Customer Reviews

Summer Infant Day and Night Handheld Color Video Monitor with 1.8" Screen - Silver

5 star:		(259)
4 star:		(125)
3 star:		(60)
2 star:		(65)
1 star:		(77)

 

 

Initially, I thought a video monitor would not be necessary - until the actual day came when it was time to move my daughter to her crib in her own room! The first monitor I tried was the Baby's Quite Sounds minature Blk & Wht TV monitor (also by summer Infant products) that we kept bed side on the night stand - reception was adequate, but the large screen casted so much light when you were trying to sleep, that you had to keep the video off and only turn it on when the baby made a noise.

Having the handheld monitor is soooooo much better! I can take it anywhere in the house and the reception is great (unless I am using it while on the cordless phone which is also 900 mHz)! We also have a wireless system is our home and we can use the monitor simultaneously without interference to either. Additionally important to note is that I have been able to use this video monitor in combination with the BeBe Sounds Anglecare Sensory Monitor without any difficulty or interference between them. The Angelcare Monitor is also wonderful if you are considering a sensory monitor as well!

The only draw back is that at night the video monitor sometimes wakes me up due to static (however, this is due to where we place the monitor, and can usually be adjusted for better reception if the problem occurs).

Additionally, this monitor comes in two models with the only difference being the screen size (my model, #02100 has a 2"x2" color TFT screen or 2.8" diagonally, and the other model sold here (#02090) has a smaller 1.8" color TFT screen - you can check with the company online for store availibility & further information if you are interested in the larger 2.8" screen).

According to the company site, you can also purchase an additional camera (for $99.99, model # 02100-01) to view another child or room on the other channel if needed. The additional camera is listed under features for model number 02100 only; however, the customer service rep. had said that the screen size was the only difference between the two handheld models, so it would probably work or both. If the additional camera is important to you, I would double check with the company first before purchasing model 02090. Hope this was informative and helpful to anyone seriously considering purchasing this brand of monitor!

2011 update:
I wrote this review in 2006, and have used this monitor through three babies since then! It definatley has endured and done it's job; however, now there are others out there though that can do so much more (more money of course, but if you use it even when they are older, it may be worth it).

I just saw one in the One Step Ahead catalouge item number# 21047 by Baby Touch that has a color touch screen (about the size of a smart phone) that allows you to "pan. scan, and zoom" the baby's room AND gives you TWO way audio so you can speak to the baby (or to use as an intercom to tell the kids to stop playing and go to sleep when they are older)! ~$250.00. ($99.00 for additional cameras). I've never used it, but I would check it out if I were looking to buy a monitor.

We are expectant parents and purchased this monitor for our nursery from a local store after carefully reviewing the return policy. We purchased the one with the silver faceplate which seems to be the newer improved model on the market. When we got it home, we ripped it out of the box and decided to test it rigorously, and we made our two dogs our test subjects. Also, we live in an older house, so we expected issues with electrical interference. Here are our findings:

1. We were able to see our entire kitchen both in light and in the dark although the picture was somewhat grainy in the dark. We could see our dog's eyes and teeth from a distance of about 15 feet away from the camera in both conditions.
2. We took the receiver all over the house, used it in our home office, next to our refrigerator, by our cordless phone while in use, and the reception was great with occasional static pops.
3. We were able to take the receiver outside about 20 feet around the perimiter of the house with no interference.
4. We conducted similar tests placing the camera unit in other areas of our house and had no problems.
5. Sound quality is astounding, my husband could hear me talking on the phone in another room and could hear my breathing sounds between my verbal responses on the phone.

We have had this camera for about two months now and are confident it will be of great value when our baby gets here. We had one dog that kept pottying in front of our fridge and we busted him with this camera. So overall, for the money, it is a great value and can serve many different purposes. I would highly recommend it to anyone with babies, pets, elderly or disabled persons to care for. We are very happy with this purchase.

EDIT, July 2008:
This product is STILL working great for us two years later! We lost the AC adapter to the handset while we were on vacation and we ordered a replacement from the manufacturer-they did not charge shipping and we got it within a week of ordering. I am pleased with the support given for this product as well as the product's performance. Again, I highly recommend!

Beware that this product contains only 2 channels. As a result, this video enabled baby monitor broadcasts your baby's image and sounds to anyone who purchases this unit. I purchased this for my newborn recently. During setup, I had not yet plugged in the camera (it was still in the box with the cord wrapped up), yet when I turned on the handset, I could see someone elses crib. Found the channel button, of which there is an A or B, changed to the second channel, and sure enough, there is another room, this time a toddlers bed (the kind with the rails). Now both the channel A crib and channel B bed were empty, but it was early afternoon. To confirm that what I was seeing was correct, I turned the unit on again at 11:00 PM. Now I could see one of my neighbors infants and another's toddler in thier beds.
Do you want to be broadcasting what your baby looks like and the sounds from your nursery 24/7 to anyone who can purchase this device and drive around looking for open broadcasts?
Cordless phone manufacturers figured out 12 or 15 years ago that each unit needed the ability to pick a fairly unique channel. This device, more sensitve to my mind due to the added video, broadcasts sound and video of your baby free from any security whastsoever.
Returned product immeditely.
For those curious, I live in a far NW suburb of Chicago and the homes in my neighborhood are not too close with the typical quarter acre lots and I was able to see 2 different cameras.

We have a 3 month old right now. She was colic and had to sleep in our bed for the past 9 weeks. We now have her in her crib. I can put the handheld part next to my bed and watch her at night. What is really great is that at night when you hear noises that sound like she is waking...you can look at her on the screen and see..nope she is still asleep! We take it out to our hottub and can watch her too.

The color isn't too great on it but it is great anyway.

The only thing I wish is that the screen wouldn't get too hot while it stayed on and when it is running on batteries that the you could get the screen to constantly stay on.

I wish I could also buy another handheld too to keep in another part of the house.

We just exchanged the Safety First Video monitor for this one. It's not that the other monitor was a bad one, it's just that this one suits us so much better. I like the fact that the receiver is compact and contains the video picture as well as being portable and having rechargeable batteries. The ability to hook it up to your TV (with a simple plug in cord) is a really neat option too! The camera with this unit has a wider range of adjustability than the Safety First model too, which works much better for us with the location of the high shelves in his room. I would definitely recommend this monitor! It brings peace of mind knowing that your child isn't trying to climb out of the crib!!

Length:: 1:13 Mins

Video of this horrid device.

My husband and I received this as a shower gift and after trying all the other video monitors out there, this was the ONLY monitor that gave us a CRYSTAL CLEAR picture! We tried the Mobi Cam which got good reviews for clarity in a "wired" household but we were suprised and disappointed with all the interference and static we saw on the monitor (even from 10 ft. away). We were amazed that this Summer system was cheaper and provided better quality out of all the ones we tested (Safety 1st and Mobi Cam). Highly recommended, especially if you have a "techie" household :)

I received this item for my baby shower, so I never got a chance to review it first, but I am very happy with the monitor. The picture is clear and so is the night vision. I like the idea that the camera part is moveable, so it's easy to get in just the right position to see the baby. It also has a nice long cord on both pieces. I do get some static in certain parts of the house (mostly in the kitchen area), but I've had much more static with my previous basic baby monitors. I also like the on/off button on the top, so if I just want to listen, it shuts off the screen. Overall, a realiable product with less static than the basic monitors and I love being able to see my baby so that I know when I have to go in and get him and when he's just wiggling, but still asleep. Keeps me from running in and out of the room at every noise.

I always read these reviews before making a purchase. They always help me make the best choice but I have never written one myself. This warrants a rating in my opinion. And here is why:

I orginally had the Safety First Video Monitor but I did not like it at all. When I would be on the phone, cell phone or cordless, the interferance was so bad that I could see nothing but static on the screen. I use the time when my son naps to catch up on phone calls. There is NO interferance with this monitor.

The Safety First system had a very large monitor. It was not portable and gave off too much light at night. This is handheld and has great range. PLUS, it has a recharable battery. Now, I don't know about all of you, but to me, this feature is profoundly attractive considering between the swing, bouncer and all the other gadgets and guizmos, I should buy stock in Energizer.

I know some mentioned that the monitor was a bit small, and this is true. However, I find that it is not a problem for me at all and the picture quality is great. I can see my little man in his crib and tell if the noise he is making is just him stirring in his sleep or if he truly needs me. I can also hear him breathing over the monitor. Which puts me at ease.

Also, some mentioned that the monitor would get a bit of static from time to time but if you repositioned the handheld unit, it would cease. I have encountered this, but it is so easily remedied that it is not even an issue for me.

I purchased the Buyer Protection Plan from Babies R Us which cost me $24.99 and covers the unit for one year. If anything happens to it I will be sent a check for $160.00. $25 insurance for a fairly pricey item seemed a good investment for me.

If you are a new parent, I highly recommend this item. I don't know that my son and I would do as well if I couldn't actually see him while he was sleeping without having to go in his room. (Picture actually seeing your baby's chest rising and falling and knowing he his breathing.) This item is a bit expenisive, but I truly believe it is worth every penny.

I hope this helps!

I'll get right to it!

THE NIGHT VISION...
The "night vision" works well only at close range. I was actually concerned about the IRLED (Infrared Light Emitting Diode) that is used to illuminate the area being monitored. We had our monitor mounted above the crib looking straight down on our son about 5 feet away. I noticed that there are times that my son will just lie contently in his crib staring upwards towards the monitor and I was concerned about the amount of IR that was hitting his eyes. I did a bunch of research on the web and couldn't find any recorded instances of damage to vision from these types of LED's. These LED's are the same type that is used in cameras and pretty much all consumer products that require some type of nighttime illumination. I then called Summer Infant in Rhode Island to inquire about the affect that these LED's might have on my child's vision. The customer service was very polite but, had no information regarding the LED's. It took me three calls to finally get somebody higher up to call me back to try and answer my question. He basically did the same thing that I did which was to surf the net and he ended up with the same information that already had. So the jury is still out as far as any type of vision damage that may occur. As for the location of our monitor, I have since moved it off to the side and a little further away which now makes the picture a little darker and harder to see.

THE SOUND AND LIGHTS...
The sound reception is very good and very sensitive. You could probably hear a pin drop. The LED's that are the visual aide to the sound are quite bright. I actually found them to be too bright at night. The basic design of the receiver necessitates it being placed on a night stand close to your bed and probably facing you if you intend on viewing the monitor at any given time. If there is any noise, like maybe your child breathing, the LED's will light up. After about 15 or 20 minutes of the LED's shining in my face, I remedied the situation with a piece of white tape. Now I can still see the LED's but, they aren't lighting up our bedroom like a disco.

THE RECEPTION, BATTERY AND PORTABILITY...
There can be some static but, like everybody before me has said... "If there is static, all you have to do is move the receiver a bit and the static will go away". The portability is a huge convenience and the rechargeable battery lasts a long time. We sometimes leave our receiver unplugged over night and it is still working fine in the morning. We haven't had any issues with the stand breaking or malfunctioning.

THE CO$T
Yes it is expensive. Probably a little too expensive for the older type of technology that is incorporated into it's design (900 MHz). Just remember... You are paying for peace of mind and in today's crazy lifestyle something like that is priceless.

UPDATE: September 09... New neighbors have moved into the house next to ours and they have an infant. They also have a Summer Infant monitor. We are now able to monitor their child and due to the sensitivity of the microphone, their private conversations. They can also do the same to us. That is something to consider if privacy would be an issue for you. There are only two channels to choose from and there is nothing to prevent somebody from monitoring your channel. Our neighbors are really cool so it wasn't an issue for us. That being said, our unit is still working although we haven't really used it too much in the last 6 months. The plug that attaches to the monitor has become loose and requires it to be wiggled around a bit to make a good enough contact and power the unit. It could easily be fixed with a soldering iron but like I said we're not using it too much these days. All-in-all, it was a good purchase that served us well.