In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Nanit Pro Review

A relatively expensive option that is easy to use and has many features with lower EMF
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Nanit Pro Review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $300 List
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Manufacturer:   Nanit
By Wendy Schmitz and the BabyGearLab Review Team  ⋅  Mar 25, 2022
81
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#3 of 12
  • Range - 20% 10.0
  • Sound Clarity - 20% 5.0
  • Video Quality - 30% 8.0
  • Ease of Use - 15% 9.0
  • Battery life - 10% 10.0
  • Features - 5% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Nanit Pro is the new Nanit offering that upgrades the camera to 1080 and comes with a few new features like more possible cameras and a breathing band for movement monitoring, which you can read more about in the best movement monitor review. This best video monitor can be used wherever you have WiFi access, making it a good choice for those with larger homes or a higher-than-average wall number between the nursery and the parent device. We love that this option has an easy-to-use app and useful features for monitoring. Unfortunately, this unit doesn't offer great sound, and the video isn't as good as the best baby monitors with WiFi, despite the higher quality camera. It is also more expensive than much of the competition, so it may be a poor choice for those on a tighter budget or who aren't interested in the extra features. Overall, we think the Nanit Pro offers a good product for many families looking for a WiFi monitor for watching their baby.
REASONS TO BUY
Easy to use
WiFi range
Lower EMF
REASONS TO AVOID
Sub-par sound
Expensive
Editor's Note: The Nanit received an update on March 25, 2022, with details on why you might want to choose the Nanit or an alternative.

Compare to Similar Products

 
nanit pro
This Product
Nanit Pro
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best WiFi Baby Monitor
Editors' Choice Award
Best Baby-Specific Features
Top Pick Award
Great for Long-term Use
Best Value Award
Best Video Monitor on a Budget
Top Pick Award
Best Dedicated Monitor
Price $300 List
$219.99 at Amazon
$220 List
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$100 List
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$36 List
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$170 List
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line A WiFi option that is easy to use with loads of features and low EMF, but sub-par sound and a higher price tagThe video quality and plethora of baby-specific features make this a favorite, even if the lack of camera precision and delay is annoyingIf you value video and sound over baby-centric features, the Nest Cam is a good choice for youThis wallet-friendly WiFi option offers great video even if lacks baby-centric featuresThis easy-to-use dedicated monitor is a favorite despite a less impressive video quality
Rating Categories Nanit Pro iBaby M8 2K Smart Baby Google Nest Cam 2nd... Wyze Cam V3 LeapFrog LF920HD 7"...
Range (20%)
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
8.0
Sound Clarity (20%)
5.0
6.0
7.0
5.0
7.0
Video Quality (30%)
8.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
4.0
Ease of Use (15%)
9.0
6.0
5.0
8.0
9.0
Battery life (10%)
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
7.0
Features (5%)
7.0
10.0
6.0
7.0
7.0
Specs Nanit Pro iBaby M8 2K Smart Baby Google Nest Cam 2nd... Wyze Cam V3 LeapFrog LF920HD 7"...
Communication Technology 2.4GHz and 5GHz 2.4/5GHz 2.4 / 5 Ghz 2.4 GHz 2.4GHz FHSS
Indoor Range Test Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity 6 walls
80 Feet
Open Field Range Test Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity 700 Feet
Manufacturer's Claimed Range (*buyer beware!) Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity 1000 Feet
Max Sound 89 db @ ~1ft 85 db @ ~1ft 110 db @ ~1ft 100db @ ~1ft 84 db @ ~1ft
Screen Size n/a n/a n/a n/a 7"
Max # of Cameras Up to 5. If you plan to use more than 5 cameras contact customer support Not Listed (Unlimited?) Not Listed (Unlimited?) 5 1
Temperature Yes Yes No No Yes
Movement Detection Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sound Activation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Talk-to-Baby Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Pan/Tilt/ Zoom None Pan/Tilt/Zoom Zoom Zoom Pan/Tilt/Zoom
Battery Life n/a n/a n/a n/a 8 hours 50 minutes
EMF @ 6 Feet from Camera 0.37 V/m 0.23 V/m 0.6 V/m 1.47 V/m 0.23 V/m
Warranty 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 3 Months

Our Analysis and Test Results

Nanit is a fairly young company operated collectively by “scientists, parents, and designers.” Nanit is relatively unique and is trying to go beyond basic monitoring and offers “breathing wear” that utilizes learning algorithms to determine human behavior to monitor a baby's breathing.

WiFi Monitoring Suggestions
  • Purchase from a location with a useful return policy for easy/quick returns if your internet is not up to par
  • Test immediately to ensure it has sufficient WiFi bandwidth
  • If you can, use a device outside of your personal phone for monitoring, as some apps lose connection when on a call
  • Change the default password! Hacking a monitor is easier if you fail to create a new password

Performance Comparison


nanit pro - with wifi technology, the nanit is a useful choice where range is a...
With WiFi technology, the Nanit is a useful choice where range is a concern since it is only limited by the available Internet.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Range


The Nanit works with your internet connection, so your WiFi will determine the range. The camera connects to WiFi, while your parent device can use WiFi or a cellular data plan. This connection type means it is a good choice for those with more square footage or homes with more than four walls separating the baby camera and the parent unit, making monitoring more difficult with dedicated-style monitors.

nanit pro - the nanit pro has disappointing sound quality, but honestly, most of...
The Nanit Pro has disappointing sound quality, but honestly, most of the video monitors had subpar sound during testing.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Audio / Visual


Sound clarity in a best video baby monitor is just as important as it is in a sound monitor because it is sound that draws your attention to the screen. The Nanit sound performance and clarity are better than some of the WiFi competition, but it really isn't anything to write home about.


It has a maximum volume decibel level of 89db, with clarity decreasing after 79db. The sound is hollow, but the clarity is good enough to hear voices and details from the nursery. While you can turn the sound component off during viewing, this also turns off notifications so that you won't be altered to any auditory changes in the nursery. Alternatively, if you leave the sound on and close the app, you will continue to get notifications about sound (aka crying) in the baby's room.


The colors in the nursery are similar to those seen on the video...
The colors in the nursery are similar to those seen on the video images from the Nanit, but they are somewhat dimmer than real life.
Zooming in degrades the video quality of the Nanit as it is a...
Zooming in degrades the video quality of the Nanit as it is a digital zoom, not an optical one.

The video quality is better than the sound quality, with images superior to the dedicated products in this review. Still, it didn't perform as well as the WiFi cameras in our lineup, despite the increase to 1080p that comes with the Pro version. The Nanit images have colors that aren't exactly the same as real life, and they look somewhat dim compared to the more vibrant competition. The images offer good clarity, but the quality goes down when you zoom in as it becomes pixelated since it is digital zoom, not optical.

The Nanit visuals are night are soft of bright in the middle and...
The Nanit visuals are night are soft of bright in the middle and grow fuzzier near the edges, but you can see enough for useful monitoring.
If you zoom in on the night visuals of the Nanit you can quickly see...
If you zoom in on the night visuals of the Nanit you can quickly see how degraded the visuals become as the baby loses their face and the eye chart is impossible to read.

Night images are slightly more disappointing, with a bright spot in the center with fuzzier edges. The important details are visible and clear, but it doesn't compare to the other WiFi products.

nanit pro - the nanit app is fairly intuitive, especially if you use apps...
The Nanit app is fairly intuitive, especially if you use apps frequently.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use


The Nanit is one of the easiest WiFi products in the review to use, with a high score compared to the dedicated and some of the WiFi products.


Setup for this monitor is fairly easy if you are comfortable with apps and technology. It has a quick start guide and app that is intuitive to navigate. It pretty much sets itself up, but you do have to pair the camera with your account once it is set up. The app and setup process is easier than much of the WiFi competition in this review.

The Nanit app has the most used features directly on the home screen, and frequently used features are located on the video screen. When you open the app, you have to turn the background sound setting on. If you turn the sound off, you won't receive sound notifications. We experienced only a 1-2 second delay during testing between what was happening in the room and what we observed on the app. This lag time, while not perfect, is still suitable for monitoring a baby as a second between your little one starting to cry and you hearing it is still better than no monitor and is unlikely to impact how quickly you respond.

Battery Life


The Nanit monitor does not include a battery and only plugs in. Therefore, when testing battery life, we look at the parent's device, where battery life is highly dependent on the use of apps and calls. Another reason to use a separate device outside your phone for regular monitoring.


Most personal electronic devices have the potential for longer battery life than the parent devices included with the dedicated monitors we tested.

nanit pro - the camera for the nanit has a unique downward facing position so...
The camera for the Nanit has a unique downward facing position so you get a “bird's eye view” of the baby in their crib.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Features


The Pro comes with various features, but it doesn't have as many baby-centric features as some of the competition or what you might expect.


This product has sound activation (an important feature, in our opinion), but the camera is stationary, which limits your viewing field.
nanit pro - you need to pair the camera with your account in the app during setup.
You need to pair the camera with your account in the app during setup.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

  • Breathing band
  • Temperature & humidity sensors
  • Two-way talk
  • Screen sleep in night mode
  • Movement detection
  • Glow nightlight
  • Birdseye mounting for full crib view
  • Continue monitoring while using other apps or when the screen is locked
  • Save images
  • White noise and nature sounds
  • Up to 5 users
  • Compatible with Alexa

nanit pro - we measured each device for emf emissions. the nanit has one of the...
We measured each device for EMF emissions. The Nanit has one of the lowest levels in the group.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Levels


We test EMF emissions under the same for each product to compare the results in an apples-to-apples method. This Nanit proved to have lower EMF than the previous Nanit, and we applaud their efforts to decrease EMF emissions. Given the potential for outside EMF impacting results, we don't claim that our results are the same as what you could experience. The Nanit Pro has a reading of 0.37 V/m 6 ft from the EMF reader. This is one of the lower results we saw during testing. Because EMF exposure decreases the further your little one is from the camera, we suggest putting the camera as far from your little one as you can for it to function as intended.

nanit pro - the nanit camera is not remotely controllable which limits your...
The Nanit camera is not remotely controllable which limits your field of view.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Security


Locating information on the company website about security was harder than it should be for this kind of product. There is no specific security page, which left us searching for more details. After extensive searching, we found vague assurances.

When asked, “Can Nanit be hacked?” Nanit replied:

While no device is ever completely secure, Nanit follows strict security guidelines so that your data and video feed are safe. We specifically designed Nanit's camera so that your video stream can never be pulled from the camera directly — it can only be pushed by our secure servers onto your mobile device.

Nanit uses 256-Bit AES Encryption technology.

Tips to help protect yourself from Hackers

  • Update the firmware
  • Change the default password
  • The new password should be at least 8-10+ characters with lower & upper case letters, and a complex combination of numbers or characters
  • Change your password frequently
  • Limit the camera's view
  • Always unplug the camera when not in use so it can't be activated remotely

Should You Buy the Nanit Pro?


We think this is a great choice if you're looking for an excellent WiFi monitor and want the potential for movement monitoring. The Nanit is a high-quality choice with various features useful for monitoring babies and potential security in the future. It has good video quality and is easy enough to use.

What Other Video Monitor Should You Consider?


The Nanit Pro is expensive, especially if you opt for movement accessories. This could make it outside the budget of some parents. Alternatively, the iBaby M8 2K Smart Baby Monitor can save you some money and give you great images with more baby features than you can shake a stick at. We think most parents will be happy with this choice and can easily add a clip-on movement monitor if that feature is important. If your goal is a product for long-term use and you prefer buying products you can use for years, the Google Nest Cam 2nd Gen is the best option. While it doesn't include baby-specific features, it is one of the highest-performing options in the group and still less expensive than the Nanit. This camera can be used for years after your little one doesn't require monitoring.

Manufacturer Video



Wendy Schmitz and the BabyGearLab Review Team