I got this and never looked back. Its a camera with its monitor. It’s amazing. Video is crystal clear, sound is great. Even shows temperature. Has night vision. You can remotely rotate or zoom In with the camera. Don’t need internet or anything. The only thing some people might not like is that you can’t get it on your phone, need the monitor. But I prefer it this way because I get to keep an eye on the baby at all times and play on my phone !
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
The monitor I have has a color bar on the side that gets more red the louder the baby gets. Maybe a monitor w this type of option would work for you. Visually seeing you’re baby on the screen combined with the color bar may help you determine if baby is upset/ hungry or just getting comfy.
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OsqQBbDM322HA
Edit: I’m not hearing impaired I just thought this feature could be helpful to you.
Like some other people have mentioned, I wasn't a fan of wifi enabled monitor. So I ended up with this one: https://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/
I like it so far, the range is good enough for us to go the neighbors house and still pick up the video and the monitor has a battery so we can take it around the house with us.
We have this Infant Optics one. We got it for our baby shower for our first. We’ve been using it daily for a year and a half and I like it. You can add another camera and view it on the same monitor (which is what we will do for our second born).
The positives: picture is really clear and you can zoom. It apparently comes with some kind of zoom lens but I never used it. The volume is great and adjustable. It tells you the temp in the room. The camera rotates all over so it’s easy to make sure you have a good view on your LO. Also, I’ve dropped the monitor screen like a million times and it’s still totally fine - no cracks, still working 100%. Oh and it has a mount so you can hang it from the wall or have it standing on a table top.
The negatives: The battery goes wonky after a while. It will show up as being dead on the screen but it’s not. It’s an easy fix tho. You just charge it 100% and then pull the battery out for 10 seconds, then plug it back in. Or just replace the battery - I got a replacement on Amazon for like $8. Also, the microwave interferes with the signal if the monitor screen is too close (like in the same room). This doesn’t actually bother me, cuz it’s only when the microwave is running so like a minute or two. Just figured I’d mention it. One thing that did drive me crazy was the charging light. There’s a light about an inch long on the right side. It changes color based on charging status. It is bright as hell when you’re sleeping with the monitor like one foot from your face. I put a piece of black electric tape over it and problem solved. Lol
We have the Infant Optics DXR-8. Our son is 3 and it’s still going strong, and we just got a second camera for our newborn and it connects with the existing set. We have had to buy a new battery for the monitor once so far and probably need another one soon, but they are reasonably priced.
Meets all of the requirements you listed.
The video quality isn’t the greatest I’ve seen, but it works for us.
We have the Infant Optics monitor, which was highly recommended by so many people I've lost count at this point. But you can buy up to four extra cameras to pair to it, and you can pan and zoom in with the cameras too. We LOVE it!
So, I looked for a long time for a WiFI baby cam that didn't require an internet connection. I needed it for two reasons: first, I didn't trust it and didn't want an IoT camera looking into my kid's room; second, the cabin we vacation at doesn't have good internet and when we wanted to have a usable baby cam there (even if I had to bring a WiFi router). I researched, contacted multiple manufacturers, couldn't find anyone that fit the bill. (If you find one, please share! lol)
We finally broke down and went with the Infant Optics monitor, even though there's no remote support. (I can't recommend this enough, we love it, but I understand it doesn't fit your needs.) If we hadn't decided on this, I was going to have to build my own solution with a regular pan/tilt security camera and probably an old tablet as the "monitor".
We registered for this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI?tag=blvisitor-20
Why we bought it: Good reviews on Amazon. I liked the different lenses and that you can add on another camera. I liked that you can have the monitor "off," but still see if there is sound (the lights will light up).
Why we didn't want a webcam: 1. the security issues (people hacking and talking/seeing baby), 2. we don't have the need to see baby when we aren't home (baby will be at daycare. If we were going the nanny route, I might have changed my tune), 3. i don't want to have to use my iphone as a baby monitor. I'd rather have something that can be "on" all the time rather than toggling to an app/website.
Can't help you with how hard was it to secure - haven't used it yet!
Edited to add: also liked that it came with a temperature sensor. We will probably buy the wide angle lens once baby gets older/mobile.
FTM here... I got this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECHYTBI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I originally bought a different one (a WiFi/phone app one), but it was pretty laggy on my phone (which is a pretty good phone & we have pretty good WiFi). DH & I decided to just return it & try another one (the one above). We haven't 'officially' tried it out yet (I'll be 34 weeks tomorrow), but we've played around with it & tried it out a bit for ourselves. In short, the picture is pretty good, the sound is very good, and the parent unit/monitor is very responsive. It's VERY highly rated on Amazon. I know it's early to tell, but I think we're going to be very happy with it. It is a little pricey (around $167 on Amazon), but I still think it's worth the money.
If you're not sure, I just Googled things like 'best baby monitor 2017' or 'best video baby monitor' (depending on the kind you want), and some websites provide very helpful reviews of different monitors (pros & cons, etc).
Hi there! I'm not one of you any more. In fact, my little boy is 18 months old now. I came back to baby bumps and I wanted to make a post about an awesome baby monitor on sale on Amazon today. I seriously LOVE this monitor. I've tried a couple out, but this one kicked the pants off any of them. It's the Infant Optics DXR-8. Infant Optics It's one of the highest rated/most sold monitors on Amazon for a reason.
This is the one I got :) specifically because it doesn’t not connect to wifi and has great reviews!
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_FGKQZCNHH651D2WP0NZS
We went with this one after reading some reviews on the daddit subreddit. It works great in light and dark conditions, definitely happy with our purchase.
1 monitor can be connected with up to 4 different cameras. Simple to setup and use, and we didn't want a wifi camera that we would need to use a phone to access, monitor runs all night plugged in. Also, this is like cctv and no one can access the feed for nefarious purposes, like what happened with RING cameras iirc. Also, sometimes when visiting family you need to bring the camera and family doesn't always have wifi, or good wifi anyway.
We have this one. It’s a bit on the pricey side. The camera must be plugged in to work, but the screen has a battery that last all night when the screens not always on. We plug the camera into the jackery and that last a long time. Not sure exactly how long, because we also plug a cpap machine into it all night when camping.
We have Infant Optics. It has a hand held. Been working great for us. Little one loves to best up the monitor during play time and it still works.
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_4Z57V0MKYTH4W0DFS5HV
We have this one from infant optics and it's been great Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens : Amazon.ca: Baby https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ECHYTBI?psc=1&tag=baby0579-20&th=1&source=babylist&medium=app&platform=android
We got this monitor: Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_V1A2416FCR3PM0EB3304
Works great and is a closed loop system, no wifi, no one can hack it and spy on your baby. Works through multiple closed doors across the house. Sometimes it says “out of signal” but it comes right back one second later and isn’t enough of an issue to deter me from using it. This camera has been a godsend!!
I’m thinking of buying the owlet camera because I want the monitor to connect with my phone. Have this monitor (not recommended) and it doesn’t connect to a phone and has a crap battery life.
To add, you can get the video baby monitor cheaper on amazon than in store. We have one of these, and it's pretty good.
While it isn't cheap, it's less expensive than in-store ones. It can also be expanded pretty easily with more cameras, and the ability to change the lenses makes it pretty versatile. We've had ours for 3 years, and it's still great.
I always say audio and video. I caught my son climbing out of the crib at 11 months, before he could walk. He grabbed the top of the rail and used his sweaty feet to walk up the slats. I ran in and caught him as he was swinging a leg over the edge. If I didn’t have the video on I would have had no idea that’s what he was doing.
We have an infant optics dxr-8. So far it’s great and the customer service has been awesome. My one complaint was the battery died after about 8 months, but it cost around $10 on Amazon for a new one and it’s worked great ever since.
This doesn’t answer your question- but might be something you haven’t considered. We travel to see family often, also to condos. Having a non-internet-connected monitor for travel has been fantastic, it would be hell trying to setup a WiFi camera every time we saw the in-laws and their already crap WiFi.
Beyond that, having a dedicated screen with a great battery and specific features for a baby monitor is really nice too.
I really like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI
Anyways, you do you, just some things to consider.
If price really isn't an issue, go for the Infant Optics DXR-8. It's top of the line (and about the top of the price ranges lol), and has like 40k reviews on Amazon and is still about 4.5 stars. That many good reviews and you know it has to be a good product. I have one myself (haven't used it yet because we cosleep).
My husband and I both like tech gadgets so initially I figured we’d get a fancy one but after some research I definitely wouldn’t go with a WiFi enabled, connected to your phone monitor after reading some horror stories of people hacking into the feed and talking to kids. This Infant Optics monitor on Amazon came highly recommended from my sister who showed me how it works. She has a very large house and the range is totally fine. Edit to add, this one isn’t cheap either but the reviews show the company has great customer service and it seems to hold its value. I’ve seen used ones of this model selling for $100 on FB Marketplace.
Only bought one, and it’s great to view both cribs.
We later got a Nest for the whole house and now use both. The infant optix I like bc it tells me the temp in their room, and we dont have to use our phones to view them. Nest is handy when we are out of the house (if they are with sitter or grandma) and we can check in. We didn’t go into this wanting 2 systems but it works for us!
We have this one and I chose it because it does not connect to wifi and uses radio frequency to transmit the signal. I did a LOT of research when choosing a monitor and this is one of the best ones on the market. We have had it for almost four years with no problems. I like that you can use a wide angle lens for when baby gets older and playing in their room to keep an eye on them in the toddler stages.
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LUdwDb9WVT9GR
Just curious: do you NEED it to be wifi (as in an IP camera). So it's accessible on your phone/tablet? Or would a normal baby camera that's not hardwired work? You say it has to be "wifi due to placement" but I'm not sure if you mean it can't be hardwired or connect to your wifi. I have this monitorand the range is excellent.
Obviously if you're looking to integrate into HASS then yeah you'll need a wifi camera. I personally use Wyze running the custom firmware from Dafang-Hacks on Github, so I have RTSP. It....works. But there's a bunch of drops, and I can't get audio to work. However, Wyze has said RTSP is coming in the stock firmware (it'd be a forked version) sometime in Q2 of this year. So it may still be an option if you can wait.
I think the Yi cams can be hacked to run RTSP but i'm not sure. Otherwise, you're looking at something like an Armcrest for like $60 or 70ish.
This is the one we have - it's a little pricey, but we've been really happy with it. And that's exactly why we like having the video - S is pretty good about putting himself back to sleep if he fusses at night (except for his one food wake-up), and being able to see whether he's actually awake or not keeps us from accidentally waking him up when he might otherwise put himself back to sleep (and keeps us from having to get out of bed if he doesn't actually need us haha). This monitor has good enough detail in its night vision mode that we can tell if his eyes are open (assuming he's facing the camera).
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tq-pBbKCQCRE0
That's the monitor we have. It's more than I would personally spend and it's kind of overkill for the size of our apartment...but it was a gift and we're certainly happy with it.
We use this one. Our bedroom is downstairs and the baby’s room is upstairs and it works well. We have a kitchen and living room between us and the stairs with the room being the first one once going up. It will occasionally be spotty like the audio will breakup or something but that is due to Wi-Fi interference and doesn’t inhibit the monitor that much.
We use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECHYTBI/. It's a solid non-internet monitor. The battery did stop holding a charge after a year of heavy use, but a new battery was pretty cheap. Only downside vs a wifi/internet camera is if you have a huge house you may not get a good signal all the way across it.
This is the one we use. We liked that you can unplug it and take it anywhere. No complicated install or tech to deal with. Can add more monitors later if needed. I've had this almost 2 years and no issues. Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SCN9zbEJCDCHF
Our son is 2.5 years old and we've used a Nestcam/dropcam since day one. No issues with it. WiFi, 1080p recording, two way communication, night vision, 24 hour with 10 or 30 day cloud storage. Plus you can make time lapse clips and draw out a notification zone where you'll get specific alerts. You can view it on any device at home or when you're out and about. We also used the Infant Optics video monitor as well initially. It's not WiFi, but the range is really great and also has two way communication, night vision, temp monitoring and you can move it around remotely plus you can add on multiple cameras to the system.
Here's the one we got on Amazon. Haven't had a chance to use it with the LO yet as he isn't due for another week or so, but we have tested it and like it. The normal out if the box camera with no lens gives us a view of the entire crib. The camera is also remotely pan and tilt able for when he gets bigger.
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_a5Y2ybRQ7APPR
I couldn't be happier with the infant optics.
Seems to me like most "blogs" and "reviews" are just promoting whatever product they're paid to promote. The motorola one that is almost $300 has 45% 1 star reviews on Amazon.
i have a baby monitor that has the temp of the room without use of wifi and its in color video.
This is the one I am registering for: http://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI?ie=UTF8&colid=2JX6NXKAJR9I6&coliid=I2R25PHRL5A1CV&redirect=true&ref_=br_it_dp_o_nS_ttl
My best friend highly recommended it.
I got this monitor and really like it. Granted, I haven't viewed a baby through it, but the picture is really clear and you can control the camera movement from the hand held base, so if baby moves you can move the lens without needed to walk into the room to adjust.
I got this one from amazon. It's great! I've only used it playing around with my husband, but it doesn't use WiFi so that's a plus. (We have terrible wifi that has a very low limit, so every bit helps).
I purchased this one back in October. Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor With Interchangeable Optical Lens, White/Biege https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_q5xSvb650MQRJ
Started using it in May and absolutely love it. It's so simple to use, lightweight, and has a great range. The night vision works well. The video quality is not anything like HD but good enough to see what's going on with baby. My only complaint is that when it loses signal it has a very loud beep. This has only happened a few times though and it comes back quick.
I got the Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor. Easy set-up. Pan/Zoom, temperature, hear baby and talk to baby - working good for us so far. Got it on Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECHYTBI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have this one Infant Optics and love it. the night vision works great, it supports multiple cameras if you need (i don't), the screen is easily adjustable. It is expensive, i got it for a deal but I would still buy at full price. My only problem with it is something I think any local (non web based) camera would have, if i turn on my microwave, it kills the signal while it's on, but that's a hugely minor issue.
Forest themed nursery. I wanted his room to be calm colors and used decorations that we already had in our home for the most part.
My top 5 items in the room:
The crib - ikea Crib crib
We wanted something simple and affordable this checked both boxes.
Rocking Chair- Glider
Loved the price and it’s my favorite chair in the house already.
Twin bed- Tuft and Needle . We have this mattress in our room and LOVE it so naturally because we needed to get a bed for the room we got the same one.
Book shelves- ikea
We went with these because they seemed a little sturdier than the ikea spice racks.
Baby monitor- infant optics video monitor I liked that you can move the camera to see and zoom in and out as well. My SO also walked to the end of our street and still had full connection so the range is great.
That’s why I have one that isn’t internet connected but is still video.
https://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI
I use infant optics and bought a second camera. There is a scan feature where it will automatically switch cameras every seven seconds or so.
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_MEEVFZ0BTHDDD5F8XMGZ
Infant Optics DXR-8 Add-on Camera (Not Compatible with DXR-8 PRO) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECH5ARA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8AV1SM2H1FBG9BPQDG6X
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
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Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Inter… | $157.69 | - | 4.4/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
Hmm, I don't recommend using a wifi cam as baby monitor. It just doesn't work. You should consider something reliable such as Bebcare Motion or Infant Optics baby monitor. Both of which are excellent choices. They can't get hacked and works straight out of the box. The most important thing is that they work 100% of the time.
Baby monitor from Amazon Monitor
Easy-clean changing pad Changing pad
Floating bookshelves Shelving
Florals from Michael’s Decor
Activity mat from Target activity mat
We used a baby monitor by infant optics. It is closed circuit which made it fairly secure. It was a really great monitor that lasted for years.
This one is on our registry, but I am not 100% if that is his final choice, haha.
We have this one... it's awesome (although pricey) and doesn't connect to Wifi. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TqdEyb16AR43Z
I just bought the Infant Optics one from Amazon today, nice Black Friday sale and all reviews I found seem great. It's also hack safe.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECHYTBI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
We just bought this. There is a second camera add on.
Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor With Interchangeable Optical Lens, White/Biege https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8pzrxbJ2S5EFG
We were given this one as a gift at our baby shower and I love it!