VTech Video Baby Monitor Review

VTech VM819

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The VTech Video Model VM819 Baby Monitor is a fairly basic, budget-friendly baby monitor. It has some pros and cons that we will dive into later.

The VTech VM819 vs other VTech Monitors

The VTech Video Model VM818HD Baby Monitor seems to be the upgraded version of the VM819. It has a larger (5 inch) screen, as well as 720P HD. The camera, though similar in style, has a night light feature that we thought was interesting.

If you need a baby monitor on a budget, the VTech Audio Upgraded DM111 is a great option. It is a very basic monitor and is audio only, but it provides all the necessary features for a solid monitor.

One of VTech’s newest products is the VTech Upgraded Smart WiFi Baby Monitor VM901. This monitor does connect to WiFi and has both a parent unit and an app. Though this changes the security features of a no WiFi required monitor, it does give you the ability to check on baby if you might be out of standard range or while your little one is with a sitter.

How it Compares:

Testing and Research

The VTech Video Model VM819 Monitor is one of sixteen top-rated travel friendly baby monitors that we purchased to test and compare. We purchased three VTech monitors: two audio only units and the VTech Video. We put each baby monitor through extensive testing, ranking each of them on their battery quality, included features, audio and video, usability, and range.

The VTech Video did pretty well in all categories, though there were a few things that we were disappointed with in the monitor.

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. We found that we agreed with some of the critical reviews, while others we did not experience.

Customer Complaint	Our Experience
Night vision doesn’t work	The night vision worked effectively during our testing
Picture quality is bad	The quality is not as high as some monitors we tested, but it decently clear
Short range	Overall, this one performed pretty well in our range testing
Cord is too short	We felt the cord length is sufficient, but could be longer if you want to mount the camera high
Screen is too bright	At the brightest setting, the screen is very bright, but can be lowered. Night vision did seem to have a strong glow
Camera has limited movement	The camera has some movement range but not much

Related Reading: HelloBaby Video Monitor Review

Features

This VTech Monitor includes several notable features, making it a solid baby monitor for a lower price. Some of its most basic features include two-way conversation, helping you feel connected to your baby without having to go into their room, and a temperature sensor display to help you monitor the temperature in baby’s room to ensure comfort and safety.

Some included features of the VTech Video Model VM819 Monitor:

• Two-way Conversation
• Mute
• Sleep Mode
• Lullaby and White Noise Capabilities
• Temperature Display
• Warranty
• Multi-camera Capabilities
• Low Radiation Emissions
• No WiFi/FHSS Security

Though we like the temperature sensor display and we felt like it was decently accurate, it sometimes ran a couple degrees off.

The parent unit does have sleep mode capabilities in the form of a dim mode. After ten minutes of inactivity (with no key presses or alerts, the screen will dim. It can be returned to the preset brightness by pushing any button on the parent unit, or by receiving a sound alert. We personally didn’t think the screen dimmed very much in dim mode.

There is also a sound only mode, easily accessed by pushing the power button once or setting a timer on the parent unit. This blacks out the screen until otherwise activated, helping to conserve battery and hide any unwanted light.

Similarly, the monitor includes VOX (voice activation alert). With this feature, you can choose to either hear all sounds from baby’s room, or just sounds over a certain level. Along with this is an option for a sound-activated screen, which will keep the screen of the parent unit off until activated by a sound from baby.

This monitor uses FHSS instead of WiFi, making it potentially less likely to be hacked using WiFi methods.

This baby unit had a higher EMF reading than most others. We are not aware of any formal guidelines related to electromagnetic radiation but some research has been performed.

Here’s where the VTech Video ranked in EMF emissions:

A nice feature of this VTech monitor is built-in lullaby capabilities. The parent unit offers a choice between either two lullabies or two white noise selections to help soothe baby to sleep. This can especially come in handy while traveling so you don’t have to pack a separate white noise machine for your little one.

Another camera unit can be added as a separate purchase if desired. The VTech Video can accommodate up to two cameras.

Usability

The VTech VM819 is a very user-friendly baby monitor. It only took us around two minutes to get it unboxed and connected. As soon as both the parent unit and baby unit powered on, they immediately linked up to each other.

The parent unit itself is pretty easy to navigate. Most of the options within the menu are self-explanatory, however, there were a couple of options that were less clear due to being marked by graphics only, rather than text. These options we had to refer to the instruction manual to understand.

The camera unit can be set up to sit on a flat surface or can be mounted to a wall. Unlike some other cameras that we tested, like the HelloBaby Video Monitor the VTech Video did not come with included mounting accessories, so you will need to use your own tools, screws, etc. for mounting.

The camera unit does not have remote pan/tilt/zoom capabilities. There is an option for a 2x zoom from the parent unit, but all camera tilt adjustments must be made by hand on the camera itself.

Here’s how the VTech Video scored in the usability category:

Overall we felt that the VTech Video was a good quality monitor for the price. The camera can have a somewhat awkward balance, but we didn’t notice a lot of issues with it tipping over. The cord was long enough to be able to mount the camera a sufficient distance from the outlet, but you will need to be careful, as with any corded appliance, to make sure the cord is safely out of baby’s reach.

Below are the VTech Video’s quality rankings compared to other monitors we tested:

Range

The VTech Video VM819 advertises a range of 1000 feet. Overall, we felt that the monitor had high quality in range usability.

A common general complaint we noted when researching baby monitors is that, often, the parent unit can’t be taken outside without disconnecting from the baby unit. We were pleased that when we took the VTech’s parent unit outside, the picture and audio remained connected and clear. This is a great bonus for parents who want to do yard work or spend some time in the backyard while your little one is asleep inside.

The indoor range for the VTech monitor is pretty strong. We put the monitor in an upstairs bedroom and took the parent unit around the house with decent results. In nearby bedrooms and a floor below, the audio and video stayed connected. When we took the parent unit two floors down into a basement, there was some signal disconnection.

Here’s how the VTech rated against other baby monitors in indoor range testing:

Video

The VTech Video had a pretty decent score in the video category:

The VTech Video has a resolution of 480p, which is on the low end of many of the monitors we tested. However, for having a lower resolution, it still effectively gets the job done as far as visibility and video quality. Though the picture isn’t especially crisp, you can easily see in enough detail to observe what you may need.

Here is the VTech’s video quality compared to other monitors:

The screen itself is not very large, only around three inches. This makes it very convenient for travel but is definitely on the smaller side. We did feel that you can still see everything that you need with enough detail, but it would have been nice if the screen was a bit larger.

The coloring of the picture is also decent, not as defined and clear as it possibly could be, but you can still see color just fine in day mode. The screen has adjustable brightness, which was a category of complaint among critical reviewers, stating that the screen overall was too bright. The screen is a little bright, even at its lowest setting, but is not so much so it would be uncomfortable to sleep with it in a dark room.

The night vision is automatic and pretty clear in view. We did notice that the white glow seemed to be a little bright, but again, not to an extreme.

The picture does not have much delay, which is definitely something to watch for when choosing a monitor. It was no more than a second behind live movement, making any differences negligible. Besides when it is out of range, we never noticed any glitching or flickering from the monitor.

Sound

Sound also was a decent scoring category for the VTech Video VM819. When running, there wasn’t much static background noise. The VOX settings on the monitor can also be used to keep you from being alerted by unnecessary background noises.

We measured the maximum and average decibels of the monitor to compare how high or low the volume would go. The results showed that the monitor can hit a decently high volume, and gets quiet enough to avoid disturbance, while not going so low as to miss important noise.

Here are the max decibels the VTech hit in our high volume static sound testing:

And here are the max decibels the VTech hit in our low volume static sound testing:

The VTech Video does offer a two-way audio. The audio was fairly clear on both sides. You can easily understand what is being said, even if it’s not the clearest overall sound.

The included lullabies are a nice feature to the VTech Video monitor. However, because the lullaby plays directly through the camera, it is a little loud. We tested to see how well we could hear a baby over the music, and the songs tended to overpower child noise.

Here you can see how the VTech compared with others in the ability to hear baby over background noise:

Battery Life

A vital piece of any baby monitor is a reliable battery. The VTech Video took longer than many to charge. From a dead battery, it took 8 hours to achieve a full charge.

However, what it lacked in quick charging, it made up for in battery life. The VTech Video lasted over 19 1/2 hours of constant running in video before the battery died, well over the timeframe of any other monitor that we tested. We tested the monitor three times at a full charge to see how long the battery would last, as well if there was any noticable battery life deterioration, and it outlasted all other monitors each time.

Here are the results for the results for how long the battery lasted in each test:

Test 1	19 hours, 36 minutes
Test 2	19 hours, 46 minutes
Test 3	17 hours, 49 minutes

The first two tests were very consistent, with the third test ending with the battery life being two hours shorter than the other two. Though this was somewhat concerning, the battery life was still several hours longer than the any of the other video monitors. The only competing monitor was the VTech Audio DM221 Baby Monitor, which ran over 20 hours in some of our tests.

Here’s how the VTech VM819 scored in battery deterioration compared to others:

Baby Monitor Security

Hacking is a frequent concern whenever cameras are involved. However, the VTech Video does not require WiFi connection, making it impossible for someone to access your monitor through the web. Additionally, the monitor employs FHSS (frequency-hopping spread spectrum), a method of spreading the monitor’s signal over multiple frequencies to avoid interception. This adds an additional layer of security and helps prevent monitor hacking. There is no smartphone app required.

Should You Buy the VTech Video VM819 Monitor?

The VTech Video Model VM819 Monitor is a good baby monitor for the price. It is not as fancy as some models and doesn’t have perfect audio or video quality, but it will do the job for you.

Overall, we liked the VTech Video. It has a fantastic battery life and, though it doesn’t have the biggest screen or clearest image, it certainly displays well enough for you to see whatever you need.

The monitor is a decent price, ranging around $60 or so, making it a great baby shower gift or solid budget purchase. The camera and parent unit are small and compact, making it good for travel or storage for someone like a grandparent who doesn’t need to use it every day.

While the VTech Video VM819 is not perfect, we felt that the pros outweighed the cons and if you are looking for a solid baby monitor at a lower price, this is a good piece of baby gear to consider.