If you consider a top-of-the-line monitor to be the only option for your baby's nursery, then be sure to check out the Philips DECT Baby Monitor. Although it is a bit pricier than other monitors and night-lights, it has the electronic "extras" one has come to expect from Philips.

Perhaps the most unique and welcome feature is that one can remotely monitor the room temperature in a baby's nursery, activate the night-lights in the shape of tiny stars or play a series of soothing lullabies from the (thankfully) small parent unit. The parent unit and the base unit placed in the nursery have two-way communication capabilities, which means the DECT Baby Monitor can work as a walkie-talkie. Our testers love the ability to talk to a baby even before they enter the room. We also find toddlers and older children like to use the walkie-talkie feature, and we were even able to use this monitor as a portable intercom system to make communication between people in different areas of a home more convenient.

We find the DECT Baby Monitor provides exceptionally clear audio. In fact, Philips guarantees that other nearby devices (such as cordless and mobile telephones) won't interfere with the DECT Baby Monitor. While most digital monitors provide ranges of up to 2,000 feet, the Philips DECT Baby Monitor ranges up to 984 feet. It has so many handy features, however, that we don't mind sacrificing the extra range. In fact, parents may actually discover that it's necessary to read the owner's manual to take advantage of all the monitor's features.

One of the reasons the Philips DECT Baby Monitor performs so well is because of its automatic channel selection. More than 60 channels are available, and as soon as the monitor detects another device using its channel, it switches to an unused channel.

The monitor comes with a handy travel case, and you can always tell if you are in range because of visible and audible link indicators. Additionally, the sensitivity of the nursery unit can be adjusted to suit nearly any situation.

Overall, the Philips DECT Baby Monitor is at the top of the baby monitor and night-light price range, but it is loaded with extras and performs at a sophisticated level we love.


Pros: Loaded with features, transmits crystal clear sound
Cons: Has only a 984-foot range

Warranty
2 years