Summer Infant Day and Night Handheld Color Video Monitor with 1.8″ Screen – Silver - Babyphone Discounters

By 

C. Wilson “apricot32″ –

  

Initially, I thought a video monitor would not be necessary – until the actual day came when it was time to move my daughter to her crib in her own room! The first monitor I tried was the Baby’s Quite Sounds minature Blk & Wht TV monitor (also by summer Infant products) that we kept bed side on the night stand – reception was adequate, but the large screen casted so much light when you were trying to sleep, that you had to keep the video off and only turn it on when the baby made a noise.

Having the handheld monitor is soooooo much better! I can take it anywhere in the house and the reception is great (unless I am using it while on the cordless phone which is also 900 mHz)! We also have a wireless system is our home and we can use the monitor simultaneously without interference to either. Additionally important to note is that I have been able to use this video monitor in combination with the BeBe Sounds Anglecare Sensory Monitor without any difficulty or interference between them. The Angelcare Monitor is also wonderful if you are considering a sensory monitor as well!

The only draw back is that at night the video monitor sometimes wakes me up due to static (however, this is due to where we place the monitor, and can usually be adjusted for better reception if the problem occurs).

Additionally, this monitor comes in two models with the only difference being the screen size (my model, #02100 has a 2″x2″ color TFT screen or 2.8″ diagonally, and the other model sold here (#02090) has a smaller 1.8″ color TFT screen – you can check with the company online for store availibility & further information if you are interested in the larger 2.8″ screen).

According to the company site, you can also purchase an additional camera (for $99.99, model # 02100-01) to view another child or room on the other channel if needed. The additional camera is listed under features for model number 02100 only; however, the customer service rep. had said that the screen size was the only difference between the two handheld models, so it would probably work or both. If the additional camera is important to you, I would double check with the company first before purchasing model 02090. Hope this was informative and helpful to anyone seriously considering purchasing this brand of monitor!

2011 update:
I wrote this review in 2006, and have used this monitor through three babies since then! It definatley has endured and done it’s job; however, now there are others out there though that can do so much more (more money of course, but if you use it even when they are older, it may be worth it).

I just saw one in the One Step Ahead catalouge item number# 21047 by Baby Touch that has a color touch screen (about the size of a smart phone) that allows you to “pan. scan, and zoom” the baby’s room AND gives you TWO way audio so you can speak to the baby (or to use as an intercom to tell the kids to stop playing and go to sleep when they are older)! ~$250.00. ($99.00 for additional cameras). I’ve never used it, but I would check it out if I were looking to buy a monitor.

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 Comments (5)

We are expectant parents and purchased this monitor for our nursery from a local store after carefully reviewing the return policy. We purchased the one with the silver faceplate which seems to be the newer improved model on the market. When we got it home, we ripped it out of the box and decided to test it rigorously, and we made our two dogs our test subjects. Also, we live in an older house, so we expected issues with electrical interference. Here are our findings:

1. We were able to see our entire kitchen both in light and in the dark although the picture was somewhat grainy in the dark. We could see our dog’s eyes and teeth from a distance of about 15 feet away from the camera in both conditions.
2. We took the receiver all over the house, used it in our home office, next to our refrigerator, by our cordless phone while in use, and the reception was great with occasional static pops.
3. We were able to take the receiver outside about 20 feet around the perimiter of the house with no interference.
4. We conducted similar tests placing the camera unit in other areas of our house and had no problems.
5. Sound quality is astounding, my husband could hear me talking on the phone in another room and could hear my breathing sounds between my verbal responses on the phone.

We have had this camera for about two months now and are confident it will be of great value when our baby gets here. We had one dog that kept pottying in front of our fridge and we busted him with this camera. So overall, for the money, it is a great value and can serve many different purposes. I would highly recommend it to anyone with babies, pets, elderly or disabled persons to care for. We are very happy with this purchase.

EDIT, July 2008:
This product is STILL working great for us two years later! We lost the AC adapter to the handset while we were on vacation and we ordered a replacement from the manufacturer-they did not charge shipping and we got it within a week of ordering. I am pleased with the support given for this product as well as the product’s performance. Again, I highly recommend!

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 Comment (1)

By 

K. Sindelar (Huntely, IL USA) –

  

Beware that this product contains only 2 channels. As a result, this video enabled baby monitor broadcasts your baby’s image and sounds to anyone who purchases this unit. I purchased this for my newborn recently. During setup, I had not yet plugged in the camera (it was still in the box with the cord wrapped up), yet when I turned on the handset, I could see someone elses crib. Found the channel button, of which there is an A or B, changed to the second channel, and sure enough, there is another room, this time a toddlers bed (the kind with the rails). Now both the channel A crib and channel B bed were empty, but it was early afternoon. To confirm that what I was seeing was correct, I turned the unit on again at 11:00 PM. Now I could see one of my neighbors infants and another’s toddler in thier beds.
Do you want to be broadcasting what your baby looks like and the sounds from your nursery 24/7 to anyone who can purchase this device and drive around looking for open broadcasts?
Cordless phone manufacturers figured out 12 or 15 years ago that each unit needed the ability to pick a fairly unique channel. This device, more sensitve to my mind due to the added video, broadcasts sound and video of your baby free from any security whastsoever.
Returned product immeditely.
For those curious, I live in a far NW suburb of Chicago and the homes in my neighborhood are not too close with the typical quarter acre lots and I was able to see 2 different cameras.

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