Forget movies - let’s pop some popcorn and watch baby sleep on the Remote Pan and Tilt Color Baby Monitor by 4UCam. We have drama (what happened to the pacifier?), we have suspense (is she waking up?) and we have comedy (how on earth did she get in that position?). For those of you who think I’m kidding, don’t bother coming over for movie night at my house.
When I was pregnant, hubby and I agreed on a sleep plan for our baby: first she would sleep in our room in a Pack ‘n Play and then we would move her to her crib when she was a few months old. And then this helpless baby was placed in my arms and all of a sudden her room down the hall seemed so far away. I’ll completely admit that it was me dragging my feet on moving baby down the hall, not the other way around. Adamant that she not sleep in our room past her first birthday, I made arrangements to move her a few months prior and was anticipating a gigantic fight. We were surprised to find that baby was quite the independent sleeper, but it was me that needed the constant reassurance that baby was okay.
I finally decided that baby could sleep in her bed alright, providing I could still see her whenever I wanted. No, I did not move into her room with her, taking up residence on her floor. Instead, I found 4UCam, a company that makes all sorts of video baby monitors that enable you to watch baby sleep from the comfort of your bed. I fell in love with the Pan and Tilt Camera and now enjoy watching baby sleep from all over the house - in the living room, or office, backyard and more. Even better, it allowed me to pan and tilt the camera around the room remotely as she slept. That means I can potentially keep an eye on two babies in one room or one extremely active one that flops around her crib as she sleeps remotely, not needing to get up and move the camera numerous times a night.
That first night baby crib-slept was pretty restless. I woke over a dozen times and grabbed the 4UCam video monitor waiting to see baby’s chest rise and fall. Assured that everything was fine, I would fall back asleep for another 45 minutes before I would awake suddenly, missing my baby again. As the days went on, I relied less and less on the monitor and only needed to check the screen periodically during the night. Though sometimes I still wake with a start and frantically reach for my 4UCam, I’ve finally gotten much more relaxed about checking on baby so frequently.
Knowing that I can see her at any time has almost had the opposite effect that I thought it would on my predisposition for nervousness. Whereas before we had the 4UCam I would continually tiptoe to the nursery at nap time and try and see her through the crack in the door. Oftentimes I would wake her with the motion in the hallway or when I accidentally stepped on the one creaky spot in the entire house that just so happens to be right outside baby’s door and then I would spend the rest of the hour with a fussy baby that just can’t comprehend why someone would wake them because they were being too quiet on the audio monitor.
Because the 4UCam has audio and visual capability in both daylight and in the dark, there is absolutely no doubt about how baby is doing at any given time. You can crank the volume up and bask in the sound of baby’s every breath or, you can lower the volume and just keep a watchful eye on your little one. We actually use our 4UCam Pan and Tilt Camera more often this way as the color image on the monitor is so detailed we find we can easily discern baby’s cuteness and breathing with just a glance and therefore can savor the silence with full peace of mind.
Having the sound turned down serves a dual purpose because in certain spots in our house we get interference that causes the audio to crackle a bit. This happens mostly when my blackberry or laptop is close by, but we haven’t been able to specifically narrow it down to either of those causes. Since neither the laptop or my phone are going anywhere any time soon, the sound on the monitor just had to go, which I didn’t mind a bit. We still get this interference every once in a while which causes the image on the monitor to fuzz and distort, but it usually only lasts a second or two and then the image comes back clearly. If they could find a way to improve upon the signal I would be thrilled, but it's honestly not that bad the way it stands. With the sound turned on, the interference was much more noticeable, and once that was gone the intermittent distortion wasn't as big of a bother.
The other improvement I could see on the 4UCam monitor would be to make it more portable for parents who aren't always in one room. Some ideas would be a clip to make carrying the parent’s monitor easier and extended battery life or a rechargeable battery option that would make the unit cheaper and more efficient to operate when you can't plug into a wall. The parent's monitor does comes with a metal fold out stand that works great keeping the monitor at whatever angle is the best for viewing while on flat surfaces, but it would be really cool to have a clip and extended battery life as well so I could attach it to my belt when I’m moving around the house and not worry about running through batteries.
Features (from the 4UCam Website)
Camera/Transmitter (860T)
Imaging Sensor : CMOS
CMOS Total Pixels : 510x492(NTSC)
Horizontal Resolution: 380 TV Lines
View Angle: 60 Degree
Minimum Illumination: 0 Lux
Transmission Frequency: ISM 2,400~2,483 MHz
Transmission Power : 2mW/FCC
Modulation Type: FM
Bandwidth : 18 MHz
Power Supply: +9 VDC
Consumption Current : 600mA & 700mA(IR ON)
Horizontal Rotating Angle: 270 Degree
Vertical Rotating Angle: 120 Degree
Unobstructed Effective Range : 330 feet (Min)
Night Vision Range: 16 feet
Dimensions(WxDxH): 104 x110 x124 mm
Weight : 8 ozs.
Operating Temperature : -10 ~ +50 (Degree C) / +14 ~ +122 (Degree F)
Storage Temperature: -20 ~ +85 (Degree C) / -4 ~ +185 (Degree F)
Operating Humidity: 85% RHMonitor/Receiver
LCD Size : 2.5 inch TFT
LCD Resolution: 480 x 234
Receiving Frequency: ISM 2,400MHz~2,483MHz
Demodulation Type: FM
Receiving Sensitivity: <= -85dBm
Power Supply: +9 VDC
Consumption Current : 300mA
Remote control transmission Frequency 315/433/868/915MHz
Remote control transmission power: 14+/-1.5dBm
Remote control Modulation Type: FSK
Dimensions(WxDxH): 68 x 149 x 26 mm (Excluding Antenna)
Weight : 6 ozs.
Operating Temperature : 0 ~ +50 (Degree C) / +32 ~ +122 (Degree F)
Storage Temperature: -20 ~ +80 (Degree C) / -4 ~ +176 (Degree F)
Operating Humidity: 85% RH
Random Rave: Notice those little A/V Cables? That enables you to play the 4UCam camera outputs on your big screen or connect directly to a recording device, which is perfect for capturing all of baby's cuteness on film.
I have no plans to retire this little baby once I no longer have babies. The 4UCam will be perfect for keeping an eye on the kids in the yard or in the playroom because I can pan and tilt the camera to see large areas of ground. Obviously, I wouldn’t be going far away from the kiddos and wouldn’t use the 4UCam as a babysitter (baby’s future playmate’s parents all breathe a sigh of relief) but it would be nice to put dinner into the oven and then return without worrying they were climbing trees or walls unassisted.
This system is completely expandable and has the capability of controlling up to 3 cameras so you could potentially watch all your children in 3 separate rooms on one monitor. Cameras are sold separately on their website as well as full sets. I have dreams of eventually having three cameras on this system that would enable me to watch the nursery on one, the playroom on another and then another that I could take into work with me. I would only need to bring the handheld monitor with me and I would have a super sophisticated video setup wherever I go.
Click here to see a 4UCam in action:
Price: $169.95 for set with one camera and one monitor, with additional cameras available for $99.95 as well as a number of other accessories that help you expand this system to last for years.
Looks: Similar to a traditional audio monitor but so much cooler.
Overall: Gives you peace of mind and versatility for years of use.
A huge thank you to 4UCam for giving us new parents peace of mind - all day long.
