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Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor
Only $136.58 @ Amazon
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Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor
In general, I think this is a very good quality monitor: the effigy and sound are at least as good as other video baby monitors, battery life of the parent unit is good, the range is instead efficient at We in truth purchased this and the Summer Best View and tried them both out and in most ways I found them to be alike in performance.
The three hang-ups I have with the Avent monitor (and why we returned it):
1) The designed of the base makes it very unmanageable to view anything that is fundamentally beneath it is For instance, whether or not you want to have a bird’s eye view of your baby’s crib, it will be tough to manage. Since the camera cant be wall-mounted it has to go onto a shelf and the camera angle cant be directed low sufficient to make this work. For other types of apps this might not matter but for us it made a immense difference difference competent to see directly into the crib versus looking through the bars of the crib).
2) The battery life on the amera (if not plugged in it runs on 4 AAAs) is not very god. We set it up in our baby’s room to attempt it out and the batteries did not last through the night (we set it up around 8pm and when I checked at 4am it was dead). I checked to make certain it was fresh batteries, same story. whether or not you are going to plug it in this won’t matter but our child likes to grab and shake anything that looks like a cord, so having the camera near his crib with a cord is not a outstanding thing. This wasn’t necessarily a huge issue for us (it might be worked around) but since there was not one thing else that disunited it from the Summer monitor and the Summer was wall mountable, there was no reason to spend an extra $20 on this one.
3) This scheme is not expandable. a lot of monitors have the capacity to link more than one camera to the same parent unit, this one does not currently have that capability.
My wife and I love this monitor. We have replaced a Summer Infant Day & Night Baby Video Monitor with 5″ Screen – White with Philips Avent. The sound and picture are great, and there is no interference like we had with Summer. Both day and night video feeds are very clear, and the design is clean and modern.
There are galore nice features like night lights on the baby unit, and the capacity to have baby unit get started playing lullabies by pressing a button on the parent unit. The parent unit might be set to turn the screen off automatically to save battery unless the baby starts making sounds. The camera is not limited to the camera stand, but kept by a magnet, so it might be easily adjusted in any direction, and it may be employed without the AC adapter with AAA batteries. Philips manual tells you not to use rechargeable batteries because the baby unit does not have a charging function, but I do not see why one could not use low self-discharge AAAs like Eneloops.
This baby monitor is covered by Philips’s Full 2-year Warranty, which I found pleasantly surprising because a couple of the Philips DVD players I own have only 90 days warranty and I expected the warranty on the Avent monitor to be no longer than a year.
I noticed just two minor issues that may not even be a problem for others.
1. For my setup, positioning the camera was a small difficulty We like to see the whole crib from above, so the camera necessitated to be set up on the shelf above and to the left of the crib. The way the Philips camera and stand are designed, I had to put a wedge beneath the back of the camera stand so that the camera points where I need it to point. I could not plainly rotate the camera down far enough because then the lens would be covered by the stand (see pictures). I did not have this problem with the Summer’s camera design.
2. The night imaginativeness infrared lights on the baby unit glow red. They are low intensity, but still visible and distracting. The Summer baby monitor as well had night vision, but the night imaginativeness LEDs did not emit any visible spectrum light.
While reading reviews for other baby monitors, I noticed low ratings because of interference. The performance of the monitor will depend on how “polluted” the frequency band on which it operates at your locatings For example, we have utterly no troubles with the interference with this Philips Avent Baby Monitor even altho my wireless (b/g) router is situated in the same room as the parent unit. However, we did have such a swell deal of interference issues with the Summer baby monitor even though baby and parent units were located in the same spots where Philips is now. At the same time, Summer baby monitor worked without any interference when we took the parent unit to the kitchen. The point is that you won’t recognise unless you try.
If you are looking for a baby monitor, I recommend that you look at Philips Avent Baby Monitor.
My wife and I already own a Philips Avent Basic Baby Monitor w/ DECT Technology, but wanted to attempt this product out too and I was capable to do a direct comparisons We did not in the first place get a video monitor as we felt uncomfortable with the huge Brother element of viewing our baby by way of video. However, we have grown to like it and it saves us unnecessary trips to the nursery to see whether or not our baby is babbling and playing safely or is in need or help.
Here’s what we like and dislike with regards to this digital video monitor after a couple months of use:
POSITIVES:
1. No interference with WiFi networks and cell phones: We have a huge WiFi network with 4 wireless routers, and we live in a dense neighborhood where there are various WiFi networks within range. We had no difficultnesses with reception on either monitor even when it was close to our iPhones, computer, WiFi routers, and so forth.
2. No cross-talk amidst DECT monitors: Even side-by side and set up in the same room, the two Phillips AVENT monitors caused no interference with every other. There is no cross-talk with the neighbor’s baby monitor either.
3. Good range: I’ve walked in regards to 50 feet from baby’s room with the video monitor, and the signal is still good through various walls. The range may be farther still — I haven’t tested the full range yet.
4. Decent battery life: On standby mode, the rechargeable battery lasts at least 5-6 hours. I have achieved in regards to 3 hours of battery life with the monitor endlessly on. However, in both cases I haven’t tested the full battery life of the unit and the performance may be even better.
5. Simple setup: Plug it in and turn it on. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist.
6. Night vision: Doesn’t light up the room and is surprisingly good. It has a bit of that security camera, black and white look to the video, but it’s perfectly good to see baby in low-light conditions.
NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT:
1. No 2-way communication: My wife and I like the 2-way intercommunicating feature on the Philips Avent Basic Baby Monitor w/ DECT Technology, but this AVENT Video monitor has no such 2-way feature. It is a handy feature for my wife and I to alert every other from baby’s room rather than yelling through the house.
2. Size: In the age of iPhones and the like, the parent video monitor seems like an funnily huge unit. It’s too big to fit in a pocket, and too awkward to hang from a belt loop. Don’t plan on carrying this around the house too much.
My perspective: the most essential distinct feature of a baby monitor’s performance is audio. You’re not going to be looking at the video screen in the middle of the night when the baby needs you so the audio better work well. whether or not you don’t agree with this statement you might have a very different impression of this monitor than I did.
I have been amazed at the poor design of a great deal of general video monitors: analog, only a few channels. Really, in the year 2010? I have had a Philips SCD520 audio montior for a while and love it (fantastic clarity and range) so I decisive to give the SCD600 a try for my second child.
The fatal flaw: the instructions say that there are two video modes: one where the video screen is on all the time, and one where the screen only comes on when sound is detected to save battery power. Seems reasonable. The problem is that there is no alike selection for audio modes, and the way the unit works is that it doesn’t send any audio signal unless a sound is heard. And it has to be a very piercing sound to trigger the unit — you won’t listen anything from the monitor until your baby is screaming. I find this wholly unacceptable. Since the manual doesn’t say anything with regards to this I suspect a firmware bug that will hopefully be corrected (and whether or not you read my review of the SCD525 audio monitor you might think that a firmware bug isn’t out of the question). Because of this issue and design deficiencies in other video monitor’s I’ve seen I think the best baby monitors around (of the ones I’ve employed or researched anyway) are the audio-only Philips SCD520 and SCD530 (but not the SCD525!).
General comments: Video quality seems good, but it’s best if the monitor is comparatively close to the crib (I anticipate this is unfeigned of all video monitors). The range of this unit is not as good as Philips’ audio monitors, but that’s coherent with the manufacturer claims and it’s certainly adequate. It would work anyplace in a normal sized house and yard, just not halfway down the street like their audio-only monitors. My only design gripe (and this is common with video monitors) is that there is no charging cradle. Since the battery of a video monitor’s parent unit doesn’t commonly last as long as the audio-only monitors it seems to me that a charging cradle is almost a necessity requirement than having to fumble with a power cord all the time). I read in such a heap of reviews that there is no wall mounting bracket. This is true but Philips has kindly provided a metal 1/4-20 threaded socket on the bottom — this is the usual camera tripod thread, which means that there are a assortment of ways you could mount this unit to a wall. It’s in truth very versatile. Security camera mounts, easily-made DIY mounts, etc.
We spent a meaningful amount of time attempting to decide amidst the Phillips Avent Digital Video and the Summer Infant which seem to be best or at least best reviewed baby video monitors in the $150 to $250 price range. The Philips does the occupation but is not without flaws. The design of the until is contemporary but has a practical flaw.. camera is essentially a camera and a stand in two detachable pieces that stick together by magnetically. The camera may therefore be swiveled but if you point it at an angle more than 45 degrees underneath horizontal the bottom of the stand blocks your opinions The video camera is compatible with camera tripod mounts. I ended up putting it in a ePhoto Multifunctional Clamp Photography Studio Tripod Camcorder Clamps Cold shoe hot shoe mounting clamp by Ephoto INC SA283purchased through amazon for $13.99. With this clamp you may position the camera at any angle. It is not as aesthetic as the Phillips magnetized dish but we may clamp the camera to the top of the crib rail and shoot down at any angle and lock the camera in place. The feature I like on this Philips is the speaker built into the camera that can play built in songs like “Twinkle Twinkle” by remote. Sometimes (not often) this will soothe a waking baby back to sleep. The thing I do not like is that every 5 seconds there is a slight pulse of light when it is the darkness / night mode. The screen goes vivid each time it pulses. The pulses if you are in the room with the baby are subtle but they are noticeable and rather vivid on the monitor. Reviews of the summer infant as well referenced similar problem in such a lot of units. The rage will cover from one corner of our 2200 single story home to the opposite corner. The optional night mode where the monitor is silent and dark unless the baby makes noise in which case the monitor illuminates and transmits sound is great for parents who find a bright monitor interferes with their sleep. I have yet to test whether the unit causes Wi-Fi disruption. I would give this thing a B+. Without a hands on experience with the Summer Infant I do not recognise if we made the right call. I think each product has its amount of energy and weaknesses.
I require to preface this review by saying that I have two of the Avent audio monitors and they have been the best audio monitors EVER. So when Avent came out with their video monitor I could not wait to get it! However, after seeing the pulsing, glowing red lights on the camera in my babies room, and looking at my baby sit and watch the lights go on and off…and seeing the GIANT green bright led the lit up my baby’s bed like a landing strip…I was so very disappointed. Then when I put the monitor by my bed and was woken up repeatedly by the audio signal indicating the monitor was out of range…when it was fine 2 seconds ago. All of this, I was trying so desperately to overlook until the day I heard my baby crying and yet, didn’t listen anything from the monitor. I could see her crying when I looked at it, but the audio was not activating. This I could not forgive, and this is why it went back.
I purchased this monitor after returning the Levana, which I was very unhappy with. I have to say that I am overall happy with this purchase, but I give it only 3 stars because it interferes with our wifi. Not always, but enough to be annoying. We live in a small home, so I feel comfortable turning the monitor off during the day if the baby is napping and I need the computer.
The auto-mute when the unit is fully on is sensible enough to catch babies unhappy sounds. The VOX setting is as well quite sensitive, we use this setting when we sleep. The lullaby feature is the same accurate sound and songs from the Levana, and we like this feature very much. does our baby!) Although the parent unit is bulky, it is well made and easy to used The night imaginativeness is extremely clear.
I only wish it did not interfere with our wifi! Considering this is one of the most highpriced video monitors out there, I expected it not to interfere. We will keep it anyway because the professionals outweigh the consolation
The Phillips Avent digital baby monitor has a very good range, clear display with excellent night vision & the sound clarity is fantasti BUT the on/off switch is defective after only a few hours or days of utilizations We are returning our SECOND unit in fewer than 3 weeks & can only hope that the next substitute has such a great deal of longevity to it is The only reason I’m not giving this unit a in truth low score is that when it works, it IS a very good unit. Amazon’s return/exchange policy is the best (thanks Amazon!) but I certain hope not to have to use it again with this monitor.
Update: Amazon wouldn’t ship us another unit to replace this one as they thought that the 3rd unit would in addition be faulty & so they refunded our cash in full & very promptly too. So again, top marks to Amazon for client service BUT they are STILL marketing the units even though they think they are likely to be faulty out of the box! Not very good Amazon, not in truth the way to carry on in my book. We did purchase another unit from another marketer & had the accurate same issue with this monitor. It seems that Phillips has an issue with these monitors & for the sake of a ten cent switch, someone could potentially have an injured or other than as supposed or expected harm baby. Isn’t that worth more than 10 cents? pretty poor business exercises on both Amazon & Phillips for not at least investigating & perchance recalling the units but I guess that’s the way of the earth these days…… We in the end & reluctantly went with a Samsung product from Sam’s for less money & it works well, at least so far. We shall look for
Like a lot of new parents, my wife and I have been buying ourselves the stuff we need, as we need it! Recently, we decisive that it would be actually nice to have a baby monitor. I read that galore persons who purchase audio only monitors will oftentimes finally upgrade to a video monitor because they want to be competent to see their baby! It can be hard to tell if a noise the baby makes is a “waking up and is unhappy” noise or a “I am contentedly sleeping noise.” With the video feature, its easier.
In reading reviews, it seems like each monitor has its own intensities and weaknesses and that each one is a compromise of features and functionality. I went with this one because so many humans said that it worked well in heavy interference areas. There are regarding 20 different competing wireless networks in my apartment building so I wanted to make sure that my baby monitor would be able to function. So far so good! I have no interference issues at all.
The range on this model is solid, perchance not amazing, but solid. It works throughout my 1200 sq. ft 1 level apartment. I went down to the floor below and It worked there as well. So I think you’d be ok with this in a two story house or a duplex apartment. Once there was when it comes to 60 feet and 4 walls amid the camera and the receiver the feed lost quality.
This monitor has the VOX feature and it works well. There is no lag. The monitor does not have the talk feature which I recognise such a great deal of people rave about. I haven’t had it before so I can’t speak to missing it is
One feature I like regarding this monitor that wasn’t explicitly stated in the information section is that it has an out of range warning. If you get out of range it beeps and flashes, “OUT OF RANGE.” The receiver in addition has a battery life indicator so you shouldn’t get caught short.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the camera has a tripod mount so I’d just go ahead and buy yourself a small gorilla-pod to go with this. You’ll have total placement flexibleness and you can use the gorilla-pod with a regular camera as well. I feel like it is a no brainer.
The camera and receiver themselves are beautiful and well built. I know monitors are a lot of money but if you figure you’ll have it for a kid or two, thats a lot of years of employed If this one proceeds to function as well as it has I’ll be very pleased. Its a good product.
UPDATE — 6/28
I use this in a nyc apartment with plenty of surrounding wifi networks, no problems whatsoever. But, at my in-laws upstate, this thing to the full or entire extent disrupts their wireless…. I’m pretty sure their wireless router has a switch on the back of it to switch amid “channels” (I don’t think they are technically channels… but functionally maybe?) but I haven’t troubleshot it yet.
I’m very impressed with the Avent/Phillips merchandise Although it is on the highpriced side it works well and is very easy to setup, with no technological qualities of being able to perform needed. I don’t have a baby any more but do have a 6 year old and this unit comes in handy when we sit outside at night after his bedtime. I can also see it coming in handy if he is not sentiment well and we want to keep an eye out on him.
This unit is simple plug and play. The unit comes with the camera that sits on a base and is attached via a magnet so that you can swivel it and move it around without breaking any type of plastic attachment, very utile if a young one tipped it over. The camera can be powered by either battery or power and the remote screen viewer has a rechargeable battery which is a nice bonus. After putting in the remotes battery, it was already charged, I placed the camera in the room and turned on the remote and without any hassle the video and sound came right up. The remote shows you batter life, wireless signal strength, and if you have a link. It also has screen controls for brightness, sounds, off/on switch with volume control, a button to do audio only for when you are sleeping, and a very cool button to remote turn on some songs to aid the baby go back to sleep….all without having to leave your bed, wish I had this thing when we had a baby.
The screen is good size and clarity is good. The camera is able to show the room even in the dark and does a good job of that. The camera does turn on these very low red lights around the camera to show when it is in infrared night mode but its not a distraction and is very dim. There is also an on/off button on the camera so you can turn it off. I tested out the distance of the remote in our back yard and had no issues with still receiving a signal and video.
There might be cheaper models out there but I can’t imagine that they would be this good and this easy. But this is costly so will most likely be a gift rather then purchased by new parents who are already worried about finances.