Smart Baby Monitor Buying Guide

  • By: techsmart
  • Date: April 2, 2021
  • Time to read: 7 min.

Looking for the best smart baby monitor? Read this first!

Nowadays, you don’t have to choose from purely feature-less, walkie-talkie baby monitors. Instead, many new-fangled smart baby monitors come with everything from humidity monitoring to sleep tracking to movement detection.

But how do you know which one is the best? Read on to find out!

What to Consider When Purchasing a Baby Monitor

Everyone has different priorities when it comes to baby monitors. However, it’s important to consider all of the following factors before you decide which model is right for you:

  • The location — In other words, where are you going to put your device. If you don’t have high furniture, you’ll need to go with one that has a wall mount.
  • The temperature — Do you want your monitor to alert you when the temperature of your baby’s room is too cold or hot?
  • The range — If you have multiple floors in your home, you’ll need a high-quality monitor with a decent range.
  • The movement — Do you want a monitor that notifies you when your baby is awake, or they haven’t moved for a prolonged period?
  • The audio — If you want to speak to your child through the monitor, you need two-way audio.
  • The lights and/or music — Some monitors come with ambient lighting or lullabies/white noise that helps your baby fall asleep.

The Top 7 Smart Baby Monitors

#1 Owlet Duo Smart Baby Monitor

The Owlet Due Smart Baby Monitor is one of the most popular models available. It comes with everything you need to keep track of the health and wellbeing of your precious bundle.

The app allows you to see real-time readings of your little one’s heart rate, breathing, and oxygen levels. The central hub and your smartphone will notify you if the levels leave safe zones, allowing you to take proper care of your child.

Furthermore, you will gain access to complete sleep trends thanks to the sensor-filled sock. The number of wakings, the hours slept, and the quality of your baby’s sleep will all be measured and recorded.

The battery life is rather impressive, too (16 hours). Not to mention that the Quick Charge capability means you’ll receive a full charge in roughly 90 minutes!

The Pros

  • It comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee.
  • The setup process and installation are easy.
  • It has a camera and a sock that allows you to monitor the room’s conditions and your baby’s vitals.
  • Your smartphone acts as the monitor, so you don’t need to carry another device around your house.

The Cons

  • It’s rather expensive but you do get what you pay for.
  • You won’t be able to access customer service at night.

#2 Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor

Even though the Owlet Duo is one of the most popular smart baby monitors on the market, this one is Amazon’s bestseller — and for good reasons.

The zoom, pan, and tilt features can be accessed remotely, allowing you a fantastic view of your little one whenever you need it. Not to mention that it comes with various lenses so that you can customize the zoom to your liking.

Moreover, you can buy up to 4 cameras to connect to one hub. This way, you can keep an eye on one room from all angles or keep an eye on your other children too.

The Pros

  • You can switch out the lenses to allow for exceptional zooming.
  • You can connect a maximum of 4 cameras to give you a 360-view of your baby’s room.
  • You can switch it to “audio-only” at any time.
  • All the inputs are responsive.

The Cons

  • As far as smart baby monitors go, this one has a considerable lack of features.
  • At times, we noticed a lag in the connectivity resulting in glitchy video.

#3 Safety 1st HD WiFi Baby Monitor

This baby monitor comes with a 720p resolution camera that ensures less WiFi and power usage to ensure you receive lag-free video.

It comes with a wide-angle lens (130 degrees, to be exact). You won’t have to keep panning/tilting to see the whole room. It’ll be conveniently displayed at all times.

Moreover, the device picks up both movement and noise so you won’t be disturbed by the constant hum that less advanced baby monitors produce. The only time you’ll be alerted is when sound or motion is found.

The Pros

  • It comes with a standalone, portable audio hub.
  • You receive free cloud storage with your purchase.
  • It has both motion and sound detection capabilities.
  • You can purchase and connect an unlimited number of cameras.

The Cons

  • Even though it is a smart baby monitor, it does not come with humidity or temperature sensors.
  • The recordings don’t upload consistently to the cloud.

#4 Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor

The Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor is exceptional. It looks modern and sleek while providing faultless video and audio regardless of the time of day/night.

Whenever the sound or movement changes in your baby’s room, you will get real-time updates sent straight to your smartphone. But don’t worry, you can turn the sensitivity down if you don’t want to be constantly bombarded with notifications.

Alongside all of this, the device consistently checks the room’s temperature and humidity. Plus, it has built-in nature soundtracks or white noise that you can use to help your little one fall asleep.

The most standout feature, however, is the sleep tracker. Every morning, you will receive your baby’s sleep statistics along with a time-lapse video.

The Pros

  • It integrates seamlessly with Amazon Alexa.
  • It will track your baby’s sleep so you don’t have to worry.
  • You can bundle the baby monitor with a breathing band to keep better track of your child’s overall health.
  • It monitors temperature and humidity.
  • You can turn its built-in white noise or nature sounds on and off to help your baby sleep.

The Cons

  • It is pricier than other models.
  • After the first year, you will have to pay a subscription fee to access your baby’s sleep data and time-lapse video.
  • You can’t view the data via a web browser. Only the app can be used.

#5 Miku Smart Baby Monitor

For those of you who are looking for a baby monitor that does absolutely everything, you can’t really go wrong with the Miku model. It’s one of the best advanced devices on the market.

While it is expensive, you truly do get what you pay for here.

The high-tech camera will connect to the dedicated smartphone app where you’ll be able to track your baby’s sound, breathing, motion, room humidity, and room temperature.

Additionally, the app will alert you — even if your phone is locked — when your baby’s stats change or the room’s condition changes.

The data that it collects is stored in the app via interactive graphs and even video clips.

The Pros

  • The video quality is exceptional.
  • You will receive both motion and sound alerts.
  • It monitors your baby’s sleep and breathing patterns.
  • You won’t need to attach any wearables to your baby for it to work.
  • There are no subscription fees included.

The Cons

  • It doesn’t include any voice support like Google Assistant or Alexa.

#6 Lumi by Pampers Smart Baby Monitor and Sleep Kit

Lumi, a company endorsed by Pampers, has created a smart baby monitor and system that work to create a sleep-filled environment for the whole family. Granted, not everyone will want/need all of these extra features. But for those who do, you’ll be missing out if you don’t try this!

The camera has a whopping resolution (1080p) so you can expect crystal-clear video, as well as a disruption-free view thanks to the 180-degree wide-angle lens.

The sleep sensor that comes with the monitor is designed to be placed inside the dedicated Lumi by Pampers diapers. This will then track your little one’s pee, poop, and sleep. (As we mentioned, this is not for everyone)

The Pros

  • It comes with a feature-heavy app.
  • The app includes a sleep coach to guide you through those early baby stages.
  • It monitors the temperature and humidity levels of your baby’s room.
  • You will receive developmental advice from the app every week. All of the advice is backed by science and research results.

The Cons

  • To use the sensor, you will have to purchase special diapers since it’s made in collaboration with Pampers.

#7 Eufy Spaceview Baby Video Monitor

This one has the fewest features of the lot. However, it is the most budget-friendly option.

The camera quality is good (720p) and it has a staggering 460-foot range. The best part? You don’t need to have WiFi for it to work!

Moreover, you receive 5 built-in lullabies to help keep your baby asleep.

The Pros

  • It is fabulous value for money.
  • The camera quality is decent.
  • You get various views of your baby and their nursery.
  • It doesn’t need a WiFi connection to function.

The Cons

  • It doesn’t have motion detection.
  • The kickstand as isn’t durable as we’d like to see.

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