MBP36 FHSS Baby Video Monitor

We were lucky enough to be selected to review the MBP36 monitor by Bub Hub and we are so glad that we were! This video monitor is an outstanding product.

Out of the box it was a very easy monitor to unpack and set up; simply put the camera in the spot you’d like it and turn the base station on. It did not require the manual to set up or configure at all and took less than 2 minutes to get from unboxing to functioning. 

At first, the resolution was not as high as I had expected, I had thought I would be able to see my daughter clearly and her breathing over the monitor. After a quick look online however, I realised that the quality was high compared to most other monitors on the market. Over the course of a few days I became used to the resolution and that’s when my appreciation for the product grew. 

The infrared feature is outstanding and instantly kicks in when the lights are turned off. I was able to see clearly what my daughter or son was doing at any given time without having to go into the room and disturb them further. 

Another feature which I think will get a lot more use in the near future is the tilt/pan functionality - once my daughter transitions from a cot to a single bed we will have almost a full 360 view of her bedroom which I can see as being very valuable. Scanning across the room is not instant and does take a split second for the monitor to catch up. 

Battery life is reasonable when not plugged in to the mains. The visual display turns off after a short period of time to conserve battery life. When the battery is low an audible beep is given. 

The audio is crystal clear and has little to no distortion at high volumes from the children.

It would be nice if you were able to dim the parent unit to a further extent as it lights up the entire room - so we have to turn the video feature off to sleep and back on again when we need to see what’s going on. Another minor improvement for the product would to move the intercom button away from the video button, as at night in the dark you can easily click the microphone button sending a noise into the child’s bedroom. 

We are going to be purchasing a second camera for the monitor very soon so that we can have it permanently set up for our daughter and son as we love this monitor and cannot imagine how we ever made do without. If you did not wish to purchase a second camera, the main camera is very small and easy to move around as required.

The thing we loved the most about this product was seeing how our daughter puts herself to bed at nap/night time - something we never knew how she did and we have had quite a few laughs over things we have seen! 

Overall, I highly recommend this video monitor to any parent wanting to keep a closer eye on their children and any improvements that could be made to the unit are very minor and wouldn’t bother most people.

I was lucky enough to be selected to review the Motorola MBP36 video baby monitor. We had been using an Oricom Secure 700 video monitor for our 22 month old toddler and when our newborn arrived we needed another video monitor as we wanted to monitor both children.

The Motorola monitor has been excellent. It gives a beautiful picture, works well in night time mode, and the sound quality is excellent. The range is fantastic over our entire 4 bedroom house and makes it to the corner of the backyard behind the shed easily. The only interference we have had has been when the microwave was on.

The main thing I like about the monitor is the ability to have the bright screen turned on or off whilst still receiving the audio. This avoids a bright light shining in your room at night, and the screen can be turned on and off silently with the simple push of a button if you do want to visually check on your baby overnight. The screen also turns off automatically after a certain amount of time which saves battery life. Occasionally this is annoying as I like just glancing up and seeing the picture, without having to press a button, but once I adapted to this I do agree overall it is the better set up.

You have the ability to turn the camera remotely, as well as zoom. At first I didn’t think was a big advantage as really you set up the camera up to point at the cot and leave it there, but I have actually used this function occasionally when I have put my baby in the bouncer in the room and been quickly able to turn the camera using the controls to focus on the bouncer, without having to touch the camera.

The two faults I could point out with the Motorola are:

• the camera when sitting flat on a shelf cannot do a very acute downward angle. So in my toddler’s room where we have a shelf approx 1m away from his cot and 1.5m off the ground, the camera could not swivel sufficiently downwards to give a good picture of the cot whilst it was flat on the shelf. This could be overcome by putting some form of wedge under its base to tilt it further downwards. In both locations we tested the monitor (newborn and toddler’s room), we had it standing on a flat surface (this shelf and the top of a tv) and I had to put some BluTack under the base to tilt it forwards in order to angle it sufficiently downwards.
• there is no belt clip for the Motorola when you are outside gardening

For those trying to choose between an Oricom 700 or Motorola MBP36, the main points of difference that I found are:

• The Motorola monitor can have the video monitor turned on or off whilst still having audio monitoring. With the Oricom monitor you only have the option to have both the screen and audio on simultaneously, which means overnight a bright screen on illuminating your room all night.
• The ability to move the camera and zoom on the Motorola.
• The Motorola screen is bigger (3.5” versus 2.5”) and the picture quality is better.
• I tested both the Oricom monitor and the Motorola monitor in identical locations to compare range and the Motorola’s range was far better (Motorola claims 300m, Oricom claims 150m).
• The power cord to the camera is much longer with the Motorola so you can put it in more locations/higher, without needing to resort to an extension cord.
• The Motorola has the ability to be connected to the tv so you can watch the monitor on there (you need to buy your own cable) and has the option (according to the instructions) of a second camera (or up to 4) which would  be immensely useful when baby #2 arrives to avoid finding yourself in our situation of needing to buy an entirely new monitor.
• Oricom have a 3yr warranty versus Motorola’s 2 year warranty.
• The Oricom has a belt clip and the Motorola doesn’t.

Overall we love the Motorola monitor and would feel that its features, particularly the range and the size/clarity of the screen, justify its purchase cost over other monitors easily.

As an aside for anyone else in our situation and considering buying a Motorola as their second video monitor, we had no interference between the two monitors at all when they were in use together.

I was so excited to find out that I had been chosen to review this baby monitor and now can't live without it!

It arrived in a nicely packaged box that was easy to open.  The monitor was very easy to set up, no complicated plugs or settings to configure.  I placed the camera where I am able to view the entire cot that my baby is sleeping in.  There are buttons on the parent monitor unit that allow the camera to move around, look up, down, left or right and there is also the option to zoom in on the screen.

I had no problem with interference no matter where I placed the parent unit, which is a problem I have had before with other monitors.  I loved that it shows the temperature so it is easy to see if the room needs warming up, or extra layer of clothing on baby.

There is also a music function which allows you to play several different songs through the monitor.  This was the only let down, as the music was not very good quality but I have never had a monitor play music before so it is better than no music.

I also think that the option of pressing a button to talk through the monitor is great, two-way communication is great!  Although I have really only used it to talk to my husband and not the baby :)

The camera operates with a power cable and the parent unit can also operate the same way but as it is a rechargable battery there is no need for constant backup supplies of batteries to keep it going.  There is a power saver feature on the parent unit that turns the screen off to save power, and then swtiches back on instantly with the press of a button. 

Overall, I love this monitor and wish I had have had one with my other children.  I am able to check on my daughter sleeping in her cot whenever I like without having to worry about me waking her in the process.  Can highly recommend to anyone.

The Motorola MBP36 FHSS Baby Video Monitor was such a fun gadget to try out! My son is 7 months old and we have never used a baby monitor and ever since he was born I have been very keen to buy one for peace of mind.

I LOVED this monitor! It was everything I needed in a monitor and more.

Pros

• Easy to set up
• The parent unit (monitor) is extremely lightweight and can be carried around with ease
• The picture on the large colour screen is so clear
• Automatic night vision comes on when the lights in the nursery are turned off
• You can zoom in to get a closer look at bubs
• The baby unit (camera) was remotely controlled with such ease, it was as simple as pressing the arrows on the parent unit to scan the room and did so quickly and most importantly quietly so there was no disturbing bubs
• You can easily talk to bubs through the parent unit by holding down a button and speaking
• The parent unit displayed the temperature of the nursery which has been of great comfort during this recent chilly weather in Melbourne
• Plays five lullabies which you control from the parent unit; you can either pick one song to play or pick the cycle option which plays all five
• You can switch the video monitor off and still leave the audio on, with the audio level bar on the parent unit lighting up when sound in the nursery is detected
• Sound sensitivity was great, at times it would light up from my son’s slightest movements when in his cot
• We didn’t have any static or interference problems
• The range is great, it apparently works at a distance of up to 200m! We have a big backyard and I had no problems with the picture when going down the end of the backyard to hang washing out or play with the dogs (distance of approximately 40m)
• The battery life is good, we used the monitor for day naps only as we co-sleep at night and I only had to charge the parent unit every few days; if you wanted to use it overnight you could just keep the parent unit plugged into the power next to your bed
• The screen on the parent unit turns off if you don’t press anything for a while to conserve power
• There is an alarm feature on the parent unit which you can set an alarm to go off every 2, 4 or 6 hours; this function wasn’t useful to us but in saying that, may have been very useful in the early days when I would have to wake up 4 hourly to feed my son in his first few weeks of life

Cons

• I thought the recommended retail price for this monitor was quite high, although it does seem to be a superior monitor, I’m not sure if I would personally spend $369.95 (though would be happy to purchase if I came across it on special)
• The only other thing I found that some may see as a con is that you can’t completely turn the audio off while keeping the video on; it may be good to have the option to have the video and audio level bar on but without having sound on (say if you were on an important phone call or something..)

As you can see, overall I was extremely impressed by this monitor! I would not hesitate to recommend it to any parent willing to spend the RRP. It gave me such peace of mind, with my favourite features being the extremely clear picture on the monitor and also loved that it was sensitive enough to pick up the quietest of noises.

The Motorola MBP36 FHSS Baby Video Monitor truly is a recommendation for any nursery.

The Motorola MBP36 FHSS Baby Video Monitor has many desirable and attractive features that seem great on paper.... after testing I would have to agree.

Some of the great features include;

5 Lullabies with Volume Control
These beautiful soft noted lullabies are a gorgeous addition to this monitor. When played you have 3 volume levels available, the sound is clear and delightful.

1x and 2x Zoom
You can view the screen in a standard view and a 2x zoom mode. The 2x zoom mode has minimal interference with quality regarding the picture.

Remote Panning (Movement of Camera)
One thing we loved was the ability to move the camera around in a very wide span (at a guess approx 300 degrees horizontally and 180 minimum vertically). The camera is in our opinion silent. Allowing for movement without the risk of waking baby.

2 Way Communications
The two way communication feature is fantastic, allowing a parent to speak to the baby through the parent handset with a clear crisp sound being delivered to the baby from the camera. When baby cries the sound quality on the parent handset is fantastic, a register of lights offer you the ability to see the intensity of the noise from the baby’s room on a scale and also hear your baby with clear uninterrupted sound. The parent handset offers a feature to turn the sound right down. You are able to use this feature with ease thanks to the great display lights.

Timer Feature
A 2, 4 and 6 hour timer is offered for the monitor.

Thermometer
A wonderful feature provided as a part of this monitor system is the temperature gauge. This feature is a fantastic way to monitor your baby’s room temperature and allows you to ensure that the room stays at comfortable warmth whilst baby is asleep. Once the room plummets below 15 degrees, the temperature figures change to that of a red colour, to warn you of the room being below a comfortable and appropriate temperate for baby. We found this feature incredibly useful and referred to it frequently.

Brightness Adjustment
The parent unit offers you a brightness control feature allowing you to adjust the brightness of the displayed image. This is an excellent tool however we were most comfortable with the brightness in the middle of the band.

Range
The Motorola MBP36 FHSS Baby Video Monitor has a fantastic range. It’s stated that inside this monitor can range around 50 meters and up to 300 meters outside. I tested the range on this monitor by taking the parent unit out to get the mail, out the back to hang clothes up and found that I did not even need the aerial sticking up. The service remained at full bars and no features were diminished by testing the range.

Night Vision/Colour Vision
The monitor offers a great clear image whether you are using the monitor during the daylight or at night time. During the night the screen is a great range of greys and very easy to see detail with the on screen image. During the day the quality is what I would expect with a monitor offering lovely clear and bright colours with no detail spared. Whether you use this during the day or at night you can be confident that you will be viewing a detailed image of your loved one safe in their cot.

Multiple Camera Option
One fantastic thing about this monitor is that ability to sync up more than one camera to the parent unit and then switch between these remotely on the parent unit.

Other great features we found were;

• A stand for the parent unit, allowing the unit to stand freely.
• The opportunity to use the parent unit on a power lead, using the rechargeable batteries or both.
• A foldable aerial allowing you the option to tuck the aerial away when it’s not needed.
• The light to inform you that the camera is on is night and dull not to interfere with the night vision or distract baby.
• The power leads are a fantastic length! There’s no worry about this camera or parent unit not reaching an area in your baby’s room!
• Easy to use and although we read the book cover to cover the unit is brilliantly designed so that it didn’t take long until we had figured out how to use it.
• A blue light appears to warn you that the unit is on charge or plugged into the power source.
• Option to turn off or turn on the screen using an easily located button to the right of the screen.
• A LARGE screen on the parent monitor show’s optimum detail to make sure your loved one is safe.
• Battery life of the parent unit is excellent.
• Parent unit offers power safe mode, where the screen turns off but the monitor remains working. This is to ensure that the unit keeps charge for longer. Reactivating the screen is as simple as pushing the button to the right of the screen.

Cons
The handbook does not appear to state (after searching high and low) the time required to charge the unit before use. The handbook states that the unit must be charged fully before use however does not state the length of time required to charge.  Our units first charge took 17 hours, then 1-2 hours each full charge thereafter.

Overall
We feel that this monitor is a wonderful addition to any family home. This feature packed monitor is a reasonable price given what this monitor can do. It’s loaded with useful tools to help you know your little one is safe.

Ease of Use: 9/10
Screen Clarity Daytime: 8/10
Screen Clarity Night Vision: 7/10
Range: 9/10
Battery Life: 8/10
Handbook: 6/10
Sound Quality: 9/10
Features: 8/10