Should I get a non-Wi-Fi baby monitor or a Wi-Fi one for better range and privacy?

For thick walls and weak home Wi-Fi, a dedicated non Wi-Fi monitor is usually more reliable through walls and better for privacy. Wi-Fi models depend on your router and can lag or drop at the edges of coverage, especially outdoors.

I recommend 2K 3000ft with a claimed 3000 ft range and a 6000 mAh battery. Night vision is clear enough to see movement and day to day the direct link stays connected without app hassles.

We went through this with two kids and an old farmhouse :) A simple non Wi Fi kit was the least headache. Ours is the that model and it does the basics really well. The handheld reaches from attic nursery to first floor kitchen and out to the porch where our Wi Fi is useless, and it stays paired without me fiddling in an app.

Battery life has been better than I expected. With the screen on for dinner and bedtime routines it still has plenty left for a late check, then in VOX it coasts till morning. On a heavy day I plug it in during story time and that covers it. Night video is grainy but perfectly usable to spot pacifier drops and those little half sit ups before they fully wake.

If you know you want phone access and sharing you can do a Wi Fi camera later, just beware you will probably need a mesh node or an extender near the nursery or the patio or you will be chasing disconnects and notifications that lag by seconds when you most want instant feedback.

In thick walled homes, direct link monitors beat Wi Fi cams for reliability and low lag because their radio punches through walls and does not rely on your router. Battery life hinges on screen time with VOX or eco lasting overnight while a constantly on screen needs daily charging, night vision is good enough for sleep checks, and you can always add a Wi Fi cam later if you want phone viewing.

We live in a 1930s brick place with thick plaster and wire mesh. A non Wi Fi monitor has been far more dependable than the app based ones I tried. The dedicated parent unit keeps a lock through walls and when I step into the yard, while my phone cam would buffer or drop at the same spot which, yeah... works great.

Day to day it just wakes up when baby makes noise, no reconnect dance. Battery on the handheld gets through naps and a full evening with the screen on, and overnight easily if I use VOX so the screen sleeps. Night vision is not cinematic but it is sharp enough to see breathing, leg kicks, and whether eyes are open.