| 
OVERVIEW
Baby or nursery monitors are basically specialized walkie-talkies that
allow you to hear (and sometimes see) the goings on in your baby's nursery
from afar. Monitors are not only great for hearing baby down the hall before
he wakens the rest of the house in the middle of the night, but they also
provide for a large tract of freedom during daytime naps. Modern
monitors are not only sensitive enough to broadcast baby's every rustle, but
they also beam those noises up to 850 feet.
There are audio monitors that broadcast sound only and video monitors
that use a small camera to transmit picture and sound. Video monitors start
at about $100 (compared to audio monitors starting around $35), but many
nervous new moms find the investment well worth the peace of mind it
gives them. Some video monitors even utilize infrared technology that allows
you to see the nursery even in the dark.
Audio monitors broadcast sound using a set radio frequency, usually
either 49MHz, 900MHz or the longer range 2.4GHz. While most have multiple
channels to minimize interference, a monitor's performance will depend largely
on the set-up of your own particular house. Be warned that if you have a
wireless device operating at the same frequency, you will get severe static
(many cordless phones are 900MHz or 2.4GHz), and if your neighbor has a
similar monitor, you might hear more than you bargained for.
Audio monitors include a range of features like extra parent receivers,
intercom ability, sound-and-light displays, out-of-range warnings and
our favorite, rechargeable batteries.
FEATURES TO CONSIDER
- Audio or Video
- Price
- Frequency
- Number of parent receivers
- Intercom
- Rechargeable batteries
| |  RSS |
