bluepinkzoo
02-23-2004, 11:44 AM
Hi!
I have a few questions about video monitors. My choices are limited to the Safety 1st Sight and Sound Assurance and the Summer Infant. These are the ones I could buy locally and return without hassle.
I was able to find quite a bit of reviews on the Summer, but this particular Safety 1st model is quite new so there weren't many on it at all.
We have a 900 mhz cordless phone.
The Safety 1st is a 900 mhz with 2 channels. It comes with one camera, one video monitor, and one audio monitor. This setup is about $150. It has a slightly clearer picture than the Summer during the day, but the video part is more prone to interference. One channel isn't usable at all due to this so adding a second camera isn't an option. The sound is very clear on the video monitor and audio monitor. This one has a range of 300 ft. I know this company has been around a while, but they don't really have a good reputation when it comes to some of the products in their car seat line.
The Summer is also a 900 mhz with 2 channels. It comes with one camera and one video monitor. This setup is about $99. The picture is not quite as clear as the Safety 1st during the day, but it is not as prone to interference. It seems to have a better picture at night. Both channels are usable so I'm thinking of buying another setup for $99 to add a second camera and so we'd have a second monitor elsewhere in the house. I am told you just change between A and B depending on which camera angle you want to view. The audio isn't as clear as the Safety 1st. I do have an old Fisher-Price direct privacy link monitor that seems to work without causing interference even though it is also a 900 mhz. I am told I could order a matching audio monitor as an option directly from the company too. This one has a range of up to 65 feet. I haven't heard of this company at all, but the reviews suggest they have good customer service. I am concerned that a few reviews mentioned problems with the video monitor going out.
We have a small house so range doesn't seem to be a deciding factor. Also, wouldn't you want less range so others couldn't pick up your video/audio signals from the camera (at least from the cordless devices most people own)? That part kind of bothers me. Just how easy would it be for someone with a scanner (a device that not as many people around here are as likely to own) to pick up either of these 900 mhz monitors? I know people with scanners can pick up cordless phones. Though our cordless is supposed to be digital and scrambled as is our audio monitor, I didn't see this indicated with either video monitor I'm considering. I plan on using it during the day as well as night to monitor other toddlers so the camera would probably always be on though the video monitor (TV) may not be. It's bad enough when you know someone may be listening in on a cordless phone call, but your own house? Yet I really like the peace of mind this will bring me since I have toddlers and soon an infant.
Having tried both, I prefer the Summer. The camera is easily adjustable to more angles. I got an acceptable picture both during the day and night. It was less expensive and has the option of adding a second camera too.
So I need the good and bad. It would be helpful to know how often you use your video monitor (all the time, on and off but daily, occasionally, or just once in a while). How long have you had your monitor? What problems have you had like with equipment--any equipment break during normal wear/tear and at what point did that occur? What else good or bad stands out? Would you buy again?
P.S. We do not have cable so I don't think the ones you link to a personal TV would work.
:) with baby girl due in April
I have a few questions about video monitors. My choices are limited to the Safety 1st Sight and Sound Assurance and the Summer Infant. These are the ones I could buy locally and return without hassle.
I was able to find quite a bit of reviews on the Summer, but this particular Safety 1st model is quite new so there weren't many on it at all.
We have a 900 mhz cordless phone.
The Safety 1st is a 900 mhz with 2 channels. It comes with one camera, one video monitor, and one audio monitor. This setup is about $150. It has a slightly clearer picture than the Summer during the day, but the video part is more prone to interference. One channel isn't usable at all due to this so adding a second camera isn't an option. The sound is very clear on the video monitor and audio monitor. This one has a range of 300 ft. I know this company has been around a while, but they don't really have a good reputation when it comes to some of the products in their car seat line.
The Summer is also a 900 mhz with 2 channels. It comes with one camera and one video monitor. This setup is about $99. The picture is not quite as clear as the Safety 1st during the day, but it is not as prone to interference. It seems to have a better picture at night. Both channels are usable so I'm thinking of buying another setup for $99 to add a second camera and so we'd have a second monitor elsewhere in the house. I am told you just change between A and B depending on which camera angle you want to view. The audio isn't as clear as the Safety 1st. I do have an old Fisher-Price direct privacy link monitor that seems to work without causing interference even though it is also a 900 mhz. I am told I could order a matching audio monitor as an option directly from the company too. This one has a range of up to 65 feet. I haven't heard of this company at all, but the reviews suggest they have good customer service. I am concerned that a few reviews mentioned problems with the video monitor going out.
We have a small house so range doesn't seem to be a deciding factor. Also, wouldn't you want less range so others couldn't pick up your video/audio signals from the camera (at least from the cordless devices most people own)? That part kind of bothers me. Just how easy would it be for someone with a scanner (a device that not as many people around here are as likely to own) to pick up either of these 900 mhz monitors? I know people with scanners can pick up cordless phones. Though our cordless is supposed to be digital and scrambled as is our audio monitor, I didn't see this indicated with either video monitor I'm considering. I plan on using it during the day as well as night to monitor other toddlers so the camera would probably always be on though the video monitor (TV) may not be. It's bad enough when you know someone may be listening in on a cordless phone call, but your own house? Yet I really like the peace of mind this will bring me since I have toddlers and soon an infant.
Having tried both, I prefer the Summer. The camera is easily adjustable to more angles. I got an acceptable picture both during the day and night. It was less expensive and has the option of adding a second camera too.
So I need the good and bad. It would be helpful to know how often you use your video monitor (all the time, on and off but daily, occasionally, or just once in a while). How long have you had your monitor? What problems have you had like with equipment--any equipment break during normal wear/tear and at what point did that occur? What else good or bad stands out? Would you buy again?
P.S. We do not have cable so I don't think the ones you link to a personal TV would work.
:) with baby girl due in April