Best baby monitor

(Image credit: Victure)

published 12 January 2021

The best baby monitor is an essential purchase for all parents and carers. Having a camera, or at the very minimum a listening device, in your baby's room means you can relax while they are down for naps or asleep at night, resting assured that you have eyes and/or ears on their status. However, there are a confusing array of options out there, from simple audio monitors to cameras that work with companion apps, to standalone video units. We've curated a collection of the best of all types.

Staff pick

Victure PC530N Wi-Fi camera

Affordable option works with companion app

This cute little camera is an incredibly popular choice thanks to its capable feature set and affordable price tag. It works on your home's Wi-Fi network and transmits high resolution 1080P video imagery and audio to the Victure companion app. This has both sound and motion sensing abilities and can send alerts to the app if either is detected. This monitor has a 355-degree horizontal, and 100-degree vertical rotation range to achieve 360-degree panoramic viewing and even boasts a motion tracking function. This also has night vision capabilities so that you can see your baby in the dark. This camera's built-in microphone allows you to transmit voice messages via the app so you can soothe your infant remotely.

Large display

BT video baby monitor 6000

Standalone video unit for dedicated viewing

BT's video baby monitor 6000 comprises of a camera and dedicated, standalone video monitor that works on a 50-metre indoor range wireless connection that does not require Wi-Fi. The portable parent unit video monitor has a large, clear, five-inch colour screen offering an at-a-glance way to monitor your child without having to open an app. This has customisable sound level alerts so you can set it to only notify you if the sound level is high. This offers night vision, talkback for two-way communication, and temperature indication for the baby's room. This has the ability to play five different lullabies to soothe your child. This camera features manual and digital pan and tilt with zoom for a clear view of what's happening in your infant's room.

VOX-enabled

HelloBaby HB32 wireless video baby monitor

Eight different lullabies built-in

This is another option that works on a 2.4GHz wireless connection with the camera in the baby's room and the portable parent unit wherever you need it to be within a 960-foot range. The video unit boasts a high-resolution 3.2-inch digital colour LCD screen. This camera has night vision functionality, temperature monitoring, digital zoom, and can play eight different lullabies. The camera can be tilted to up to a 60-degree angle so you can ensure you have the best view of your child. This monitor can transmit video continuously, or in the "VOX" mode will only broadcast video if any sound is detected.

Audio-only

BT digital audio baby monitor 400

Simple solution to allow you to listen in

If you're looking for an audio-only baby monitor, then BT's 400 model is a compact and capable choice. It uses a wireless connection to stream interference-free, crystal clear, digital HD sound up to 50 metres indoors and 300 metres outdoors. The sound receiving unit features sound level LED lights to give you a visual way of getting alerted by staying green when everything is calm and flashing red when there is loud noise.

Wall-mountable

Victure PC420 baby monitor

Tidy solution with app support and alerts

This is another option from Victure offering a fully-featured suite of functions for a budget-friendly price. This Wi-Fi-enabled monitor works with the Victure companion app available for iOS and Android. The app can alert you to sound or movement in your baby's room. The camera itself measures in at 125mm by 65mm and can be wall or ceiling mounted. It has a viewing angle of 120-degrees and broadcasts a high-definition 1080P video signal. This has night vision that will kick in automatically, two-way communication with a built-in 48dB microphone, and an SD card slot.

Twin-pack

Babysense video baby monitor with two cameras

Allows you to monitor multiple locations

This solution is ideal for anyone who needs two cameras to monitor multiple locations. You get a twin-pack of 2.4GHz wireless cameras and a parent unit with a 3.5-inch high-definition colour screen. This system offers two-way talkback communication so you can soothe your baby with your voice, or you can activate the built-in lullabies or white noise generator. This boasts temperature monitoring with the ability to get alerts about high or low temperatures. These cameras can be manually tilted to achieve the optimum angle as you position them. They have infrared night vision and two-times digital zoom.

A room with a view

All these baby monitor solutions can help you keep an eye, or an ear, on your resting infant. Our overall staff pick, the Victure PC530N Wi-Fi camera, is a generic wireless camera, but it's an ideal solution to use as a baby monitor thanks to its excellent monitoring and alerting abilities.

If you're looking for an affordable choice that does solely audio, then the BT digital audio baby monitor 400 comes recommended. This is incredibly compact yet offers crystal-clear high definition audio.

Another BT option we like is the BT video baby monitor 6000. This has the largest parent unit video screen of all the options we've featured. It measures an impressive five-inches, so is a good choice for nervous parents who want the clearest view possible of their precious offspring.

With over 10 years of experience writing for popular websites Amy-Mae is a freelance features writer with a focus on writing reviews, how-tos, and buyers guides. She lives near the sea in Devon with her family, two naughty cats, and two much-loved dogs. Her beloved daughter ensures she has very little spare time but if she manages to wrangle any you'll find her on the sofa watching box sets and drinking gin.