Babysense PRO Full HD Review

Audio / Visual

Audio and visual are equally important, even in a video monitor. Having loud, clear sound is what wakes you and allows you to determine if the baby needs further assistance.

The PRO has one of the highest volumes in the group, with a recorded 85 dBa in our tests. However, the sound quality is pretty grainy at max volume, and while you know it is a baby crying, some of the nuance of the type of cry is lost. There is some fuzziness to the quality of the cry, but it sounds better in that range than for most music, so if music is on in the baby's room, it can get sharp and uncomfortable to listen to.

It does a great job of canceling our background noise and creating a relatively quiet parent unit when the baby is sleeping. There is barely an audible hiss, but when the baby cries, the hiss is gone, and the baby is put front and center. The sound activation, or VOX, works well and is sensitive enough that it unexpectedly picked up a chair rolling across the test room.

This camera has a wider field of view with a somewhat fish-eye lens. During the day, images are crisp, and the colors are vibrant. They are a little more on the blue side than the real-life colors, but it isn't enough to be annoying or interfere with monitoring. Zooming is digital zoom, so it does make the image quality grainier.

Night images show a bright spot at the center, with the edges getting darker and blurrier. Because of the fish eye on the lens the writing on the eye chart is distorted and squashed. The patterns are also distorted, but none of it is enough to make us feel like we were missing out on important things happening in the crib.

Range

The manufacturer claims an open-line-of-sight range of 980 feet. Our test results were closer to 85 feet. We successfully passed through 1 wall, but connectivity became choppy after 2 walls and cut out completely as we moved farther away. The screen showed an alert that the camera was disconnected, so, on the bright side, at least it told us. We suspect this range and small number of walls means it isn't likely to work in most homes and is best suited to apartments.

Ease of Use

The PRO is one of the easiest options to use. It has a simple setup with auto-pairing between the parent device and the camera, and there is no app or WiFi to mess with. The camera can be placed on a shelf or mounted on a wall.

The PRO camera has a screw slot for easy wall mounting.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

The PRO manual recommends mounting on a high shelf or on the wall with the included screw. Care should always be taken to keep cords far from any child's reach.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

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If you want to see inside the crib from an above angle, the shelf will need to be pretty high. The bottom of the caerna has a slot to secure it to the wall with a single screw that comes with the monitor.

We like the size of the parent monitor as it fits nicely in our hands. The 5-inch screen is plenty big for what you want to see, and the physical buttons work well. Most of the most-used features have a button, and we prefer this to those that require you to open menus.

While there are no notifications like an app, the screen and audio will wake up when the baby cries or other loud noises happen in the nursery.

This monitor is very portable and easy to set up anywhere, but the camera is unlikely to have a good view of the crib and will be more of a sound monitor with side crib or full room visuals.

The physical buttons on the parent device are easy to use, have intuitive icons, and include the most common functions.

Battery Life

The PRO's battery life was almost 10 hours in our tests, totaling 9 hours and 46 minutes. The manufacturer claims a run time of 12 hours in regular mode and 20 hours in ECO mode. Our time is based on the screen being on continuously, with brightness at full and volume at 50%, which could account for the disparity.

Features

The PRO includes some relatively standard features and some potentially useful baby-centric features.

The features in the PRO are:

• Adjustable sensitivity of sound activation/screen wake
• Adjustable nightlight
• Room temp sensor
• 2-way talk to baby
• 5 lullabies
• 3x zoom
• Remote camera

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Levels

At 3 ft from the camera, we got an EMF reading of 1.24V/m; this is below the average for the group, but there are a few monitors with lower results if it is important to you. Placing the camera farther away can reduce EMF exposure.

Security

The PRO is a dedicated monitor and does not rely on WiFi to function, making it highly unlikely to be hacked.

Should You Buy the Babysense PRO?

Maybe, but probably not. The PRO is one of the lower-priced dedicated monitors, so we see why it could be appealing. It is really easy to set up and use, making it good for households with multiple users of various tech abilities. However, the range is really short, making it better suited to smaller apartments or homes. And for about $20, you can get the upgraded BabySense, which includes a movement monitor and has a significantly better range.

What Other Video Monitor Should You Consider?

We prefer the Babysense True Sleep over the PRO. In many ways, they are similar, but the True Sleep's range is much better, making it more likely to work in more homes. It also includes mattress sensor pads that detect movement indicative of breathing, giving it a functional edge over the PRO, and it costs only about $20 more. If you want a dedicated monitor on a budget, we prefer the Momcozy 1080p HD. This is a very easy-to-use monitor with good audio, acceptable video images, and a longer battery life.

Manufacturer Video