Here are the Best Baby Monitors for 2017
#1. Infant Optics DXR-8 3.5" Wireless Video Baby Monitor.This is the #1 best baby monitor on our list, and on many of the major baby product websites. It's the Cadillac (or Lexus?) of baby monitors, and has tons of fantastic features. In our testing, we found the video display to be very high quality. We also thought it had great range and good battery life when it's not plugged in. Bells and whistles abound: this unit has the remotely adjustable pan/tilt/zoom camera, integrated two-way intercom system, baby room temperature monitor, the ability to do audio-only (camera off), and encrypted wireless communication. That adjustable pan allows you to pivot the camera remotely up to 270-degrees left-right, and the adjustable tilt allows you to pivot the camera up to 120-degrees up and down. Super convenient when the camera is positioned close up and your baby moves to the other side of the crib, or the camera gets accidentally bumped or repositioned during the day. The DXR-8 is also expandable up to 4 cameras to place in various locations in your home; extra cameras are here, and you just press a button on the receiver to toggle between the various camera locations. We also found that the menu is very user friendly and it's easy to take advantage of all the advanced functions. But you will pay for all this greatness, coming in around $165-175. There is also a relatively inexpensive add-on wide angle lensthat gives you better viewing angles for up-close scenes (like if you place the camera along the edge of the crib). Some cons include: an audible beep when you turn the unit off (only on the base unit, not on the camera), which might wake your partner when you quickly turn the unit on/off just to check on your baby in the middle of the night. Want something about half the price with fewer features? Check out the earlier version of this baby monitor: the Infant Optics DXR-5, also a great option for a little less cash.
#2. Samsung SEW-3043W Bright View HD Video Baby Monitor. This is the second most expensive and second best baby video monitor on our list (coming in just under $250), and there is a lot to love about it. First, it has the Samsung reliability and quality control, making it a long-lasting baby monitor that isn't likely to drop signals in the middle of the night. Second, it has a large 5" display with high definition 720p resolution. Third, it has the two-way intercom that allows you to not only hear but also to speak to your baby. Fourth, it has automatic voice activation so if your baby fusses or says something, the screen will turn on and alert you that something's up. It also has a pan-tilt-zoom camera, selectable music/lullabies and a night light on the camera (you can turn on/off remotely), and is expandable up to 4 cameras with just the one display. With all these awesome features, why is it second on our list? In our side-by-side comparison of the Infant Optics and this Samsung, we found the Infant Optics to come out ahead in several regards. First, let's talk about a few advantages of the Samsung: it has a larger screen than the Infant Optics, selectable music, the nightlight, and is expandable up to 4 cameras that you can view simultaneously on the single screen (you can buy the extra cameras here). That's a lot of great features. However, we noticed a few disadvantages relative to the Infant Optics that you might find important. First, even though Samsung touts 900-ft range, we noticed that when we went outside the signal dropped repeatedly in our back or front yards; it was quite good, however, when going up to the third floor or basement while still inside the house. Second, the Infant Optics has the baby room temperature monitor, which we found useful during a few summer nights when we didn't realize how warm it was getting in the baby's room. Third, even though the Infant Optics screen is smaller, we found it to be a bit faster and more responsive as a touch screen, and a bit brighter as a monitor. The two night vision capabilities were about the same. With all these limitations, we're surprised that the Samsung is quite a bit more expensive than the Infant Optics.
#3. Avent SCD630 Digital Video Baby Monitor. Relatively new to the market, this baby monitor has some really great features. Avent has a long history of making quality products, including their great (non-video) DECT monitor, and this one is no exception. When we unpacked this baby monitor, it took us about 20 seconds to set up. We put the screen unit in the dining room and the camera in the nursery. Plug both of them in and you're off to the races. The screen looks very good, with a high resolution 720p, and pretty good night vision. If you can't see closely enough, you can remotely zoom in by about 2x; but note that if it's not lined up perfectly this won't be so helpful since you can't removely pan or tilt the camera to get your baby into view. Some additional features include private, secure connection, and very clear sound so you can hear your baby's every little peep. One of our favorite features was the ECO mode, which saves power in the screen unit by shutting off the screen and sound. Only when it detects a sound from your baby will it turn on to notify you. This is a great feature when you're using the hand-held screen unit with battery only, unplugged from the charger. Though we'd probably never need it, you can also remotely turn on some soothing lullabies (twinkle-twinkle, rock-a-bye baby, etc). Limitations? Well, it doesn't seem like you can add multiple cameras, and the video quality isn't quite on par with some of our better-ranked units. Overall, however, a highly recommended video monitor that deserves its place on this best baby monitor list, from a company with a good track record of making safe and reliable baby products.
#4. Summer Infant Baby Touch 3.5" Video Baby Monitor. Another Summer Infant baby monitor option, definitely not quite as great as the one above, but definitely a trusted and reliable model. In our testing, one of the first things we noticed about this baby monitor was the sleek mobile-phone-size touch-screen reminiscent of the older iPhones. What's nice about this form factor is that it slips easily into your pocket like a mobile phone. Many of the others need to be clipped to your belt or waist, as they are quite a bit too thick or large for the pocket. The actual video display is modestly sized, coming in at 3.5" diagonal viewing area. This is the same size as the Infant Optics model. And it has some great features. It has remote pan (side-to-side adjust), tilt (up/down adjust), and zooming capability. Two-way communication so you can hear baby, and talk back to baby (maybe sing a lullaby, or whisper something to help soothe your baby). The system is also expandable to up to 4 cameras. Each additional camera is about $99, and you can place them in various locations around the home and toggle between them with the video unit. In our tests, the battery lasted about 4-5 hours when off the charger (and being used), and charged back to full capacity in only a couple hours. We didn't think the picture quality was as good as most other options on this list, nor was the sound. We also hooked it up to multiple cameras and used the "scan" feature which rotated through the various cameras once every 8 seconds. In our opinion, it took a bit too long to switch to a particular camera. It was also pretty loud when we remotely adjusted the pan/tilt of the camera. Also, it's worth noting that the pan feature doesn't seem to work when it's zoomed in. So overall, you're getting a good form factor, a reliable camera, but not the best image quality. For about $150, we think you are getting a ton of bang of the buck!
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