video monitor other than mobicam? UPDATE- I got one that's great and CHEAP!

[nfowife]

I purchased a mobicam and liked it- it worked, but I ended up having to return it because I could not get a good view of DD's crib with it- the way it is made so flat, I couldn't get it close enough to her crib to see inside with her mattress all the way down. So, I'm looking for an alternative. These are all being sold on ebay and seem similar to the mobicam, but I like the camera mechanisms better- I think I would be able to mount them to get a better view:
***Update***
Here's the one I got:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/31447.jpg

As it says below, I got it for $68 shipped at computergeeks.com . It arrived yesterday and is AWESOME! I think I like it better than the mobicam (and it's half the price!). The camera is much easier to move around to get a great view of the crib, it's super easy to mount on the wall. Also you don't have to switch it to night vision like you do with the mobicam- it automatically works in any light. And the audio monitor on it is great as well! Plus it has rechargeable batteries included for the receiver (as well as a cord to plug it in) and a clock with an alarm. The screen seems to me to be the same size as the mobicam and I am so happy with it! I definitely recommend this monitor if you are looking for a cheaper video camera but with the quality and small size of the mobicam.
It was great to see DD in her crib last night- especially because the past few days she has taken to flipping onto her belly to sleep but then when she arouses she freaks out because she can't flip back onto her back. Thanks for the recommendation :) . I think I will get another one when I get pg again because you can add another camera to it and put it on a different channel, then I can see both kids!

Does anyone have any input on any of these?

[nfowife]

anyone??

[kboyle]

I don't know, but I'm interested too. I'm on the search for a video monitor. The Safety 1st one in the middle is sold at BRU.

[JennyG999]

I have the first one...I bought it for $64 from www.geeks.com.

It is pretty good, and the price is GREAT! I have dropped it SO many times, and it still works (though, one more and it may be a goner!) :)

[nfowife]

Thanks for the rec., I just ordered it and hopefully it will work out. Geeks was selling it for $10 MORE on ebay than on their website, so you saved me some $$ :) .

[JennyG999]

Glad to help! I only knew it was cheaper, since I was looking for another one for myself. I have dropped mine so many times, I was looking for a back up.

I have a wireless network, and it seems to work just fine (I get a bit of interference downstairs, but upstairs it is pretty good.) :)

[calv]

do you think this would work well w/the sony 50 channel monitor? i have 2 kids so now I'm looking for a 2nd monitor and for the price I figured you can't go wrong.

[nfowife]

I have the sony babycall 27 channel monitor. It is a 900mhz monitor while the video monitor runs on 2.4ghz, so they shouldn't interfere with each other.

[calv]

that's the one we have and exactly what I needed to know/hear. THANKS so much for the info. So you've been happy w/that particular video monitor?

[calv]

I just got this today and I'm so dissapointed that it didn't work. Did you charge it w/the batteries that it came with for 10 hours? It worked for about an hour w/the energizer batteries that I put in it but then it beeped and kept shutting off. I'm so frusterated.

i do have to sy that I called them up and they'll be sending out a new one but that's just 2 more days I have to wait. Or in reality 4 or 5 w/the weekend.

[nfowife]

I have had no problem. I mostly leave it plugged in in my bedroom on my nightstand. When it's plugged in it charges and the red light flashes. But before it was plugged in for 10 hours I was able to use it on battery power for at least an hour with no problems. Hopefully the new one will work out for you! I love mine!

[VenusElon]

What is the name or brand of the monitor?

Venus

[nfowife]

It's a no-name brand. There isn't a name brand on the box at all, it's like a generic I guess? I think that's why it's so cheap. The only place I've seen them are at computergeeks and ebay.

[VenusElon]

I'm just trying to buy one from geeks.com and I can't find it at all.

[nfowife]

here you go:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=BM-242A-N&cpc=SCH&srm=0

[kboyle]

They must have just increased the price because it's now selling for $74.50!!!

[nfowife]

They must have done that within the last 2 hours because when I posted the link I checked it and it was still $65! It's still worth the $75, though, or I bet you can find it on ebay for the same or cheaper. Maybe email them and see if they will honor the lower price? Say you just went to go buy it and the price had changed?

[Java]

Now I'm intrigued. I have the Summer video cam which has worked well for us. It is however going through a slow painful death so it's time I switched to another system.

Kael is about to switch to a bed so I'll need to be able to see the whole room. The Summer was nice when he was in the crib because the image it captured was really close up even from the ceiling. In fact, I had to mount the camera high in the corner in the ceiling in order to see the entire crib, otherwise it would cut off a section.

So with this camera from Geeks so you think I would be able to see the entire room? Also I had interference with the Mobicam. Probably from the wireless network and the neighbors as my phone system is 5.8GHz. Do you think this will work better than the Mobi or should I stick with 900MHz like the Summer?

Thanks!

[nfowife]

Hmmm. I'm not sure if you could see the whole room with it. I will play with it tomorrow and see if I can view the whole room with my dd's. Right now it is on the wall about 2 feet above her crib and I can see the entire crib (mattress on the lowest positon). The crib is about a foot away from the wall (the view is longways, from the side). I'll let you know.

[Java]

Margaret,

Did you get a chance to see if the camera will cover a whole room? The Summer monitor we have now is driving me stark raving mad. It is starting to get static - unless I hold it up in the air about 4 feet!

Thanks!

[nfowife]

Yes, I just tried it and I think it will work. The only problem is that the cord might not be long enough to reach an outlet where the best mounting spot would be (you have to plug in the camera). And the viewing screen on the receiver is small so you wouldn't have a very detailed view (it's about 1.5" square).

[calv]

keep in mind you don't have to use the viewing monitor to see your child. It comes w/cables so that you can plug it into a cam corder or a tv.

[nfowife]

Yeah, but when we tried plugging it in to our 60" widescreen TV it was very blurry- you couldn't see anything really!

[jnb]

Is everyone still happy with this monitor? ComputerGeeks.com has been out of them for a while but I still see them on eBay. How are these generic cams holding up? They look like a great value to me if they work as good as the Mobicam. What does everyone think?

Thanks, JnB :-)

[JennyG999]

Mine is holding up well. I don't know what to compare it to, but it works great for me (for the price anyway!)

[bugglemom]

Does anyone use this is a house wiht a wireless internet connection and cordless phones? We've wanted one of these but have a tough time getting good reception. thanks

[JennyG999]

We have both wireless network and a 2.4 GHz phone, and it still works OK.

There is a bit of static when I have it downstairs (very minor) but upstairs, it is perfect.

[jnb]

Well we bought one of these generic video/Audio monitors from eBay. The eBay seller was Geeks, yes that stands for ComputerGeeks.com
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=BM-242A-N&cpc=SCH&srm=0
Interestingly, ComputerGeeks.com never shows inventory for this video monitor $74.50) but you can get it from their eBay store for US $73.99 using "buy it now". US $8.50 Standard Flat Rate Shipping Service (FedEx).
The auction description was:
Wireless 2.4Ghz Video Baby Monitor + IR/Color Camera

I searched everywhere and geeks still have the best deal on this. I made the deal sweeter by calling geeks right after the auction and asking if they'd apply an eCoupon.
Coupon code:SCOREADEAL - 10% off any item except Geek Specials 3/31/2007
Here's a link to it: http://www.scoreadeal.com/coupons/computergeeks.asp
The lady did accept the coupon but she said not everyone there will - "Thanks Marcy"
So my final cost was about $75 shipped. A deal I am happy with.
I just hope we like the monitor, family says we over bought because parents don't need the video. But how would they know if they never had it? If this monitor is as good as it's features imply we will be very pleased.

JNB

[nfowife]

I am still loving mine. I definitely don't look at it as often as I did when I first got it- but that was because DD has learned to flip herself back onto her back on her own, and she is sleeping through the night now (hallelujah) so there isn't as much need. But I do like to watch her sleep sometimes still.

Regarding the wireless connection and phones- the first day it did knock out our wireless internet. We had to switch to a different channel and then it has been fine. We do get some interference when someone is on the phone, but we don't have a phone in our room so it hasn't been a big deal for us at all, since we keep it in our bedroom for the most part. Definitely one of those things I'm so glad I have that didn't seem like a necessity before I got it. Now I can't imagine not having it!

[lotsofjoy]

Do you think it would work outside? The only place we could fit our swingset can't be seen from the living rooms window. I have to stand in the kitchen if I want to see what the kids are doing out there.

I would love to find something like this that would let me watch them from anywhere in the house.

[nfowife]

It depends on where the camera would be. The one I posted is only for indoor use, so if you can set up the camera in a window then I think it would work. If you need to mount the camera outside, then I think you need to look into the mobicam with the outside mount camera, which is more $$.

[lotsofjoy]

Thanks for responding!

I would probably just take it in and out and not actually mount it. So it would only be outside when it was good weather. Plus where I woud set it is covered. So even if it rained a bit it would be safe. I just wonder if it would even focus on something that was 15-20 feet away.

[nfowife]

I'm not sure how far it can "see". I kow the mobicam has a 10-ft. range, so I don't see this one having a much larger range. FWIW, DD's room is about 12 feet wide and when I hold it up in a corner, I can see the other side of the room just fine, if I wanted to do a full-room view rather than just her crib. Also the camera needs to be plugged in so don't forget about that!

[hobokengirl]

>Is everyone still happy with this monitor? ComputerGeeks.com
>has been out of them for a while but I still see them on eBay.
> How are these generic cams holding up? They look like a great
>value to me if they work as good as the Mobicam. What does
>everyone think?
>
>Thanks, JnB :-)
>

who is the ebay seller?? thanks :)

[nfowife]

I think it's geeks.com on ebay. If you do a search for video baby monitor you should see the one in the first post picture.

[hobokengirl]

hmmm seems theres ony one like that right now but not from geeks..

there are alot of mobicams and bebesounds monitors

[mariza]

I just went to computergeeks to order one of these and they are sold out.
I hope they get them in soon, DD is discovering her ability to climb :o

[nfowife]

Here are links to 2 auctions going on for the one I have on ebay...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Wireless-Handheld-Color-Baby-Monitor-Clear-Video-Audio_W0QQitemZ7740284088QQcategoryZ20435QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-4GHz-Wireless-Color-Video-Baby-Monitor-FREE-SHIPPING_W0QQitemZ7740044693QQcategoryZ20435QQrdZ1 QQcmdZViewItem

They are more expensive than I paid, though :(

[mariza]

They are back in stock, but it looks like they caught on to us and raised the price. It is now $74.50 + shipping so it comes out to $82.50. I'm going to try Ebay again.

[jnb]

This coupon will work and reduce the price by about $8.
Coupon code:SCOREADEAL - 10% off any item except Geek Specials 3/31/2007
Here's a link to it: http://www.scoreadeal.com/coupons/computergeeks.asp

[jnb]

OK Here is my review of the Yellow Generic Video Monitor.
( found at www.computergeeks.com or www.ebay.com )

We got ours over two weeks ago. After charging the NMH batteries over night I tested the video out. I had to tweak the contrast, brightness and chromatic each quite a bit. The controls were ok to use. Then I had to focus the camera quite a bit. However, the video never got as sharp and clear as the pictures shown on the web site or on the box. It is possible we received a defective set. And if that was our only problem I might have just asked Geeks to swap ours for a new one. The audio was loud and clear.

Turns out that our cordless 2.4 ghz phone system (Uniden) interferes with the video and audio of the monitor. Loud static noise and wide gray static video lines made the monitor useless. I tried all 4 channels but the problem showed no improvement. The closer I brought the monitor to the Uniden base the more static I got.

The NMH batteries didn’t hold their charge well either. So, Are you wondering how Geeks handled the return? Perfectly. They emailed me a FEDEX prepaid shipping label. I packed everything up like new and sent it back for a full refund. ComputerGeeks.com is a great company.

DH and I still wanted a handheld video monitor. Seeing DS completes my calmness. So DH bought a 900 mhz Baby's Quiet Sounds Color Handheld Video Monitor by Summer. http://www.summerinfant.com/videomonitors.htm The picture is significantly sharper on the Summer video. And we didn’t have to tweak every setting. No static in the video at all, because we don’t operate anything else that uses 900 mhz. The Audio is about the same as the generic. The range is very good; about the same for the generic and the summer monitors (Through 2 floors to a basement). However, we do have a constant mild background interference hum in the audio, but we ignore it like white noise. Well, it’s about $100 more that the Generic Monitor but we are still glad we got the Baby's Quiet Sounds Handheld. We bought ours at http://avtechsolutions.com/v02100a.htm . The absolute best deal DH could find.

We LOVE our Summer monitor, so far we have to say they make an excellent product. It has a much bigger and clearer screen (2.5 Summer vs 1.6 Generic) However, if we didn’t have the interference from our 2.4 ghz Uniden phones we would have stayed with the generic model. $100 more is a lot of wipes and diapers.

[Java]

Great review.

I just wanted to add that I upgraded our phone lines to 5.8 GHz with the hopes of using a 2.4 GHz monitor (we were getting a ton of static too) but it still didn't work. Could have been our wireless internet, could have been the neighbors' 2.4 GHz phones, could have been the area (So. Cal=lots of people=lots of stuff in the airwaves) - who knows. I tried 3 Mobicams with the same results.

The only frequency that worked for us was the 900 MHz. I was pretty bummed bc the picture is way WAY sharper with a 2.4. Anyway, we're moving in a few weeks so I'm going to try the 2.4 again.

I've been using the Summer monitor for since DS was about 6 months or so and I can't imagine life without it.

[nfowife]

Just want to add, I also have a uniden 2.4 ghz system and although there is some interference, it isn't enough to block out the picture for us. We don't live in a crowded area (our house is on an acre of land) and our DD's room is directly above our bedroom (no phones in either room). In our bedroom at night, I get a perfect picture (I don't use the sound part as I can hear if DD is crying without an audio monitor). Elsehwere in the house I can certainly see DD although depending where I am there could be some slight interference. The only time I have difficulty seeing a clear image on the monitor is when someone is actually on the phone, which isn't that often. Also I only briefly use the monitor, to check if DD is sleeping, awake, etc. so it isn't just on for long periods of time. I'm still very happy with it!

[NatalieM]

I got mine last week and have been using it throughout the weekend. It seems to be working fine. I can't however, get the picture in color. But that's ok b/c I can still see DD just fine. We have noticed that the batteries don't stay charged for too long. Maybe we have it on longer than most people. It's just so nice to be able to see DD, especially since she's standing up in her crib and that makes me very nervous. DH is even pleased with it for the price. He was a bit skeptical about it. We have a few 900mhz and a few 2.4 ghz phones in the house and we haven't experienced any static. Overall, it is working very nicely and we are pleased!

[delmir74]

I was looking to buy a video monitor when I found this thread and read about this generic one. I went ahead and ordered from computergeeks.com. I paid $77.50 including shipping (It was on sale for $69.50 that day!). Well, we rec'd the monitor last week and so far is working great. I can get a clear picture with little to no interference and the sound is pretty good as well. You do have to adjust the settings quite a bit and set the color to the highest setting to get a color picture, but once the adjustments are made, it works prety good. I've been using it at night and I love to be able to see my DD and hear every little noise she makes. The quality of the picture is just ok, but pretty close to what I was expecting for the price. I should note that all of our phones are 5.8 ghz. Also, I keep it plugged in most of the time, so I haven't noticed any issues with the batteries. Overall, I believe this is a good value if you are looking for an inexpensive video monitor. We are pleased with our purchase!

[cchavez]

we have a lan, wireless internet and 5.8ghz phones w/ bluetooth capability....i would like to get one of these monitors for dd's room...the monitors at bru (summer infant and can't remember the other) never worked when we had DS almost 3 years ago. thanks!

[Karenn]

We just ordered one. I've noticed the price fluctuating over the last couple of days. It was up at night and down in the morning. (PST). It might be worth waiting and watching for the lower price for a couple of days if you're going to order one.

[mariza]

It came to $82 (and change) with shipping. I can't wait to get it!

[mattiew]

Thanks for posting about this monitor - we've been looking and I wasn't sure what to buy!