Gadget Guru
Morten Nielsen, Copenhagen
Got a problem with tech? Then don’t sit around tearing your hair out - let Gadget Guru tear it out for you! Or he’ll find the appropriate gadget to do it hands-free, if you like.
The fredi day&night camera fits the bill perfect ly, with a 720 signal, two-way audio and pan and tilt funct ions
AWhen Guru last used a baby monitor, it picked up a rather candid conversation between the next door neighbours. Granted, GaGu bought the receiver specifically for that purpose after rifling through their bins for baby monitor receipts, and he immediately reported his salacious findings to the relevant authorities. But his eavesdropping ways are a strong argument for keeping your baby’s shenanigans privately buried in your Wi-Fi network.
Guru would say, though, that iPhone compatibility shouldn’t be your primary concern. Notifications and alerts are not 100 per cent reliable, and in order to take a look at the burbling and wriggling of your spawn you’ll need to unlock your phone, open the app and wait for a connection. A right royal pain in the behind. Also, as you’ve likely noticed by now, attaching the word ‘baby’ to a product tends to double its price.
You would be well served, if you’re prepared to dedicate an old phone as a screen for progeny observation, simply picking up an IP camera which supports infrared. On the cheaper end, the FREDI Day&Night Night Vision Wi-Fi Camera‚ which apparently retails for £80 but can be found for closer to £30‚ fits the bill of baby monitor perfectly, with a 720p signal, two-way audio and pan and tilt controls.
You asked for the best, though, so GaGu must take a flick through his secret suggestion notebook. Let’s see here: The Nest Cam IQ (£299) does 4K streaming (though it downsamples it to 1080p before it hits your phone) and has useful baby-watching features such as motion detection, infrared and two-way sound communication… plus a less friendly hefty price tag. The £179 Motorola MBP853 Connect is even more baby focused – it comes with a portable screen, and operates on DECT as well as Wi-Fi, but you can pipe its video and audio to your phone if you wish.