Summer Infant Best View Handheld Color Video Monitor with 2.5" Screen
From Summer Infant, Inc.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #183 in Baby Product
- Color: White
- Brand: Summer Infant
- Model: 02640
- Released on: 2009-01-15
- Dimensions: 7.25" h x 3.25" w x 3.00" l, 5.00 pounds
For parents looking for the best in handheld color video monitors, Summer Infant's 'Best View' Handheld Color Video Monitor is it. It's not only 100% digital, providing a clear and secure transmission, but it looks and works great and has a 2.5" color display screen with remote pan, scan and zoom camera options to get the best view of baby. Digital technology provides a secure and private connection up to a 350' range. The small, lightweight receiver has a 2.5'' color LCD screen with black and white night vision and LED sound light to see and hear baby's every sound. One touch video on/off for night time convenience and belt clip & flip stand. 900MHz.
One of the better video monitors, but there's room for improvement
Video monitors might seem gimmicky, or for obsessive parents, but they are much more useful than you might think (see more thoughts in the last section of this review).
And the Summer Infant BestView is one of the top choices (the other one as of now being the more expensive Safety 1st High-Def Digital Video Monitor). Summer Infant has done a lot of things right - they got the basics of audio and video working, and added useful features like pan and zoom. And they haven't added too many useless features (like music or nightlights).
There are a few things, as mentioned in other reviews and below, that leave you wondering what they were thinking. But all of the monitors we've owned - three video monitors and two audio monitors - have had a few strange twists like that. And oddly our first video monitor, the seemingly stone age analog Summer Infant Video Monitor with a video tube, still has the best audio and video quality of all of them (when there's no static). But it's far from portable.
With any monitor, the video and audio quality are by far the most important features, and on the the Summer Infant Best View Monitor those work well. The pan and zoom also work well, and are useful features:
GOOD VIDEO: The video quality is good when using night vision, considering the limitations of night vision; and very good in normal light, with good color. There is little or no time delay, and relatively few skips in the movement.
The good normal-light video quality, together with the pan and zoom feature, would make this a very good playtime monitor for a toddler's room. (But I'm betting most people instead buy this as a baby monitor, and mostly use night vision / black & white.)
By the way, all night vision monitors will be black and white - they only switch to color when a room is well lit. That surprises some people.
BIG SCREEN: The 2.5" screen on the is bigger than most if not all of the competition. That, together with the batteries, makes the monitor a little bigger than some (2-5/8" wide x 1-3/4" deep by 4-3/4" tall plus a 1-1/2" antenna, for 6-1/4" total), but it's not really a problem as it only needs to be portable, not pocketable.
GOOD AUDIO: The audio quality is good, and doesn't seem to be subject to a time delay (like some monitors). You can hear a baby breathing if you want to. There is a wide range of audio settings from loud to quiet to off, so it works in a noisy kitchen or when the shower is running, on one hand, or in the bedroom at night, on the other hand. It's a little unfortunate that the audio doesn't sound a little more natural and accurate, so you could get every nuance. But at least the audio doesn't seem like an afterthought, like it does on some monitors.
NO STATIC: There is no static or interference on the audio or video, at least for us. While that may seem amazing if you're new to digital monitors, it's an old technology - phones have had this for years.
USEFUL PAN: The camera has a motorized mount, and you can turn it through a wide range of motion to see the area you want to see. There's a joystick on the monitor used to control it, and it works fairly well. It's not silent when it moves, but not very loud.
USABLE ZOOM: There are just two zoom levels (not continuous, as with the pan). It works well enough, and is a nice feature.
PRIVATE: The digital technology used for transmitting not only avoids static, but is also private.
DECENT RANGE: We don't need much range, so have never had any issues. But it's a real shame the product info talks about 350' range, that's going to mislead people, as an insert in the box makes it clear that's not realistic. It says you should expect that "Optimal distance for normal in home use is 15-60 feet."
One tip, you normally want to point the antenna so it's perpendicular to where the monitor is. So if you're using the monitor on the same floor, point the antenna vertically; if you're using the monitor on a floor above or below, point the antenna horizontally.
OTHER FEATURES: There's a button on the top you can use to turn the video on and off, either to conserve batteries or just to not have the distraction.
The power adapters work on US or international voltages, which can come in handy.
BATTERIES: I was a disappointed to find this uses NiMH batteries, rather than the smaller, more powerful (and more expensive) LiOn type. On balance, though, it's probably fine for most people. It probably helps keep the cost down, and even though it's bulkier the monitor doesn't really need to be as portable as a cell phone would.
And, since this uses three standard AA rechargeable batteries, you can easily replace them - rather than this needing expensive or hard to find battery replacements. It's weak that they only supply batteries with a capacity of 2000 mah, as 2650 mah batteries are widely available. But you can easily install your own replacements.
I can't comment yet on how long the batteries last, I'll have to do more tests and check back on that.
INTERFERENCE: There's no question that this can interfere with wireless networks or other devices that use 2.4 GHZ. Summer Infant has better customer support than most other consumer electronics companies, but they strangely don't seem to have spent any time trying to figure out how to help people with this issue. ("Buy a different router" was the advice I got. Right. The product insert also suggests you just stop using other 2.4 Ghz products, that's somewhere between laughable and insulting.)
If you're experiencing problems, try moving the monitor or the other devices so they aren't too close to one another. Try changing the router settings to use another channel, maybe Channel 1.
OTHER ISSUES: The volume is a little inconvenient to use, you have to go into the menu and use the joystick. Given that's the control we use the most, it seems odd.
While the camera pans over a wide range, the design keeps it from aiming downward very far. So one of the most common locations for a video monitor - on a shelf or dresser, a few feet above a crib or out of a toddler's reach - doesn't work unless you tilt the whole camera forward. Not that hard to do, but not what I'd expect.
The menu seems to be modeled after a video pong game my mom got for free for opening an account at the savings & loan in the early 1970s.
As mentioned in other reviews, the (sort of) flashing lights on the camera and (sort of) flashing video are kind of annoying. Even in a bright room, the bright flash keeps catching my eye making me think the baby moved, then I realize it was just the monitor and not the baby. It's hard to figure how why they did that.
Someone there does deserve a whack in the head for letting this product out the door with a big bright LED on the camera.
VIDEO MONITORS - MUCH MORE THAN A GIMMICK
When I got our first video monitor, I wondered if it would be useful, or just a gimmick, or one more way to worry about the baby! We've found it very useful. There are just some things that an audio monitor can't tell you. And being able to check on your child without the disturbance of going into her room can save a lot of trouble, especially in the transition times in the evening and in the morning, when little disturbances can lead to bigger ones.
The video was especially useful when our child was a little older and moving around more, and we had left her to settle herself - which sometimes can seem like crying herself to sleep! :-( We used the video monitor to see if she was just unsettled (so we very much did not want to go into the room, or she wouldn't learn to settle herself) or had gotten into a spot she couldn't get out of (stuck in the bars of the crib, or lost her lovey, so we needed to go in and set things right). Video monitors are also useful to see when a child is awake, and how awake - sitting, standing, lying down or trying to climb out of bed! - or on her way to sleep, or not. And they can be lots of fun, too, to watch and listen!
Our other monitor is analog, and once in a while we'd hear our neighbor talking on their cordless phone - which no doubt means they hear us sometimes! A digital monitor, like the Best View, should be private and static-free.
Has a major flaw please read if you want to use at night
So first I will say I have tried many cameras and this one is great. It has a great picture and great sound. The pan and zoom feature is great. I have no interference from my wireless internet or cordless phones.
However it has three flaws and one is major.
The first is the lights that let you know the baby is crying only work when the volume is turned up. Also the louder the volume on the monitor is turned up the more lights that light up even if the baby is crying at the same level. The issue is you can't simply have the volume tuned down or low and watch the monitor to see if the baby is crying. This is useful if you are on the phone or the monitor is sitting on your desk or even if your spouse is sleeping and you have the monitor and don't want the sound to wake them. The lights should light up no matter that volume you have the monitor on.
The second issue is adjusting the volume. You have to go into the menu to do this because there are no volume controls on the unit. So as an example at night if the video on the monitor is shut off and the baby starts crying you can't just turn the volume up or down you need to wake the video on the monitor then hit menu then adjust the volume.
The third issue which is major and is why it needs to go back is in nightvision. Every 5 seconds or so the picture flashes bight light on the monitor. I went in and looked at the camera and it turns out that the LED lights that are used for nightvision on the camera actual are flashing off and on about every five seconds which is what is causing this. It's very distracting and the only camera I have ever seen do this including regular video cameras in nightvision mode and other 900mhz and 2.4 baby monitors.
I assumed it was defective and called Summers and they knew exactly what I was talking about right away. The people that answered the phone said it was normal. I told her that I can't believe this is normal and it must be a defect in the way it was manufactured, she told me she understands what I am saying but that's what she has been told and maybe it has something to do with that fact that its 2.4, which makes no sense has I have other ones that are 2.4 and don't do this.
It's really too bad and I'm still hoping this is a defect in the way they are making them and something they will fix. In the mean time this is going back and I'll wait till they address it.
Please post a comment if you have noticed any of the same problems.
I hope this was helpful.
Another Baby monitor that I tried here on Amazon that was great is this one Lorex LW2002W Lorex LW2002W Digital Portable Color LCD Wireless Surveillance System (White)
Pretty good but some bad engineering choices
This has good video and audio quality, which makes it better than the other video monitors out there. That's something.
So why take away from that with a few things that make no sense at all:
What is with the flashing red lights on the camera? Sure they aren't that bright, but they are visible AND they go off briefly about every 5 seconds. That's all my baby can look at. Maybe it won't be a problem long term. But I know these lights for night illumination can be invisible, other monitors are. Even Summer Infant makes some where the baby doesn't have to see the night vision lights. And they sure don't need to go on and off.
And, because the night vision lights on the camera go out, it makes the video on the monitor pulsate in brightness every 5 seconds or so too. It's still usable, just really annoying when you have the video on in a room that's low or no light. Flash .... flash .... flash ...
And last of all, for goodness sakes when will they figure out that you don't put a huge bright green LED on the front of a baby monitor camera, just to let you know the power is connected? If I want a nightlight (or a spotlight, sheesh), I'll get one!
They need to let a few real moms use the products before they release them, and listen to what they say.
