Infant Optics vs Motorola vs Eufy: what are the similarities and differences between them? Picking the right baby monitor is not an easy feat. It’s common for parents to get lost in their evaluation process.
Video baby monitors give you peace of mind by providing instant access to see and hear your little one. If you decide to get a non-wifi monitor, then the most popular options on the market today are Infant Optics DXR-8, Motorola MBP36XL, and Eufy Security SpaceView.
In today’s article, we will compare these three models, list their pros and cons, and share our full review and recommendation.
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Do You Need A Video Baby Monitor?
Before we dive into the similarities and differences of these three video baby monitors, let’s evaluate if you really need a video baby monitor.
If you and your baby don’t share a room, then a baby monitor is a must-have so that you can attend to her night wakings. With a video camera, not only will you be able to hear your baby’s movement but also see what your baby is doing from the real-time video streaming.
Some parents also want the ability to view their baby while at work or doing grocery shopping. In that case, you need a wifi-connected baby monitor so that you can see the live streaming of your baby on the cellphone.
However, if you worry about privacy or you can always attend to your baby’s cry quickly, then you may consider an audio-only baby monitor since it’s much cheaper.
Comparison of Infant Optics DXR-8 vs Motorola MBP36XL vs Eufy Security SpaceView
Even though Infant Optics DXR-8 vs Motorola MBP36XL vs Eufy Security SpaceView share many similarities in their functionalities, and they are all priced between $140 to $160. They do have many major differences. Let’s take a look.
1. Screen size and resolution
Both Motorola MBP36XL and Eufy SpaceView feature a 5 inches parent unit screen. Additionally, the resolution for both is 720p. Among all three models, Infant Optics DXR-8 has the smallest screen of 3 inches. The screen resolution is only a standard 640 x 480.
2. Lenses and field of view
Infant Optics DXR-8 is the only one that comes with three lenses: a standard lens, a zoom lens, and a wide-angle lens. Motorola MBP36XL comes with a standard lens thus the field of view is limited. This will be a problem if your baby’s room is small or when your little one can crawl around or walk. Eufy SpaceView also comes with an additional wide-angle lens.
Even though Infant Optics DXR-8 comes with a separate wide-angle lens, its field of view is only 170 degrees. Eufy SpaceView baby monitor comes with a wide-angle attachment that provides a 330-degree horizontal view. The lens can also tilt 110 degrees to see the floor and ceiling.
3. Night Vision, Sound Indicators, and Camera Features
All three video baby monitors have night vision. Additionally, all three models have a sound level indicator so that when you put the parent unit on mute, you will be able to see a colorful sound level bar when your baby cries. This is very handy when you are watching TV downstairs but you have kept the sound machine on in your baby’s room.
All the three cameras can zoom in and out, can pan left and right, and can tilt up and down. Therefore, you have the flexibility to see your little one up close or find her if she happens to have crawled or walked somewhere else.
4. Battery life
The parent unit of Infant Optics DXR-8 has the longest battery life and can last up to 10 hours. The parent unit of Motorola MBP36XL is 9.5 hours. Among all three, Eufy SpaceView has the shortest battery life of 7 hours, which is also a big complaint from many parents.
5. Transmission range
Both Motorola MBP36XL and Eufy Security SpaceView has a range of up to 1000 feet. Infant Optics DXR-8 is the only one with a maximum range of 700 feet.
Therefore, if you have a bigger house or you need to bring the parent unit to somewhere far from your baby’s room, say, a basement, then Infant Optics may not be your best choice.
6. Split-screen
Among all the three video baby monitors, MBP36XL is the only one that has split-screen features. That means you can view multiple cameras on the same screen simultaneously. This is very convenient and useful when you have twins or multiple kids who don’t share a room.
As for Infant Optics DXR-8 and Eufy Security SpaceView, you can hook-up three additional cameras but you need to flip between pages to view the videos one by one.
7. Two-way Communication
All three models feature a two-way communication capability. That means not only can you hear your baby’s voice but also talk to her. It can be entertaining when you talk to your infant through the camera and watch her turning her head with a puzzled look on her face.
8. Built-in lullabies
Both Motorola MBP36XL and Eufy Security SpaceView camera can play lullabies. This is super useful when you don’t have a sound machine or if you need to travel with the baby monitor. Infant Optics is the only one that doesn’t have built-in sound machines.
9. Wall mounting
Infant Optics DXR-8, Motorola MBP36XL, and Eufy Security SpaceView all come with cameras that can free stand or be mounted on a wall.
However, Motorola MBP36XL is the only one that doesn’t come with parts for mounting. You need to get the star grip on your own. The flip side is that the star grip can be placed on the crib.
10. Connection and Security
All three monitors are connected locally using FHSS (Frequency-hopping spread spectrum) technology. That means you will always have connections even if you don’t have wifi at home or your network is down due to a power outage.
Another benefit of non-wifi baby monitors is that they are less prone to hacking. This is also the main reason that many parents prefer non-wifi monitors.
As to the downside, since there is no wifi connection, you will not be able to use a phone app and the camera will not record. That being said, you can only use the baby monitor locally at home or in the backyard, but not at the workplace or when you are on the go.
11. Battery replacement of the parent unit
One common complaint about baby monitors is the batteries. Infant Optics DXR-8 is the only one that comes with a replacement battery for the parent unit. Therefore, if the original battery dies or loses power too fast, you have the flexibility to replace it. For Motorola and Eufy, once the battery goes bad, you have no options but to keep the parent unit charged all the time.
12. Portability and number of cameras
All three models come with a camera and a parent unit. In addition, all three can connect with up to four cameras at once but you need to purchase them separately.
Both the parent unit and the camera for all three models have rechargeable batteries. That means they are not dependent on a power adapter. Therefore, they are portable and easy to carry.
13. Room Temperature Display
All three baby monitors can measure the temperature in the baby’s room and display the number on the parent unit.
In-Depth Reviews of Each Model
Infant Optics DXR-8 Review
As a top-rated non-wifi video baby monitor by some popular parenting websites, Infant Optics DXR-8 has an exceptional rating of 4.4 on Amazon by almost 40,000 parents.
Infant Optics DXR-8 claims to be the World’s first interchangeable lens baby monitor. It comes with three interchangeable lenses so that you can customize the camera as your baby grows. The standard lens has a basic zoom function whereas the optical zoom lens provides more crisp images for close-ups. The wide-angle lens provides a 170-degree field of view. This is especially useful when your child can move about by crawling or walking.
The screen size of the parent unit for Infant Optics DXR-8 is 3.5 inches, it’s not the best but adequate for most parents. The biggest complaint, however, is the resolution. The standard 640 x 480 video performs good enough during the day but becomes blurry when the lighting is poor.
The range of 700 feet is more than enough for most families who live in a condo, a town-house, or a single-family house with three to four bedrooms. One caution is that some parents mentioned that the wireless connection can become spotty or intermittent sometimes.
As we mentioned above, Infant Optics is aware of the limited life span of battery in the parent unit. This is a common issue for most brands. However, Infant Optics improved by making the battery replaceable. Furthermore, they include a free replacement battery for you. If this one also goes, you can purchase it on your own.
All in all, Infant Optics is the best non-wifi video baby monitor that you can depend on for many years as long as baby monitoring is needed. On top of all the considerable features, their customer service is responsive and helpful. As a matter of fact, Infant Optics made many improvements to this baby monitor by listening to customers’ feedback and incorporating their suggestions.
Top Pros:
- Comes with three interchangeable lenses
- Features a wide-angle lens for toddlers
- Long battery life
- Battery in the parent unit is replaceable
- Easy to set up
- Easy to switch between day/night mode
Top Cons:
- Doesn’t have lullabies
- No split-screen
Quick Specifications:
- Screen Size: 3.5 inches
- Display Resolution: Standard 640 x 480
- Split Screen: No
- Range: Up to 700 feet
- Recording: No
- Mounting: The camera can be mounted or free stand
- Portable: Yes
- Connection/ Frequency: Non-wifi, through a secure 2.4GHz local channel
- Phone App: No
- Special Features: Comes with a 170-degree wide-angle lens, an additional 2x zoom lens, and a replace battery
- Where to buy: Amazon
Motorola MBP36XL Review
Motorola MBP36XL is one of the few non-Wifi baby monitors that feature split-screens. This function is very important if you have multiple kids to be monitored at the same time.
One feature that makes the MBP36XL one of the best baby monitors is the sound activation. If your baby’s room is noisy, the monitor can filter out the street noise or sound machine. This way, you can hear your baby’s movement clearly without background noises.
Another great feature of this model is its 720 HD screen on the parent unit. Comparing to Infant Optics, the picture quality is much better and clearer. In addition, this camera can cover up to 1000 feet so that it’s suitable for bigger houses.
One disadvantage of the Motorola MBP36XL is that it only has a standard camera lens and it’s not changeable. The narrow field of view makes monitoring toddlers a bit difficult because you need to constantly scan the room or zoom in and out. One resolution is to move the camera further away but it’s not always an option.
The Motorola monitor can be mounted on a wall but you need to purchase a separate star grip. One arm of the star grip has a hole for you to hang it from a nail or a hook. Additionally, the other arms are bendable so that you can wrap it on other furniture or the crib.
Top Pros:
- Features slip-screen functionality
- Features 720 HD video quality
- Large size parent unit
- Long range
Top Cons:
- Doesn’t come with mounting part
- Narrower field of view
Quick Specifications:
- Screen Size: 5 inches LCD color screen
- Display Resolution: 720p HD
- Split Screen: Yes, but you need to purchase a separate camera
- Range: Up to 1000 feet
- Recording: No
- Mounting: Can free stand or mount using the star grip, which is not included
- Portable: Yes
- Connection/ Frequency: Non-wifi, through a secure 2.4GHz local channel
- Phone App: No
- Special Features: It features 5 lullabies
- Where to buy: Amazon
Eufy Security SpaceView Review
Eufy Security SpaceView comes with an attachable 110-degree wide-angle lens. When your child starts to walk or crawl, you simply attach it to the original 50-degree lens to expand the view to 110 degrees.
The biggest scoring point for Eufy SpaceView is that the whole room coverage. You can pan the lens 330 degrees and tilt it 110 degrees. This covers all the corners, the ceiling, and the floor. Comparing to Motorola MBP36XL, the round dial is much easier to use than square buttons.
Another unique feature is the alarm function. You can lower the volume on the parent unit at night when you are sleeping so that you don’t hear every little noise in the baby’s room. Instead, an alarm will be triggered if the noise level exceeds the setting you entered. In addition, the alarm is loud enough to wake you up.
The Eufy comes with a corner wall mount that you can place the camera on. However, the hook cut-out on the base of the camera is non-standard, so there’s no straightforward way to hang it from the middle of the wall (not the corner).
This SpaceView Baby Monitor comes with a corner wall-mount. However, the mounting hole is a custom one so it is difficult to mount anywhere else besides a corner. A crib mount is not included, either.
Top Pros:
- Better video resolution and image
- Alarm feature
- Whole room coverage 330 x 110
- Easy to use
Top Cons:
- Wall mount can be difficult to install
- No split-screen
- Short battery life
Quick Specifications:
- Screen Size: 5 inches
- Display Resolution: 720p
- Split Screen: No
- Range: 460 ft to 1000 feet
- Recording: No
- Mounting: It comes with a wall mount. It can free stand as well
- Portable: Yes
- Connection/ Frequency: Non-wifi, local FHSS connection (it loses connection a lot)
- Phone App: No
- Special Features: Features lullabies, has 2 zoom settings (1.5x and 2x), includes a wide-angle lens attachment
- Where to buy: Amazon
FAQs about Video Baby Monitors
When to Stop Using a Baby Monitor?
When to turn off the baby monitor is a personal choice. There is no scientific research or evidence to show the best time to stop using a baby monitor. However, once your baby can sleep through the night (that’s around 6 months to 9 months), a baby monitor is not necessarily needed. Judith Owens from Pediatric Sleep Disorders Clinic in Rhode Island said that constant responding to your baby’s brief night waking can “reinforce those wakings and make it harder for your baby to learn to sleep through the night.”
Do Baby Monitors Record?
Not all baby monitors record, even though there are recording monitors on the market today. All the three models we compared above don’t have recording functionality. Many parents prefer non-recording baby monitors due to privacy concerns.
Can Non-Wifi Baby Monitors Be Hacked?
Non-Wifi baby monitors are not connected to the internet, instead, it uses FHSS technology. FHSS signals are highly resistant to interference thanks to the signal hopping mechanism. However, it is not impossible to hack a non-wifi baby monitor.
Doing so requires the hacker to be physically close to the baby monitor. So it’s not a big concern if you live in the suburbs. However, if you live in the city with lots of neighbors, it is possible for someone to catch the transmission of your baby monitor.
Where to Position a Baby Monitor?
Place the baby monitor at least 6 feet away from your child or the area she goes to because the areas within this range are blind spots. Additionally, keep the baby monitor camera at least 3 feet away from the crib or playpen so that it’s outside your infant’s reach.
Conclusion
For the majority of parents, we recommend Infant Optics DXR-8 as it has all the necessary features and can last many years into toddler age. For parents who have more than one kid, Motorola MBP36XL will be the best option as you can view multiple videos at once. If you prefer better picture quality and a better field of view, then Eufy Security SpaceView is an exceptional choice.
Cecilia Yeung is a successful entrepreneur and product researcher. She has a background in psychology and children’s education. As a working mother of two, she loves to write about children’s education and development.
