Choosing a Baby Monitor - 'High End' Vs 'Budget'

PantlessBobby on 03/05/2022 - 11:46

Hi all,

I've been doing some research when it comes to baby monitors, including searching the older posts of the forums of OzBargin and there's been some excellent suggestions.

My main question when it comes to choosing a baby monitor is choosing between a 'higher end' monitor such as this Eufy SpaceView Camera or for example the Kmart VTech BM2800

I'm currently in the EUFY ecosystem for home security and am a fan of their products. My key requirement is for security, hence sticking to FHSS technology and not WiFi.

Anyone with experience, is there really a good enough difference between these 2 example products when it comes to baby monitoring and security to justify the cost? Or are the experienced users happy with the VTech?

Cheers in advanced.

Toys & Kids Baby Monitor

Comments

  • ozbs25 on 03/05/2022 - 11:58

    We didn't even bother with a video baby monitor. We went with audio only. Granted our situation is probably different than most as our little guy doesn't really sleep by himself much. We really only use the monitor when he is napping or for the first half of his sleep. When we go to sleep someone will sleep with or next to him. We're hoping as he gets older he will eventually be able to sleep in his bed the whole night. He is fine during the day but he cries if no one is around at night. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 03/05/2022 - 12:00

    Basic is fine imo - we went with $40 sets and they do the job fine. It’s low res as hell but it’s really just to check they are not up to no good. I’d also rather not have internet connected cameras in the bedrooms.

  • aoeueoa on 03/05/2022 - 12:17

    If you go for a Xiaomi 360 camera or similar, you can use a phone app and see the baby from anywhere - when you're out and have a babysitter eg. Then after baby is older you still have a camera to use for other purposes.

    • muzzamo on 03/05/2022 - 13:03
      -2

      as can the CCP. Although i'm not sure why they'd be interested.

  • Fredfloresjr on 03/05/2022 - 12:39

    used our spare old iphone before connected to our ipad/Mac and did the job for us.

    • Jake T on 08/09/2022 - 18:49

      Not a bad idea. How did you connect it? Skype kinda thing or a screen mirror?

  • FoxJump on 03/05/2022 - 12:51

    We used a $5 second hand audio only one until they could turn themselves over in bed

    Thereafter its been tplink tapo c200 surveillance cameras which work great

  • SF3 on 03/05/2022 - 12:59
    +1

    I'm currently in the EUFY ecosystem for home security

    Repurpose it to have camera include the baby in view, if that’s all you require.

  • wei13 on 03/05/2022 - 13:04

    Have an Oricom one, still working after 6 years. Boring DECT technology. Does what I need it to do. Screen can see enough to know when kid is moving, and will alert me when there is noise.

  • andresampras on 03/05/2022 - 13:14
    +3

    Baby shopping is a bit like wedding shopping in the sense there's a big markup & upsell on fancy gimmicks to maximise profit from the excited parents-to-be.

    unless you specifically feel the need to monitor your kids from outside the house, just get a simple monitor with audio and whatever resolution video.
    at the end of the day it's just an alert tool to get you to check on them physically when needed. you won't sit there watching them for hours on a monitor.

    having said all that, i personally prefer a dedicated monitor rather than a phone app, because you can have it running next to you and not have to switch apps back and forth to check on them.

  • W0nderb0y on 03/05/2022 - 13:16
    +2

    We use Cubo Ai. No complaints so far.

  • MS Paint on 03/05/2022 - 13:21
    +1

    How did parents ever cope before baby monitors?

    • andresampras on 03/05/2022 - 13:24
      -1

      downvoted for extreme flippancy

      • MS Paint on 03/05/2022 - 13:34
        +1

        Our baby monitor (20+ years ago) was just a microphone and a small wireless speaker. It was very basic. The speaker would make a noise and you had to decipher if it was the baby crying or the neighbour using their microwave and causing interference. Fun times.

        • andresampras on 03/05/2022 - 13:51

          haha kudos to you, that's pretty high tech, for 20+ years ago.

          Come to think of it, a modern day baby monitor may even be cheaper than your fancy setup, taking inflation into account ;)

        • eug on 03/05/2022 - 14:08
          +2

          How did parents ever cope before microphones and wireless speakers? :)

    • apple2016 on 03/05/2022 - 16:10

      They did not have noise cancelling headphones either!

  • apple2016 on 03/05/2022 - 16:09

    Vtech is a reputable brand based out in Hongkong and used to be a major manufacturer of cordless phones although this market is very small now.

  • apple2016 on 03/05/2022 - 16:13

    My key requirement is for security, hence sticking to FHSS technology and not WiFi.

    What makes you think WiFi is not secure?

    • MS Paint on 03/05/2022 - 16:45

      Tracey Grimshaw had a recent article about how crooks can intercept your wifi and steal all your money.

  • Real Bill Pullman on 03/05/2022 - 16:57

    We originally went with an app on an old phone, which did the job but lost connection a lot. Eventually shifted to an IP camera and this https://www.babybunting.com.au/product/vtech-audio-monitor-b… which is working really well. After a couple of months you don't use the video nearly as much and the audio monitor is great value.

  • Baa on 03/05/2022 - 18:03

    I wanted a wifi camera, due to having the extra screen and not having to use your phone to check the camera, issues with the internet etc. It is nice having the screen and being able to prop it up somewhere to keep an eye on it.

    We went with : https://www.amazon.com.au/eufy-Security-SpaceView-Resolution…

    Probably the best feature is you can leave the audio on with the screen off, so we can hear any noise if I am on the other side of the house working.

  • jolee3 on 03/05/2022 - 22:06

    We had something similar to the Kmart one, Vtech as well, and it was sufficient but battery life on the parent unit wasn't the greatest, even on Vox mode. We weren't in a big space though so I could keep it plugged in in the same spot most of the time.

    When baby was little it was helpful having the screen (vs just audio) so I could see if he was actually asleep or just quiet, so I would know how long he had slept for when he woke (to assess the chances of him resettling), but I don't feel there was much need for any more functions than that. Only annoying thing is that it's a bit too much of a close up view, so we had to mount it really high up on the wall to see the whole cot because our babies didn't stay in one spot.

    The unit eventually died after almost 2 years, just kept losing connection.

  • anthman on 05/05/2022 - 18:32

    We got an expensive web based cam (iBaby M8). Not bad but the app kills the phone battery and heats up so we only used it sparingly rather than always on. Then we got a dedicated baby cam with display - use that mostly. We still use the iBaby when we want a peak and aren't near the handheld display but if I were to do it again would just go a standard babycam with dedicated display

  • athk on 14/10/2022 - 20:49

    I wanted a camera not connected to the web, allowing it to be portable enough if we go over a family members. Easy plug and play.

    We found and purchased the nannio Comfy camera after reading a bunch of review websites that list a multitude of

    https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B073RYKCPW

    To be honest I wasn’t expecting much at the price point, it’s far exceeded itself, night vision is spot on, day time quality is great, you can play 3 set lullabies through it along with talk through the handheld.

    Battery life in the hand held is great too, easily 2-3 days out of it with 4 20-30 minute naps.

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