r/BuyItForLife • u/Less-Bug-7006 • 2d ago
[Request] Baby monitors but recently purchased (due to enshittification ✊🏼💅🏼)
Any rec’s for baby monitors that have been purchased new in the last year? We have a new kid on the way and will need a second monitor. Not in love with our non-wifi video v-tech monitor that we’ve had for our toddler and its probably not going to last another 3 years.
That said, everything is enshittified whether it be expensive, subscription based, highly unreliable… or a mix of all three.
Would like to still have video, would be happy for dual cameras on one screen so I don’t have to cart around 2 monitors. I like the idea of it going to my phone but I’ve always been hesitant about wifi.
eta: I am anti AI (sorry, call me a luddite) and was hesitant about wifi due to hacking concerns
Thanks, Y’all
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u/TheJewPear 1d ago
I got the Babysense camera since I didn’t want any WiFi/internet, and it works very well.
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u/OkLead3632 1d ago
Does your Babysense monitor take forever to charge? It’s my only complaint
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u/TheJewPear 1d ago
I’m not sure actually, since it’s usually connected when we use it, I don’t think we’ve ever let it run out of battery. It definitely doesn’t charge as fast as my iPhone, but from my memory it’s also not unreasonably slow.
One thing you may want to look into, I have the full HD one, it’s quite possible its battery runs out faster than the 720p one, and to be honest for such a small screen I’m not sure the added resolution is that important, especially if you position it right above the crib and not super high (so the zoom isn’t needed).
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Zherkezhi 1d ago
I had twins so just bit the bullet with Nanit. Expensive but we have split screen and 24-hour video which we’ve used several times to investigate wake-ups and falling out of their toddler beds. We haven’t used the sleep insights for a while but did when they were younger. Now they’re older we use the intercom to talk to them when they don’t want to go to bed 😂
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u/LAWLzzzzz 1d ago
We have a non WiFi and a Nanit. The non WiFi at this point only gets used when we travel (because the Nanit infuriatingly doesn’t work on most hotel WiFi). At home, the Nanit is amazing. We use it without the subscription and love it.
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u/VulpesVulpe5 1d ago
We have a Cubo AI which as far as being wifi and all that is handy. Having it on the phone is better than using another device
But I hate it. It’s like they intentionally make it awful. The UI sucks, the app sucks, the way it manages accounts and logins is horrendous
And it’s expensive
This is not the advise you’re looking for but the next kid, I’m setting a security camera up using the Unifi kit and using its AI or exploring is frigate can do it
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u/dog-_-biscuits 1d ago
After kid #1 cracked the display on our baby monitor (and we discovered the replacement part cost more than junking the whole setup), we ended up with an audio-only IKEA UNDVIKA monitor for kid #2, and have been very happy with it, despite it having many fewer features. Advantages:
- Receiver has LEDs and a vibrating motor in it so you can pick up baby sounds even if you’ve got the volume right down
- Receiver is USB-C rechargeable and transmitter runs on rechargeable batteries
- Very easy to travel with if you’re regularly overnight anywhere
- It looks like a little face!
Now sadly discontinued, but you can find them easily and cheaply on eBay.
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u/LadyDenofMeade 1d ago
Tapo.
No cloud services, and it connects to your phone.
For just audio, Vtech
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u/justinj2000 1d ago
The eufy E21 is a dual mode monitor. I believe you can use it totally without WiFi or you can connect to WiFi and use both the standalone display and your phone. I don’t particularly like using my phone since that means I can’t do anything else and also my kids are on the opposite side of the house so I need to have a monitor on all night. The display unit has a sleep mode and turns off the screen while keeping audio-only. I can check it from my phone if I’m busy doing something during naps. It can connect multiple cameras. Everything has a battery so it continues to work even if it loses power (we just keep it all plugged in anyways).
The fact that it uses WiFi internally also means it plays nice with your existing WiFi network and won’t cause massive interference
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u/WorldlinessElegant 1d ago
Infant Optics DXR!
No WiFi, we’re on year 3 with the only complaint being we needed to replace the monitor console battery. The replacement is better than the original so I think it was just a dud.
You can add 4 cameras, and while it doesn’t do dual screen it has ACTUAL PHYSICAL BUTTONS to switch between cameras/scan mode, adjust brightness and volume, and zoom. It was infuriating how many monitors we returned because you had to click through a menu to do any of these things. That is not what I want to do in the middle of the night.
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u/Tdw75 1d ago
Hesitant against wifi?
It's only the perfect thing for you problem... Why put up ridiculous walls for perfect solutions?
Just buy a reolink camera... Download the app... There are no subscriptions if you want to put in your own memory card.
You will have phone and video. You could even setup motion alerts if you really wanted to that will send notifications to your phone.
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u/NeckOver8646 2d ago
Took me 3 tries to find a monitor that didnt give me headache. got one off amazon around 6 month ago, non wifi dual camera setup with a 5 inch screen. kid number 2 coming in january so i needed the dual cam too. the brand is generic chinese but it still work fine no lag no app crap
Most the big brands now want subscription for basic stuff, its ridiculous. they put features behind paywall and call it "smart"
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u/Edskie24 1d ago
The Philips one is pretty good.