear me when I talked on it.
CONS: Not the best picture but it was good enough. The camera did not adjust down far enough I had to put a coaster under the back half to get it to angle down some more and no sound bar (the lights that light up according to how noisy it is in the room). The big problem was it did not have the rechargeable batteries the other reviewers said it had. (Amazon told me it was probably because they bought it from a different seller not DBroth.) You can put regular batteries in it but if you want to plug it in you have to remove the batteries first. I tried to purchase the rechargeable batteries from them it has been a week and a half they still have not answered my emails. I returned it. Update: I never received a response.
Next up, the MOBICAM DXR DIGITAL MONITORING SYSTEM: it had a ok picture during the day a little grainy but you could see. Night vision was grainy but ok.
CONS: No sound bar, grainy day and night vision, when you touch the talk button to speak to the child it did not always work I would have to let it go and press it again to get it to work. I had it replaced with a new one thinking it might have been that one and the new one did the same thing. I called Amazon and they said they are not selling these directly anymore because of that happening to the batch of these they had maybe a bad batch they are investigating it, but you can still buy it from third party sellers on Amazon. UPDATE: Amazon is now selling them again.
Next up, was the SAMSUNG WIRELESS VIDEO SECURITY MONITORING SYSTEM w/ 3.5" LCD: this one had the best picture of them all but only for during the day (although it had a yellow glow at the top of the screen from the light in the room but the light was not in the cameras view I adjusted the camera down even further and it still remained. It has a nice night light and music that you can turn on and off from the monitor. I really, really wanted to like it.
CONS: The camera did not adjust down far enough for me on my shelf, so I put a coaster under the back half to angle it down some more, There were also some "delays" (like when walking or just moving fast the screen would "miss some frames/some of the movement" in the picture.) The temperature gauge was not correct, the alarm for detection of sound in the room was a pain to adjust, I did not like that when It went in to sleep mode (the screen goes black to power save) the volume would shut off, till it heard a sound, I wanted it on unless I turned it down, (which is how the baby touch monitor operates in sleep mode the sound does not shut off but you can turn it down if you wish), the zoom function was a BIG pain you have to go into the menu out of the "picture screen" and put it on zoom then go back to the "picture screen", the volume was not very loud at all my husband was like it doesn`t turn up louder than that? The "talk to the baby" function was "choppy"(not as clear as the summer infant baby touch) and my absolute deal breaker was, I would think the MAIN REASON you would purchase a monitor like this the night vision: at night with and without a night light on in the room I could barely see anything much less my daughter in her bed you would really have to stare and look good to make any thing out, the infrared led's must not be strong at all. (If you want it for close up it might work I don't know never tested close up tested all of them in the same place about 10 and 1/2 feet away from her bed up on a shelf I need to see at least part of the room around her bed.)
I was so aggravated by this search, I printed out a twenty percent off coupon from the internet for Babies R Us and went and bought the SUMMER INFANT BABY TOUCH MONITOR, the new one they have with the touch screen monitor and pan and zoom camera. I put it to the test compared it to the SAMSUNG and MOBI. My two most important things were the night vision to see her at night and the "talk to the baby" function so I could talk to her. This summer infant model has a secure private connection unlike the other summer infant monitors. Its picture is ok (not HD but none of them are) slightly, slightly, slightly grainy during the day but still really good, and its night vision although a little grainy was the best out of all of them for the distance, (again I did not test close up) plus I can move the camera around remotely from the monitor to see where she's at in the room and I can zoom in easily the functions appear below and to the right of the picture when you touch the screen although the closer you zoom in the grainier it got but that was with ALL of the models I tested.
AFTER A LOT OF TESTING AND DEBATE, I RETURNED THEM ALL EXCEPT FOR THE SUMMER INFANT BABY TOUCH MONITOR. I really like it. I am glad I just went ahead and spent a little more money and bought it. The pan and zoom features work great. (THIS IS THE ONLY MONITOR OUT OF THE ONES I TESTED THAT HAS THE ACTUAL PAN FEATURE. THE ABILITY TO MOVE THE CAMERA AROUND THE ROOM REMOTELY FROM THE CONTROLS ON THE MONITOR. The Samsung does not have the pan feature.) I can see her WHOLE room day or night. After a certain amount of time it goes into power save mode when it is not on the charger and turns off the picture but you can still hear the sound you can still adjust the volume and if you want to see the picture again just press the button on the top. If it is on the charger the picture will stay on unless you press the button on the top to turn the screen back off. The monitor has a lithium-ion battery and the camera has the option to put regular batteries in it if you can not plug it in a outlet. The monitor also has a belt clip that doubles as the stand for it when the monitor is not on the charger. I called summer infant to ask about recommendations for the rechargeable battery for the monitor the company says not to charge the battery more than eight hours and let it run down before you put it back on the charger for maximum battery life.
The basics:
Picture quality on the DXR is very good and way better than other monitors. It's not crystal clear, but no monitor is.
The DXR's rechargeable battery seems to last forever. I used to keep my old monitor on audio only mode to avoid charging it more than once a day. With the DXR I can keep the video on too and still only charge it once a day.
The DXR monitor has easy to operate buttons and a user friendly menu. You use the menu to set the time, pair cameras with the monitor, decide which cameras you want to view when cycling through cameras, change the brightness, and more.
The range on the DXR system is fantastic!!!. If you need a little extra range, slide up the antenna. It does make a difference.
The DXR monitor has a stand on the back that allows me to prop it up at several angles for viewing when standing or sitting. Most monitors don't allow the monitor to recline enough for viewing when standing (such as while cooking).
The unique features:
Quad Mode: This DXR system works with up to 4 cameras and can automatically cycle through each camera every 5 or 15 seconds. Even cooler is Quad Mode, where you can see all 4 cameras at once. Since the screen is rather large (3.5 inches), even split in 4 you get a nice size image from each camera.
Two-Way Audio: The DXR allows you to not only hear your children, but talk to them too. There is a button on the monitor that you hold down to talk to your kids, then let it go to listen again (like a walkie-talkie). It's awesome if you have little kids that like to jump out of bed and play when they are supposed to be napping!!! The voice comes through extremely clear and the volume is perfect.
FYI...I have not yet used the power saving, voice activation, or recording/playback features; nor have I connected the monitor to a PC.
This monitor is a real winner. One other plus is that Mobi customer service is absolutely awesome. I contacted them with a question regarding my old monitor and they were helpful far beyond my expectations.
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Please do yourself a favor and buy a different monitor!! If you are planning on using more than one camera with this monitor then it is useless! I had 2 additional cameras attached...the video portion of this monitor works great. In quad mode there is NO sound at all...not even for one camera. Also while running the scanning feature the sound WILL stop working at some point during the night...might be after 5 minutes might be after several hours but it WILL STOP WORKING!! I called the manufacturer about this and this is a problem that is going to occur...they are working on a fix but do not have it yet!! How you put a product out there that you KNOW is not going to work is beyond me. Also when this monitor is put into scanning mode there is a popping noise that occurs when it switches between rooms and a bright blue light that comes on in your childs room when they are being seen. Probably not a big deal for newborns as they will probably sleep right thru it...but for my kids ages 3 and 1 the light was like a strobe light in their dark room keeping them from falling asleep. The popping also bothered my 3 year old as he thought there were monsters in the camera! I tried on a few occasions to use the intercom feature and all that resulted was a terrible feedback noise into my childrens rooms...talk about monsters! The last feature that didn't work as noted is the power button. I could never get the machine to turn off using the power button...i always had to use the reset button on the back. Overall this monitor was a HUGE dissapointment and it has been shipped back to Amazon!!Read Best Reviews of Mobicam DXR Digital Monitoring System Here
I am writing to let you know of my experience with Mobi. I have never written a review before. And I am a very brand loyal consumer. Price has never been an issue. I have always sought the best possible products for my children. This is why I placed an order for a Mobi monitor months before my twins were born. I heard of the new DXR that was to be on the market soon. I decided to wait for the upgrade.I receive the monitor and one camera shortly before my twins were born. I spent a great amount of time on the phone with Mobi's service team to set up the camera. Here is where the problems started:
1. The registration code for the internet program did not come with the camera.
2. The instructions were very poor; and although I am very tech savy, there was no means of following the setup without a technician.
3. It was a great disappointment to learn that my computers integrated camera (hence skype,etc.) needed to be disabled in order for the remote access to be used.
4. It was a further disappointment to learn that the monitor needed to be attached to the computer to remotely view. This makes leaving the monitor with a sitter and simultaneously viewing my children from a remote location impossible.
5. Luckily I have both a Mac and a Dell in the house. The program could not run on the Mac computers in the house (since it only works with Windows which was also not disclosed).
Then the wait continued.
I waited three more months for the second camera.
My twins were born and we started them in the same crib because we only had one monitor. At ten weeks of age (last Friday) the second camera was delivered. I promptly set it up and again the non-disclosed issues and problems continued.
6. I purchased this monitor because of the ability to see multiple camera views (two cribs) at the same time. Yet, with the split screen the sound does not work. As a mother listening for her children in the middle of the night sound is the most important factor! So I resorted to the scan option that earlier versions and other competitors also have.
7. When I turned the monitor off because I had night help with the babies, and then turned it on again in the morning I would have to go back in to the settings each time and choose scan. It would not remember my choice to scan between both cameras.
And the FINAL item has lead me to promptly return these items to the retailer where I purchased it....
8. Last night I went to sleep trusting my MOBI monitor. The babies are across the house and we are not able to hear them without a monitor. They were to be fed at 1:30 am. At 3:00 am I woke, looked over at the monitor and saw the babies kicking BUT NO SOUND! I walked in to their room and they were frantically crying!! I am not sure how long they were left unattended. Tears were running down their little faces and it was heartbreaking. I double checked all settings on the monitor. The sound had failed!!! How is a mother to trust that her children as being monitored with this type of security device?
I sincerely hope that MOBI resolves some of these issues before other parents go through the time and disappointment that I have experienced. Today I purchased a Summer's Infant Baby Touch monitor. I love the scan and zoom feature. The touch screen is much easier to use. And now I am waiting once again on the second camera.
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I owned older version of same brand which I didn't like because of complicated navigation between cameras and turn off button next to couple of other issues it had. This one is not a bad product in general, but I see more cons rather than pros. I've used it with one camera only, so I cannot know yet if I'd like it more or even less with additional cameras. But here are my notes of using it so far.Pros:
-big, huge screen. Even in split screen it's OK to see the picture.
-very easy and convenient navigation in general with all buttons up front.
-it shows time and date.
-you can record video or make pictures.
-night vision has a very decent picture even from farther away.
-very well made using a good material. Leaves a 'real' thing feeling.
Cons:
-monitor is to bulky in general. It does not fit in palm or in any pocket!
-I cannot see on the screen or anywhere else how much of a battery life there is left, and it does not make any sound before turning off. I end up with a 'dead' monitor in the middle of the nap time almost every day!
-the picture is way to much enhanced and narrowed. With old version camera standing in the same spot I'd have half of the room covered, now the crib is barely fitting in the picture.
-camera is also kind of big and weights a lot. If left standing, it does not get a picture from crib down below. To have it hanging they included one more heavy metallic attachment to screw it to the wall. It should have a perfect flexibility although looking at the construction and metallic head swiveling in that holder makes me feel like it will not take much time for it to loosen and start to keep on falling down. And that head is going only up and down, you would not be able to move it to any of the side.
'turn off' button is annoying! You have to push it and hold for at least 3 to 5 sec so it would shut it off. So not good in the middle of the night when in rush to calm screaming baby and not willing to make your spouse get mad by listening to that perfect song in double the sound!
any of the buttons are not responding from the first push. Volume, 'talk to baby', menu (every single of them!) would respond only from the second time. Not good in the middle of the night again.
the audio sound is not that clear either. With minimum being a 0 a maximum here is a 6. In a day time I always have it at 5, when it's crowded or outside at 6, but not always I can tell right away that baby is up until she starts screaming so I can hear her without any additional help.
-before I start talking to the baby through monitor the camera every time makes a 'click' sound, that I find kind of annoying as well.
-it is expensive.
So, I will keep on looking for something else and this will definitely go back. Good they have this perfect return policy!
And, by the way this was my third trial monitor I've tried to use after Lorex LW2003 LIVE snap Video and Summer infant's Sleek and Secure.
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