Summer Infant Day and Night Handheld Color Video Monitor with 1.8" Screen - Silver
by Summer Infant, Inc.
|
List Price: Category: Baby Product See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Baby Products Reviews of Summer Infant Day and Night Handheld Color Video Monitor with 1.8" Screen - Silver
Customer Review: Would Buy Again
Summary: 4 Stars
Fairly good baby monitor, esp for the price. We almost bought it at Babies R Us b/c of a gift card but its $179.99 + tax there.
Shipped same day and arrived 2 days later.
Video seems to be black/white almost all of the time but pretty good detail. You almost need a ton of light to get color vid. Since our baby is a newborn, we just set it on top of the crib for now. Comes with basic parts to wall mount. Video quality is good for what it is. When the battery goes low though, it just gets staticy. Could use a better low batt indicator.
The first night I used it I frequently flipped on the video and drained the battery after about 6 hours. It was my first night watching the baby though so I was overdoing it for every wimper. Normal use without using video all the time will yield greater results. Reception is good throughout all levels of our house (4), even in the basement with her room being on the top floor.
Cord length for cameras AC adapter is plentiful but you will need an outlet in relative close proximity, especially if you're running the wire along corners.
4/5 stars due to low batt indicator and being b/w vid most of the time.
Overall for $115 shipped, great buy and would buy again.
UPDATE 12/27/10:
After being dropped several times over, bumped, scraped, etc, the monitor is still doing well. The battery that comes with it started going out after about 4-5 months. Bought a replacement from Radioshack thinking it would last that much longer but it didn't. Radioshack battery was $17.99, did in-store pickup, arrived in 3 days to the store.
Item: 6346515
Description: DantonaŽ 4.8V/1100mAh Ni-Cd Battery for SummerŽ 02090
2nd Replacement battery purchased from Amazon.com through seller Bedford Power. $14.99 + $4.75 shipping ($19.74)
"Extended 1800mAH NiMH Battery for Baby Video Monitor Summer 02090, 0209A, 0210A, 02720 HK1100AAE4BMJS 02100A-10"
Search Amazon B003MSF3T0 to find the battery. Extended, extra capacity 1800mAH (means it will last longer on a charge). Seller has since bumped price to $16.95 though.
Have yet to see it's longevity.
Hope this helps.
Customer Review: This is THE monitor!
Summary: 5 Stars
I always read these reviews before making a purchase. They always help me make the best choice but I have never written one myself. This warrants a rating in my opinion. And here is why:
I orginally had the Safety First Video Monitor but I did not like it at all. When I would be on the phone, cell phone or cordless, the interferance was so bad that I could see nothing but static on the screen. I use the time when my son naps to catch up on phone calls. There is NO interferance with this monitor.
The Safety First system had a very large monitor. It was not portable and gave off too much light at night. This is handheld and has great range. PLUS, it has a recharable battery. Now, I don't know about all of you, but to me, this feature is profoundly attractive considering between the swing, bouncer and all the other gadgets and guizmos, I should buy stock in Energizer.
I know some mentioned that the monitor was a bit small, and this is true. However, I find that it is not a problem for me at all and the picture quality is great. I can see my little man in his crib and tell if the noise he is making is just him stirring in his sleep or if he truly needs me. I can also hear him breathing over the monitor. Which puts me at ease.
Also, some mentioned that the monitor would get a bit of static from time to time but if you repositioned the handheld unit, it would cease. I have encountered this, but it is so easily remedied that it is not even an issue for me.
I purchased the Buyer Protection Plan from Babies R Us which cost me $24.99 and covers the unit for one year. If anything happens to it I will be sent a check for $160.00. $25 insurance for a fairly pricey item seemed a good investment for me.
If you are a new parent, I highly recommend this item. I don't know that my son and I would do as well if I couldn't actually see him while he was sleeping without having to go in his room. (Picture actually seeing your baby's chest rising and falling and knowing he his breathing.) This item is a bit expenisive, but I truly believe it is worth every penny.
I hope this helps!
Customer Review: Does the job
Summary: 4 Stars
Have realistic expectations when buying this video monitor and you'll be happy with your investment. The picture quality is good (especially in dimly lit rooms), the video camera head is very light weight and tilts in four directions (ours hangs on the wall just above the crib suspended on a thumb tack!), and the battery so far has been really good (I've forgotten to plug it in a few nights and it's still juiced up). So, realistic expectations...
1) Don't expect to see the same vivid imagery of your baby that they promote in their packaging. Most likely you'll be setting up the monitor a safe distance from your baby's head/body so you'll get a more complete picture of your baby's body- not the close-up mug shots featured in the ads. The colors will not be as vibrant either, unless your little one has an affinity for sleeping in a very brightly lit room.
2) Do expect some feedback on your receiver. There are six degrees of 'noise' (green to red) to alert you of sounds in the room. I've become accustomed to only paying attention when I see it register 4+ repeatedly and with some length (feedback registers short bursts of 4+ and is common for my house). The feedback is audible so unfortunately I have to turn the sound down very very low at night (just enough to hear a cry), or I am awakened by the hisses all night.
3) You can't control how long the video display stays on when the received is not plugged into the wall, so if you're downstairs and want to see your baby constantly you will need it to be plugged in. Otherwise it will go to sound-only after about 3 minutes.
I would prefer that it came with two video monitors, because sometimes baby falls asleep in another 'regular' nap spot that you'd like to watch. Also it would be great if it were possible to move the video head remotely (so that when baby squirms out of view you can find her) but I don't expect to see that on a household product such as this. Overall I've been really happy with this tool, aside from the feedback annoyances, which channel switching doesn't seem to fix. (We do have a wireless router and cordless phones throughout the house)
Customer Review: Excellent Multi-purpose Monitor
Summary: 5 Stars
We are expectant parents and purchased this monitor for our nursery from a local store after carefully reviewing the return policy. We purchased the one with the silver faceplate which seems to be the newer improved model on the market. When we got it home, we ripped it out of the box and decided to test it rigorously, and we made our two dogs our test subjects. Also, we live in an older house, so we expected issues with electrical interference. Here are our findings:
1. We were able to see our entire kitchen both in light and in the dark although the picture was somewhat grainy in the dark. We could see our dog's eyes and teeth from a distance of about 15 feet away from the camera in both conditions.
2. We took the receiver all over the house, used it in our home office, next to our refrigerator, by our cordless phone while in use, and the reception was great with occasional static pops.
3. We were able to take the receiver outside about 20 feet around the perimiter of the house with no interference.
4. We conducted similar tests placing the camera unit in other areas of our house and had no problems.
5. Sound quality is astounding, my husband could hear me talking on the phone in another room and could hear my breathing sounds between my verbal responses on the phone.
We have had this camera for about two months now and are confident it will be of great value when our baby gets here. We had one dog that kept pottying in front of our fridge and we busted him with this camera. So overall, for the money, it is a great value and can serve many different purposes. I would highly recommend it to anyone with babies, pets, elderly or disabled persons to care for. We are very happy with this purchase.
EDIT, July 2008:
This product is STILL working great for us two years later! We lost the AC adapter to the handset while we were on vacation and we ordered a replacement from the manufacturer-they did not charge shipping and we got it within a week of ordering. I am pleased with the support given for this product as well as the product's performance. Again, I highly recommend!
Customer Review: Ah, nice to see in the dark
Summary: 4 Stars
We had a simple fisher price sound monitor (Fisher-Price Sounds 'N Lights Monitor) which was really great with no static. But when our child would cry, make funny noises or other "suspicious" sounds, we didn't know if it was a pacifier issue, heat, blanket and always needed to investigate what it was, read, daddy or mommy needed to go check.
So we decided that it would be nice to see our son when he cries,
So we researched it online, and everyone seemed pretty positive, yet a few reviews were pretty negative. So we decided to take the "plunge" and bought it.
Now, when our son complains, makes funny noises or we just want to see him sleep, we have the Summer Infant Day & Night.
Here is the scoop......
Pros:
- Night vision is REALLY good - my wife and I love to observe our child at night when he is at peace - yet we are not waking him up.
- Microphone is VERY sensitive, so you can hear your baby's breathing (for us, we have the camera (which has the microphone integrated into it) on a shelf above his head
- The portability of the monitor is great
- The size of the screen is great, not too small, not too big
- The "on/off" button for the video is great especially at night - without it our whole bedroom would be lit up
- The length of the cords from adapter to monitor and adapter to camera is great
Cons:
- Sometimes, the static from other neighborhood wifi devices or others seems to interfere - we are OK, but sometimes it seems that it picks up other devices' frequencies
- the cord from the adapter to camera can easily come off - Summer should had a small latch that ensures the cord doesn't fall off so easily
- The monitor's battery case is sealed with philips screws - that doesn't make sense for a baby monitor which is never going to be given to a baby therefore really doesn't need this extra security. If it was a fake monitor sure, add the screws but for an adult oriented product - it is unnecessary.