By: Teddy

Teddy — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 03:19:20 +0000

Nice camera kit
This baby monitor cam is great. Its well made and the materials feel like good quality plastics. I don’t see any manufacturing defects. I really like how it works on its own connection so no wifi is needed which is a privacy concern for most people.The camera resolution is not the best but it is ok for the size of the screen. It automatically turns black and white when in night vision mode. The camera doesn’t have a battery so it needs to be powered/hooked up continuously, while the screen unit has its own battery which charges via an included USB c cable and adapter. It can operate on a battery bank so it is actually totally portable.The camera goose neck is easily manipulated and stays in place.The manual is simple and comes in multiple languages…the only thing I don’t like about this manual is that the languages are mixed; meaning from front to back, it shows the first section in English, then French etc and then the 2nd section is English, then French etc, instead of having the full manual in one section in English, then the full manual in one section in French etc. (more page flipping and scanning is a hassle)Set up was a slight nuisance for me, the camera took a few tries to be connected to the unit, I’m not sure why.The sound is very sensitive and will pick up on the tiniest noises, which can be a great feature when monitoring a baby.I am using this to monitor my 3D printer from another floor/room.The clamp is plastic but the gray part is a silicone piece which gives it great grip against the silicone pad of the C clamp.The software is built in on the unit and has so many features. I can monitor temperature, humidity, sound etc. It’s easy to use and reminds me of GPS device menus of the decades past.The screen unit is light weight but well made and sturdy. Its easy to carry this thing from room to room. It has its own stand at the back which folds into its own body for a sleek design. Same with the antenna. The buttons on the front are plastic but the click is soft so they’re not loud to disturb anyone.I like the 2 way talk intercom feature where I can speak and listen to someone on the other side. There’s also capacity to hook up a 2nd camera to view at the same time in a split screen which is great if you have children in different rooms. What’s also great about this is that it has motion detection and a screen sleep mode to conserve battery power – the screen shuts off but the device is on and when there’s a noise or motion detected it will automatically turn on.Overall I give it a 4.5/5, for the camera resolution.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 03:19:20 +0000

Great large screen, fantastic adjustability, easy to use, but a pretty basic camera overall.
Right away I was super happy that the display screen on the monitor was nearly double the size of my old one. And the field of view on the camera is EXCELLENT. The instruction manual was a bit odd though with the massive text and all the languages included on each page. Not sure I found it that easy to follow. However, pairing was easier than any wifi device I’ve ever used (with no buttons to press on the camera), and apparently this version can handle TWO cameras at once, running a split-screen on the display. No wonder they made it so large.As for the setup, the camera body itself is extremely lightweight and the rubberized gooseneck is supremely adjustable. The USB-C power cable actually attaches to the base of the gooseneck just above the standard 1/4″ thread, which mounted easily to my tripod. Apart from the tiny reset button on the back next to the microSD slot, there literally are no buttons anywhere on the cam, so you just plug it in to turn it on. Ditto with turning it off. As long as it’s plugged in, you really don’t have to do anything since it’s always transmitting.Getting to the display screen, I’d say that the plastic body is quite decent, with rubberized feet on the back and a great folding antenna that stores flush to the body. Not sure I like the cheap plastic fold-out stand on the back though. It does the job, but you can’t control the angle and it’s made of pretty thin plastic. The control buttons to the right of the screen are OK, but they sit pretty low so you absolutely have to brace your fingers on the back of the console in order to click them. The problem is that the directional pad in the middle is so small that it can be sometimes difficult to manage if you have thick fingers. Plus the 2-way communication button (the mic picture) is stiffer than the rest and needs to be HELD in order to talk through the camera. And there’s no way to change that setting. Kinda wish they had swapped the menu and back buttons too. Just feels weird to have to leap over the menu with the thumb in order to go back a screen.But as for the console UI, it’s bright, amazingly simple to use with large icons in the settings menu and simple to navigate sub-menus. It’s not a touch-screen though, so you’re always having to use the physical buttons to navigate. Love the menu bar at the top on the main screen (which you can hide by using the OK button) and the resolution is GOOD. The only thing I was a bit iffy about was charging the console battery. Since the red LED on the left is always on when it’s plugged in, there is no way to find out if it’s fully charged when the device is off. The only way to be sure is to turn it on and look at the battery life indicator in the top left. Kind of a strange design. I feel like the main power button on the top right should’ve been larger too. And less recessed into the body. Otherwise, the device very much feels like a gaming console in the hands so it’ll be familiar to a lot of people. lolFinally, as far as the camera picture and resolution, it’s actually pretty good, but only when stabilized. Since there are no physical buttons on the thing or any settings to fiddle around with on the console, everything is handled automatically, so you’re kind of at the mercy of the onboard electronics. When you first put it into a new environment, it pulses the light sensor (flashing the screen) in order to get a good sense of the ambient lighting. Thought it was an issue with the console initially until I realized what it was doing. Then it takes a few seconds for the focus to adjust, during which the images can seem a bit pixelated. After that, you’re pretty much good to go until you change the lighting again like at night.Once you turn off the lights, you’ll hear an audible click in the cam as it turns on the IR emitters automatically and adjusts the image once again. Same deal – it takes a good 10 seconds to stabilize before you’re off to the races. But you can’t really adjust anything on the cam after that since it’s not a PTZ; nor can you zoom into the image on the display. All you can really do is turn the motion or cry detections on in the “Smart Care” setting – that’s it. So it’s really easy to use in that way, but not exactly comprehensive. There could be more settings in the app of course, but I haven’t tested it out yet.One other thing I need to mention is the frame rate and lag time. Like any other camera that functions via bluetooth or wifi, signals are subject to audio/video lag depending on the distance between each unit. This cam is no different. And although it’s very manageable here, the frame rate is still pretty slow. Lag is OK, but the audio can be a good second behind, so 2-way comms can take some getting used to. Moreover, the speaker quality on both the cam and console isn’t great, and there’s quite a bit of background noise on the monitor. Interestingly enough, the first time I plugged the console in to charge it, it turned on automatically; and after I turned it off, there was an audible hiss still coming out of the speaker. It disappeared after I unplugged it, but it turned out to be the volume setting – which I fixed afterwards. Kind of bizarre, but remediable.That’s pretty much it. No question that this camera is easily the most adjustable one I’ve ever used and with the largest screen to boot. The image quality is OK for a 1080p resolution, but frame rate and focus still take a while to stabilize. Speaker and microphone quality are mediocre, but the lullabies certainly work and the UI on the console is super simple to navigate. No drops in the connectivity either which is a MASSIVE plus since that’s really the most important bit. Some design improvements like the stand, buttons and charging could’ve been made; but overall, I have to say that it’s well above reproach for a basic baby monitor. Most don’t even come with dedicated displays these days so that’s already a win, especially since it doesn’t need access to your home wifi or phone. 3.8/5 stars overall.

Comments on: NETVUE Baby Monitor Camera with 5″ Display, Cry Detection & 2-Way Talk

By: Teddy

By: Eric