Losing the argument on the baby monitor

[jtherkel 0]

My wife and I are expecting our first child, and we're looking into a baby monitor. My wife generally defers to me on technology decisions, and she has the final say on anything related to the baby. Baby monitors fall at the intersection of both our areas of expertise.

 

I was envisioning two inexpensive Hikvision cameras--one for the baby and one to keep an eye on the garage. I thought it would be fun to connect them to the Internet using a Z-Wave controller like Alarm.com or VeraLite.

 

See:

 

http://www.alarm.com/productservices/videomonitoring/video-monitoring.aspx

 

and

 

http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/IP_Cameras

 

My wife's friends swear by the simple baby monitor below. It does not integrate into anything, which makes my teeth hurt, and it includes a 2-inch screen. Why do we need a tiny screen when so many Android and iOS devices in our house already have *good* screens?

 

Infant Optics DXR-5 2.4 GHz Digital Video Baby Monitor with Night Vision

http://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-Digital-Monitor-Vision/dp/B0052QYLUM

 

Maybe this is more of a therapy post than anything else, but here are some productive questions for the group.

 

1) If we go for the simple, standalone baby monitor, is the Infant Optics DXR-5 a good option?

 

2) Can you recommend a better product that might offer more features?

 

FYI, I found a similar post here with no answers.

http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=40227&p=244065

 

TIA,

John

[shockwave199 0]

Personally, I would not go with that baby monitor garbage you mentioned. If I had the need, I would consider this camera highly-

 

http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2236

 

I haven't used one, but it sure would be a strong contender for me.

[Securame 0]

I agree with shockwave199, that Hikvision camera is a nice option. It does not have battery included, so you will need a power outlet near, or a small 12V battery for those cases when you might want to put it somewhere where you have no power.

[ssnapier 0]

Personally, I would not go with that baby monitor garbage you mentioned. If I had the need, I would consider this camera highly-

 

http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2236

 

I haven't used one, but it sure would be a strong contender for me.

 

 

Yup, this with a small UPS, plus a UPS on your router/ switch / modem so you can see it thru your phone / tablet at all times... done.

 

My other suggestion that might be a tiny bit more money, but gives you flexibility later on when the kid is mobile would be this (the UPS stuff still applies):

 

http://foscam.us/foscam-fi9826w-white-megapixel-wireless-ip-camera.html

[mimilovell 0]

As female installer, Ive get this problems asked all the time. Obviously wired stuff is always better because you aren't adding EMF radiation to your area. Especially when you consider the babies brain is still very sensitive and growing dramatically. In Scandinavian countries, wireless devices like internet routers are banned in public places because of uncertainty of the effects of EMF radiation on the development of a child brain. At the moment, we only can see what is happening to children brain in the past decade. Although, one can argue if you military research they already have a conclusive data of the harms it can do to alter the DNA and brain development back in the 70. You can read up or watch interviews with Mr. Barrie Trower, who is British physicist who was a microwave weapons expert

 

 

 

Although there are some parents who disregard the dangers and believe that if the politicians and regulators would have banned wireless devices if it is a risk to health. Until that time, they will continue to buy a wireless baby monitor. In this case, I normally would recommend wireless camera kit, rather than a baby monitor. 1 because it is generally cheaper, and after a short period of time, you can use it as a home security system. Or have different cameras placed in different rooms where the child would be, so as a parent you can see what your kid is up to in each room. I generally go for something like the below, as it is not hooked up to the internet, so you dont need to worry about someone hacking into your security system and watching your family, or making sure there is no one in.

 

http://www.tradexguru.com/wholesale-cctv-security/wholesale-wireless-cctv-cameras/etronic-outdoor-digital-wireless-signal-4-x-cctv-camera-surveillance-system-with-4-quad-channel-sd-card-record-dvr-and-7-inch-lcd-screen.html

 

I hope this answers your question.

[rizla 0]

COuld I ask the OP what solution he went with in the end?

I likewise like multi-use devises for example rather than a videodoorbell I am hoping to incorporate one of the CCTV camera to look at the front door so we can check on the mobile phone.

I was also thinking an internal CCTV in the (imminent) nursery might be a nice idea rather than a separate standalone video baby monitor

[Chandler 0]

COuld I ask the OP what solution he went with in the end?

I likewise like multi-use devises for example rather than a videodoorbell I am hoping to incorporate one of the CCTV camera to look at the front door so we can check on the mobile phone.

I was also thinking an internal CCTV in the (imminent) nursery might be a nice idea rather than a separate standalone video baby monitor

 

We used one of these Motorola baby monitors. We liked it. Up/down and side/side movement, sound and can talk back to baby room.

 

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12369631&cp=2255957.2273447.12661883&parentPage=family

[Firefighter 0]

^^ Doesn't look too bad, how the IQ?

[Chandler 0]

^^ Doesn't look too bad, how the IQ?

 

What is IQ if that was a question for me?

[Firefighter 0]

IQ = Image Quality.

 

Is it pretty detailed, or barely able to make anything out. Just curious, still have a couple years before needing one. lol

 

 

Edit: I guess looking at reviews I would have answered my own question. Here's an uploaded photo of it. Seems pretty good.

Better placement should yield better quality.

 

[rizla 0]

so why not use an internal cctv camera?

[Chandler 0]

IQ = Image Quality.

 

Is it pretty detailed, or barely able to make anything out. Just curious, still have a couple years before needing one. lol

 

 

Edit: I guess looking at reviews I would have answered my own question. Here's an uploaded photo of it. Seems pretty good.

Better placement should yield better quality.

 

 

Our first one had an ir issue and exchanged. Depends on how far away you go. If you hang it next to the bed you can see the baby very clearly. There is also a 2x mode. We also used a camera across the room and we could see the kid was there. We bought these because you can use multiple cameras on one monitor. We have a camera in each kids room and we set it on scan.