If you have a baby, a baby room monitor is of those must-have accessories. They allow the parents to hear the baby, even from downstairs when the door to the baby's room is closed. You might think that any baby monitor will get the job done, but think again. A baby monitor is a wireless electronic device, so you've got to think about range, senisitivity and what's inside the walls of your home.
SIze of Your Home
The range of the baby monitor needs to exceed the greatest possible distance between the baby's room and the places in the house you will be when you're using the monitor. You want the range to be greater so that you know you're always inside the parameters of the monitor's range when you're using it.
That extra range can also help overcome interference caused by the materials in your home, such as concrete or metal studs. As a general rule, however, a baby monitor's range will drop considerably if the signal passes through concrete or brick.
Signal Type
Digital monitors are far superior to analog monitors. Analog monitors are vulnerable to interference from cordless phones, radios, electronics and baby monitors in nearby houses. They can pick up static, buzzing or phone conversations. When you only want to hear your baby's noises, these can become a source of frustration. Digital monitors with security features may help to reduce interference.
If you live in an apartment and there is a short range between the baby's room and the rest of your living space, you may not need a fancier or more expensive monitor.
Sensitivity
Some monitors are more sensitive to a very low level of sound than others. This means that the monitor can pick up the baby's breathing, or not be strong enough to carry that subtle of a sound. Digital monitors are generally more sensitive than analog models.
The distance between the baby and the monitor in the baby's room has an effect on sensitivity, but the real measure here is the quality of the microphone. If you just want to know when your baby cries, you don't need a super-sensitive baby monitor. If you're concerned about your baby's breathing, you'll need to spend extra to get a monitor that can pick up the sounds.
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