The Motorola Digital Video Baby Monitor MBP3 is a top quality baby monitor with some great features and user-friendly design. I’ve put mine through the ringer for about a year now, and it’s held up beautifully. In this review I’ll point out some of my favorite features, as well as the features I think could be added or improved.
It Just Works
What’s the best thing about the Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor? It just works. Period. You take it out of the box, plug in the camera and monitor, and it’s ready.
I’ve also used this monitor while traveling internationally, connecting it to electrical converters and subjecting it to power fluctuations. Yet the monitor held up and is still going strong months later. (I don’t think the manufacturer recommends that type of use, however.) It’s also stood up to frequent drops and some light chewing by a certain someone.
Video Quality and Audio Quality
Another great feature of the Motorola monitor is the outstanding video quality. The video quality is excellent, even in the dark. I usually make my baby’s room completely dark at night, and it doesn’t affect the video quality as far as I can tell. I still see her every movement (even the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes).
The audio quality is good, too. It doesn’t sound tinny at all. If anything the sound is a little too good, as the monitor amplifies every sound my baby makes.
Extra Features
What else is wonderful and exciting about the Motorola Digital Video Baby Monitor? I love the temperature display – I think that’s my favorite “extra” feature on the monitor. When we visit Grandma’s house and use the monitor, I can tell if the room is too chilly for my daughter.
The ability to use up to four cameras with the monitor is great, and I find the audio low battery alert and out-of-range alert extremely useful. As far as range is concerned, it works at up to 590 feet, and I’ve never had trouble with it in my wood frame house. I did, however, have some problems getting a signal far from the baby’s room in a multi-story concrete-block house. You will encounter this issue with all monitors, though – not just the Motorola.
This monitor also has two-way communication, plays lullabies, and has good (but not amazing) battery life. Importantly, the monitor doesn’t interfere with my wireless signal at home too much (which is why I ultimately purchased this monitor over others I tested).
Room To Improve
In my mind, there are only a couple things to improve about the monitor. The biggest issue for me is that I can’t turn the volume all the way off. My baby fusses when I lay her down for bed, and I’d rather not listen to that through the monitor (even at a very low volume) for ten minutes while she settles down.
The Motorola doesn’t have a time display like the Samsung. It also doesn’t have the ability to pan and tilt the camera remotely. It can only zoom remotely. This is not a huge issue for me as I can position the camera above the crib so I can see the entire area without the need to pan.
I’ve found the Motorola MBP33 to be the best out of al the monitors I’ve tried. It has all the features I need, and works like a charm. I can’t ask for better than that!
