Summer Infant
Day and Night Baby Video Monitor
Anthony Marsh – September 26, 2008

Street Price:  $149.99

AT A GLANCE
Overview / Style / Set-Up / Performance / Final Thoughts

PROS	CONS
Three different channels of reception Glass screen provides for better video quality 900 Mhz technology affords you good reception at virtually any distance Ability to add more cameras for added room coverage LED lights allow you to see in the dark Ability to separate sound from video Camera is fully adjustable and mountable with all the necessary accessories provided	Audio quality that’s earmarked by lots of static leaves a little to be desired, but at least you have the option to turn it down A flatscreen monitor would’ve been nice, but as it is, unit is compact and portable enough

Overview

Baby Video Monitor Highlights:

• 900 Mhz technology
• LED lights allow for viewing in darkened rooms
• Features a five-inch viewable screen
• Video On/Off button option if you want to isolate sound from picture
• Three selectable channels assures great reception and lets you to add more than one camera for additional rooms
• Camera is fully adjustable guaranteeing ideal placement every time
• Includes all the required wall mounting accessories

A far cry (get it? baby? cry?) from the hectic, big-business world of home theater and business consumer electronics comes this seemingly out-of-left field review for a baby video monitor. Why this momentary shift in focus? Well dear readers, as of September 9, 2008, at precisely 8:36 am, yours truly became a daddy for the very first time, as the wife and I welcomed a beautiful, seven-pound, ten-ounce bundle of joy named Sofia into the world. Proudly, I was in the room the whole time, but for purposes of this product review, I’ve decided to spare you all the gory, yet strangely magical details of the actual birth. Needless to say though, it was easily the most intense, surreal, unforgettable, profound, and wonderful experience of my life thus far.  

On the heels of said birth, as the ultra-paranoid, nervous, and novice first-time parents that we are, we decided to bring a little dose of big brother into the house in the form of a baby video monitor. The Day and Night Video Monitor by Summer Infant is the one we choose – though we actually wanted to buy the Day and Night Color Flat Screen Monitor by Summer Infant, but alas, that is tale of frustration and utter confusion that I shall save for another day and another forum – and as we found out, it was a perennial mixed bag of nuts, but nonetheless did (and does) the job as advertised.

Style

White with gray accents, the Summer Infant Day and Night Video Monitor features a 5-inch glass screen, and while not of the space-conscious, flat variety, it certainly is durable, lightweight, and compact enough. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s a stylish and sleek unit, it’s by no means an obnoxious eye sore, and really, for what it’s intended purposes are, it’s not meant to be an achingly beautiful art piece to show off to family and friends.

Set-Up

Quite simply, if you can plug in your toaster and make toast, you’re already way ahead of the IQ curve needed to set-up the Day and Night Video Monitor. This is in no way meant as a slight on this unit, as frankly, it’s a very good thing that you can essentially plug and play this monitor. We all know the hassle and pull-your-hair-out-of-your-head frustration that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with trying to assemble or set-up the baby car seat, the playpen, the crib, or the bassinet, so this was a welcome relief.

The complete unit is comprised of two pieces: the video monitor and the camera. Additionally, you get all the required items for mounting the camera. I can’t speak directly to the level of difficulty in doing so, as in our particular case we prefer having the flexibility move the camera accordingly to where the baby is. But in keeping with the overall flavor of this product, I’d hazard a very safe guess that the actual camera mounting shouldn’t be a terribly difficult experience, especially considering the mounting pieces consist of one wall anchor and screw, along with six security clips. In our particular case, set-up was as simple and straightforward as finding the ideal location to place the camera and plugging it in, which was made all the more convenient by the fact that the camera features an up and down tilt feature. Taking the proceedings downstairs, we situated the video monitor where we saw fit and simply plugged in the corresponding AC adaptor from the monitor to the wall outlet. As detailed above in the highlights section, this unit features three distinct channels for reception on both the monitor and the camera, and whichever you channel you choose for one must correspond with the other so that they are in harmonious communication with each other. To make reception more clear, it’s recommended you have both the monitor and the camera at a healthy distance from other electronic devices such as computers or televisions. Additionally, with this unit, you can also separate the audio from the video via an on/off video monitor button, or have both of them working together. A nice touch: if down the road you’d like to add another camera for multiple room viewing, you can do so care of the multi-channel functionality that this unit features. Let’s now discuss the all-important aspect of performance.

Performance

In short: the performance of the Day and Night Video Monitor by Summer Infant is decent, average, and ordinary. If you’re not looking for something along the lines of HD video quality and stereo surround sound, you’ll be mostly satisfied. The strongest point here would be the video quality. Provided the camera is, of course, placed free of any obstructions, you’ll get a fairly clear image with just enough detail quality to let you know exactly what your little one is up to. In a darkened room, care of the LED lights, you’ll also get a fairly adequate image that offers you what you need to see. Again, nothing flashy or awe-inspiring, just a very solid image that does what’s required of it.

With respect to the audio quality, a nice feature is the five sound lights which let you hear your baby’s call, and the colors on the lights escalate from green to red depending on the intensity of their cries. Unfortunately, this nice feature is mostly washed out due to what I’d say was sub-par audio. This was due in no small part to the constant and steady annoying buzz sound meets static that assaults your ears with the equal vim and vigor of police sirens blazing while you sleep. I exaggerate, but only a bit, as it certainly does leave a little to be desired, and no amount of channel tweaking for clearer reception is likely to give your ears the joy they seek. Thankfully, you have the option to turn the sound down and bypass all that wretched and god-forsaken noise. And assuming you don’t live in a castle or a mansion where there’ll be significant physical separation between you and your baby, as we’ve discovered with our own child, when there’s something wrong (baby needs a feeding, a changing, a cuddle, or all three), you don’t need the aid of an audio/visual device to know, as they’ll more than make themselves heard.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a video baby monitor that gets the job done, then the Day and Video Monitor by Summer Infant fits the bill. Not only does it allow you to keep an eye on your baby, but it also gives you the freedom to be able to do what you need to around the house, or even be the willing and able host when guests come over without ever having to disturb the little one. Offering you security, comfort, and piece of mind, with a very reasonable price-point (I got mine on sale for just $99.99 at Babies R’ Us), good image quality, ease of set-up, multiple channels for better reception, and the ability to add additional cameras to the unit, the good far outweighs the bad (audio quality), making for a very worthwhile purchase.

Manufacturer Homepage: www.summerinfant.com