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Philips Avent Digital Video Baby Monitor with Night Vision




Once again, I am impressed with technology.  I am not impressed with the price, $219.00 but I am impressed with how well it works.  This little setup allows excellent baby monitoring.  You can set it for sound activation.  So if the little one starts to cry, the camera will turn on and you can see his brother poking him with a stick. (I know demented humor has no place in professional reviews, however I’m writing the review and I can use humor where I please.)  The sound activation aspect turns on the camera and you can see into the area where the monitor is pointed, even in the dark.  If there is no more sound the parent screen will darken in 20 seconds when using the sound activation feature.

The screen is very small on the parent unit.  The unit itself is roughly the size of a 10 year old cell phone and so is the screen.  It is very clear though.  There is a lullaby feature which can play three different tunes each about 15 minutes in length.  A continuous loop feature is also useable.  

This is a single purpose unit.  Set up a camera and watch it on your hand held parent unit.  There is no ability to use your cell phone or tablet to monitor the screen.   Recently on Good Morning America there was a segment on how wireless cameras can be picked up by other units than your own.  This can occur with 2.4ghz cameras as well as Wifi.   There was nothing mentioned in the documentation about restricted or encrypt signals so the signal may be available for other units. 

Speaking of documentation, the quick start guide is all pictographs.  I realize this saves cost in translating instructions into various languages but it is too simplistic.  There should have been an instruction sheet as well.  The accompanying CD has the PDF of the instructions and they are fine.   It is entirely possible that a buyer may only have a smart phone or tablet and have no way of accessing a CD. 

If this unit was $99.00 I think it would be a good deal.  Although considering the concerns about privacy I would not want to be using this in a condo or apartment complex.  I reviewed a Motorola Blink camera a few months ago and at $250.00 it did have encryption features based on your Wifi and it had software that could be on your phone or tablet.  That is comparing apples and oranges though.  I personally think it would be worth spending the extra $30.00 for the flexibility of a pan/tilt/zoom unit that is more secure and uses the cell phone we all carry anyway.  Even with that in mind, this is a well behaved, simple unit that is just over priced.  

From the manufacturer:
Philips Digital Video Baby Monitor
The essential connection to your baby
See and hear your baby from anywhere in your home. The SCD603 baby monitor enables you to maintain a secure connection with your baby at all times. In addition to perfect sound quality, you can also see your baby. And, with a range up to 150 meters, this monitor is fully portable and easy to use.
Key Features
Day and Night Video Monitoring
  • 100% Private Connection
  • Hear your baby with clear sound
  • High resolution 2.4" color screen
  • Infra-red night vision automatically switches on in the dark
  • Self-activating screen and volume switches on when your baby starts crying
  • Indoor range up to 30 meters, outdoor range up to 150 meters
Soothes Your Baby
  • Soft nightlight to calm your little one
  • Remotely select your lullabies
Easy to Use
  • Rechargeable parent unit
  • Wall mountable baby unit
  • LED lights show when your unit is linked and in range
  • Backup battery function in case of power failure

If reviewing a product, it may have been received free of charge. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Comments

Jonah said…
This would be such a great gift for new parents. I always keep my babies in my room so I can see them.

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