Choosing the Best Video Baby Monitor: Analog Vs Digital

Posted by kunal on March 28th, 2020

There are definitely a few things to consider when it comes to choosing the best video baby monitor for you. You need to think about what type of monitor is best for your home, what your budget is and then what features you consider are must haves. This article is first and foremost about how to choose the right type of video monitor and the considerations you need to think about before you do.

A video baby monitor is basically a radio transmitter which runs on a wireless system using radio frequencies. In North America the most common frequencies are around 49 MHz, 900 MHZ and 2.4GHz. There are two types of transmissions used - analog and digital.

Analog transmission has been around for a very long time. The signal works like a continuous wave that fluctuates infinitely within its frequency range which takes up bandwidth. This worked well for many decades, but with all the wireless devices around now, the analog signal has become harder to transmit and susceptible to interference. Also analog transmission can be easily picked up by other baby monitor receivers, presenting a risk to privacy as long as it's turned on. Most analog transmissions run on 900 MHz frequency.

The newer kid on the block is digital technology which is easier to transmit and more reliable. The signal is conveyed usually through a binary code which sends it as series of on/off electrical impulses and then put back together in the correct order. The majority of digital video baby monitors use a 2.4GHz frequency. Even though digital transmission is more reliable, it's still open to interference as many other wireless devices you many have in your home use the same frequency.

If you're after an interference free and secure digital signal, then look out for baby video monitors that have frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) technology, also known as frequency hopping. It works by transmitting radio signals rapidly between many frequency channels which makes it much more secure. Video baby monitors with frequency hopping do tend to more expensive.

Analog vs Digital? Which technology is right for you.

Analog monitors are more affordable, but are more prone to interference. Analog is worth considering if you live in a suburban or rural area where you are not on top of your neighbors and have few electronic devices that share the same frequency as your monitor. The good news is that most video baby monitors, both analog and digital, come with multiple channels so you can switch to the channel with less interference.

If you live in a highly-populated urban environment, have close neighbors with monitors, as well as electronic devices that share the same frequency, then you should consider a digital monitor. Even though digital devices are more expensive, they are less likely to be open to interference.

However, if budget isn't a consideration and you really want a baby video monitor that can offer an interference free and secure signal, then I suggest you go for a video baby monitor with hop technology. 

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kunal

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kunal
Joined: July 7th, 2017
Articles Posted: 132

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