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A reliable baby monitor gives you peace of mind if your living areas are out of earshot of the baby's bedroom or you're a heavy sleeper.
We test many different types of baby monitor, including:
Our report will tell you which models have:
Our interactive comparison tool also helps you filter results based on sound range score and features (such as whether they play music). And our Recommended list will help you see quickly which models come out on top.
Your filters
List of brands we tested in this review.
Typical price as of September 2017.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 0 and 400
A baby monitor needs to score well for both ease of use, sound performance and picture quality (if available) to be a Recommended product. Models scoring 80% and above are recommended.
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Whether the baby monitor is audio-only, combines video and audio functions, or is app-based.
When determining the sound performance score, we put the monitors through a series of tests to determine how well the baby unit can pick up soft sounds, and how well the carer unit can reproduce that sound. We also test the range of the unit and see how well it works through walls. For Wi-Fi-enabled models, results may vary depending on your Wi-Fi coverage. For app-based products, we define the carer unit as the tablet/phone.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 0 and 0
We look at ease of using the controls on both baby and carer unit, labelling, ease of setup including handling, positioning and adjusting settings and ease of accessing the batteries and connecting the adaptors. For apps we class the tablet/phone as carer unit.
This feature lets you talk to your baby from the carer unit.
Lets you play a lullaby or soothing noise into baby's room.
A Similar model is identical in most aspects except for a few. This means that a majority of its test results are identical so you can reasonably expect to get the same results from the model we tested, but for those aspects which aren't identical, we'll note these as "Not Tested" in the Compare tables.
A Tested model refers to a model that is still current and available in the Australian market. You should be able to order this model through your local retailer, or find it online.
These models can't be found in retailers or online or are no longer manufactured. You may still find these models on second hand websites, or in second hand dealers. Test methods may change over time, so criteria which can't be directly compared will contain an N/A.
An Identical model is exactly that. Performance characteristics will be identical and the only difference will be something trivial such as colour, which won't have an impact on performance.
These are models we haven't yet tested but that are available.
