Top 5 Best Baby Video Monitors | 2018 Reviews
It’s difficult to create a ranking list for just about any product, because no two people have exactly the same needs. What makes an item ideal for one reader could be someone else’s deal-breaker. That means we occasionally have to make tough, executive decisions when choosing products to list as the “best.”
We were faced with one of those decisions when ranking the top 5 best baby monitors. For example, should “best baby monitor” mean simply that you get the sharpest picture and highest quality sound from the baby’s room? Or does a monitor also have to be able to capture pictures and video at will, or play soothing music for a crying infant or sick baby?
We’ve tried to split the middle. We’ve included both types but focused on the baby-specific models, with just one high-end general-purpose monitor included for comparison.
There are other considerations when choosing a video baby monitor, of course. The range of the system (and whether it can reliably transmit through one or more walls), whether it interfaces with cellphones and tablets, and the ease of setting it up all should factor into your buying decision, as should invaluable features like motion detectors and push-to-talk capability (so you can calm a fussing infant). These are reflected in our rankings as well.
So, as you read through our list of the top 5 best baby monitors, please remember that we’re trying to provide enough information to let every reader make his or her own decision. The factors that are most important to you may make our #3 or #4 choice but your number one option. All five, though, are fine products.
Quick Comparison Table
|
iBaby M6T HD Wi-Fi Digital Baby Video Camera Monitor |
Nest Cam Security Camera |
Motorola MBP853 Connect Digital Baby Monitor |
Infant Optics DXR-5 Portable Baby Monitor |
Gynoii GPW-1025-20 WiFi Smart PT Baby Monitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
$$$ |
$$$ |
$$$ |
$$$ |
$$$ |
|
720p HD |
1080p HD |
720p HD |
Standard |
720p HD |
|
360° pan, 110° tilt |
Full zoom, pan and tilt |
360° pan |
Fixed |
355° pan, 100° tilt |
 |
|
|
|
|
iBaby M6T HD Wi-Fi Digital Baby Video Camera Monitor
We begin with one of the “dedicated” baby monitors on our list, which is a fantastic camera system. The iBaby offers 720p HD video rather than the higher-quality 1080p HD quality you’ll find on our #2 monitor, but we don’t think that’s a major issue; the video is far superior than anything you’d see on old-fashioned baby monitors, and more than enough to get a firm idea of what’s going on in the nursery at all times. Helping you do that is a feature that makes the M6T invaluable: the camera’s ability to pan 360 degrees (left to right) and tilt 110 degrees (up and down). No matter where your baby goes in the crib – or where your toddler goes in the room – she’ll never be out of your sight.
This is also one of the easiest baby video monitors to set up that you can imagine. The camera automatically finds and connects to your home’s WiFi network and you only need a free iBaby app account (available for both Android and iOS) on your phone or device. Once it’s hooked up as many as four people can view the video feed at the same time, terrific for parents who may be in different areas of the house, at the office or anywhere else. The app gives you full fingertip control of the camera, with all of the other functions available through buttons at the top of the screen. There is no option for a separate video monitor, just the app.
Daytime video quality on the M6T is excellent, and even at night the picture is crisp with no problems making out baby’s face. Sound quality and WiFi connectivity are both top-notch as well. The camera is shaped like an attractive white ball with an attached eye and looks cool; it’s slightly bigger than some competitive models but will easily fit on a piece of furniture, and can also be mounted on the wall with an optional mounting kit. As many as four cameras can be run on the system, all viewable from the same app. For night operation there are red infrared lights on the camera, but they’re not bright enough to keep a child awake.
Now for the iBaby’s “extras” which make this product a versatile baby monitor. There’s push-to-talk for two-way interaction with your child (along with an echo-cancelling feature that prevents distortion), you can set up the app to receive immediate sound and motion alerts, the motion-sensitive photo and video capture system can automatically record any activity directly to a protected cloud server (or you can activate recording with the tap of a button), and there are temperature and humidity sensors on the camera that read out directly to your app. There are 13 native MP3 lullabies you can play to coax baby to fall asleep, or you can record your own.
Even though the M6T doesn’t provide an online video stream like most security cameras do, that’s the only potentially-useful feature that’s not included with this terrific baby video monitor.
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Details of the iBaby M6T HD Wi-Fi Digital Baby Video Camera Monitor |
|
|---|---|
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Wireless Requirements |
802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz, 5 Mbps down and 2.5 Mbps up |
|
Monitor |
Android or iOS app |
|
Camera Base |
6 x 6 x 4 inches |
|
Camera Range |
360° pan, 110° tilt |
|
Video Quality |
720p HD |
|
Temperature/Humidity Sensor |
Yes |
|
Push-to-talk |
Yes |
|
Pre-installed Music |
Yes |
|
Photo/Video Recording |
Yes |
|
Additional Subscription Required |
No |
|
Storage |
Amazon cloud server |
|
Warranty |
One year, limited |
Nest Cam Security Camera
Here’s the other type of video monitor we mentioned: a general-purpose security monitor which provides an outstanding birds-eye view of your baby’s nursery, allows full use on a computer as well as a handheld device, and can be repurposed for use anywhere else in your home – but doesn’t have some of the infant-specific features found on the iBaby.
isn’t necessarily as easy as it is with the iBaby, either. If you’re using a phone that’s up to the task, you can just scan the quick-start card that comes with the Nest and the app will be automatically installed. Otherwise, you have to find the app online (look on Google Play or the Apple store; the app in the Amazon store will make you login every time you open it) or plug the camera into the computer you want to use. When you’ve been granted access on the app you can access the feed from anywhere, and connectivity inside the house is only limited by your network.
There’s full 1080p HD video on the Nest, the best picture of any monitor on our list. But be aware that you’ll need a WiFi network able to handle those high speeds or else the signal will be downgraded to a lower resolution the network can handle. The camera has a very large native field of view, along with digital zoom and zoom/enhance features with full pan and tilt, although you can’t pan and tilt if the enhance function is enabled. The night vision picture is also very good. The Nest Camera is a standard shape (resembling a fan with a wide base) and easy to place. Audio isn’t perfect, but very good. You can use an unlimited number of cameras with the system.
As for being “baby-specific,” there are some built-in features on the Nest that apply. There’s push-to-talk and you can record video, but you’ll need a separate subscription costing at least $10 per month. There’s also a motion alert feature, but for some reason it can take as long as 30 minutes for alerts to arrive. We do have one major objection to the system as it currently stands; the app shuts off and monitoring stops if you turn off the phone or it goes into sleep mode.
So now you see why a dedicated baby monitor may be better for your purposes than a general-purpose one. On the other hand, you may have Nest throughout your home and decide the disadvantages are outweighed by the convenience.
|
Details of the Nest Cam Security Camera |
|
|---|---|
|
Wireless Requirements |
2 Mbps up |
|
Monitor |
Android or iOS app, computer |
|
Camera Base |
6 x 4 inches |
|
Camera Range |
Full zoom, pan and tilt |
|
Video Quality |
1080p HD |
|
Temperature/Humidity Sensor |
No, although temperature available if connected to a full Nest thermostat system |
|
Push-to-talk |
Yes |
|
Pre-installed Music |
No |
|
Photo/Video Recording |
Video |
|
Additional Subscription Required |
Yes, $10/month for recording |
|
Storage |
Nest Aware cloud server |
|
Warranty |
Two years, limited |
Motorola MBP853 Connect Digital Baby Monitor
For those who are uncomfortable with using a wireless app for their baby monitor, we suggest this Motorola which lets you use WiFi monitoring capability if you desire, but also has its own dedicated handheld viewer. (All of the products we’ve reviewed are as secure as possible when used in WiFi mode, but a handheld viewer does add an extra level of security.)
The MBP853 isn’t difficult to set up, but it does require the Hubble third-party Android or iOS app if you want to use your phone or tablet – and the dedicated viewer isn’t as functional as the app or even the Hubble website, which also gives you access to the video feed. The quality of the feed is also much better on either alternative than on the handheld viewer, particularly when the camera is using night vision. One nice feature of this system, by the way, is that there are no lights that activate on the camera at night.
Overall, the range of the Motorola was fine but video quality, even on the app, was a bit iffy on occasion. The 300 degree pan function on the camera doesn’t measure up to our first two selections, but still gives you the ability to see most of the room. There was no problem with the sound. Additional functions include push-to-talk, alerts and recorded music; you can’t record and view video taken by the camera without a separate Hubble subscription, but screenshots are free.
This is a perfectly acceptable baby video monitor with some good features, but since it costs the same as the iBaby, we’d recommend the latter – unless the handheld monitor is important to you.
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Details of the Motorola MBP853 Connect Digital Baby Monitor |
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|---|---|
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Wireless Requirements |
0.6 Mbps up |
|
Monitor |
Android or iOS app, handheld 3.5 inch LCD monitor, web-based |
|
Camera Base |
8 x 5 inches |
|
Camera Range |
360° pan |
|
Video Quality |
720p HD |
|
Temperature/Humidity Sensor |
Yes |
|
Push-to-talk |
Yes |
|
Pre-installed Music |
Yes |
|
Photo/Video Recording |
Video |
|
Additional Subscription Required |
Yes, $3/day, $10/week, $30/month for recording |
|
Storage |
Hubble cloud server |
|
Warranty |
One year |
Infant Optics DXR-5 Portable Baby Monitor
Yes, there are less expensive alternatives – and the first is this simple and compact system from Infant Optics which doesn’t have bells and whistles, but will let you watch your baby day and night. The last option on our list is more “modern,” but this one is for people who prefer a closed system rather than one connected to their phone via WiFi.
The DXR-5 has a small 2.4-inch TFT LCD monitor and it’s connected to the camera by an FHSS digital wireless link that works within a range of 150 feet, so the video feed of your baby isn’t floating around on your WiFi system and potentially accessible to hackers. The quality of the video certainly isn’t high-def, but it’s clear in both daylight and the dark (thanks to an infrared night vision system). And since the system runs “on its own,” no setup is required; you just turn it on and it works. The camera can be wall-mounted if desired, and more cameras can be added to the system.
There are no fancy features like push-to-talk, lullaby music or recording capability on the Infant Optics, but there is an auto-mute mode that eliminates all of the ambient noise in the nursery until the baby makes a sound and the audio “wakes back up.” The unit can also be set to shut down to save power until the baby makes noise; we’re not sure why people who want to watch their child would do that, but the option is available.
This is a bare-bones unit that simply provides good video and audio to let you monitor your baby’s well-being in private, for less than $100. You can probably understand why this is a best-selling model.
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Details of the Infant Optics DXR-5 Portable Baby Monitor |
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|---|---|
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Wireless Requirements |
None |
|
Monitor |
Handheld 2.4 inch LCD monitor |
|
Camera Base |
3 x 3 inches |
|
Camera Range |
Fixed |
|
Video Quality |
Standard definition |
|
Temperature/Humidity Sensor |
No |
|
Push-to-talk |
No |
|
Pre-installed Music |
No |
|
Photo/Video Recording |
No |
|
Additional Subscription Required |
No |
|
Storage |
None |
|
Warranty |
One year |
Gynoii GPW-1025-20 WiFi Smart PT Baby Monitor
The best way to describe the Gynoii is “social-media friendly.” The high-def (720p) feed is displayed on smartphones or tablets via your home’s WiFi connection, and provides most of the standard monitor features included on the other WiFi models we’ve reviewed, including push-to-talk audio, music, and motion and sound alerts (although it’s missing some, like temperature and humidity monitoring). But what’s different about the GPW-1025-20 is that it can capture photos or time-lapse video and then compress 160 minutes worth of video into 40 second clips to be posted to Facebook, Instagram or any other social sharing site. You can also set up guest accounts so grandma and grandpa can log on to watch their little darling snoozing away.
Installation is easy; you download the Gynoii app, create an account and the camera will automatically sync itself up. The video quality isn’t spectacular but it’s good, and you do have the ability to pan and tilt from the app for the best view of your baby. We have to note that this is a new product and some people have experienced connectivity problems or other bugs, but customer service is responsive and helpful.
The Gynoii doesn’t quite measure up to the $200 models we’ve placed at the top of our list of top 5 best baby monitors (although it may, once it’s been on the market for a while). But it’s a very nice alternative for half the price, and our top “budget” choice for those who don’t need a dedicated hand-held monitor.
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Details of the Gynoii GPW-1025-20 WiFi Smart PT Baby Monitor |
|
|---|---|
|
Wireless Requirements |
Not specified |
|
Monitor |
Android or iOS app |
|
Camera Base |
4 x 5 inches |
|
Camera Range |
355° pan, 100° tilt |
|
Video Quality |
720p HD |
|
Temperature/Humidity Sensor |
No |
|
Push-to-talk |
Yes |
|
Pre-installed Music |
Yes |
|
Photo/Video Recording |
Yes |
|
Additional Subscription Required |
No |
|
Storage |
Internal |
|
Warranty |
One year |
FAQ (By Our Ardent Readers)
- Why is the Baby Video Monitor necessary? This is a miracle device for moms who would like to get things done at home while the baby is sleeping and still like to keep an eye on it. It captures both audio and video clips to be seen on the handheld device or on your smartphone. It is also extremely helpful for parents with hearing disability who cannot hear the baby cry through the walls.
- What are the different types of child monitors available? Primarily there are 2 types : Audio baby monitor and Video baby monitors which has audio feature embedded in it.
- Can i know more about Audio Vs Video Baby Monitors? Audio is the primitive method of monitoring your child which typically has a sound transmitter in the baby's room and a receiver at the parents end. When there is a sound caused by motion or crying, parents can hear it at the other end. Video monitors capture both audio and video clips, so that parents can have a peek at their little one when it is sleeping. They are equipped with more and more modern technology and can now be monitored using your smartphone.
- What is a night vision Baby Monitor? This is an advanced feature included in the video monitors to keep an eye on the child when the light goes off. There is a small red infrared light in the camera just enough to watch your child but not bright enough to keep it awake.
- Which baby monitor is best suitable for me? It entirely depends on your need and also on your budget. Audio monitors are comparatively cheaper and does the job it is intended to fairly well. Video monitors on the other hand have many features like video capture, live streaming, recording, night vision and many more embedded into it which makes it a powerful tool. So it is for you to choose between necessity and extravagance. Some video monitors are also available in the budget range. Please read through our in depth review page before you make your decision.
- Where do i need to mount the baby monitor? You could mount it 7-8 feet(depending on the range of the instrument) away from the child's bed.
- Can i get a monitor stand? Most devices come with the stand for mounting your devices. But in rare cases where it isn't provided, you could always buy it through online retailers like Amazon or in store.
- Are there any dual camera monitors or multi room baby video monitors available in the market? Yes of course there are. Most devices support upto 4 cameras per unit. Please read through our in depth review page for more details.
- Can i have a video monitor with no Wifi? Yes you can. but you may have to sacrifice many advanced features like live streaming or clouding your videos. If thats not what you are after, it will definitely work for you.
- Can my video monitor be hacked? Yes it does have some security issues that comes with it. In a situation where you have lost your phone on which the video monitor is configured, it gives a inside look into your private rooms. So extra attention is needed in this respect. But video monitors with handheld devices pose minimal risk.
- Are there any travel baby monitors available? Yes there are some portable ones available in the market. They may have minimal functionalities but does the intended job.
- When do i stop using the baby monitor? It entirely depends on the comfort of your child and yourself. You may want to continue using it while your toddler is playing or when you want to keep a watch on your child when left with nanny or just for security around your house.
- Where can i buy the child video monitors? It could buy it in store or through trusted online retailers like Amazon. But please don't forget to read through our review page before you nail down on your choice.
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