Safety 1st High-Def Digital Video Monitor
by Dorel Juvenile Group
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List Price: Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Safety 1st High-Def Digital Video Monitor
Customer Review: A Great Monitor BUT topples and brakes very easily!
Summary: 3 Stars
I really like this monitor and think it is one of the best "tools" for baby care that I own BUT it topples VERY easily! The tall narrow shape of the monitor, along with the rounded back and location of the power cord cause it too fall over even when you just touch it to pick it up!
The second time my monitor fell over the screen quit working (but the sound still worked). We called Safety First and they said that it would not be covered under the warranty and IT WOULD BE $135 TO REPLCE the broken monitor! My sister has the same monitor and she says that hers has fallen lots of times and still works, but it's an expensive gamble.
On the positive side, I do like the small size and the functions of the monitor and really love the ability to zoom and "move" the camera around when the baby moves.
The other thing that I dislike about the monitor is that the lowest volume setting is pretty loud. I would like to be able to keep the monitor on for the few minutes that my baby needs to cry in order to go to sleep but it's still very loud on the lowest setting. Thankfully, I also have the "BébéSounds Angelcare Deluxe Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor" which is wonderful (a full 5 stars for it!) which does have a nice low setting and a cradle for the monitor to rest in to keep it secure and charged.
If Safety First just had a better waranty policy I would wholeheartedly recomend this monitor, but as it is I don't feel I can really recomend it. I hope in the future they will make some needed changes in their design of an otherwise great monitor. If you decide to get this monitor keep it as far away from the edge of your bed-side table as possible!
Customer Review: Good Baby Monitor
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the only monitor that we have ever had, so I can't really compare it to other monitors. However, I can say that my wife and I are happy with the performance of the monitor. We have used it in both Europe and the States and the monitor can be plugged in to 220v outlet with an adapter (we didn't need a voltage converter). Both the camera and handset have batteries, though only the handset's batteries are rechargeable. Both parts can be plugged in. If the camera unit is plugged in, the handset can last 4-5 hours assuming the camera function is used sparingly. If the camera function is used more, the battery life decreases considerably. I am not sure how long the camera unit can function on batteries alone, but I've used it for at least 2-3 hours unplugged without changing the batteries. Again, I don't use the video function too much to try to extend life. There is a soft green blink around the power button when the camera is on, but it doesn't seem to bother our son. I could see how it may bother older kids, or those who haven't had it above their bed their whole lives as our son has. As to the range, we live on the 5th floor of an apartment building with concrete walls throughout. I still get video reception about 200 feet down the street and get marginal audio reception for another 50 feet or so. The actual video quality is okay...all we really want to see is if he's moving around or not and it's good for that. Not actually hi-definition as the name implies, but good enough. About interference with wireless internet, I had to change the frequency of my wireless router. Before I did that, I couldn't really use my internet while I had the baby monitor on.Customer Review: Great product
Summary: 4 Stars
As a VERY panicky new mom I wasn't really into the idea of my baby sleeping away from me, in a different room, but I also needed to be able to eat dinner (or do anything) with my husband while the baby sleeps. This camera adds the security of being able to see my baby in his co-sleeper for the few hours before we go up to bed, or while he naps. I have found it to have great range (we can be in the backyard, though the screen is hard to see outside and in sunlight), and literally no interference from our cell or cordless phones. The night vision is clear but the 'pan and zoom' don't actually pan the camera, but rather the digital range of what the image shows. I still love the feature though, zooming in is key for me. I have come to accept the few seconds it takes to view the image after you hear something and want to look. You can view for 30 seconds and then need to hit 'view' again to see. This feature is not a problem, though I wish I could view for longer.
My only complaint is that while the hand-held monitor has re-chargable batteries and can be disconnected often, the camera unit does not. We go through alot of batteries when it is unplugged, but honestly, this is not a real problem compared to how useful the product is.
Finally, my overall favorite feature is that it is a closed circuit digital camera, and no one can accidentally 'tune' into our channel like other monitors. That was most important, and we are very pleased. We actually bought a second so we can have two cameras in different rooms so we don't have to move them all the time when our baby falls asleep in different places.
Customer Review: Best Quality Video Monitor on the Market
Summary: 5 Stars
This video monitor was our 3rd purchase. We first bought Summer's Video Monitor which was returned even before we had the baby. The first reason was because we would pick up or neighbors baby room, second the monitor screen broke very easily.
Next Monitor we purchased was Graco's, we actually used this monitor for the first 9 months, the video clarity was poor, and the parent unit of the monitor would turn off unexpectedly. At first I thought the rechargeable battery was just bad so I purchased a second plug in cord for the unit only to realize that was not actually the issue. After 2 months of dealing with their customer service they gave me a full refund for the return of my unit.
Moving on to the Safety 1st monitor when I first received the monitor the parent screen I though was really small compared to my other two previously owned. However once I turned on the camera and observed the clarity of the unit I was impressed! I would Highly recommended this unit above all other video monitors.
There are some negatives about the unit when hanging the video camera the power cord seems to be located in the wrong spot. It is located on the bottom part of the unit so there is no way to hide the cord. Second is I am still a little confused on how to switch between options.
But even with these two negative factors the video picture by far is the best quality out on the market. Hope this helps. Good Luck!
Customer Review: Pretty good, couple of issues
Summary: 4 Stars
Read other reviews before purchasing this. Good picture, especially in the dark.
A major point for me was that this was "WiFi friendly" - BUT - we have found that since using this monitor our wireless network seems to disappear for a while, then come back later, sometimes a long time later. I haven't yet worked out if it's the camera being on, or the receiver unit (I'm thinking maybe it could send as well - as we seem to get problems when we turn it on, although the camera is on all the time).
A few times I have plugged the receiver in to charge for a few hours, but when disconnecting the charger it complains that the battery is flat. Not sure if it's just a bad connection or a problem with the unit, but 99% of the time it's OK.
Flashing light on the power switch is annoying too - can't be disabled and may distract a child.
Overall I'm happy with it.
**UPDATE after 4 months **
Yes I can confirm that when turning on the receiver, this is what seems to kill the wireless network - and it does do so every time. Strange that it is the receiver not the transmitter. The camera is left on all the time and wireless works fine.
Still happy with the monitor apart from that, and also that the battery still sometimes does not seem to charge when plugged in all night, but it has been better since I changed the supplied batteries with some decent brand ones.