BabySecurity Blog

If you have been looking around for baby monitors then you may have noticed that one of the categories includes the letters DECT. But what exactly are DECT baby monitors, and what particular advantages or benefits do they offer compared to other monitors?

You might possibly recognise the letters DECT from your home cordless telephone. Indeed the reason is simply that the technology is extremely similar. The letters DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology, and is a means of communication using frequencies in a digital format in order to deliver crystal clear sound quality.

The Digital enhanced audio offered by DECT baby monitors means that the sound is much crisper and with much less interference, static or background noise. Is this important? Yes it is, and I will explain why.

For parents there is only one thing worse than hearing constant crying from your baby when they should be getting to sleep, and that is a complete absence of crying. Most parents will have already experienced that strange phenomenon of going from weary exasperation at hearing endless crying from your child’s nursery, to frantic panic at hearing nothing at all coming from your child’s nursery. Often the result of this is a quick dash upstairs and into the nursery to make absolutely sure that your child is all right. Invariably they are, and invariably your presence will disturb them, launching them into another long period of sleepy crying.

Some baby monitors don’t offer the clarity needed to be able to pick up on those very quiet and very subtle noises which your child makes whilst they are dropping off to sleep, and even whilst they are fully asleep. These sounds include the quiet rustling as they move, wriggle about or turn, quiet little sighs and coos, and even gentle breathing.

DECT baby monitors enable parents to be able to hear these quiet sounds, offering much-needed reassurance, and precluding the need to dash into the nursery every time your child stops crying. This in itself reduces the chance of your child being disturbed, although of course the downside is that you may possibly burn fewer calories tearing up and down stairs every few minutes!

Many of the digital baby monitors on the market today offer a great deal more below that simply enhanced audio, with features such as warning lights which advise you whether your portable unit is in range or not. If your house is not particularly big then you’re usually pretty safe to go anywhere within the house and still be in range. But if your house is fairly large, or you have a long garden and are perhaps sitting at the end of it, or even working in the garage then you may find in some cases your baby monitor is unable to transmit that distance. Unfortunately you may not even be aware of this.

If this is a possibility then it is worth looking at monitors such as the Philips Avent SCD505/01 Super Sensitive DECT Monitor which includes a display which clearly indicates whether the portable unit is in range or not. In fact this particular monitor goes one stage further in helping to consume less power as well. It does this by simply reducing the power consumption whenever the monitor and portable unit are in close proximity. This helps to make your batteries last a lot longer, which is at least one thing less to worry about!

Dust is a problem no matter how you look at it.  Not only does it make your place look untidy, it also makes you cough and feel generally unwell.  This isn’t surprising when you consider what you’re actually breathing in.

Ironically enough the worst thing you can do to prevent dust particles from filling the air you breathe is to clean it up.  This is because when you disturb it you make it worse.  Still, it’s there anyway and whether we disturb it or not, we all know that it’s harmful and we need to clean it up; so how do we do it?

There are three main things you need to do when cleaning up dust:

• Use a hoover to get rid of the thick stuff.  If you can get a hoover with a head specifically designed for hoovering in hard to reach places etc and getting rid of dust then this is best.  Long gone are the days when a feather duster is used to get rid of it; all you do with this is send it back into the air.
• Damp dusting.  Damp dusting is a way of getting rid of dusting without allowing it to blow up into the air.  Simply use a damp cloth to wipe over the dust area.  Keep the cloth clean by rinsing it out at regular intervals.
• Invest in an air purifier.  An air purifier will filter the air, capturing dust and other harmful contaminants in the filters.

What else can I do?

In order to make your dusting more effective you should really have an air purifier on its maximum setting whilst you are dusting or hoovering.  The reason for this of course is, despite using the methods above, as soon as you move the dust some of it will still go airborne and this will go straight into your lungs whilst you’re cleaning.  Who’d have thought that cleaning could be so hazardous?

The average air purifier can keep you from breathing in most of the harmful particles, but that’s not the main beauty of it.  The best thing about having an air purifier switched on whilst you’re dusting is the fact that a lot of the dust won’t settle back down in your room, on your furniture, it will be captured by the filters in the purifier.  Although an air purifier can never prevent dust from appearing, having one makes your home significantly less likely to harbour harmful levels of it.

Baby monitors are incredibly useful devices, allowing the sounds and movements of a young child to be monitored at all times. They give parents great peace of mind, as they can easily and quickly check on their babies or toddlers no matter where they are in the house.

Baby monitors used to simply be radio systems, but there are now devices available that transmit digital sound and video. This gives you many more baby monitor options to choose from, but it can cause confusion over which is really the best one to purchase.

To help you find exactly the right baby monitor to suit you, your baby and your home, here is a little information about each of the main types currently available.

• Digital baby monitors. The best thing about these monitors is that they are resistant to interference from wireless routers and phone signals, so you never have to worry about a drop in signal or sound quality. They also offer full LED night vision, talk-back communication and remote pan and scan functions, as well as the facility to record photos to an SD memory card.

• Analogue baby monitors. Whilst still offering features like full LCD colour screens and night vision, these monitors are a great option for first-time parents or those on a budget.

• Baby sensor monitors. Placed underneath the cot mattress or clipped onto the baby’s clothing, these monitors use sensor technology to respond to your baby’s breathing and movements.

• DECT baby monitors. These are advanced devices which use the latest technology to offer full monitoring even in larger homes. They offer everything from two-way communication and temperature displays to lullabies to soothe your baby to sleep.

As technologies in mobile phones and home computers advance, so do the technologies for monitoring your children. ‘Integration’ and ‘synching’ are the current buzz-words in technological circles, and this is true in Baby Monitors too.

Baby Monitors that can be accessed from Mobile Phones and computers are the new ‘in-thing’, with manufacturers like Y-Cam, Trendnet and D-Link all manufacturing Baby Monitors that can be accessed from your iPhone, Blackberry, Laptop or home PC. Many of the monitors are connect wirelessly via your home router, making them even more convenient to install and use.

Y-cam have taken the integration to the next level, releasing a iPhone App tailored specifically to connecting to your Y-cam at home. This free app available from the App Store on any iPhone or iPod Touch, connects instantly and securely to your Y-Cam, even allowing you to view multiple locations at once.

Further integration options are offered on many Online Baby Monitors, with the ability to set email alerts when movement is detected. With many people receiving their emails on handheld devices, this is a subtle yet brilliant addition to this booming market.

Harnessing the power of the internet has given Video Baby Monitors a now unlimited range; say you are away on business in Hong Kong (or Slough, for the non-international businessmen out there), and you want to see how your child is back home in the UK. It is as simple as opening a web browser and logging in to the secure connection direct to your baby’s nursery. With some models it is even possible to hear and talk to your child from the other corner of the globe. Online IP Baby Monitors will also allow you to record your child’s precious moments to a PC or laptop, saving them for you to share later.

As with many things on the internet, there is always the question of security and safety; will anyone else be able to see my child on the internet? The simple answer is NO. The only people who will be able to see your child are the people you give the access password to. Many Online Baby Monitors support the latest developments in internet and wireless security, being compatible with many of the leading advanced encryption systems including WEP, WPA-PSK (TKIP) and WPA2-PSK. With these measures in place, your connection between you and your child is safe, secure and unique.

Click Here to view and purchase Online Baby Monitors from BabySecurity

When looking to purchase a baby monitor, it is very common to see a range between 100 and 300 metres; now imagine the shock at finding a baby monitor with a range that is UNLIMITED.

The Bebetel Bluetooth Baby Monitor is that Baby Monitor. With the Bebetel Bluetooth, it is possible to monitor your child from ANYWHERE in the world. Utilising mobile phone signals, you can be alerted whenever there are problems in the nursery.

HOW BEBETEL BLUETOOTH WORKS…

When you first receive your Bebetel Bluetooth, you are only a couple of steps away from limitless baby monitoring. As the name suggests, the Bebetel Bluetooth is connected via Bluetooth to a mobile phone (which is left near the Bebetel unit), then whenever there is a noise in your child’s room, the Bebetel will dial out on the mobile phone, to whatever number you tell it to call. It really is that simple! As the Bebetel utilises the connection the paired mobile phone has to the mobile network, the connection is as strong as your phone signal.

Bebetel Bluetooth is also loaded with features; like many of the best Baby Monitors available currently, you are able to talk to your child whilst on your way to their room to comfort them. Bebetel have taken this one step further however, in that you can ‘call’ the Bebetel Bluetooth, allowing you to initiate contact with your child, and check to make sure they are ok. This unique feature extends the life of the monitor beyond when your baby is still very young. Older children can reach you at any time by simply pressing any button on the front of the Bebetel Bluetooth.

Designed by Swiss Electronics Specialists Bebetel, the Bebetel Bluetooth utilises the latest technology to provide a link between you and your child. The simplistic design of the Bluetooth Baby Monitor makes it very intuitive to use, with only a couple of buttons providing a number of versatile features. Manufactured to comply with all CE regulations, Bebetel Bluetooth has been tested to ensure it meets with the highest standards of design and production.

Bebetel Bluetooth is ideal for holidays, where it can either be connected to a mobile phone via Bluetooth, or to a hotel’s internal telephone system with the included wire. With peace of mind, parents are left free to go to the hotel bar for a drink or use the other facilities. These functions can also be put to use at home, if you are having a barbecue or simply enjoying an evening in the garden.

Due to its unique transmission method, using telephone systems rather than traditional Baby Monitor transmission techniques; Bebetel Bluetooth goes beyond the basic limitations of the baby monitors of old. Gone are the days where parents were forced to stay within a certain distance of their children; limiting their use of their own garden and home. With Bebetel Bluetooth parents are free to enjoy themselves at home, on holiday, wherever they may be; safe in the knowledge that their child is safe and can reach them whenever they wish.

Bebetel Bluetooth is truly a revolutionary product in the Baby Monitor market. Using new and growing technologies, Bebetel have re-invented the Baby Monitor, removing the possibility for a small transmission range and its side effects, and replacing it with limitless baby monitoring, and a new freedom for parents.

Click here to view and purchase the Bebetel Bluetooth Long Range Baby Monitor from BabySecurity

(Please note Baby Monitors are not a replacement for responsible parenting, and babies should be constantly monitored in person to ensure their safety)

In the first of a new feature on BabySecurity’s Blog, we have reviewed the all-new Luvion Grand Elite Digital Video Baby Monitor. We hope you enjoy the review (and the Baby Monitor) as much as we did writing it (and using it)!

The Luvion Grand Elite is the latest, and possibly best, Digital Video Baby Monitor to hit the UK. Incorporating the most-wanted features of other leading Baby Monitors, it is simply one of the best appointed Baby Monitors yet.

When first opening the packaging for the Luvion Grand Elite, it is clear this is a truly high-end product. The matte black finish of the coffin-style box has a luxurious feel, and a reassuring weight to it, and easily slides open to reveal the Baby Monitor, set in custom fit, black foam. At first glance, the feature that stands out immediately is the sheer size of the screen. At 3.5 inches, the Grand Elite has a screen equal to the largest screens available on Digital Video Baby Monitors, though no other manufacturer has shoe-horned a screen that large, in to a parent unit so small; at a mere 16mm depth, the Luvion Grand Elite has the thinnest parent unit available today (making it extremely portable). Looks-wise, the parent unit is very minimalist, cast in white, gloss plastic, with the large screen dominating the front panel, and three buttons set in to the right of the facia: Menu, Scan, and a 4-way D-Pad which doubles up as the volume control. Running up the left side of the impressive-sized screen are six LED bars, invisible when not in use, which give a visual indicator of noise being transmitted from the Baby Unit. This is particularly useful when the volume is reduced on the parent unit, allowing it to be run effectively in complete silence.

The rest of the controls for the Luvion Grand Elite are spaced down the thin outer edges of the parent unit, Giving a very clean look and finish to the product. These controls and features include 2-way Talkback, lullabies and nightlights on the Camera Unit (all being remotely controlled, which is a labour-saving addition). One thing that truly sets the Luvion Grand Elite apart however, is its amazing connectivity. As with Luvion’s first Baby Monitor, the Luvion Platinum Digital, the Grand Elite can be connected to a television, which is particularly excellent when used in conjunction with ‘Picture in Picture’ viewing, available on most modern shows. This feature allows parents to maintain a watchful eye on their children, whilst not missing any of their favourite television. New and unique to the Grand Elite however, is the ability to input a Micro-SD card in to the Parent Unit, and record up to 16 hours of your baby’s finest moments on to one Micro-SD. While this feature may seem superfluous, would it not be nice to have the option of capturing some of your baby’s cutest moments?

When setting up the Baby Monitor for the first time, it is clear that the Luvion Grand Elite was designed with plug-n-play in mind. The out of the box equipment included is at the optimum amount; all the wiring you could need, and none of the additional detritus that will end up cluttering up a drawer. Neatly packaged in the box are the essential power leads for both Parent and Baby Unit, a convenient charger dock for the Parent Unit (which doubles as a stand), the AV cable necessary for connection to a television, a user manual, and thoughtfully, the screws that will be required if the user wishes to wall-mount the Camera Unit in the baby’s room.

From plugging in the Parent and Baby Units in their relative spots around the home; set up takes as long as flipping a switch. The included Camera Unit is paired with the Parent Unit straight out of the box, and takes a few seconds to achieve a connection, after which all functions are available. Adding extra Camera Units – The Luvion Grand Elite can receive signals from up to four at a time – is a very quick process, setting up the camera in the correct spot then selecting a menu option on the parent unit will pair the two together quickly. When receiving more than one signal at a time, the Parent Unit can be set to flip between the active cameras every few seconds, or can be manually switched between one camera and the other.

Once your Grand Elite Monitor System is up and running, you will be pleasantly surprised at just how excellent the reception quality is. Video Baby Monitors in the past have suffered from either a low quality signal, or a low quality image from a poor screen size. Utilising encrypted digital technology for security and quality, the Luvion Grand Elite provides almost HD quality images, and the crispest audio available on a Digital Video Baby Monitor. In our tests, the baby unit was placed next to a radio in another part of the building, and the parent unit on a desk. Once the connection was achieved, it would be completely reasonable to believe that the radio was in our office, such is the quality of the transmission, and the speaker installed in the Parent Unit.

Of course it would be impossible to discuss the performance of any Video Baby Monitor without testing it in low-light conditions – this is when Baby Monitors get the most use. The Luvion Grand Elite has an impressive depth of field, and very little loss in quality when in strong darkness. It is worth noting for parents new to video baby monitoring, night vision works entirely in black and white, often with a slightly green tinge. The Luvion Grand Elite works as such, and really stands out in this area with its 5 metre depth of vision, with competitors often struggling beyond 2 metres.

In conclusion, the Luvion Grand Elite Digital Video Baby Monitor is truly a revolutionary product in its field. Drawing together the superior elements of other leading Baby Monitors, and combining them in a beautifully styled and compact unit with excellent build quality, Luvion have produced an instant market-leader. The Grand Elite has taken its place at the top of the food chain, and will become the measuring stick against which all Video Baby Monitors must be compared.

Click here to purchase the Luvion Grand Elite Digital Video Baby Monitor from BabySecurity

One of the big advances in Baby Monitor Technology in the last couple of years has been the innovation of Baby Breathing Sensor Monitors for use in the home. The technology behind the new must-have items has been in use in maternity wards and baby clinics across the UK for some time, however it is now making its way in to Nurseries across the country.
Apnea, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), is one of the leading causes of death in babies under 12mths old. Baby Breathing Sensor Monitors are the first line of defence for your child against such things happening. As soon as your baby’s breathing becomes abnormal, your Baby Breathing Monitor will alert you that lifesaving action is needed.

Utilising a large sensor pad that is placed under the baby’s mattress in the cot, Baby Breathing Monitors constantly monitor the baby’s breathing, checking for any slowing or stoppages in breathing. If there are any abnormalities, the Baby Breathing Monitor will give an alert to make you aware of the difficulties your child may be having.

Baby Breathing Monitors are available at a range of prices, ensuring there is one for every budget. The question begs however, am I endangering my child’s life by buying a cheap Baby Breathing Monitor? To discuss this further, we shall compare the options available in Baby Breathing Monitors, one from the lower end of the price bracket, and one from the higher end.

Tomy TSP500 Baby Breathing Monitor retails at £39.99, and is one of the less expensive Baby Breathing Monitors available. As you would expect with products from the Tomy brand, it is of the highest quality, and is very well designed, looking stylish in any nursery. One of the key areas when discussing Baby Breathing Monitors is the size of the pad that lies underneath your baby to detect their breathing movements. The larger the pad, the greater the effective area the Monitor can detect movement over. The Tomy TSP500 has a Sensor Mat with dimensions 32x21cm (in relative terms, slightly larger than an A4 sheet). When comparing this to the size of the average baby, it is a fairly good size, and sure to be adequate for most children, as long as the child is not prone to move around the cot whilst they sleep (if the child moves off the mat in their sleep, you will get a ‘false alarm’, and be rushed through to the nursery panicking, only to find your child is well, and merely snuggling in a corner of the cot.

To give comparison, it is worth comparing the Tomy TSP500 to one of the higher priced Baby Breathing Monitors, the Nanny BM02 Baby Breathing Monitor. The BM02 Baby Monitor retails at £69.99, and is produced by Nanny Monitor, a Specialist company who only produce the Baby Breathing Monitors, drawing on considerable experience to produce a high-quality product. One of the major points of the BM02 Respiratory Monitor is the very considerable size of the Baby Breathing Effort Sensor; 50x30cm. This is well over twice the surface area of the Tomy TSP500, and will cover a much, much larger area of the cot, guaranteeing a lesser chance of false alarms in the night than the smaller sensor pad of the Tomy. The Nanny BM02 Breathing Effort Monitor also comes with Medical Approval as a Baby Apnea Sensor, and can be upgraded to include an extra Sensor Pad, unlike the TSP500 which is limited to one sensor pad.

Another Baby Breathing Monitor in a similar range to the Nanny BM02, is the BabySense 2 Sensor Mat Baby Monitor. Priced at £74.99, the BabySense 2 is another Medically-Approved Baby Breathing Monitor, however it features TWO sensor pads, each with an area comparable to an A4 sheet. With the two sensor pads placed slightly spaced apart under the mattress in your child’s cot or crib, it drastically reduces the chances of them accidentally moving off the pads in their sleep, meaning they are protected all night long. The BabySense 2 is constantly rated very highly, with consumers giving it a robust 5 stars out of 5, and utilises the technology advanced in Hospitals worldwide to give a superior product with excellent detection abilities.

When discussing the performance of the three Baby Breathing Effort Monitors, it is worthwhile noting that all perform extremely well, being finely tuned to detect the minute movements of your baby’s breathing. The Tomy however may suffer from having a significantly smaller sensor pad than the Nanny BM02 and the BabySense 2, meaning its effective detection area is less. Tomy however may have combated this downfall with an innovation unique to the TSP500 Baby Monitor.

Tomy’s TSP500, whilst a very suitable standalone Baby Breathing Monitor, can also be connected to the other Baby Monitors in the Tomy range, meaning any alerts that are triggered will be instantly transmitted to you via the Baby Monitor Parent Unit. This connectivity is totally unique to the Tomy TSP500, and is a feature that has not yet been added to any other Baby Breathing Sensor Monitor. This alone makes it a very viable option when choosing a Baby Monitor.

To purchase any of the Baby Breathing Monitors mentioned from the BabySecurity range click here

With the massive advances in transmission technologies in recent years, namely the boom in wireless and Wi-Fi technology, it is little wonder that the manufacturers of Baby Monitors have already taken their seats on the bandwagon.

With the introduction of Digital transmission in to Baby Monitors, manufacturers are now able to provide a secure, clear link between you and your child.  Unlike Analogue Baby Monitors, Digital Baby Monitor units are linked to one another; the parent unit will only receive the transmissions from its paired baby unit.  In the most simple terms, you can only hear your baby, and no one else can.

ATTENTION DADS: technical information inbound!

With the use of DECT transmission (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications), Baby Monitor manufacturers such as Summer Infant, Luvion and Motorola are able to transcend the previous problems suffered by Baby Monitors – hissing static interference. Many of the traditional Baby Monitors utilised a very narrow wavelength of transmission, meaning they could at times receive cross-communications between one another. We have all heard the urban legend, “I could hear my next door neighbour’s baby crying through my Baby Monitor…”. They also worked on a very similar wavelength to other household items, eg. Wireless Broadband and cordless telephones. With the introduction of Digital Technology, this is no longer the case.  Many brands of Digital Baby Monitor have 100+ channels that they can transmit over; this means that the Baby Monitor will scan for the channel with the very best signal, and lock on to it; meaning you will always receive the best signal possible.  All this combines to give you a strong, secure, and private link to your child.

The Digital technology has particularly come to the forefront when put to use in transmission of Video Signals.  By delivering a clear, secure signal, Digital Video Baby Monitors allow peace of mind for parents knowing that they are able to keep an eye on their children in total privacy, and without the threat of hissing, crackling or static interference that were a constant possibility with traditional Video Baby Monitors.

BabySecurity stock an expansive range of Digital Video Baby Monitors, ensuring there is one for every home and budget.

With the myriad of manufacturers now introducing Digital Video Baby Monitors, it is now possible to purchase a monitor for every household need.

Digital Technology in Baby Monitors has allowed manufacturers to expand the feature sets available to parents, with options now including cameras that can be moved from the parent unit (you too can become the Spielberg of your child’s nursery), and Baby Monitor Systems with multiple cameras, great for families with more than one child.

One advance that is now coming to the forefront of Baby Monitor technology is their connectivity to other items around the home. The Luvion Platinum Digital Baby Monitor, comes with the ability and all necessary wiring, to be connected to a Television. While this may seem like frivolous gimmickry, many modern televisions allow for ‘Picture in Picture’ viewing, meaning you can view your Video Baby Monitor in the corner of your regular television screen, so you are immediately aware if your baby is in distress. This also adds the great feature of being able to watch your baby on a much larger screen than is provided on the Parent Unit of the Digital Video Baby Monitor.

As parents, it is common knowledge amongst us that as your babies grow from children, they have a tendency to increase their mobility round their cot/bed. For the adventurous baby, a Digital Video Baby Monitor with a remotely controllable Camera is absolutely perfect. The Summer Infant Baby Zoom Monitor has just such a camera, allowing for a much wider angle of viewing, with the ability to both scan horizontally and pan vertically for a precise view of your child. Added to this, the Baby Zoom also (as the name suggests), has the ability to zoom in on your child; ideal if the only safe place to stand the Baby Unit of the Monitor is some distance from where the child will be sleeping.

There is one downside to the rapid expansion in the Digital Video Baby Monitor market, which is that as there are so many features and abilities available to parents, it will be hard to choose which Baby Monitor will best cater to your needs. BabySecurity’s expert customer service staff are on hand to discuss the options with you, and will be able to advise on which Monitor may be best suited to you and your family.

When buying a Digital Video Baby Monitor, it is important to ask yourself a number of questions to ensure you are buying the correct Baby Monitor for your family and home:

• How many cameras would I like?

It is possible to have up to four additional cameras on many Baby Monitor Systems, eg the Summer Infant Slim and Secure Digital Video Monitor

• How big would I like the screen to be?

Sizes range from 1.8in to 3.5in, with the most common size being around 2.4in.  If a larger screen is required some Digital Video Baby Monitors can be connected to a Television (with the included wires). It is worth remembering that as the signal quality on Digital Video Baby Monitors is so high, a smaller screen is not necessarily a bad thing.

• Would I like to be able to move the camera from the Parent Unit?

Some Digital Video Baby Monitors allow remote control of the camera from the Parent Unit, meaning you can adjust the angle and position of the Baby Unit without having to go in to the Nursery (this feature is GREAT if you have a baby who fidgets a lot in their sleep).

By answering those three simple questions, it is very easy to narrow down the extensive range of Digital Video Baby Monitors available to two or three  Baby Monitors.  This should mean you get the perfect Baby Monitor for you very easily.  BabySecurity sell an expansive range of Digital Video Baby Monitors, with one to suit with every need and budget.