https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:58:30 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2742345 Wed, 31 May 2017 14:37:43 +0000 agold 2742345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rocker2014: That's so funny. Thank you for letting me know. And thank you for your very detailed responses. If this purchase was going to be my main monitor, I probably would have gone with the infant optics you suggested. The v tech is being used at my mom's today and its working great. I feel good about taking it back east to the big basement houses! You and I must totally have the same priorities! :silly: Thank you again for all your help! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2742325 Wed, 31 May 2017 14:23:32 +0000 Rocker2014 2742325@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: We have that V-Tech as our backup monitor and it does work great! We must have the same priorities, lol! Glad you got something that feels right to you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2742232 Wed, 31 May 2017 12:37:33 +0000 agold 2742232@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ineebee: Thank you so very much for telling me about this! I'm going to do this as a back up for sure!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2742216 Wed, 31 May 2017 12:14:28 +0000 ineebee 2742216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: This is different from the other suggestions, so I don't know if this is what you're looking for or not. You said you didn't want to be wifi-dependent, but...</p> <p>When I was visiting family, I didn't want to buy a whole thing for the visit alone but still needed a video monitor. So I downloaded the ManyThing app on our old iPad and my iPhone. It's free and it has video and audio for free. Super super easy to set up. I think there are a few other similar apps out there. We just propped up the iPad so we could see the side of the PnP. The only bad thing is that there was no night vision, and even with the nightlight on, it was totally black. But naps worked out well. For me, it was worth the (lack of) cost. But if you are okay with paying, then maybe a legit baby video monitor with night vision would be best! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741936 Tue, 30 May 2017 21:08:29 +0000 agold 2741936@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ms. RV: @MrsB2012: Thank you for mentioning V Tech. I went to buybuy baby this afternoon and for multiple reasons, the v tech monitor was highly recommended over others sold there. The price was too good to pass up. If it doesn't work for me for some reason, I will get the infant optics other people are recommending here. </p> <p>Thank you girls, all of you!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741868 Tue, 30 May 2017 17:00:52 +0000 MrsB2012 2741868@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a vtech basic monitor and one of the summer time video monitors. We can use both in our 3 story house. The kids sleep upstairs and we can be in the basement or outside and they're both finw </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741585 Tue, 30 May 2017 08:55:25 +0000 snowjewelz 2741585@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've had a Levana and now Motorola and no issues with signals on the top floor where cameras are and me taking the monitor into the basement/backyard. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741575 Tue, 30 May 2017 08:45:33 +0000 catlady 2741575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No specific recommendations but we have 3 floors in our home and we've had 3 different brands of monitors over the years, and we've never had a problem with them. </p> <p>We did have a slight issue with wifi interference with one of them, but I think I solved it by moving most of our streaming stuff to our 5 ghz wifi (and the monitor uses 2.4 ghz). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741540 Tue, 30 May 2017 07:47:06 +0000 littlebug 2741540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: We have the older version of the one @Rocker2014: recommended (the DXR-5) and it works fine. It will sometimes interrupt/interfere with our wifi signal, but it's rare. And it works just fine with her up in bed on the 2nd floor and us in the basement. We've used it now through 2 kids for over 4 years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741516 Tue, 30 May 2017 07:29:02 +0000 MrsSCB 2741516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have this one, and take it with me when we travel. We have a similar situation at my parents house: we sleep in the finished basement, so F goes to bed down there before us and we hang out with family on the main floor. We've never had an issue with it working.</p> <p>[attach=2844/17/oqrmoe.337x600.IMG_2172.PNG] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741486 Tue, 30 May 2017 00:48:29 +0000 Mrs. Pajamas 2741486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: we have an amcrest that we love. Video feed is seen on phones and is great quality. Super easy to set up and waaaay better than the foscam we used to have. We just bought a second one for baby #2. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741307 Mon, 29 May 2017 08:15:05 +0000 ShootingStar 2741307@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just do an audio monitor when we're traveling. I know it's easy to get reliant on video, but we realized the audio let us know if they were awake. </p> <p>And we have an owlet too. You just have to put it in their room and if it goes off you should be able to hear it over the monitor. We've stopped using ours though because she's standing and I felt like it was messing with her balance. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741295 Mon, 29 May 2017 07:37:15 +0000 tinyperson 2741295@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rocker2014: My parents house is similar - the previous owners put on a huge addition, and the bedrooms are in the original house. If we're in the great room (addition) at one end, I can't hear screaming in the bedrooms at the other end. I can barely hear screaming when I'm in the kitchen right below the bedrooms. Our Angel care monitor works perfectly! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741286 Mon, 29 May 2017 05:54:58 +0000 hellobeeboston 2741286@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have the Samsung video monitor (have had it about 3.5 years) and it gets a good distance, it works well in our house on all levels and in my parents larger house on different levels (you can check the distance ranges on them)... it's been great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741284 Mon, 29 May 2017 05:40:35 +0000 Alba4 2741284@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: this one! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004VL2VRO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1496054326&#038;sr=8-3&#038;keywords=motorola%2Bvideo%2Bmonitor&#038;th=1&#038;psc=1" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004VL2VRO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1496054326&#038;sr=8-3&#038;keywords=motorola%2Bvideo%2Bmonitor&#038;th=1&#038;psc=1</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741274 Sun, 28 May 2017 22:41:10 +0000 Rocker2014 2741274@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, and I should mention that I plug in the monitor every night right next to two cell phones and a kindle without issue.</p> <p>And you're welcome, I completely understand your situation - I was in the same boat a few mos ago. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741273 Sun, 28 May 2017 22:34:44 +0000 agold 2741273@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rocker2014: Thank you so much for your detailed response. I'm probably over thinking this so much. We have the nest camera at home that we use as the monitor and I love it so much. I brought it with me when we went out of town last month, but we have to set up the wifi and i just don't feel like bringing it with me across the country. Thank you, again. I'll pick something soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741272 Sun, 28 May 2017 22:31:20 +0000 Rocker2014 2741272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: Occasionally, but it's pretty rare. In advance of purchasing the monitor I had heard that it was important to keep it 3ish feet away from wifi devices, and when the signal goes out I just have to move it a little further away from my phone and it is fine. This happens maybe once per month to us, at most. We actually have two wifi signals in our house (stupid cable provider bundles!) and are in range of 3 or 4 of our neighbor's signals but it hasn't impacted the monitor at all. </p> <p>FYI, we had two other video monitors before this one and it the wifi interference worse with both of those (a Motorola that was crap and never worked well and a Foscam that I loved but is no longer manufactured that died due to a battery charging issue). </p> <p>A good friend of mine has a summer infant one that she loves in their 1000 square foot apartment, but it is pretty much useless past that distance. </p> <p>Honestly, I feel like video monitors are always a bit of give and take. When I had to replace my Foscam, I was ready to pay anything to get what I wanted in a monitor (odd house setup that I can't hear LO from my bedroom even if she's screaming) and after days of research I couldn't find a monitor I really felt great about. I finally decided on the Infant Optics, and it's been good for me. But, there seems to be no consistency in any of the brands/models, which makes no sense to me. Each monitor had reviews that indicated that the item simply didn't work as advertised, like @Iced Tea: experienced. My best recommendation is to buy a monitor from Amazon Prime or somewhere with an equally good return policy and see if it works for you and be ready to return something that doesn't. Not an optimum situation, but it's the best advice I can offer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741269 Sun, 28 May 2017 22:10:28 +0000 agold 2741269@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ms. RV: Thank you for letting me know, though. I would love to only spend that much on this second monitor! But I really think I like the video. Ugh. I become so reliant on unnecessary things. </p> <p>@tinyperson: Thank you. I will check that one out, too. I got nervous about this big house situation because we have the Owlette foot monitor thing and it worked great with baby in our room, but once we moved her to her own room like 10 feet away from my room, it was considering itself "out of range." The Owlette customer service people said the signal couldn't pass through a bathroom. Ugh. So now we can't use it. Such a bummer. And now I'm worried about this baby monitor passing through a Pittsburgh basement. </p> <p>@Alba4: Can you please tell me which specific motorola you have?</p> <p>@Iced Tea: OMG. I would be devastated. Can you sell it somehow? It is so very expensive and that's why I haven't purchased it yet. I was reading about the wifi interference, also. </p> <p>@Rocker2014: Have you had any interference with wifi issues? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741213 Sun, 28 May 2017 14:45:59 +0000 Iced Tea 2741213@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We bought the one Rocker2014 mentioned. It didn't work well in our house at all. We even lose the signal in the next room sometimes. After a lot of research and experimenting, it seems the reason is interference from wifi signals. We live in a townhouse and have to contend with not only our own wifi and extenders but the ones belonging to our neighbors as well (obviously we have no control over those). The solution is apparently to buy a DECT monitor since they use a different frequency, however, they are only available without video. </p> <p>I'm super bummed because we bought the monitor from Amazon months in advance of baby and now it's way too late to return it. So I have a very expensive and useless monitor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741212 Sun, 28 May 2017 14:44:48 +0000 MamaG 2741212@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a summer infant that we use in our two story. No basement though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741200 Sun, 28 May 2017 13:20:16 +0000 Alba4 2741200@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our Motorola one works throughout our house. I was just using it in the basement with my preschooler while my babe slept upstairs on the second floor. It also works if we go outside. We have plaster walls and brick, and our wifi gives us hell, but the monitor works well! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741136 Sun, 28 May 2017 07:00:02 +0000 tinyperson 2741136@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have an angel care one that we use at my parents. They have a huge house in an L shape. The great room where we spend most of our time is at the opposite end of the house from where the kids sleep on the 2nd floor, and the signal reaches there, as well as down to the basement below the great room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741127 Sun, 28 May 2017 05:30:00 +0000 Ms. RV 2741127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: We have a two story house witj basement, and OH frequently works in his workshop in the basement while DD is asleep on the second floor. Our monitor is this:<br /> <a href="http://www.target.com/p/vtech-safe-sound-174-dm221-digital-audio-baby-monitor-with-1-000-feet-of-range-night-light-talk-back-intercom/-/A-13929545" rel="nofollow">http://www.target.com/p/vtech-safe-sound-174-dm221-digital-audio-baby-monitor-with-1-000-feet-of-range-night-light-talk-back-intercom/-/A-13929545</a></p> <p>It even works when I am outside at the basement level shoveling snow.</p> <p>ETA: Just saw you wanted video. Oops. Well, it is a great little monitor if you can live without video. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741118 Sat, 27 May 2017 23:11:38 +0000 agold 2741118@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rocker2014: I was looking into that one. Thank you so much for letting me know it works for you. I hate to spend so much on a second monitor, but I want it to work good and I will be giving it to my mom to use for when she watches the baby a couple of times a week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741116 Sat, 27 May 2017 22:55:26 +0000 Rocker2014 2741116@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I recently purchased an Infant Optics DXR 8 video monitor and it works well in my basement with LO sleeping on the second floor. It isn't cheap, but we're reasonably happy with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-monitors-for-big-houses#post-2741114 Sat, 27 May 2017 22:38:32 +0000 agold 2741114@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I need a recommendation for a baby monitor that can be used in a multi-story house. </p> <p>I'm going to PA to visit family soon and the houses we will be at are two story homes with basements. I think baby will be sleeping on the second floor while we visit with family in the basement during the evening. Is there a baby monitor that anyone here uses in such a situation? I don't want it to be a wifi dependent monitor, but I do want video. (I have the nest monitor at home and love it, but want something that's easier to tote around.) I worry about the monitor not working through the multiple floors. </p> <p>Thank you for your recommendations! </p>