I needed a baby monitor that works over WiFi, and this is the best one out there.
Because I live in a dense high-rise flat with steel-reinforced concrete walls, most RF and WiFi signals don't penetrate very well. Even though the flat isn't large, the signal between devices (such as conventional wireless baby monitors) can't reach 2-3 rooms away.
I'm lucky that my flat is wired to have dedicated WiFi access points in every room, so my WiFi coverage is almost flawless.
The Nanit camera is connected to the WiFi in my baby's room, and I can connect to it via my phone anywhere in the flat. The best part about it is the stability of the connection, and the speed to which it connects and starts streaming video once I open the app.
Because it doesn't steam over the internet (I don't use their insights or additional subscription features) the stream over my home WiFi is very steady and doesn't drop out. On my own phone, when I open up the app the stream loads up within 1-2 seconds at most (usually 1s) when on home WiFi. It is obviously a little slower when connecting via 4G.
This also means there is almost no lag between physical movement and it showing up on screen. On WiFi I've timed the lag to under 1 second. Again slightly slower over 4G.
It will still work over your home WiFi, even if your internet connection is down. (I confirmed this by unplugging my modem from my router but keeping my WiFi network up).
I've tried other wireless baby monitors such as summer infant - it's obviously the simplest and fastest way to monitor your baby, but it didn't work for me since my concrete walls blocked the signal if I was just a little bit away from my baby's room (I.e. in the kitchen or my own bedroom etc).
I have a Nest cam in my baby's room too, it's good for 24/7 coverage and being able to review how my baby slept over the night and what the babysitter did etc. However it's not good for dedicated baby monitoring as there is some delay in the stream (understandable since the feed needs to go up to the Nest cloud servers and back down to my phone). This also means it won't work when the internet is down. Finally the nest app itself isn't really designed to be open and running 24/7 - it will time out after a while and this is pretty bad in the middle of the night when you want to hear your baby but the app has shut off.
Arlo cameras are useless. I had one for a while but it takes AGES for the app to connect to the camera - upwards of 10s from opening the app to seeing the livestream. This is on my Arlo Q plus camera connected via ethernet even. My experience with them is so bad I would never try their Arlo baby product.
I've also had some generic china-made WiFi cameras. They actually work well enough but I'm wary of their security and possibility of backdoors. Nanit has two factor authentication- but actually only for the camera owner ane not thebadditional accounts that can be invited to view the same camera (such as your spouse). ATM there is no evidence to suggest you can't trust a Nanit camera in your home.
The background audio in the Nanit app works exactly as advertised - enable it first in the app and then close the app or even have the phone display go to sleep - you will still hear your baby's room. I've had this running overnight and it definitely doesn't fail or crash or stop streaming inadvertently.
I have my phone logged into my own Nanit ccount, invited my wife to create her own account and login on her phone that way. I have also fashioned a dedicated monitor screen using an old phone that is logged in as a guest account and then locked to the Nanit app with guided access on iOS. This way I can see my baby on my phone at home and when I'm out, my wife can do the same on her phone. And I have an old phone I leave for the babysitter to use around the house.
Overall I'm really happy with this purchase - I researched for months on which baby monitor to get, given my specific requirements. It was a little bit of a leap of faith given Nanit is a relatively small company without a long track record yet. However I'm 100% satisfied and really hope they do well.
The only downsides are that you need really good WiFi in your home to ensure it is reliable for you. (This Nanit Plus is the latest version which added two-way audio which the first generation didn't have, and improved WiFi hardware after users complained about the first gen - I wouldn't risk getting the 1st gen device now).
It is also REALLY expensive compared to other baby monitors out there, whether they are WiFi or not. I haven't tried the subscription features yet and they seem quite pricey - but you get a month to trial them. All of the features I've talked about above are already included though.
TLDR - Expensive baby monitor that requires really good WiFi in your home to be reliable - but if it does work for you it is excellent.
| Product Dimensions | 3.3 x 3.5 x 1 inches |
|---|---|
| Item model number | N211US |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Material Type | Plastic |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Style | Plus Camera & Wall Mount |
| Compatible products | Smartphones |
| Communication technology | Wi-fi |
| Batteries required | No |
| Sensor technology | Nightvision, room_temperature |
| Item Weight | 1 pounds |
