The Philips Avent Baby Monitor offers both a crisp sound and exceptional range in a audio-only baby monitor.
A few notes
Offers you the ability to set a temperature range for the monitor. If the room is outside of the temperature range you will get an alarm. This could be helpful for parents who are worried about cold winter nights (or hot summer nights!).
Very crisp sound resemble a phone call
Nice intercom system -
Base unit play lullabies and has a built-in night light, however neither feature can controlled by the hand unit. This the main reason why I am removing 1/2 star.
Price It is odd that an audio only system is in the same price range as audio + video units such as Levana BABYVIEW20 Interference Free Digital Wireless Video Baby Monitor with Night Light Lullaby Camera and the Lorex LW2002W Portable LCD Wireless Surveillance System (White)
Hand held unit comes with rechargeable batteries. The base unit takes 4 AA as a battery back-up.
Range I have never had an issue with range. I have perfect clarity even when I in our front yard.
Final verdict Probably the best audio-only baby monitor that I have ever used (and I have tried several). I am a little disappointed that the hand unit can not control the lullabies and the night light, but as a whole I am very impressed.
4 1/2 Stars
I was very disappointed in this monitor. We have a Philips AVENT SCD520 that is about 2 years old and it's a wonderful product. So much so that when our second child was on the way we decided to get another Philips monitor so we could have one in each child's room. We ordered the SCD525 thinking that it would be pretty much the same as the SCD520 -after all it's just an updated version, and looks almost identical, right?
We have made a lot of use of the lullaby feature on the SCD520. It plays for about 15 minutes and then shuts off. On the SCD525, the lullaby plays for only about 3 or 4 minutes before shutting off. This is not nearly long enough -not many kids are going to be soundly asleep after only a few minutes most of the time. Also, unlike the crystal clear sound quality of our SCD520, the SCD525 had a significant buzz/hum (and yes I tried it with the other monitor shut off as well) -not what I'd expect from an expensive digital monitor. I called Philips customer service and they were very helpful. They agreed that the lullaby should play for more than a few minutes and sent me a replacement monitor.
Well, the replacement was exactly the same as the original, both in terms of the short lullaby and the poor sound quality. I called Philips again, and after waiting about 2 weeks for a response from higher-level tech support the word came back that the lullaby is only supposed to play for a few minutes -in other words, it's a "feature." Uh-huh. Sounds to me like they have a bug in the firmware. So I returned the replacement to Philips, the original to Amazon, and subsequently purchased the SCD530, with which I am very pleased (I didn't buy that one in the first place because I didn't need the hygrometer feature and wanted to save a little money).
Bottom line: the SCD520 and SCD530 are good products, the SCD525 not so much.
Buy Philips AVENT DECT Baby Monitor with Temperature Sensor and New ECO Mode Now
When I first discovered that this unit had temp/humidity alarms, I was temped to monitor my basement where I brew beer, but I then remembered why I ordered this unit. Worry not, I didn't put the baby in the basement with the beer to accomplish both aims, but the thought may have crossed my mind. The problem is that this unit does such a great job at monitoring sounds and sending them magically over with a clear crisp sound, so it would be a waste to just use the temp/humidity ability. So few monitors get this basic ability to send clear sound all wrong, so kudos to Philips for doing it right. The lullabies and light on the base is another plus, and before you know it, you're wondering why you looked at anything else.
$100 is a lot, but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Read Best Reviews of Philips AVENT DECT Baby Monitor with Temperature Sensor and New ECO Mode Here
When I bought this baby monitor, I was looking for three basic qualifications:
1) A digital monitor (for privacy).
2) Sufficient range to get a reliable, clear signal (no dropped signals, interference, or static) throughout my modest 2-story, 1600 sq. ft. house, including in the basement and basement garage. Keep in mind I have lathe and plaster walls, which I believe can degrade a signal more than typical drywall walls.
3) Lights that alert you to baby's noise if you have the parent unit volume turned down.
Reviews seem VERY mixed on most digital monitors as far as reliability and range are concerned, many reviews being weighted towards the low end of 1 3 stars. The (relatively expensive) Philips/Avent line of digital DECT monitors, however, stood out from the rest of the pack with 4 -5 stars across the board. So I took the plunge with hopes that this monitor would fit my needs perfectly, and with the exception of a few minor complaints, I'm completely satisfied. This monitor even has a few handy bonus features that are icing on the cake.
The Good:
1) This monitor has a rock solid signal throughout my entire house (when not set to Eco mode), with the exception of my concrete-walled garage. However, even in my garage, if I leave the parent unit in a specific corner of the garage, I still obtain a perfect signal, which meets my needs.
2) A variety of bonus features that allow for personal customization, such as:
baby unit microphone sensitivity.
temperature display with programmable temperature alarm if baby's room gets to hot or cold.
an Eco mode which conserves the parent unit battery power if you don't need full transmitting power.
backup battery for the baby room unit in the event that your house loses power.
3) Like many baby monitors, this one has a talk-back feature. My wife and I don't use it much, but it's a nice-to-have.
4) Not a huge deal, but the user manual was actually written in clear English by someone competent about the product, like one of the engineers that designed this monitor. Probably the best user manual I've ever read for a mass-market product like this. While the monitor is not hard to use or program, it has a much larger feature-set than the typical baby monitor, and this manual tells you exactly how to use these features. Hard to get excited about a user manual, but I was impressed!
The Bad (only minor complaints):
1) The talk button on the parent unit is far too easy to push when picking up the monitor from its cradle or off a table. Not a feature you want when your baby is sleeping in her room because you momentarily transmit unwanted sound into her room (music, TV noise, conversation, etc). You learn to pick it up so this doesn't happen. Not a huge deal.
2) The LED lights on the parent unit are WAY too bright. They're fine for daytime use, but not so good when the parent unit is bedside at night. These lights can light up a dark room! We put a few layers of masking tape over the lights to tone them down a bit. Tacky, I know.
3) Whenever a setting is changed on the parent unit (such as speaker volume), the parent unit beeps VERY LOUD. This beep could've been much quieter.
4) Not a complaint, but a desired feature: a vibration alert would be nice, similar to the light alert, if the parent unit volume is turned down.
Given the few minor complaints, I took off a star. Otherwise, 5 stars all the way.
Hope my review helps your search for a baby monitor. I highly recommend this particular monitor, even at its high price, and I'm sure the other monitors in the Philips Avent DECT line are just as good if you desire more or fewer features. Happy parenting!
Want Philips AVENT DECT Baby Monitor with Temperature Sensor and New ECO Mode Discount?
This monitor is well made and the technology is excellent: No miscellaneous noises at all just pure clean signal. The temperature sensor is excellent as well. However, even though this product is made with excellent technology and by a well respected electronics company (Philips), it is surprising that a key feature has been overlooked, resulting in a serious design flaw: inadequate volume. Even on maximum volume and full sensitivity (you can adjust the sensitivity for the minimum sound level that activates the speaker), one cannot hear baby sounds well enough (both my wife and I have excellent hearing). The monitor includes many, bright LEDs that light up when sounds are picked up, but the LEDs are not enough to wake someone up from a deep sleep. The problem with this product is that the same goes for the volume: even on max volume, it's not enough to wake one from a deep sleep immediately when a baby starts making noises. What mom would feel comfortable knowing that it may take her baby to cry at the top of his/her lungs to wake up mom and/or dad? If your hearing is below average, I recommend you look elsewhere for a baby monitor.
Save 20% Off
I purchased this recently and am very pleased with the soothing, swishing, fan sound of this machine. I keep it at its highest level (which isn't really that loud or impressive until you actually go to sleep and discover it is perfect). Since my bedroom is directly above the family-room it nicely drowns out the sound. Another plus is that it isn't so loud that you aren't able to hear doors opening or closing which I consider a big plus. Personally, I think it is the perfect white noise machine, well made and worth the extra money to be rid of the clicks and clacks of the cheaper brands.
