For many new parents, a baby monitor is not a luxury but a necessity since they just can't check their newborns every minute. But that's what a home baby monitor camera is for. While audio-only care devices let you listen in on your little one from another room, a webcam allows you to always keep an eye on your baby. It can help you visually confirm that your infant is sleeping, and safely leave the room to relax or check some things off your to-do list. In other words, setting up a video baby monitor near your baby’s crib is a great way to feel at ease whilst doing other things.
Today, most monitor cameras can be connected wirelessly and travel throughout your entire house, either working while being plugged in or running on a built-in battery. What’s more, monitors can also be checked remotely to see what’s happening at home while you’re out and your babysitter is staying with your little one. In fact, the possibilities for how these devices can be used are almost endless, and so is their choice. That’s why we would like to give you some basic recommendations on how to choose the right baby monitor for your needs.
First and foremost, you should consider the type of baby monitor that would cater to your needs.
The simplest and the most affordable are audio-only baby monitors. As the name suggests, a sound-only monitor allows parents to listen to their infants while they are sleeping in the crib. It focuses on cries and coos while minimizing the background noise like the hum of an air conditioner. So, you can expect the crystal clear sound from audio monitors without static or unwanted noise.
Many audio monitors often include a light-up element allowing you to notice when your baby is crying if you set the system on mute. Yet, they don’t have any kind of additional screen to let you see your baby.
Some audio-only monitors are made with two-way audio technology, making it possible to sing lullabies or speak to your little one through the monitor. Moreover, the most sophisticated ones can come with temperature sensors and low-battery indicators.
Video baby monitor systems include a small camera that should be mounted on a wall or placed on a flat surface to let parents watch and hear their babies. They usually have a built-in microphone and speaker to allow for two-way audio. Many of them have touch screen features so that you can zoom in or tilt the camera. Also, they utilize a night vision technology to deliver you a clearer image when the lights are low or off.
While some video systems already come with a separate color display screen to check on your baby, others require you to download a mobile app onto your smartphone.
Wireless network monitors, or Wi-Fi baby monitors, are digital monitors that should be connected to your existing wireless network, allowing you to control them via your computer, tablet, or phone. The majority of Wi-Fi baby monitors offer both audio and video capabilities. Plus, they enable parents to see real-time footage of babies using a smartphone (even when parents are far away from home). Modern Wi-Fi baby monitors are also capable of storing video footage via cloud storage or a special mobile app. Yet, transmissions from a Wi-Fi monitor may be not always encrypted, so it’s better to turn your attention to the following aspect.
DECT technology. It’s always a good idea to check whether a home baby monitor camera supports DECT technology. This technology makes use of a low-frequency band rather than the typical 2.4 GHz band common for other home devices (cordless phones, video game controls, Bluetooth devices, and many other wireless gadgets). DECT technology ensures the clearest sound without interference.
Range. Next, you should check the range of the chosen device and make sure it’ll be able to maintain a signal up or down the stairs, across your house, and out on a patio or driveway. Most baby monitors have a 600-900 ft range, which should be enough to let you go away pretty far and still be connected to the baby’s transmitter.
Battery. If you’re going to buy a cordless monitor (which is always a safer option for a baby’s room), opt for models with a high-capacity battery that could last overnight, or at least eight hours, without a need to be re-charged. Some battery-saving devices automatically cut off an idle display.
Image and audio quality. While some parents don’t need super-crisp images from a monitor, others want a high resolution to make out facial features in the dark, at more than a few feet of distance. But what all parents certainly want is to hear everything clearly even at the lowest volumes, so always check the audio capabilities prior to purchase.
Extra options. Almost all of us want easy, intuitive, and responsive units. Such extras like an alarm, time and temperature readings, and night-light will surely be a nice addition to a baby monitor. For example, an accurate temperature sensor may help parents maintain the ideal sleeping conditions for their babies. By knowing the exact temperature in a nursery, you’ll be able to turn on the cooler when it’s too hot or use the heater when it’s too cold.
The night vision function, on the other hand, will be especially useful for those parents who sleep in separate rooms with their kids but still want to see their little ones without having to turn on the room light.
Other details highly appreciated by parents include a zoom option, wide-angle lens, and tilt ability of a camera. Owners of large homes may also be interested in those monitors that can support multiple units that can be set in different rooms.
Lastly, make sure that the device is sturdy enough to withstand being knocked off a nightstand or messed by your curious baby.
Understanding that it may be a quite tricky task to choose the best webcams for your needs, we have made a comprehensive review of the baby monitor camera that is currently causing ripples across the market. Let’s check why.
The Wansview Q6W Home Camera is a great full-featured wireless security system that is the latest release from the company. That’s why it boasts a bunch of new, advanced technologies and can give many other similar monitoring systems a run for their money. It’s been fully upgraded in terms of quality and functionality and can deliver you exceptional video and sound, accurate motion detection, compatibility with Alexa, and optional cloud storage. The camera works with a 2.4G WiFi band and is compatible with the Wansview mobile app that syncs flawlessly with both iOS and Android devices. What is great, the app allows you to add up to four family members to the same account, allowing you to share moments with your closest people. Also, the Wansview cloud app can manage multiple cameras and display as many as four live videos simultaneously on one screen. So, if you’d like to keep up with everything happening in your house, you can add more units to the same system.
In addition, the app allows you to set up the motion sensor and adjust its sensitivity. For example, you can set it to record footage as soon as it detects motion or send real-time alerts to your mobile phone, PC, or tablet. By default, the Wansview security camera will record 10-sec videos and save them to your local SD card or cloud storage where you can later review, download and delete them.
If you worry that your videos can be somehow stolen, you can have peace of mind owing to the Financial Encryption technology that ensures the highest protection of data and the total security of your privacy. What’s more, you can use local storage so that no one could access your files without your permission. The system supports Micro SD cards up to 128GB (not included with the purchase).
For the ease of use, the manufacturer provides a multi-angle mounting bracket, a micro USB cord, a power brick, an instruction manual, and some screws and drywall anchors with the purchase. The manual is easy to follow, and it becomes obvious that the company has done its best to simplify the installation of quite a complex piece of hardware. You’ll just need to open the box, set the camera up where you want, and download the app. The app is very intuitive to use, so we believe you’ll get the monitor up and running within minutes. Once set up, the camera will impress you with the great video quality and virtually 360° movement. Also, it features 4 non-invasive 940 nm infrared lights ensuring clear video day and night.
With 1080P full HD resolution, the Wansview Q6W displays crystal clear live videos without lags, making it possible to keep an eye on your home anytime, anywhere. And owing to the large wide-angle 10° lens, pan-and-tilt capabilities, and 4x digital zoom, the camera can scan every corner of your home. You can save in memory up to 4 favorite positions or control it in real time from your phone. Actually, you’ll be able to use a virtual joystick in the app to pan the camera up and down, right and left. So, if you have a sneaking suspicion that your child is crawling somewhere or your cat is clawing the new ottoman, you can simply swipe your finger to check that.
Once your babies are caught red-handed, you can talk to them owing to the two-way audio function. The built-in enhanced microphone and speaker allow you to talk and listen to your little ones or scare off your frolic pets even if you're not in the room. The same microphone and speaker let you give voice commands through Alexa.
In all, if you want a functional baby camera with a good wide view, clear and smooth video quality, wireless capabilities, Alexa integration, and great adjustability, the Wansview Q6W Home Camera fits the bill perfectly. It’s fantastic for monitoring babies, pets, or elderly family members.