What are baby monitors & do I really need one?
It might seem like an obvious question these days, but baby monitors are a relatively new innovation. At the most basic level they give the parent freedom from keeping a constant vigil at their babys bedside. The best baby monitor in most cases would be a video monitor that lets the parent see the child
A baby monitor normally consists of a transmitter and a receiver unit. The transmitter is placed near the baby and the parent keeps the receiver unit. This way the parent can hear instantly if their baby needs reassurance while doing other things around the house – or maybe catching up on some well needed rest!
Baby monitors now fall into three main categories. There are the traditional audio baby monitors. These alert the parent if the baby starts to cry or seems restless or uncomfortable. Audio/visual baby monitors take this a step further by letting the parent see and hear their baby. These consist of a camera unit with a microphone and a receiver unit with a TV screen and speaker.
Lastly, there are sensor baby monitors (also called respiratory baby monitors). These offer peace of mind by immediately alerting the parent if their babys breathing becomes significantly uneven or even stops completely.
Audio baby monitors fall into two further types: analogue and digital. Analogue baby monitors traditionally were subject to lots of interference from other household items that gave off a wireless signal. While this still can be true of cheaper analogue monitors, today most have more than one channel enabling you to select one that is interference free and incorporate technology that lessens outside interference.
To guarantee an interference transmission and reception you will need a digital baby monitor. Remember that a baby monitor is essentially a radio transmitter and receiver and digital radio (should you have one!) is superior to normal radio reception. The higher-end digital baby monitors use something called DECT technology. This technology came from digital walkabout phones and stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology.
DECT monitors will select a channel automatically from 120 channels and often encrypt the channels to stop any eavesdropping. Because of this technology these monitors are normally more expensive, but they guarantee interference free transmission and often come with several useful extra features:
For many years parents used the old wired analog audio baby monitors to hear their babies, but now with new technology, they have become wireless and offer even more useful features. Not only can you hear your baby, but can even talk to them through the two-way talk back feature available with specific models.
Audio baby monitors are prone to interference especially if you have other devices which run on the same frequency. However, on many models the monitor actually automatically scans the multitude of channels to ensure that you have interference free audio. Other features may include voice activation mode, sensitivity adjustment, nightlight, sound indicator lights and even lullabies.
Video baby monitors tend to be more costly, but not only can you hear your baby, but see them too. They are great for people with any size home, but especially if you have a home with more than one floor then you dont have to be running up and down to check on your baby.
Screens come in a variety of sizes, the larger the screen, the more clearer you can see. Most monitors offer features such as automatic night vision and two-way talk back so you can both see and talk to your baby without having to go in the room.
digital color video monitor
The newest digital technology found in audio monitors, is Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT). DECT offers an interference free, encrypted transmission thats not affected by other DECT systems, WiFi networks, blue tooth and other wireless devices.
However, there is some controversy surrounding DECT baby monitors. A few years back, UK based Consumer group Powerwatch urged parents to get rid of their DECT monitors because they found that babies were experiencing disruptive sleep, restlessness and irritability. These symptoms stopped when the monitor was taken away. This didnt seem to happen with the old wired models or other analog or digital wireless monitors.
On the positive side, audio baby monitors are generally cheaper and sufficient for your needs especially if you are in a small to medium sized house. Also some models offer the very useful two-way talk back feature so you can talk or soothe you baby without going into their room.
However, on the down side, there are concerns regarding the safety of the newer DECT monitors. Also, even though you can easily pick up your babys sounds, and talk to them through the two-way talk back feature, you cant see what theyre up to without going into the room and possibly disturbing them.
There is the issue of your signal being intercepted by neighbors with monitors on the same frequency. If you really want security then you may want to consider a model with frequency hopping and encryption technology.