Since 2016, we've looked at and tested the video, audio, connection, ease of use and battery life on 13 video baby monitors. When we finished our tests, we concluded that the Infant Optics DXR-8 is the overall best video baby monitor because it was the top performer is each of our tests. The DXR-8 has outstanding video and audio quality that no other baby camera matches, and it is also the easiest to use. It’s more expensive than most other models, but the quality you get is well worth it.
Infant Optics DXR-8
Summer Infant Wide View 2.0
Philips Avent Smart baby monitor SCD860
Product
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Price
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Overall Rating
|
9
|
8.5
|
7.6
|
7.6
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7.4
|
7.2
|
7.2
|
7.1
|
Video & Audio
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9.5
|
8.8
|
8.5
|
6.8
|
7.6
|
7
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7.1
|
6.6
|
Functionality
|
9.5
|
7.1
|
6.4
|
8.8
|
6.5
|
8.2
|
6.6
|
6.9
|
Extras
|
5.3
|
10
|
5
|
6.3
|
7.9
|
3.5
|
7.2
|
8.9
|
Help & Support
|
9
|
10
|
9.5
|
9.5
|
9
|
9.3
|
9.3
|
9
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Nightlight
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N/A
|
N/A
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N/A
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N/A
|
N/A
|
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Vibration
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N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|||
Lullabies
|
0
|
10
|
3
|
3
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
Wall Mount
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N/A
|
|||||||
Thermometer
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
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Ease of Use
|
90%
|
60%
|
70%
|
80%
|
50%
|
80%
|
70%
|
40%
|
Battery Life (hours)
|
10:00
|
Mobile App
|
6:00
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10:00
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6:35
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9:20
|
9:10
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9:00
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Max Outdoor Range (feet)
|
700
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Wi-Fi
|
750
|
750
|
1,000
|
800
|
1,000
|
1,000
|
Max Indoor Range (feet)
|
120
|
Wi-Fi
|
149
|
158
|
150
|
124
|
190
|
100
|
Connection Quality
|
90%
|
60%
|
50%
|
80%
|
70%
|
70%
|
40%
|
80%
|
Video Quality
|
100%
|
90%
|
80%
|
60%
|
70%
|
60%
|
70%
|
60%
|
Remote Pan, Tilt & Zoom
|
Zoom Only
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Zoom Only
|
||||||
Snapshot
|
N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
|
N/A
|
|||
Maximum Cameras Allowed
|
4
|
10
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
4
|
Video Recording
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
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Audio Quality
|
90%
|
80%
|
80%
|
75%
|
80%
|
80%
|
70%
|
60%
|
Warranty
|
1 Year
|
2 Years
|
1 Year
|
1 Year
|
1 Year
|
1 Year
|
1 Year
|
1 Year
|
Support Channels
|
Phone, Email
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Social, Phone, Email, Chat
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Social, Phone, Email, Chat
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Social, Phone, Email, Chat
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Social, Email
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Social, Phone, Email
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Social, Phone, Email
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Social, Email
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Infant Optics DXR-8
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Best video quality
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Best audio quality
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Longest battery life
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No nightlight
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1-year warranty
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Doesn't record video
Summer Infant Wide View 2.0
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Good audio quality
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Easy to use and set up
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Excellent battery life
-
Okay video quality
-
1-year warranty
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Limited indoor range
Philips Avent Smart baby monitor SCD860
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2-year warranty
-
Good video quality
-
Good audio quality
-
Difficult to set up
-
Doesn't record video
-
Expensive
Why Trust Us?
In two rounds of testing, we assessed 13 video baby monitors to evaluate their video quality, audio quality, connection quality, ease of use and battery life.
Video baby monitors are simple, inexpensive tools for watching your child, and HD video is not a necessity for this task. While some baby monitors have excellent video, even those with lower quality video are suitable for watching your infant. Screen resolution does not necessarily mean good image quality, so we didn't use it as a point of comparison, relying only on video performance as observed in our tests.
How We Tested
The speakers and microphones on baby monitors are unremarkable since they're not used for complex audio like music. Most of the monitors we tested had slight lag and sounded like a phone call, though some had more lag as well as distortions such as static, crackles and pops.
To test connectivity, we put the handheld unit and the camera in neighboring rooms with 30 feet between them. We looked for lag, choppiness, and changes in the video or sound quality. While we rated it separately, we also did tests to estimate each baby cam’s maximum indoor range. Each camera we tested has a range of 100 feet or more, which is enough for an average-size home.
While not as objective as our other testing categories, we examined each model’s setup process and whether it was easy to navigate the menu, change settings and use the smartphone app, if applicable. Most baby monitors were easy enough to use, but we had some trouble during setup on a few models, especially the Wi-Fi ones.
In our battery tests, we put each baby camera in sleep mode with video off and the audio on. We set off the unit every two hours to represent a baby waking up during the night. The average battery life was eight hours.
Extra Features You Might Want to Consider
Some extra features aren't very important, but they can make your life easier.
Soothing Your Baby
More than half of the units we tested have a thermometer that lets you check the temperature in your baby's room at a glance. Some monitors include nightlights to help comfort your baby. You can also play a handful of recorded lullabies on many of the monitors we tested.
Getting Extra Cameras
With some monitors, you can add more cameras and view them using the handheld screen or mobile app. The number of cameras you need depends on why you want them, since one camera, when placed correctly, is sufficient for watching your baby as they sleep.
Recording Videos & Images
Many video baby monitors let you take pictures or record videos of your baby and save them to a storage device. However, security cameras, which have HD video quality and recording options, are a better for saving these precious moments.
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