Editor’s Note
While this particular VAVA baby monitor is no longer available, VAVA has a 5″ baby monitor available with a zoom camera, 2-way talk, infrared night vision, customizable timer, and a shortcut function for volume and brightness. Unfortunately, this is not a split-screen monitor. It does offer a rechargeable battery that lasts 18 hours on an 8 hour charge. It can transmit up to 960 feet. Simply put, this is a basic VAVA option that is not an over-the-top, costly monitor.
My everyday video baby monitor I use for my baby and toddler is the original VAVA Baby Monitor, which to me was a whole new world! (cue the Aladdin song).
You can watch your baby, talk to them, move the camera to see them better, and even keep an eye on them at night. All in crisp, clear HD. From anywhere in the house. Or the yard. It even monitors the temperature. On the huge display screen.
Now VAVA has introduced its new Split-Screen Baby Monitor which makes it much easier to see what is going on in multiple rooms with some other nice features.
Disclosure: VAVA sent us the original and the new split-screen monitors in exchange for this honest review and I kept and use the original but I was blessed to give the split-screen monitor to an organization that supports moms who can’t afford their own baby gear.
Here’s the full scoop on both VAVA Video Baby Monitors.
The Monitor
Let’s start with the monitor, since that’s the part that you are going to use every day.
Display and Picture
The new split-screen monitor and the original look identical except of course, for the split-screen on the new monitor.
This is a good sized monitor, with a 5 inch display screen. It uses IPS, which is a fancy type of LED display. That, combined with the 720P video feed, means that the picture is crystal clear. During the day, it was like watching something in HD on my phone.
At night, it was a bit less clear. This is no fault of the screen itself, but I think it had more to do with the quality of the night vision. Most of the image was whitewashed out, and it was difficult to distinguish between pillows, blankets, and my kids’ little faces. It was adequate, but by no means HD for nighttime viewing.
The Cameras
Now to the camera! Because what good is a baby monitor if the camera is trash?
AC Power Source
The first thing I want to note is that the camera has to be plugged in because it is AC power only. No battery here. So you really have to plan ahead when you place it in your nursery or bedroom because you have to have it within a few feet of an outlet.
Wall Mounting and View
The camera has a hanging hole on the back for wall mounting. There are no screws included, but that’s not a big deal. Good anchors and screws aren’t terribly expensive.
Wherever you choose to hang or set the camera, it should be about 3 to 6 feet away from what you want to view. Now, if you want a full-blown room view, you can buy the very inexpensive VAVA wide-angle optical lens that will allow for wide-angle viewing.
Even without the special lens, you can pan and tilt 108 degrees vertically and 270 degrees horizontally, and zoom in either 2x or 4x.
You can also put it on auto-pilot circulating, which scans the whole room back and forth. This was cool, but I didn’t need the full view of my ceiling and messy closet and the wall behind the shelf. It was easier to pan from one child to the other manually.
It does all of the movements completely silently. I checked that because I have one very light sleeper and I wanted to make sure it didn’t make a whirring sound when moving.
Night Vision
Like I mentioned earlier, this camera has night vision. There are 12 high-intensity LED lights built in to help capture the images. These lights are noticeable at night, but not obvious or disruptive. What is obvious is the power light that stays green when the camera unit is on. My kids weren’t bothered by it because it was far enough away and they have a night light anyways, but I found it annoying in my totally dark room.
The new cameras whether you buy them with the split-screen monitor or separately have a technology called IR-CUT which makes night vision extremely clear. Sometimes it is so clear you have to check the room to make sure you didn’t leave the light on.
Two-Way Talkback
Another fab feature is the talkback. My 6-year-old son and I played with this and I listened in on both ends. I could hear him talk, and he could hear me talk. Now, it’s just like a walky-talky, so we couldn’t talk and hear each other at the same time. But most parents will use this to listen to their kids cry, then comfort them, then listen again, so it’s fine.
Temperature Monitoring
I already mentioned that the camera measures temperature, right? This will alert you if the temperature gets over 95 degrees or less than 32 degrees. I think that’s a strange range, considering that a baby in a 90 degree room is already overheated and a baby in a 40 degree room is already freezing cold. I think a smaller range for alerts would make a whole lot more sense, but it’s nice to still be able to monitor the temp.
Everything Else
I tried to think of a clever name for this category, but I just thought I’d throw all the other intel here and call it good. You’re welcome.
Range
You can go up to 900 ft and still get connection between the camera and the monitor. Now, that’s counting on wide open space, which not all of us have. But in my house, which is old and solid and kind of a bunker in the basement, I was still able to connect and spy on my children upstairs despite the thick plaster walls.
Reliability
As for quality and reliability, this baby monitor is top-notch.
My kids have knocked down the camera at least twice, and it’s handled it like a champ. No scratches or dents or breaking. And that’s falling from a 5 ft tall shelf, too.
The same goes for the monitor. It was dropped, kicked, covered in peanut butter, and dripped on by sippy cups. It even got lost under the bed for half the night. And it survived it all. Just a quick wipe with a damp cloth and it was ready to go again.
Summary: this is a durable unit! Not some cheap thing that will break the first chance it gets. Now, time will tell how the electronic elements hold up, but I have faith that they’ll be durable as well. But in the couple of weeks that I’ve used this, I’ve had nary a problem.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2021: My camera broke. It started to become loose where the AC cord plugged into the camera itself. The power was spotty for a week, so I tried moving it around a bit, to no avail. It finally died and I couldn’t get my camera to turn on at all. I contacted the company and their customer service was stellar! They said that since I was still under warranty, they’d send me a new unit right away! And somehow, the new camera seemed even better than the old one: crisper, clearer, and more solid. Five-star service for sure!
Privacy and Setup
And a quick note on privacy: since none of the sound or picture goes online, and you don’t have to connect to your home WiFi, you don’t have to worry about somebody hacking this system through WiFi. It uses a secure 2.4GHz FHSS connection.
The other really nice benefit of the way the monitor and cameras connect is that it is really easy to setup the system. You don’t have to connect or enter passwords.
To set up your VAVA baby video monitor you:
- charge the monitor (you can use it while its charging, even the first time)
- plugin your cameras
- push and hold the “PAIR” button on the bottom of each camera for 3 seconds
Done! That’s it. You should see the view from both cameras on your screen with no extra steps. Then you can tweak settings by navigating through the menu. You’ll want to have your manual handy the first time because a few of the menu icons aren’t obvious.
Fun Feature Recap!
- 480 ft to 900 ft operating range
- 7 levels of volume control
- 8 levels of brightness control
- 90 degree rotatable antenna
- 4x zoom
- 2 way talk back
- Auto circulating view of whole room
- Up to 4 cameras pair with 1 monitor
- Pan and tilt
- Optional wide-angle lense
- Black and white night vision
Pros
- Night vision
- Talkback
- Great range
- Long battery life
- Can pair up to 4 cameras
- Great sound sensitivity
Cons
- Night vision is just so-so on the original, but great with the new cameras!
- Has green light that’s visible in the dark
- If you have multiple cameras but only want to see a single camera most of the time, you have to manually switch back and forth using more buttons than seem necessary
Final Thoughts: Should You Buy It?
If you are shopping for baby monitor that has all the bells and whistles that you absolutely need, don’t discount the VAVA Split Screen Baby Monitor . And if you want 2 cameras, great night vision and a split-screen get the new improved VAVA.
No one had heard of VAVA a few years ago but it is becoming known as it outperforms many of the leading brands.
This baby monitor is a keeper, especially if you need a multiple camera baby monitor. It is also ideal for parents who like audio-only monitors, but want the option of a great camera when they want it. That’s how the standby mode operates, and I loved it!
I loved the talkback and the sensitivity of the sound sensor. I heard everything I needed to hear and saw it all in HD on the large and clear monitor. I was a bit disappointed by the night vision, but then again, no camera is going to get a totally clear picture in a dark room.
It’s held up to my children for 2 years, which is more than a lot of toys and electronics can say. It’s well made, has easy instructions, and is priced just right for what you get.
