ComfortCam Wifi Enabled Baby Monitor

I will admit that I was one of those parents who refused to get a video monitor when my first child was born. I felt like I was surrounded by over-reactive parents and remember seeing too many articles that implied that your child was in danger if you didn’t have a video monitor … and my response was to resist. Now that I’ve had ComfortCam Wifi Enabled Baby Monitor for a while, I will admit that I was missing out before. Although I did not suddenly transform into the type of mom who constantly checks her video feed to ensure her child is still breathing, I have been amazed to learn just how much time my daughter spends hanging out quietly in her bed without actually sleeping.

The entire package of this monitor is really straightforward and simple—in a great way. Although I was initially concerned (from the wording on the box and first page of the manual) that the monitor would need to be plugged into an Ethernet outlet at all times, the details in the manual clarified that the Ethernet hookup is only necessary during setup. The setup itself is very intuitive, but the manual walks you through the process very clearly if you need it. The app also does a good job of walking you through each step.

The product itself seems to be fine in terms of quality. It is made out of a cream-colored heavy-duty plastic, and the assembly just consists of attaching an antenna. A crib attachment is also included, which is adjustable and appears to fit just about any type of crib. There are no batteries required for this monitor—if it remains plugged in, it connects through Wi-Fi to your phone and you don’t need to do anything else.

Aesthetically speaking, I found the monitor to be just OK—I feel like there are other monitors out there that are a bit smaller and much sleeker. However, the range of this camera is very impressive. It can move quite a bit on its own, so when I want to look around the room there is a wide span I can see without having to physically re-position the camera. Considering the range it provides, I am OK with its size.

Adding a device like this to your child’s room when they aren’t used to it is quite a shift. I have a 2-year-old and an infant, and have always had a very simple monitor. My 2-year-old thinks that the new monitor looks like a big eye (which it kind of does) and does not like it sitting on the crib. I’m sure that if this were something I’d had around when she was younger it wouldn’t be an issue, but it should be noted that the monitor is unique enough that there may be some resistance from older children.

The product itself works well in all areas. The app is incredibly simple to use at any time, and I have been impressed with the monitor’s night-vision abilities along with how well I can see my children in a room that is completely dark. I also appreciate (since I usually have two kids in the same room) that I can adjust the direction of the camera with no noise—I often move the camera around to see the bed and the crib, and neither child has flinched in response.

I have also been impressed by how clear the image is—you can literally see your child breathing if you zoom in! And the delay is so slight that you never feel as though you are behind on what is happening. There are also a few extra functions on the app that allow you to take photos or record videos. These are stored right on the app, but you can easily save them to your phone instead.

The monitor also has two-way talking abilities. You can turn on the volume if you want to be able to hear inside the room, and you can hold down a button to talk through the monitor. This is another feature that a child might be more comfortable with if they were able to get used to it at a younger age—the first time I spoke to my daughter through the monitor, it really caught her off guard. When I came into the room a few minutes later, she couldn’t get over the fact that I had spoken to her through the camera. In some ways, she is still adjusting … when she wakes up, she comes and puts her face right to the camera and starts saying, “Mama? Hello?”

My main complaint about the daily use of the phone is that there isn’t a way to reset the password without completely removing the monitor from and starting over … it forces you to go back to step one and go through the setup again. My husband got a new phone and needed to log into the app again, but we had forgotten the password. It was annoying to start over at the beginning.

While I did not have two cameras, multiple cameras could easily be added to the app. There is also an option to see your kids when not on your own Wi-Fi, although that feature costs extra beyond the first month.

Overall, the monitor is really great. The only changes that I would want to see are the password reset, and possibly an option for a smaller monitor. I would definitely recommend this to a friend if they were interested in a video monitor, and the price seems like a great amount for how well the product works and the features included.

Price: $150
To buy: amazon.com