Summer Infant: Monitor Review

05/11/2015

Thank you to Summer Infant for giving our Mommy Connections community the opportunity to review the Summer Infant Monitor. We chose one of our Calgary Mom’s who has a 5 month old little girl. Here is her review on the monitor:

SET UP, SIZE AND NIGHT VISION:

Set up was simple with the easy to read instruction manual. I am impressed with the size and clarity of the handheld monitor. The night vision view is pretty good. I can see my daughter’s stomach rise and fall with breaths depending on her position in the crib, and I can clearly see if her eyes are open or closed. I can even see where her soother is when she spits it out!

TEMPERATURE DISPLAY, TWO WAY COMMUNICATION & VIDEO OPTIONS:

I really appreciate the temperature display on the handheld monitor. It helps to know how many layers to dress/swaddle her in. The two-way communication tool is handy but something we don’t quite use or need as of yet. Pan/scan/zoom work exactly as you would think.

CAMERA VIEW & BATTERY LENGTH:

It has a good enough view depending where you mount the camera. I didn’t have high expectations of the battery life. It lasts as long as you would think, which is probably pretty standard. At least it has a rechargeable battery so you’re not changing out disposables all the time! Your view of baby will “time out” after a short period and the screen turns black, however the sound stays on. There is no way the battery would last all night, even on sound-only mode. You are able to charge the battery and keep the monitor on to view at the same time.

SOUND INDICATOR

One feature I love is the sound indicator bar on the side. It is useful when I’m not able to hear the monitor because of vacuuming or showering. I can have a quick look at the monitor and if baby is crying I can see the bar lighting up. I took the handheld device outside and the range was good enough for my use. I was able to go further in front of my house because our daughter’s room is at the front of the house. It will work in our backyard if we want to sit on our deck or have a fire. There is no way to set up alerts on the handheld device. I cannot comment on motion tracking as my daughter does not move in her crib yet.

VIEWING FROM YOUR SMARTPHONE:

In order to view the camera from your smartphone you are required to create an account. This was easy and painless. Just another username and password to remember! Our wireless modem is located in the next room from the camera on the same floor. It doesn’t have as clear of a picture compared to the handheld device. If viewing for too long (a few minutes) the app instructs you to close and re-open due to low memory.

I have not used it enough to comment on battery use due to previous comment and grainy picture. I suppose it would be good enough if you wanted to peek in on baby while away from home. The one thing that turned me off from viewing on my smartphone is that you have to upgrade in order to set alerts. They advertise “free app”, yet it will cost you more money if you want to use it to its full potential.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

In summary, I like the handheld monitor and find it very useful. I don’t see myself utilizing the app on my smartphone very often.