Customer Reviews

Summer Infant Best View Handheld Color Video Monitor with 2.5" Screen

5 star:		(166)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Video monitors might seem gimmicky, or for obsessive parents, but they are much more useful than you might think (see more thoughts in the last section of this review).

And the Summer Infant BestView is one of the top choices (the other one as of now being the more expensive Safety 1st High-Def Digital Video Monitor). Summer Infant has done a lot of things right - they got the basics of audio and video working, and added useful features like pan and zoom. And they haven't added too many useless features (like music or nightlights).

There are a few things, as mentioned in other reviews and below, that leave you wondering what they were thinking. But all of the monitors we've owned - three video monitors and two audio monitors - have had a few strange twists like that. And oddly our first video monitor, the seemingly stone age analog Summer Infant Video Monitor with a video tube, still has the best audio and video quality of all of them (when there's no static). But it's far from portable.

With any monitor, the video and audio quality are by far the most important features, and on the the Summer Infant Best View Monitor those work well. The pan and zoom also work well, and are useful features:

GOOD VIDEO: The video quality is good when using night vision, considering the limitations of night vision; and very good in normal light, with good color. There is little or no time delay, and relatively few skips in the movement.

The good normal-light video quality, together with the pan and zoom feature, would make this a very good playtime monitor for a toddler's room. (But I'm betting most people instead buy this as a baby monitor, and mostly use night vision / black & white.)

By the way, all night vision monitors will be black and white - they only switch to color when a room is well lit. That surprises some people.

BIG SCREEN: The 2.5" screen on the is bigger than most if not all of the competition. That, together with the batteries, makes the monitor a little bigger than some (2-5/8" wide x 1-3/4" deep by 4-3/4" tall plus a 1-1/2" antenna, for 6-1/4" total), but it's not really a problem as it only needs to be portable, not pocketable.

GOOD AUDIO: The audio quality is good, and doesn't seem to be subject to a time delay (like some monitors). You can hear a baby breathing if you want to. There is a wide range of audio settings from loud to quiet to off, so it works in a noisy kitchen or when the shower is running, on one hand, or in the bedroom at night, on the other hand. It's a little unfortunate that the audio doesn't sound a little more natural and accurate, so you could get every nuance. But at least the audio doesn't seem like an afterthought, like it does on some monitors.

NO STATIC: There is no static or interference on the audio or video, at least for us. While that may seem amazing if you're new to digital monitors, it's an old technology - phones have had this for years.

USEFUL PAN: The camera has a motorized mount, and you can turn it through a wide range of motion to see the area you want to see. There's a joystick on the monitor used to control it, and it works fairly well. It's not silent when it moves, but not very loud.

USABLE ZOOM: There are just two zoom levels (not continuous, as with the pan). It works well enough, and is a nice feature.

PRIVATE: The digital technology used for transmitting not only avoids static, but is also private.

DECENT RANGE: We don't need much range, so have never had any issues. But it's a real shame the product info talks about 350' range, that's going to mislead people, as an insert in the box makes it clear that's not realistic. It says you should expect that "Optimal distance for normal in home use is 15-60 feet."

One tip, you normally want to point the antenna so it's perpendicular to where the monitor is. So if you're using the monitor on the same floor, point the antenna vertically; if you're using the monitor on a floor above or below, point the antenna horizontally.

OTHER FEATURES: There's a button on the top you can use to turn the video on and off, either to conserve batteries or just to not have the distraction.

The power adapters work on US or international voltages, which can come in handy.

BATTERIES: I was a disappointed to find this uses NiMH batteries, rather than the smaller, more powerful (and more expensive) LiOn type. On balance, though, it's probably fine for most people. It probably helps keep the cost down, and even though it's bulkier the monitor doesn't really need to be as portable as a cell phone would.

And, since this uses three standard AA rechargeable batteries, you can easily replace them - rather than this needing expensive or hard to find battery replacements. It's weak that they only supply batteries with a capacity of 2000 mah, as 2650 mah batteries are widely available. But you can easily install your own replacements.

I can't comment yet on how long the batteries last, I'll have to do more tests and check back on that.

INTERFERENCE: There's no question that this can interfere with wireless networks or other devices that use 2.4 GHZ. Summer Infant has better customer support than most other consumer electronics companies, but they strangely don't seem to have spent any time trying to figure out how to help people with this issue. ("Buy a different router" was the advice I got. Right. The product insert also suggests you just stop using other 2.4 Ghz products, that's somewhere between laughable and insulting.)

If you're experiencing problems, try moving the monitor or the other devices so they aren't too close to one another. Try changing the router settings to use another channel, maybe Channel 1.

OTHER ISSUES: The volume is a little inconvenient to use, you have to go into the menu and use the joystick. Given that's the control we use the most, it seems odd.

While the camera pans over a wide range, the design keeps it from aiming downward very far. So one of the most common locations for a video monitor - on a shelf or dresser, a few feet above a crib or out of a toddler's reach - doesn't work unless you tilt the whole camera forward. Not that hard to do, but not what I'd expect.

The menu seems to be modeled after a video pong game my mom got for free for opening an account at the savings & loan in the early 1970s.

As mentioned in other reviews, the (sort of) flashing lights on the camera and (sort of) flashing video are kind of annoying. Even in a bright room, the bright flash keeps catching my eye making me think the baby moved, then I realize it was just the monitor and not the baby. It's hard to figure how why they did that.

Someone there does deserve a whack in the head for letting this product out the door with a big bright LED on the camera.

VIDEO MONITORS - MUCH MORE THAN A GIMMICK

When I got our first video monitor, I wondered if it would be useful, or just a gimmick, or one more way to worry about the baby! We've found it very useful. There are just some things that an audio monitor can't tell you. And being able to check on your child without the disturbance of going into her room can save a lot of trouble, especially in the transition times in the evening and in the morning, when little disturbances can lead to bigger ones.

The video was especially useful when our child was a little older and moving around more, and we had left her to settle herself - which sometimes can seem like crying herself to sleep! :-( We used the video monitor to see if she was just unsettled (so we very much did not want to go into the room, or she wouldn't learn to settle herself) or had gotten into a spot she couldn't get out of (stuck in the bars of the crib, or lost her lovey, so we needed to go in and set things right). Video monitors are also useful to see when a child is awake, and how awake - sitting, standing, lying down or trying to climb out of bed! - or on her way to sleep, or not. And they can be lots of fun, too, to watch and listen!

Our other monitor is analog, and once in a while we'd hear our neighbor talking on their cordless phone - which no doubt means they hear us sometimes! A digital monitor, like the Best View, should be private and static-free.

This has good video and audio quality, which makes it better than the other video monitors out there. That's something.

So why take away from that with a few things that make no sense at all:

What is with the flashing red lights on the camera? Sure they aren't that bright, but they are visible AND they go off briefly about every 5 seconds. That's all my baby can look at. Maybe it won't be a problem long term. But I know these lights for night illumination can be invisible, other monitors are. Even Summer Infant makes some where the baby doesn't have to see the night vision lights. And they sure don't need to go on and off.

And, because the night vision lights on the camera go out, it makes the video on the monitor pulsate in brightness every 5 seconds or so too. It's still usable, just really annoying when you have the video on in a room that's low or no light. Flash .... flash .... flash ...

And last of all, for goodness sakes when will they figure out that you don't put a huge bright green LED on the front of a baby monitor camera, just to let you know the power is connected? If I want a nightlight (or a spotlight, sheesh), I'll get one!

They need to let a few real moms use the products before they release them, and listen to what they say.

So first I will say I have tried many cameras and this one is great. It has a great picture and great sound. The pan and zoom feature is great. I have no interference from my wireless internet or cordless phones.

However it has three flaws and one is major.

The first is the lights that let you know the baby is crying only work when the volume is turned up. Also the louder the volume on the monitor is turned up the more lights that light up even if the baby is crying at the same level. The issue is you can't simply have the volume tuned down or low and watch the monitor to see if the baby is crying. This is useful if you are on the phone or the monitor is sitting on your desk or even if your spouse is sleeping and you have the monitor and don't want the sound to wake them. The lights should light up no matter that volume you have the monitor on.

(I am told this has been fixed with the newer models that Amazon now has)

The second issue is adjusting the volume. You have to go into the menu to do this because there are no volume controls on the unit. So as an example at night if the video on the monitor is shut off and the baby starts crying you can't just turn the volume up or down you need to wake the video on the monitor then hit menu then adjust the volume.

The third issue which is major and is why it needs to go back is in nightvision. Every 5 seconds or so the picture flashes bight light on the monitor. I went in and looked at the camera and it turns out that the LED lights that are used for nightvision on the camera actual are flashing off and on about every five seconds which is what is causing this. It's very distracting and the only camera I have ever seen do this including regular video cameras in nightvision mode and other 900mhz and 2.4 baby monitors.

I assumed it was defective and called Summers and they knew exactly what I was talking about right away. The people that answered the phone said it was normal. I told her that I can't believe this is normal and it must be a defect in the way it was manufactured, she told me she understands what I am saying but that's what she has been told and maybe it has something to do with that fact that its 2.4, which makes no sense has I have other ones that are 2.4 and don't do this.

It's really too bad and I'm still hoping this is a defect in the way they are making them and something they will fix. In the mean time this is going back and I'll wait till they address it.

Please post a comment if you have noticed any of the same problems.

I hope this was helpful.

Another Baby monitor that I tried here on Amazon that was great is this one Lorex LW2002W Lorex LW2002W Digital Portable Color LCD Wireless Surveillance System (White)

We purchased this to replace a 3+ year old Summer Infant 900MHz Day & Night 2.5" color system (a good system; make sure you use tuner cleaner on the controls every so often, and plan on replacing the batteries every 18 months). The description for this Best View monitor on the Amazon site states it is 900 MHZ. WARNING: It is not 900 MHz, but 2.4GHz.

The flyer in the Best View box stated that the 2.4GHz may cause some interference, and that it would be best to turn off those devices for best performance. Well, with TiVo, Linksys wireless router, iTouch, laptops, wireless printer, etc., all using 2.4GHz 802.11g, that is impractical. How bad is the interference? With the video camera on the top floor, the wireless in the house generally still worked for anything beyond 20 ft from the camera, but it significantly slows things down, and may not be immediately apparent to you. But, if the monitor (receiver) is moved near another device (say on a lower level), it REALLY brings the network to its knees. I ran performance tests, and it could reduce network throughput by up to 80%, and even lock it up. Ouch! Furthermore, when we ran our laptops up near the camera, in this case a bedroom next to it, those laptops could not even use wireless networking ... not at all - LOCKED UP 100% of the time (Mac and PC). As soon as the camera is turned off, the network is back up and running.

I even ran tests by assigning different 2.4GHz 802.11g channels (Channel 9 for router, Channel 3 for camera (camera was fixed)), and still had the same problems. I cannot speak for 802.11n networks, so that may be what some of the reviewers are having success with. It could be that since some devices support the 5GHz version of the 802.11n standard, that may be your best bet for a work-around.

Summary. Although we returned the unit because of the 2.4 GHz issue, here is a quick run down from our 1 day of use:
PROS:
- GREAT video. Crisp, very detailed, even when in night mode (can see details)
- Video and audio are in real-time. No perceivable delay.
- Pan/tilt/zoom feature is a nice touch
- Range seems to be very good
- Secure digital system
- Manufacturer appears to have updated the software when compared to some of the older product reviews. It seems as if they keep the infrared LEDs (actually dim red LEDs) on, then flash OFF every 5 seconds. Not very noticeable, but is brighter when viewing straight on but nothing I would be concerned with. It appears that there is a pause in the video every 5 seconds -- it looks as if the system does not update the view; perhaps it is running some sort of calibration or self-test. In any event, they switched around the operation so that you won't see a flash every 5 seconds, but a momentary video pause.

CONS:
- 2.4GHz Frequency and Interference -- not compatible with most common wireless networks (and the reason for ONE star)
- Power cord is too short
- Camera does not angle downward near as much as the older system. You must rig the backside of the camera up higher to view down, which also makes for an awkward panning angle.
- Volume feature. You must press the Menu button, then move the joystick. BUT, this method is better than the rotary knob that is on the older 900MHz analog system (which required periodic cleaning with tuner cleaner).

I always figured my first review for Amazon would be for a CD that only I was cool enough to appreciate or for a movie that no one else had heard of. Instead my first review is for a baby monitor. Oh, the times, they are a changin'.

First off, this monitor has a horrible name, so if you're like me and you did a bunch of research on these things, you probably got confused between reviews from various online retailers. This is the "Summer Best View DIGITAL Video Baby Monitor"...There are other similarly named products that do not perform near as well as this one, just to be clear.

This is our first kid and therefore our first video monitor. And it performs great. The video in night-vision or full-light is good enough for what you need it to do: show you your baby and how he/she is. You won't get TV quality out of this for the price. But as a baby monitor it's great. Audio quality is good, you can hear tiny noises. Again, no it won't sound like a professional boom mic, but the quality is such that you can hear your baby clearly. That's the point.

It has pan/zoom which work fine, but for us with a newborn, this is just a bonus. I'm not looking for Scorcese type stuff here, since the kid isn't mobile. The volume is within a menu, not a separate button, but this really is not that big a deal. Try it, it really is not as bad as you would think.

I've had no issue with the pulsing red lights, and it does not cause my night vision to pulse as others have said. Maybe that's cuz I keep the brightness adjusted down so my kid doesn't look like Casper the ghost in night-vision. As for the green power LED on the front, well that was a mistake on somebody's part. But it is easily fixable with electrical tape. Everything else about this product works so well, that I don't see the point in dinging the product for something easily fixable with tape. OH, and I have had no interference with my wireless devices at all. I'm running 802.11g and I've had no signal loss. This is across 2 laptops, a NAS, a wireless printer, a PS3, a Wii and an XBOX 360...Everything continued to send/receive perfectly. My portable phone is 5.8 GHz, so I have no interference there either.

For the money, you can't find a better video monitor. Go in with reasonable expectations, and I think you will find this system is pretty close to perfect.

I thought the FCC was supposed to prevent things like this from happening.

I loved this thing when I got it, I could pan it around the room to see if my kid was getting into trouble or something.

But then I turned on the computer...

Pretty much kills the 802.11 network in my house, which is a total deal-breaker.

Bottom line: you cannot use this monitor and an 802.11 network.

I don't need to repeat all the great things that everyone else has already written but I wanted to add some feedback addressing some peoples "cons" or negative aspects of the product. This is both for the benefit of new purchasers looking at this option as well as those that already have the product. For those that already have the product this may highlight that perhaps you have a defective one and should exchange it.

Of all the cons the only one that I have found to be the case in my experience is the volume being in the menu instead of a quick up/down button you can press. However I didn't really find this to be a big issue as I (with my previous monitors) just turned the monitor off when i went to go deal with a crying baby...but i can see how this would be annoying for some.

I have a 3 story plus basement house and have had no issues with range on any floor. We have had no picture drop out and maintains a crystal clear picture at all times. I can see if my toddlers eyes are open or closed and much more. I have the camera place about 2 feet past the foot end of a twin size mattress (thus much further than a crib distance) and still have great clarity.

There are lights on top of and around the lens of the camera (green on top red all around) but they do not flash or blink and once they are on they are on, so this has not been a problem at all. While i agree the green light is pointless and should be eliminated, this is not a deal breaker and can be covered with tape. The red lights are necessary part of the night vision and will be found on any monitor that offers night vision.

The flashing monitor screen that someone mentioned has NEVER happened let alone repeatedly.

The lights that indicate sound do not require the volume to be up and do not change based on the volume setting on the parent monitor. I have had the sound set to off and still see the lights to indicate if there is sound.

While i find the sound to be a bit hollow sounding and not my favorite feature, I can hear perfectly well even something as subtle and small as the heavy breath she sometimes takes or the sound of rustling when she is finding a new position, so I can't expect much more on that end. The hollow sound is more annoying when my husband and daughter are talking to each other and i am trying to listen, and lets be honest that is not critical use. It is designed to let me know if something is wrong or if my child needs something and it does this perfectly fine. That it isn't concert quality while I am eavesdropping on their adorable conversation is no deal breaker.

Also i have a house full of computers using a wireless network and most often am sitting in the room with the airport while using my laptop. I have not had any interference at all with any of my other products or them with this one.

I am going to be getting a second camera soon as we are expecting a new baby so I can't attest to how easy or well it works/navigates 2 cameras. I am hoping i don't have to go into the menu to change it each time to the other view but wont know that for a little while.

I am in no way calling anyone who has had issues with this a liar, only mentioning that perhaps the company has listened to your complaints and made improvements on more recent releases or that perhaps either the product (or the customer service person) was defective. If you hear something from a customer service agent that you know to be silly or ridiculous, i recommend calling back till you get someone more knowledgeable as annoying as that may sound to do.

For reference, I bought this product at the end of September 2009 (actually at a Target).

I had no intent of keeping it actually and was just planning on auditioning several for when the new baby came. I was previously against video monitoring but have enjoyed this product immensely. Especially the pan and tilt feature as I have a toddler and i usually have it aimed at her bed but can pan to the other side of the room which is the play area when she is there and I am too tired and pregnant to get up and go into her room. I can watch and make sure she is safe from the comfort of my bed in those early morning wake ups. We actually got this the weekend that she moved out of the crib and into her big girl bed and into her new big girl room. So it has really helped us with that transition, and has been fun to watch as she plays in bed and in her play area exploring her new freedom and giving us a little peace of mind.

I highly recommend this product. I will update this review when i add a second camera.

Reading some of the reviews on sites like Amazon, you have to wonder if they are written by the manufacturer. This monitor does interfere horribly with 802.11 networks. It literally cuts throughput on the wireless network by 80+%. I can provide the result of bandwidth tests to prove this. The battery life is horrible too with the included batteries, it is a 3-4 hours at most and not near the 10 hours claimed. The pulsing LED issue where the LEDs light up to provide night vision but then fade to be flashed again every five seconds make the night vision annoying to watch. I really wanted to like this but the wireless interference and poor battery life make it hard to like.

I did what so many others do and read tons of reviews. I found that there were some conflicting info about this monitor.Hopefully this clears some things up.
First of all it DOES take more than one camera, in fact you can use up to 4. (go into the menu on the handset and you see where you can add or delete up to 4 cameras) It also says it on the box (up to 3 additional cameras...that means 4 total)You can also verify this with the manufaturer
Second of all I have absolutely NO interference. In fact I have a Playstation 3,Xbobx 360,cordless phones,cell phones,wireless router and am using my old summer infant video monitor in the room next to the one this one is in and the picture is CRYSTAL CLEAR.
As to the red lights on the front of the camera. They are not TOO much.They are not a distraction at all and definately not to bright either.
You do have to go into the menu to adjust the volume but this is very easily done.
The camera rotates and zooms as promised in fact it turns side to sideand up and down much farther than expected and does so very quietly.

All in all the "Best" video monitor is the best out there for the money and a great buy at that. I will definately be buying more cameras to expand the unit even farther.It will be nice to have 1 unit for 4 rooms.Well done Summer Infant. And this will be the monitor I recommend to any parent.

This review is for the Best View monitor displayed on this page (model 02640). Please note: There is a newer Best View Monitor (model 28030) just released in January 2011 (more about that at the end of this review).

After extensive research and consulting friends, we decided on the SI Best View monitor for our second child. We had a Graco imonitor (model 3940 [non-vibrating]) for our first child. We decided that we would like a video monitor for our second child. We have had this model for 6 months now. Overall, we have been pleased. However, like I said, we did a lot of research. A friend of ours highly recommended the Summer Infant video monitors, but warned that the screen on the handheld units WILL stop working if left on all the time. I have not seen in the monitor information from Summer Infant where the company warns about this, but you will find plenty of reviews where the screen fails/freezes. Due to this obvious problem, I think it is poor customer service for Summer Infant to not explain ways to avoid this while promoting the product. We usually keep the video portion of the monitor off unless we need to check on our child. So far, no problems. If the monitor fails us at some point in the future despite our limited use of the video portion, we will update this review. Since we do not have any experience with other video monitors, we have nothing to compare to. Therefore, the monitor performs as we expected, but the following (CONS) are items that we were either disappointed about or didn't expect:

CONS:
*You cannot control how close the camera zooms. The zoom feature is not a dynamic zoom (like on a camera or video camera). You click once to zoom in or click again to zoom back out. The camera does zoom in close, so no complaints there....just wish there was more control with this feature.

*The kickstand is horrible! It barely extends back, so it is not hard to tip the handheld unit over by accident. Sometimes the kickstand even snaps shut on its own - causing the monitor to fall. Given various reviews of failures with the handheld units, poor design of the kickstand is unacceptable as the unit falling over surely could contribute to some damage to the electronics and ultimate failure of the handheld. (This feature has been improved with the new model.)

*The volume control is located within the Menu on the screen. So, if you should want to change the volume quickly, you have to go through a few steps. (The volume control has been relocated to buttons on the body of the unit on the new model which is much nicer.)

*I'm sure that depending on one's previous experience with other monitors, the audio may sound decent. However, we found the audio quality to be less than impressive. In fact, we decided to continue using our digital Graco monitor just for the audio, and leave the volume turned OFF on the Summer Infant monitor. So, we really only use the SI monitor to frequently check on the baby. To us, it was like there was a "delay" in the audio. We live in a small house with the child's room next to ours. So, we can usually hear when the child is making noise. Listening to the monitor was like listening to sounds in a gymnasium (kind of an echo effect). This is probably because we can already hear the child. However, we NEVER experienced this "delay" with the Graco monitor. So, I think there is probably room for improvement there.

A note about interference: We have not experienced interference problems with this monitor. As I mentioned before, we keep the digital Graco imonitor in the same room with the Summer Infant. We have an old analog Fisher Price Sounds 'N Lights monitor (model 71638) we bought at a yard sale for our 3 year old's room. We also have Wi-Fi (Ativa router). I'm not sure if we just got lucky with regard to the interference issues that some reviewers have reported, but it just hasn't been a problem for us with THIS model. (However, see info below concerning the newer model.) We HAVE noticed that our internet has been extremely slow for awhile, but we assumed that maybe it's time to update the firmware for our router. However, one reviewer claims that the monitor actually has affected his internet performance (possible interference from monitor). I suppose that could be our problem too, though we haven't looked into it.

*SUMMER INFANT BEST VIEW MONITOR (MODEL 28030) - RELEASED JANUARY 2011*
If you read the press release about the new Best View monitor on Summer Infant's website, you'd think that between the two models the newer one is the way to go. Also, you would assume that if they are releasing a "new and improved" model of the Best View monitor (which was already digital to begin with), they must have listened to their customers and made some significant changes. At the time of this review, we could not find where Amazon was selling this model. However it will no doubt end up being sold here, and since the name is the same on both models, we can see where some people may become confused (or may not even realize) the difference in the two models. We were able to purchase it locally at Target (did not see it on their website yet)......and we will be returning it!

PROS:
*Improved kickstand! One of our biggest complaints about the 02640 model has been corrected. The kickstand has a much greater range which allows it to be propped up at a variety of angles.

*Slimmer/more compact handheld unit - about the size of a Blackberry phone. The appearance and size of the 02640 model was not a problem or deal killer for us, but we did like the appearance and size of the new model.

*Volume control is located on the unit with buttons. No more accessing the volume through the Menu on the screen (which never made sense to us before).

*Ability to connect the handheld unit to a tv or monitor and watch the child. We're not sure that we'd ever use this feature and it's not one that we had ever considered needing, but it's kind of cool that the option is there.

CONS:
*The reason we will be returning this monitor is INTERFERENCE! I don't understand how supposedly the "improved" version of the same monitor would have interference. We use a white noise CD in our child's room. We never had an interference problem with the 02640 model while playing the CD. However, the screen on the 28030 model instantly fills with "snow" once the CD is turned on. We thought that maybe it was just us, but my mother also upgraded to the 28030 model from the 02640 model and had the same problem. No interference before, and now "snow" when she turns on a space heater in the room. Sadly, it does not make sense to keep the newer model if the image is not as clear as it was on the older model. (Isn't that the reason you have a video monitor? To SEE what's going on?) This is a big disappointment as we liked that Summer Infant HAD improved some of the issues we had with the older model, and wanted to keep the newer version.

*The lights on the handheld unit that indicate the sound level seem extra sensitive. With the 02640 model, the lights would only end up in the red zone when the child was crying/upset (even with the white noise CD playing). However, with the 28030 model, the lights remain flickering in the red zone if the white noise CD is playing (which is anytime the child is supposed to be sleeping). We don't use the lights as an indicator about the noise level in the room as we use our Graco imonitor for the audio, but the red lights are sometimes an unnecessary distraction at night when we're trying to sleep.

SUMMARY
We would give this monitor 3.5 stars if it was an option. The Summer Infant Best View monitor has been a good (not great) video monitor for us....so far. There are too many design issues that we would like to see improved or we would rate it higher. Despite the SMALL improvements to the Best View monitor with the new 28030 model, interference that produces static on the screen is a big enough problem that we will stick with the 02640 model.

A major complaint that we have about the Summer Infant video monitors in general is the inability to replace the handheld unit without purchasing a camera too. We believe that this is the case with any of the Summer Infant monitors. Given that more people seem to have failures with the handheld units than with the cameras (which you CAN purchase separately), it seems that Summer Infant is taking advantage of their customers with the component that (Summer Infant must know) has the greatest potential to break.

Another complaint we have specific to this monitor is that the Best View cameras are not interchangeable with the Best View handsets. We don't know if Summer Infant makes this clear anywhere, but we called Summer Infant to confirm whether a 28030 Best View camera could be added to a 02640 Best View handheld unit since they are both Best View monitors. The answer was NO. We hope this means that Summer Infant intends to continue manufacturing the 02640 model as some people might find themselves looking on Ebay or buying used in the future if they should decide to expand their system to more rooms (need more cameras). This is one reason we are a little nervous to keep and expand our 02640 model in case Summer Infant decides to discontinue it and only offer ONE Best View monitor (the new 28030). It doesn't make sense to us why they would keep making it. Why manufacture two monitors with the same name? It's probably just a matter of time.

We hope this review has proved useful in your search.