Best Baby Monitor [No Phone App/Internet]
Aa a tech dad of three (3) young children, I can confidently say I’ve found our favorite wireless baby monitor with no internet. The surprising part is it doesn’t connect to any smart things or have a phone app. This is a perfect case for the idea that not ever device needs to be fully connected to be fully functional.
Background:
My oldest is 5 years old now so we’ve seen our share of baby monitors, setups, features, and function. We’ve owned too many of them! Of course as any dad would know it’s one of the cool “dad baby tech” to show off while handing out for guys night or couples dinner. I’m not showing off the newest baby carriers or baby bouncer! *Correction she is 5 1/2 now, the halves are important!
Our Requirements:
Mom - My wife likes a monitor that had good video, quality low light video, two way audio, and no phone app. She liked the idea of not being consumed by always checking in on the child even when out of the house.
Dad - I wanted something that had good connectivity, add-on features, and a quality camera. I also didn’t want anything to connect to the internet, something about having cameras in the house that are streaming to a cloud doesn’t make me feel great.
From some friends - Some suggested Google Nest cameras, they had high quality video and good data logging. Others had some dedicated baby monitors.
Our Selections:
We found the best baby monitor without internet is the Infant Optics DXR-8. It has a solid, and I mean rock solid monitor, both physically built and monitoring range. The initial setup comes with the monitor station, battery, camera, extra lens, and power cord.
The monitor station has a nice size screen on a majority of the front and a set of buttons/arrows along the side. The arrows allows control of the camera for pan and tilt for movement. The buttons allow for a ton of functions, they are Menu, OK, Shortcut, and Talk.
Infant Optics DXR-8 on Amazon - So reliable I bought it for all three kids and have a space monitor station.
*I have to explain why I’ve bought three - First one was when we decided on the Infant Optics over 5 years ago. Then the second time our 2 year old daughter put the first monitor in the sink. We were pregnant with the second at that time so we bought the replacement and a second camera for his room. Finally the third set… I figured if I bought the camera only that my luck would be within two weeks the monitor would go for another swim or something, so we have a backup monitor. Below are all the configuration and add-ons and you’ll see why I kept buying the full kit.
Add-Ons:
The Infant Optics DXR-8 had a good variety of flexibility. starting with the monitor station:
Pair up-to four (4) cameras with additional add-on cameras.
Add-On Camera: The Infant Optics Add-on camera is currently listed for right around $100 and is the exact same setup that comes with the kit.
Expansion Battery: The Infant Optics DXR-8 battery has worked well, but does need to replaced or expanded over time. The monitor just gets so much usage day in and day out. After replacing the battery 2-3 times with the standard battery I’ve finally found what works. The Expansion battery basically adds four new batteries in a nice kickstand way.