ElectronicsBaby

What are the best baby monitors around or under $200?

9

Options
Considered

15

User
Recs.

Nov 17, 2017

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

6 Options Considered

Best baby monitors around or under $200	Price	Weight	Last Updated
-- Summer Infant Babble Band	$52.66	3.5 lbs	Nov 17, 2017
-- Dropcam	$149.99	–	Oct 11, 2017
-- Motorola MBP854CONNECT-2	$224	–	Oct 11, 2017
-- Infant Optics DXR-8	$179.99	1.8 lbs	Nov 17, 2017
-- Foscam FosBaby	$55.99	6.4 ounces	Oct 11, 2017

Summer Infant Babble Band

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Top Pro

Wearable on your wrist

The Babble Band is for busy parents. You can track your baby without having to carry around a non-portable monitor. It is ideal to use when doing household chores that require both hands. See More

Top Con

Poor charging option

You have to choose a time when you don't need to monitor your baby to put the band to charge. It requires six hours to charge and only charges by placing it on top of the baby unit. See More

Specs

Top Pro

Ideal for deaf parents

The Babble Band has a vibrating mode and a light mode. The band will vibrate for 8-seconds, long enough to let you 'feel' that there are sounds from your baby's room. There are also LED lights that provide visual cues when there is noise in the nursery. See More

Top Con

Poor battery life

The band only works for 8 hours. Most babies sleep longer. See More

Top Pro

Wide coverage

You'll still be in range even if you go outside the house. The wristband beeps if you move out the 800-feet diameter and will continue until you move back in range. See More

Dropcam

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Top Pro

High quality video and audio

The camera has a 130-degree viewing angle lens that can cover a large area and shoots good 1080p video due to its 1/3" sensor. It has built-in high-sensitivity microphone and a reasonable speaker that allows communicating to anyone near the camera. The audio communication is loud and clear. See More

Top Con

No local video storage

A subscription to CVR is required if storage is needed. See More

Top Pro

Easy setup

The camera comes with a single-page quick-start guide. PC/Mac setup is done by connecting the camera via USB and following the on-screen prompts. Companion app setup is done by pairing the devices via Bluetooth LE and following on-screen prompts. Prompts guide through creating a dropcam.com account, logging in and giving Wi-Fi login credentials. See More

Top Con

Wireless only

Dropcam Pro lacks an Ethernet port, it's wireless only. See More

Top Pro

Built on open source software

Top Con

CVR subscription is too expensive

CVR subscription costs $10/mo for 7 days or $30/mo for 30 days. See More

Top Pro

Dual-band Wi-Fi

Dropcam Pro has dual-band 802.11n that allows connecting over 2.4GHz or 5GHz. By default it chooses 5GHz if available. See More

Top Pro

Optional 7 or 30 day cloud backup service

An optional cloud backup service, called CVR, is available for $10/mo for 7 days or $30/mo for 30 days. Videos stored in CVR can be downloaded. See More

Top Pro

Good companion apps

Android and iOS smartphones have polished companion apps that allow accessing camera's live feed from anywhere. It's possible to pan and zoom via the apps. See More

Top Pro

Great night vision

Dropcam has great night vision capabilities due to its 1/3" sensor. See More

Top Pro

Motion and audio detection and alerts with programmable zones

Movement and sound-based activity alerts can be sent via email or smartphone's push notifications. It's possible to set which zones should trigger alerts and which zones should be ignored as well as schedule times when alerts should and should not be sent. See More

Top Pro

Live feed and two-way communication

A live feed can be accessed via web as well as Android and iOS apps. It can even be used for two-way communication thanks to Dropcam's built-in microphone and speaker. See More

Foscam FosBaby

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Top Pro

Monitor from smartphone or tablet

It comes with a companion app, but you can use any security monitoring app for it. See More

Top Con

Requires setup

Since it works like a surveillance camera, it requires steps to connect it to the WiFi network, set up user access, etc. This is as opposed to monitors that come with their own screen. See More

Specs

Weight:6.4 ounces

Top Pro

Works like a regular surveillance camera

It is not limited to viewing only with a proprietary screen or app. You can access it like any other surveillance camera (that includes remote access, integration with NAS, etc) See More

Top Con

Monitoring range is only dependant on wifi

Since it connects to the WiFi network, the range is only determined by this (as opposed to radio-based monitors). See More

Top Pro

Automatic nightvision switch

The camera can automatically activate infrared mode at night when brightness is too low. It can also be forced to turn on or off. See More

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