REVIEW – @FirstAlert Indoor Digital Wireless Family Surveillance Monitor

The product featured was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. Please note that any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

ABOUT THE FIRST ALERT INDOOR DIGITAL WIRELESS FAMILY SURVEILLANCE MONITOR
Keep an eye on kids in the other room or the baby in the upstairs nursery with the First Alert indoor digital wireless family surveillance monitor. The monitor comes equipped with audio and visual capabilities, so you always have an eye and ear on your family’s safety. The monitor provides 750 feet of wireless transmission, so parents and babysitters can watch from most points inside the home.
Specifications:

• Indoor Use Only
• Operating Power: 5V DC
• Viewing Angle: 35 degrees
• Audio Range: 10 ft
• Digital: Yes
• Color: Yes
• Night Vision: 10 Infrared LEDs, 10ft distance
• Wireless: Range 330 ft, Frequency 2.4 GHz
• Contents: 2.4″ LCD Digital Receiver, Digital Wireless Camera, AV Cable, Manual, Power Supplies for receiver and camera
• MSRP: $199.95

MY THOUGHTS
When my daughter was born, I had only ever used audio baby monitors in her room. I never thought there was much use for a more expensive video monitor when I could hear her cry and simply go check on her. After my son was born, my fiancé begged for a video monitor because he felt more comfortable with one. So, we saved up and bought one. I’ll admit I was wrong in thinking they were unnecessary. I love the comfort in being able to hear and see him, just in case I feel he’s napped for too long and need that extra double-check. However, I’ve been less-than-thrilled with the cheaper version we decided to go with. The receiver is more like a mini TV and is anything but portable so we have to find a sturdy spot to place it on if we want to move it to whatever room we’re in. It’s also not wireless so we have to find an extra plug to plug it in, which is inconvenient, especially if we’re outside while he naps. All of the constant moving has taken its toll on the receiver and its power cord, so now the cord has to be placed in just the right position for the receiver to have power. Annoying.

When I found out about First Alert’s Digital Wireless Indoor Family Surveillance Monitor, I was instantly intrigued by the “wireless” aspect. Though the camera does have a power cord, the receiver can simply be recharged with its power cord and then unplugged for several hours if you want to go wireless. So, I leave it plugged in whenever my son is awake or when I’m in my room at night and he’s sleeping. When he takes his nap, I unplug it, bring it downstairs with me, and carry it around as I move through the house. This is so much more convenient than unplugging and plugging back in somewhere else. Plus, I have a decent-size house and have never had any issues with the receiver losing signal unless I go two-stories down into the basement. The range is perfect for my usage.

The set up was quite simple too. I love that the camera can mount onto a wall, or you can sit it up on a piece of furniture if you prefer. We mounted ours to the wall a couple of feet up from the crib so we have a full view of his crib from up high. My son is a squirmer and often ends up in a ball in the corner of his bed. He often ended up out of view of his previous camera because it wasn’t able to be mounted and we instead had it sitting on furniture near his crib. The First Alert camera rotates in several directions so you can easily aim it where you need to. The cord hanging down makes it a little odd-looking, but I’ll take that over the inability to mount it where we need to!

The camera is in full color during the day and switches to night-vision in the dark, so no need for extra lights in the room when baby is sleeping. I noticed that the camera seems a big laggy when it’s on night-vision compared to regular daytime viewing, but not enough to be bothersome. I can still see every movement my son makes with no problem.
The audio is great, with minimal background noise like I’ve noticed on other cameras. Even being a couple of feet up from my son’s crib, I hear his movements, cries, whimpers, etc. There is also a volume control on the receiver so you can easily adjust the volume to your needs. I’m a very light sleeper, so I keep it on the lowest setting possible.
I love that this camera system also has an intercom so you can talk through the receiver to the camera end. This can come in handy when my son is a little older and able to play in his room by himself; I can use the intercom to communicate with him if I’m downstairs. This is also a feature that makes this more than just a baby monitor, which is why First Alert calls it a Family Surveillance Monitor System. Once my kids are older, I can see myself using this system as an upstairs hallway surveillance system. If I’m downstairs and the kids are in their rooms upstairs, I can quickly communicate with them through the receiver, and keep an eye on things when friends are over or they are playing in their rooms. Overall, this monitor is perfect for my family and I can see endless uses for it even as the kids grow up. It’s the monitor I wish we had saved a little more for and purchased from the very beginning!
MORE INFO
First Alert website
First Alert online store
First Alert on Facebook
First Alert on Twitter