Customer Reviews

900mhz Attachable Monitor

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I needed to replace my 3+ year old First Years Crisp & Clear, which worked great for a long time, but was sporadically failing after so much use (and abuse!). However, it appears that Crisp & Clear has been replaced by this one. (I couldn't find the Crisp & Clear at the store or on Amazon, even though Consumer Reports just rated it tops in January 2004!)

I assumed that the technology 3 years later would be better. Wow, was I wrong! This unit has a constant low buzz, and the sounds it picks up are muffled and certainly not nearly as "crisp" or "clear" as the old model, where I could hear every breath of my child.

Moreover, it has a rechargeable battery, but only for the child unit! While this might be helpful if you use the feature of attaching the child unit to the crib (which I don't need), I was extremely disappointed to find out that the parent unit does NOT have rechargeable batteries! This is the unit that is carried around (and outside) the house and is rarely plugged in. On the old Crisp and Clear model, the parent unit had rechargeable batteries, which was essential. I am returning this unit to the store where I bought it and have purchased the more expensive Clear & Near model from Amazon.com, hoping it will be as good as or superior to the old Crisp & Clear. The Clear & Near is advertised as having high quality sound and long range, as well as a rechargeable battery on the parent unit. Hopefully, it will do the trick!

This monitor was terrible. Even with the volume turned all the way up we couldn't hear our baby- Sometimes he would cry and we would hear him from the other room but the monitor wasn't registering it. We exchanged it for a Fisher Price Aquarium Monitor- also terrible, a real waste of money. We now have the Fisher Price 900 mhz and it is THE BEST monitor! We have a 14 mo. old daughter and a 3 mo. old son- we love this monitor so much that we bought it for both kids. It is so sensitive we can even hear the babies breathing- the reception is crystal clear. Don't waste your money on this one- buy the Fisher Price 900 mhz.

We got one of these when our son was a newborn in part to avoid interference with some 2.4 GHz devices around the house. It worked reasonably well until just out of warranty, when the parent unit broke (the switch, apparently). We couldn't return it, and couldn't repair it. Stuck with a child unit, and figuring it was just one of those things, we decided to buy a replacement pair, and just have an extra child unit we could swap in and out as a replacement. Gosh, what do you know, the new child unit broke down, and we had only one parent and child unit, and then the second child unit broke down.

We didn't drop, wet, or otherwise abuse any of these units, and followed the recharge and usage instructions to a T.

Whatever the reason for the breakages, and however much the features may appeal, I don't think 12 months of combined use for two units is what you would call reliable. In fact, I call it awful. Avoid at all costs.

Good monitor, good range, but the parent's unit should have a rechargeable battery that both recharges and works from the a/c while plugged in. BAtteries need to be replaced every 5 days on our unit.

I have had my monitor for 8 months now and I love it!! I have had no probelms with it what-so-ever! The best feature is the portable baby unit that attaches to her crib. I don't know what you'd do without that! So conveinent! I keep it on the charger durring the day, and attach it to her crib at night. It lasts all night, and the few times I've forgotten to turn it off and put it back in the morning, it's still working off the charger that next night! I do wish the parent unit was like this too, however, I haven't found it necessary...only for my own forgetful conveinence!

I leave the parent unit plugged in by my bedside, but the few times I've used the battery and walked with it clipped to me, it was very easy, well heard, never cut in and out, and lasted a long time.

I like the light gaging system too. As she is getting older, she has fussed more in her sleep without it being a true wake. Therefore, I can turn the monitor down low enough that the sleeping noises she makes do not keep me up all night, but if she truly wakes, I can hear it and look up to see I'm not dreaming! (which I have done quite a few times!) It's also nice if you are entertaining and purhaps, watching a movie. Being able to monitor the baby with the lights, without the interuptions of a noisy monitor is very nice. However, if you want to turn it up and hear every breath, it is very sensitive, and works this way attached to the crib rail no problem!

I am very happy with this monitor and only hope it lasts for all the children I plan to have. I reccomend it to all my friends!

I'm pleased with this monitor. I've had it for about 3 months and I haven't had any problems so far.

Originally I had registered for a different monitor, but I had to make a change when I looked into the frequency of my wireless internet. For those of you with wireless internet, apparently the 2.4 Ghz monitors can cause interference. On the other hand though, I have had some interference with this monitor picking up some phone conversations in the neighborhood. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I just change to the other channel and the problem goes away.

The nice thing about the child unit is that it attaches to the crib-you just lock it onto the top bar and then unlock it when you need to take it off to recharge. I find that I have no problem with the unit lasting through night (10-12 hours), but that I do need to recharge it during the day.

The parent unit can easily clip onto your pants, or you can put it in your back or shirt pocket. Kind of a nice feature when you're running around the house and you don't have time to put it down!

The lights are nice too, although I like to have the volume on anyways so that I can monitor him better. Nonetheless, it's a nice feature.

Nice features, works well, and goes for a reasonable price. I think this monitor is a pretty good bet!

I bought this monitor because our first monitor, which was over 2 years old

started to give us problems. I figured with another baby on the way I'd get lots

of use out of it. The main reason I decided to go with this one was because of it's rechargeable monitor. I like to have the peace of mind that if the power goes out in a storm, I'll still be able to monitor my children. It just doesn't make sense that these companies are building monitors with receiver battery

back-up, but no monitor battery back-up. Anyway, I followed the directions

and fully charged the base. In the 2 weeks I owned the monitor, it never left the charging base. The only time we use the monitor is at night. Then, 2 nights in a row our receiver started beeping REALLY loudly. The instruction manual says the beeping indicates monitor low battery or out of range. Neither of which was the case. After being awakened for the second nite in a row, I decided to return it. Believe what the others have said about this product. I thought, "If I never take it off the base, I shouldn't have the problems they're having with the monitor not keeping a charge, etc.."

WRONG. It also had a loud hum that was audible even on the lowest volume setting, which irritates me because I am a light sleeper.

This review was originally posted in mid 2005.
I have owned this monitor for over a year now and I'm still amazed. The number one priority is the clarity and then range. Thus unit EXCELS in both. Ironically, I use it for a dog monitor so when I go into a restaurant and leave the dogs in the van, I can hear if they start barking for any reason. I've also used it when we have to leave the dogs in the parking lot due to hotels that do not accept dogs. While making sure I can see the van from our hotel window, I don't park near other cars (so people or dogs are not unnecessarily startled) and sometimes end up parking over 70 yards away and still have GREAT reception. I could hear them panting in the rear of the van as well as any crickets nearby while the transmitter sits on the front dash. At a rest area, we had to park on one side of the freeway and use a walkway over 4 lanes of traffic, the median and shoulders to get to the shops and restaurants. I used the monitor from the restaurant and could still clearly hear the dogs. I also use it at our swimming pool as the attachable transmitter can clamp to the fence. When someone comes in to get more water, snacks, etc. you can still hear the kids splashing and playing with amazing clarity. Someone at poolside can easily "request" something from across the pool and it's crystal clear even when you take the receiver to the far end of the basement.

The out of range warning beep on the receiver is great to let you know if 1) you are out of range; 2) if the transmitter needs to be charged; 3) you are monitoring the wrong frequency or 4) the transmitter is turned off. Great feature.

The Receiver uses 3 AAA batteries and comes with the A/C adapter and the transmitter has a built-in rechargeable battery that easily charges by placing it the included charging base. The base has a two color light to tell you the status of the charging cycle. I have never exhausted the charge, even overnight.

Overall, this unit is built very well and is well designed. The volume control is recessed on the receiver so you don't accidentally change it. The transmitters clamp is strong, opens wide and is solid.

If I had known about the "Two Receiver Go Anywhere Monitor" version, I would've bought that so you could monitor your baby while in the shower.

In conclusion, the only change I would make to this great system is to have an indicator on the receiver that confirms that the (included) A/C adapter is plugged in and has taken over the power of the batteries. Useful when you have a loose socket or if the adapter gets smoked by a power surge like our house just experienced.

Definitely recommended!

UPDATE: May 6, 2007
I've traveled all over with this thing and even with its scuffs and scrapes from the additional years, this unit still performs! It's been mildly abused by us using it out in the cold winter near out hot tub and then bringing the receiver inside so it gets soaked with condensation but it still keeps on ticking.
I also am currently using it with our 16 month old baby and it still works well enough that you can hear her breath.

Update: It is now May 29, 2009 and the monitor is still going strong. Surprisingly still on the same rechargeable battery that the transmitter came with in July 2004! I think it may be getting weak as I'm finally receiving a little static, as if nearing the fringe of reception range, from the same distances that I used to get clear reception from. After 5 years of faithful service, this monitor doesn't owe me a thing! I'm surprised to see the negative reviews however. Some of the complaints from apartment dwellers are most likely from interference from the somewhat busy 900 MHz frequency. There are plenty of devices using this frequency and that may cause static or poor range. In this case the best solution is to use a monitor with digital spread spectrum (DSS). I have a Graco iMonitor - Model 2791DIG that has DSS but I would only rate it a 3 of 5 stars. It's definitely secure (no eavesdroppers) and the range is similar to the 900 MHz old faithful. Nowhere near the 2000' claimed by Graco however. I would think the DSS would help to reduce the interference almost entirely. Getting back to the 900 MHz detachable monitor, after 5 years of continuous use, this baby is still going strong and I'm glad to see it's still available as when mine dies, I will most likely replace it with the same model.

We got this monitor as a baby shower gift. It worked for about a week and then it stopped. The only thing that works is the lights, but there is no sound. I wouldn't recommend this product to any parent. This kind of failure in a product of this type is inexcusable.

I purchased this monitor as a replacement to a Graco 900MHz monitor I purchased at Target. I replaced the Graco monitor because while it had very clear reception, it was very loud, even when the volume level was set on 1. You could not set it to where you would only see the light display. When my baby cried out in the night with the volume set on on 1, it jarred both myself and my husband awake. So I returned it the next day.

I really like the features of this monitor. Not only is the volume reasonable, you can also turn it down to where you only see the light display and don't hear the sounds. It has very good, sensitive reception (but not overly sensitive). I love that the on/off button is separate from the volume control--when I go to feed or check on baby in the night I can turn the parent unit off, and when I come back to bed can turn it back on without having to set the volume again (thus not disturbing hubby in the process). The reason I only gave it 4 stars out of 5 is that I wish First Years had given the parent unit rechargable batteries like they did for the child unit. I fixed that issue by purchasing rechargable batteries with a one-hour recharge rate (also at Target). Other than that I have been very pleased! The baby I am using this with is one of two "second time around" children (we just adopted). I have two older children, aged 9 and 11, and boy, have monitors improved since the first time around!!