Customer Reviews

The First Years: Clear and Near 2.4 GHz Monitor

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

Our search for a baby monitor resulted in several weeks of buying and returning over $300 worth of models. At last, however, we tried The First Years Clear and Near 2.4GHz monitor. I think we have a winner!

We were surprised because things went so smoothly with the purchase of our first monitor, a Safety First Crystal Clear 49MHz model, three years ago. We bought two sets on clearance for $10 each, and they work flawlessly!

During our search this time, we quickly discovered that other 49MHz models caused a lot of interference with our first monitor set, even when set to different channels. We were able to get marginally acceptable results after moving the units from outlet to outlet within our house, but the static was still loud enough to be bothersome, and we worried that we wouldn't hear the baby over it.

We then tried several 900MHz monitors. Many of these claim better reception than 49MHz models, but really it seems to be dependent on the nature of other electronic equipment in your home and neighborhood. For example, we had pretty good results with the Sony Baby Call 27 channel 900MHz model during the daytime, but during the evening when more of our neighbors were home using more electronics (such as cordless phones), we had so much interference as to make this model completely useless--even after cycling through the 27 available channels. Other 900MHz models had similar results.

Also, we found several 900MHz models that use "background noise cancellation" in order to conserve batteries. This was a feature that we absolutely hated. There were times that these would mistake our daughter's cries as "background noise" and not transmit, or stop transmitting after a few seconds. We don't want a cheap piece of electronics deciding what we should or shouldn't hear in our child's room!

When we finally saw this monitor on Amazon.com, I was immediately struck by the complimentary reviews. Also, although more and more cordless phones are appearing on the market that use the 2.4GHz band, we felt certain that we'd have less interference since this is the newer technology. We've had it for a few days now, and here's my review of its capabilities and features:

CLARITY: I find that it has excellent clarity. In fact, if I really turn up the volume, I can hear my daughter's breathing just like with our other monitor. We've not experienced any static or interference since using it.

VOLUME: I really like the range of volume on the Clear and Near. We tend to keep it at about the midpoint, and can hear very well. Several monitors that we tried didn't seem to have as much range, so even when turned up to the max volume, they were barely loud enough.

LIGHTS: This monitor has the lights that allow you to see when noises are sensed in the child's room. We didn't look for this feature when buying our first monitor because I'd heard it eats up a lot of batteries. But I find that it's very helpful in getting my attention if we happen to be watching TV.

SENSITIVITY: This monitor seems to pick up everything, which gives me great peace of mind! My only fault is that it even picks up such subtle noises as furnace duct airflow. We don't hear it at our current volume setting, but it does result in the monitor almost constantly registering a one-light noise level, so this will use up the batteries more quickly.

BATTERIES: Kudos to the First Years, not only for providing the rechargeable battery capability for the parent unit, but for using standard AAA NiMH batteries!!! Every other monitor we tried either wasn't rechargeable, or used a proprietary battery pack. The problem with that is that when the battery pack eventually stops holding a charge, you can't get replacements. With using AAA NiMH, I can easily purchase a set any time I need them. I can even use a separate charger to keep a second set of batteries at the ready if I need to use it without the AC adaptor for an extended period (the owner's manual says it should run 5 hours on the batteries, but I haven't used it in battery mode for more than 2 consecutive hours yet). Lastly, in a real pinch I can even use regular old alkaline AAA batteries in the unit (remembering to make sure not to plug in the AC adaptor/recharger until those batteries have been removed, since trying to recharge nonrechargeable batteries could damage the unit and void the warranty).

RECEIVERS: Unfortunately it's only available with a single parent unit. We prefer having two receivers so that we can keep one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen area. Having the rechargeable unit that we carry with us is an acceptable workaround, but I would have preferred the option of having a second receiver.

CHANNELS: This model only offers two channels. If down the road we encounter static or interference problems as more and more 2.4GHz equipment is in use, it would be nice to have more channels to try.

NO EXTRAS: This model doesn't offer any "extras" such as light shows for the baby, temperature monitoring, intercom, background noise cancellation, etc. We don't need those anyway.

RANGE: The packaging claims up to 1500 ft. range. While we haven't tested that, it's nice to know that we can run out to the mailbox and not lose the signal.

PRICE: It's more than we wanted to spend on a baby monitor, but for a good night's sleep knowing that we'll hear our baby when she needs us, it's worth it!

In summary, if you're looking for a good, solid monitor and find that monitors using the 49MHz and 900MHz technologies have too much static/interference, this may be the set for you.

I bought this monitor in the summer of 2003 for my youngest daughter. I had another monitor from The First Years, but as soon as you stepped outside, it was out of range and there was nothing but static. This was a problem, because my oldest daughter always wanted to go outside to swim, etc., while her sister was napping and we couldn't. So, I found this monitor that was supposed to have an enormous range and it has been wonderful! Our yard is 400 feet long and we live in a 2 story house. We can take the receiver all the way to the back of the yard and the reception is still crystal clear. I love it! Worth every penney! (Actually, I spent more than this at another store.) I HIGHLY recommend it!

I love this monitor! We originally bought the Graco Listen and Talk which worked well except on weekends. The only thing we could figure out was that Dulles Airport re-directed air traffic on weekends and we picked up a lot of interference. The Safety First monitor was almost flawless. The unit does pick up the slightest baby sounds, so beware not to have the volume too loud on the parent unit. There was some interference which was caused by our 2.4Ghz Panasonic expandable phone answering machine (model KX-TG2730). This interence resulted in a popping sound coming from the parent unit every second. At night, we just unplugged the answer machine which resulted in crystal clear reception from the monitor. While no company has created a perfect baby monitor, this one sure came close.

I can't say enough good things about this monitor! If you are like me, you research and review purchases like this one. This is the fourth baby monitor we have bought and is by far, the very best. I can't imagine having any problems with this. No static, great reception and great features. The rechargeable "no memory" batteries are wonderful. You do not have to wait until they are running low to recharge. We use the battery power during the daytime nap and then plug in each night. You'll love it! The parent unit "finding" button is nice, but the parent unit needs to be on for it to operate. It does not help us much since our parent unit is generally off when we need to locate it. Hope you like it as much as we do!

The monitor I had started making this clicking noise all the time. It drove me crazy so I searched for a new one and found the Clear and Near 2.4Ghz Monitor by First Years. I actually purchased it through Amazon.com as well. I am so happy with it! It is so clear that I can hear my son's clock ticking in the background.

My only advice is to make sure the channels are set the same on both units. My toddler must have changed the channel of the child unit and therefore the red indicator light came on signaling that the unit was out of range but it was still picking up the sounds...then in the middle of the night the parent unit started beeping loudly as if we would have been pushing the locator button on the child unit yet everyone was asleep. Long story...a little longer...my husband and I awoke to this loud beeping and it took a minute before we realized what was going on. At first it scared us like our house alarm was going off. But since we've set the channels both on "A" again we have had no problems. These units are lightweight yet durable. They are truly worth the money!

I put this monitor on my registry because the description said that it had excellent range and it had good reviews. Well it does have good range but there is so much static and interference that I can hardly stand to use it. I called The First Years customer service because I thought there had to be something wrong with it and they simply said, if you have a 2.4 GHZ cordless phone in your house, this monitor is not for you. I wish I knew that before I got it! I got it as a gift, don't have the box anymore and have to go out and buy a new one. I told the customer service rep that I also have a 900 MHZ phone in my house and she said then I need to get a monitor that is not in that range either. Hope this info helps!

Wow, I am really surprised at all of the negative reviews on the First Years Clear and Near 2.4 Ghz Monitor, just for the simple fact that it works wonderfully! I received a really nice monitor set for my child as a gift and the static was just awful. So, I went out and bought what I thought would be the best monitor I could. I ended up bringing home the Clear and Near set and I have been really pleased with the results.

I have been using this monitor for two weeks now with absolutely no problems, and I live right under the flight path for an airport! Even with the planes flighing over, the signal never gets garbled, and I can hear my daughter clear as day.

As for range, I have a garage that is not attached to my home that I go out to, and I still have no problem hearing my child. Also, the monitor comes with a belt clip, so if you need to do any yard work you are all set!

The only thing I would change about the First Years Clear and Near Monitor is the fact that it only comes with one receiver, or parent unit, I wish that I cold get one more so that I could have one in the kitchen and in the living room. But that is truely my only gripe with this set! Sure, it is a little pricey, but it is worth it!

This monitor worked like a charm before we purchased a 2.4Ghz cordless phone set (2 units; one plugs into an ordinary outlet & doesn't need a phone jack). Since the monitor and the phones are on the same frequency, the result is a constant static/clicking noise that is horrible. One solution: unplug the phones at night (or when you're using the monitor)... but make sure you have an "old fashioned", corded phone close by in case you get an incoming call. Also, if you decide to unplug the phones, you'd have to reset the date & time every day if the main unit has an answering machine built-in. Too much trouble for us; we're getting a new "non 2.4Ghz" monitor.

We have been using this monitor for 6 months. It picks up a lot of intereference from the wireless network in our home. Everytime you download something or surf the net, it crackles and buzzes. There is also a constant (albeit faint) clicking sound in the background. Considering how expensive this monitor is, I wish I had shopped around a bit more.

We love this monitor. We had a Sony monitor that we used for a long time, but it always drove us crazy. The babies room is on one side of the house and the kitchen and master bedroom are on the other. The Sony was always beeping at us because we were too far away from the baby unit or something was just in its way. This baby monitor is so much better!!! I've had no problems with reception anywhere in our house. I love the fact that it's got the rechargable batteries...very convenient! It's definitely worth the money!