Multi Room Monitor Options?

[ebjw]

Wish list:
2 cameras
1 parent unit
Video auto scans between rooms
Sound auto scans between rooms

So far...

We bought the Summer Sleek and Secure Multiview Handheld. HUGE problem is that when you scan between two rooms, it is video only- NO sound at all. Even if you want to watch both rooms on the video at the same time (great feature) NO sound at all. How does this help us monitor both rooms at night when we are sleeping? It doesn't. The directions and the box don't even mention this stipulation. We have to return it.

The Graco imonitor Duo Multi-Child looks like our best best, although there is no video. WHY WOULD GRACO DISCONTINUE THIS??? :hysterical:
I seem to have found 1 place that still has it: http://www.babyproofingplus.com/item14186.htm
The price is in Canadian dollars, so this makes me think it is not discontinued in Canada? Can any Canadians help me out with that theory? It also seems alot more expensive ($199 cad) than I had originally thought it was. I swear a friend bought it for like $60 3 years ago!

Are there any other options out there? These companies that make monitors are missing a serious niche by not making these.

Anyone have a sound solution for the Summer one? Reviews of the Graco one?

[ebjw]

Ok, researching...
Graco's Canada website does have it! Why was it discontinued in the US and not there?
I have no idea if I can plug a Canadian product in here... is it different like Europe? Please tell me no!
The Candian Sears website has it for $169.99. Are there issues with US customers ordering from their Canada website?

[dukie41181]

I don't have answers to any of your questions but I'm in the market too so will be watching. That is quite disappointing about the sleek & secure. We were planning on buying it but won't do so without sound!

[larig]

what about the older summer that the sleek and secure replaced. They still have it at target and it accommodates two cameras? (I have no idea about the sound).

[gobadgers]

That's really wacky that the audio doesn't work on the scan. What's the point?

We use a hodgepodge of monitors.

We have two Summer Infant video monitors and three cameras (from secondhand sales and craigslist, lol). At night, the video monitor is monitoring DS's room.

We also have an inexpensive (audio, not video) monitor for DD's room at night. If we hear something strange from her room, we can always switch the video monitor to her room to see what is going on.

So, when we are sleeping, there are two monitor receivers on in our room. DD's room has two monitor bases (one video, one other), and DS's room has the video camera.

(We also have a second set of receivers in the kitchen downstairs to use during naptime).

It's not the most elegant solution, but it works. So if it gets too difficult to find the video monitor, maybe this setup will inspire you! A bonus is that the cheapo monitor is our vacation/travel monitor. It has handled the travels so far, but if it breaks at some point we won't be too worried about it.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We have this one from Summer Infant http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Deluxe-Handheld-Monitor/dp/B00020V5A2
but we don't leave it on overnight. We can hear them (small house). It has a switch from camera A to camera B, and we've been pleased with it for 2.5 years. I don't know if it scans from room to room. Don't think so. I just switch it if I want to hear what's going on in each room.

[scmama]

We have this one from Summer Infant http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Deluxe-Handheld-Monitor/dp/B00020V5A2
but we don't leave it on overnight. We can hear them (small house). It has a switch from camera A to camera B, and we've been pleased with it for 2.5 years. I don't know if it scans from room to room. Don't think so. I just switch it if I want to hear what's going on in each room.

This is what we have. We have one camera set up in DS's room and we just got a second camera for DD's room. I have to say that I love my summer infant day and night monitor. We opted to get this model over the sleek and secure after reading all the not so positive reviews on it.

[ebjw]

We have that Summer one also, but since it doesn't switch between rooms automatically, it won't work for us. We'd have to manually switch A and B which we can't do when we're sleeping.
I think I'm going to order the Graco one from Canada. I figured out the outlets are the same, so that is good. We won't have video in both rooms, but we can keep our single Summer video monitor in one of them. Or maybe even buy the second camera and switch whenever we need to see video...

[BabyMine]

We have had this (http://www.4ucam.com/Pan-Tilt-Baby-Video-Monitor-Color-LCD-IR-Night-Vision-Wireless-Camera.html) one since M was born. It does everything on your list. The only snag is that you have to set up 3 cameras to have it scan between the rooms. If you don't then when it switches to a different channel you get loud fuzzy noise. They have wonderful monitor at that store.

[llama8]

I have the Summer Infant Deluxe Day & Night Handheld Color Video Monitor with 2.5" Screen and I love it. No interferance and clear night cam which I use every night. You can add a 2nd camera no problem to the unit.

[ebjw]

We have had this (http://www.4ucam.com/Pan-Tilt-Baby-Video-Monitor-Color-LCD-IR-Night-Vision-Wireless-Camera.html) one since M was born. It does everything on your list. The only snag is that you have to set up 3 cameras to have it scan between the rooms. If you don't then when it switches to a different channel you get loud fuzzy noise. They have wonderful monitor at that store.

Hmmm... this does look like what we need. Are you saying that the auto scan feature can only be set up for 3 cameras, not 2, and if you don't have it hooked up to a 3rd camera it spends 10 seconds on that channel even though there is nothing there and that is why you get the fuzzy noise?

It's the same price as the Graco one without video, but when you have to purchase 2 additional cameras, it's $200 more than the Graco... I'll have the hubby check it out- he likes this high-tech stuff.

[Wondermom]

I can tell you to AVOID the Uniden http://www.amazon.com/Uniden-UDW10003-Wireless-Survillance-Portable/dp/B002KFZSJQ/ref=pd_cp_p_2

It can be set up for up to 4 cameras/rooms, and will scan between them--WITH audio for 5, 10, 15 or 20-second intervals. There's another mode where it has up to 4 rooms on the screen at one time, but video only, no audio. We have it set up for 2 cameras/rooms. BUT it's RIDICUOUS how the signal drops on this. One day we'll be able to pick it up in our bedroom, the next day, NOTHING, and we end up leaving it plugged in the kitchen or the closest location to our bedroom where we can get a signal and then sleep with the door open so we can hear it. We tend to always get a signal in the kitchen, so we do use it there most of the time in the evenings, but for sleeping at night, this thing is horrible for us and works 1 out of every 6 days or so there. Maybe our bedroom is just too far away? But then that's the whole reason we need the monitor, because we can't hear the kids from our room at night.

[ebjw]

I called Summer Infant and got some more information:
The Sleek and Secure Multi-View is supposed to have sound when it scans- they think maybe I had a bad unit.
Their Slim and Secure can scan if you purchase an additional camera. (This one is exclusively at BRU).
For BOTH of those scanning models, you have to have the monitor plugged in for it to scan- that part is not a big deal, BUT you also have to leave the video on. If you turn the video off, the audio will stay on the last room it was on in scan mode. That means, when you are sleeping, the most important time you need it scanning, you have to sleep with the bright light of the video on all night!!!
SO, to sleep without the video, I think we would use our current monitor still for one room and let the new video stay on the other room. Ugh, why spend $250-$300 then? Exactly. I might as well buy the second camera for the Summer Day and Night we already have and buy a cheap audio only one room monitor. Then we can manually switch between cameras on the Day and Night during the day and leave the audio only one in our bedroom for night only.
Hmmm... then what if both babies are napping at the same time during the day and we forget to switch cameras to keep checking on them both?????
This is ridiculous. Im sure I'm making it more complicated than it really is.
I think I need to go back to ordering the Graco one that scans from Canada (and purchasing the second camera for the Day and Night).