Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO Video Monitor Review

Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO

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The Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO is a great baby monitor with several pros and a few cons that we’ll look further into later.

Infant Optics Baby Monitors

At this time, there are only two Infant Optics baby monitors on the market. The Infant Optics DXR-8 is the earlier version of the DXR-8 PRO. We also tested that monitor and liked it as well, though we preferred the upgraded version in the DXR-8 PRO.

How it Compares:

Testing and Research

The DXR-8 PRO monitor is one of sixteen highly rated travel friendly baby monitors that we purchased to test and compare. We tested each of them, ranking each of them on their battery quality, features, audio and video, usability, and range to see which was the best baby monitor.

The DXR-8 PRO had a near perfect score in usability, being very easy to set up and run. It also scored very well in video and sound quality, range, and included features. Its battery capabilities were its lowest scoring categories, and we were pretty disappointed with its overall battery life, which we’ll go into further detail on later.

Common Complaints

While testing our baby monitors, we read the critical reviews for each product so we could compare them to our experience while testing. In researching the DXR-8 PRO, we found that we agreed with some of the critical reviews, but not all.

Customer Complaint	Our Experience
Poor Battery Life	We agree, the battery life was pretty poor
Temperature Sensor Inaccurate	We didn’t notice issues with the temperature reading
Too Expensive	The monitor is pricy, but has a lot of features
Bad Signal	There were some issues with the signal outdoors, but indoors we didn’t think it was poor
Not Durable	Though not as heavy duty as some monitors, we didn’t feel it was flimsy

Related Reading: HelloBaby Video Monitor Review

Features

The DXR-8 PRO came with some great features, including two-way audio, an alarm timer, and sleep mode. A unique feature of this monitor is that it includes ANR (active noise reduction), which filters out unwanted background and ambient noises, helping you to only hear what you need to, your baby.

The sleep mode timer can be set with a specific time delay (1, 3, or 5 minutes) to shut the screen off and conserve battery. The screen will be reactivated with noise from baby, or can manually be reactivated with the push of a button. The monitor also includes an automatic night vision feature.

The alarm setting is a great feature as well, offering hourly options up to six hours to alert you for diaper changes or feedings.

The DXR-8 PRO comes with one camera unit but can accommodate up to four, with each extra camera being purchased separately. A wide angle lens can be purchased separately, but, at least for our purposes, we didn’t feel that having one was necessary. A zoom lens is included with your initial purchase, which is a great feature.

We do wish that the camera unit included a lullaby or white noise feature, which is a favorite of ours in other monitors.

The DXR-8 PRO had very low radiation EMF emissions, one of the lowest of all the monitors we tested:

Though we don’t know of any specific guidelines related to EMF emissions, some research has been done on the topic.

Usability

The DXR-8 PRO had nearly a perfect score in usability, and was very easy to set up and use. It took us less than three minutes to unbox and link the monitors.

Something we did not like about the earlier model, the DXR-8, was that it did not have a volume button on the exterior of the monitor. The volume could only be adjusted by going through the navigation menu. This was changed for the PRO model, making sound adjustments much easier.

The navigation menu is easy to use. The Pan/Tilt/Zoom feature is accessible from the main keypad rather than having to go through the menu, and the zoom feature can hit up to 6x zoom.

Here’s how the DXR-8 PRO scored among other monitors in ease of navigation:

The brightness can also be adjusted from the exterior of the parent unit, with controls at the top of the monitor next to the volume adjustment. The power/manual sleep mode button is also located here.

The monitor can be set on a flat surface or mounted to a wall with an included mounting kit.

Here’s how the DXR-8 PRO scored in the usability category:

Range

The DXR-8 PRO claims a range of 1000 feet, and, though it was not perfect, the range was overall pretty good.

A common complaint for baby monitors is that their range isn’t strong enough to be for parents to be outside while their baby is asleep inside. We tested this to see how the DXR-8 PRO would hold up. We placed the baby unit in an upstairs bedroom and took the parent unit outside at ground level. The audio quickly began cutting in and out, but the video did a little better, only cutting out once. You’ll need to be careful taking this monitor outside as there could be a lot of glitching and freezing up.

The indoor testing fared better. We put the camera unit again in an upstairs bedroom and tested its signal by taking the parent unit to a nearby upstairs room, a room a floor below, and in the basement. There were a couple dead spots where we noticed some momentary glitching, but the monitor would never cut out completely.

Here is how the DXR-8 PRO fell among other monitors in indoor to outdoor range capabilities:

While we wish that the monitor was a little more dependable for taking outdoors or for range in a large house, it overall did pretty well and is a solid piece of equipment where range is concerned.

Here is how the DXR-8 PRO fell among other monitors in indoor range capabilities:

Video

The DXR-8 PRO camera has 720P picture quality, which is pretty good. We were pleased that the video was nice and clear, and didn’t have the image discoloring that the earlier model, the Infant Optics DXR-8 did.

The monitor’s brightness range is good, with eight different levels of brightness to adjust to. We felt that the lowest level of brightness was still high enough to see, but low enough that it wouldn’t hurt your eyes overnight in a dark room. The brightest level was pretty bright, but great for daylight hours or if you do take the monitor outside. Regardless, there is sure to be a level of brightness to satisfy your needs.

The night vision quality was one of the better that we had seen. It showed clear and bright through the monitor screen without having a glare. You could easily see details, which we liked.

Here’s how the night vision scored among other monitors:

The screen display is a good size at 5′, making it very easy to see important details while keeping an eye on baby.

There wasn’t too much of a delay between the audio and video, compared to some, like the Owlet Cam Video Monitor, which was pretty significantly delayed.

Here is how the DXR-8 PRO ranked overall in our video testing:

Sound

The DXR-8 PRO had pretty decent sound quality. We felt that the two-way audio was pretty clear. Though there is a little bit of static noise when the monitor is running, it is not significant enough to be distracting unless the volume is turned up all the way.

When playing music in baby’s room, we were still able to easily hear a little one over the sound of the music.

The monitor includes a fascinating bonus feature that we really liked, the addition of ANR (active noise reduction). When activated, the feature eliminates background noise such as fans and heaters, making it easier to just hear your baby. We noticed a definite difference in background noise reduction when activating the ANR feature.

We do wish that the monitor offered a lullaby or white noise option, but that could be difficult to manage with the active noise reduction feature, as noise played directly through a baby unit does make it harder to hear child noise through a parent unit.

The monitor had good decibel range at both low and high volumes.

Here are the max decibels the DXR-8 PRO hit in our high volume static sound testing:

And here are the max decibels the DXR-8 PRO hit in our low volume static sound testing:

Battery Life

Unfortunately, the battery life of the DXR-8 PRO was the biggest disappointment of the testing process. It had the shortest battery life of all the monitors we tested.

The battery life remained pretty consistent, only varying a matter of minutes in life among the three tests:

Test 1	6 hours, 18 minutes
Test 2	6 hours, 7 minutes
Test 3	6 hours, 11 minutes

Though there was very little sign of battery deterioration, the amount of run time without a charge was very disappointing, especially considering the parent unit took over 6 1/2 hours to charge, longer than the battery even lasted. For such an overall solid monitor, the battery run time was very disappointing.

Here is how the DXR-8 PRO place among other monitors in battery life:

Baby Monitor Security

Infant Optics takes your child’s security very seriously, and we were pleased with the measures they took in ensuring that the monitor is not likely to be hacked.

The DXR-8 PRO does not require WiFi for a connection or linking, which we found to be more secure as well as easier to set up. The monitor also boasts 2nd generation FHSS (frequency hopping spread spectrum), a system that switches the monitor’s frequency regularly to prevent interference or hacking.

Should You Purchase the Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO?

The Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO is a good baby monitor with a few quirks, particularly its very short battery life.

The monitor also does not come cheap, running close to $200. For that amount of money, we feel that you should be able to depend on the battery much longer than six hours, at least for a full night.

Beyond the battery life, we do wish that the monitor’s range was a little more dependable. Though it only had some signal glitching and never fully cut out, for the price tag, we would prefer an option that has a fully consistent and dependable range.

Overall, the DXR-8 PRO is a good baby monitor. It has great features, solid sound and video quality, and is easy to set up and use. It had good overall rankings in our testing process, and we did prefer it over the earlier model of the Infant Optics DXR-8.

If parents are looking for a monitor that has a long battery life, this may not be the perfect product. However, if you plan to mostly use the monitor at your bedside where it can remain plugged in through the night, then this is a great choice for a baby monitor. We definitely think it is a good option worth adding to your baby registry.