Buying Baby Stuff 
Baby monitors have come a long way from the old audio monitors of the 1980s and 90s. Those models were nothing more than glorified walkie-talkies. More modern audio monitors have tons of added features (we recently reviewed our top picks for the year), but nothing takes advantage of modern technology quite like the advantage video monitors of today. The Infant Optics DXR-8 is an example of that technology…
The DXR-8 is an extremely feature rich model, coming with capabilities such as optical zoom, wide-angle lens (sold separately), temperature sensors, motion and audio activated alerts. Let’s take a look at a breakdown:
Features and Specs:
- Wifi: No
- Range: 600 ft.
- Remote Pan/Tilt: Yes
- Viewing Angle: 270-Degree H/120-Degree V
- Temperature Sensor: Yes
- Humidity Sensor: No
- Screen Size: 3.5 in.
- App: N/A
The Pros
What sets the DXR-8 apart from its competition is the quality of its components and features. When listed on paper, many models will have similar capabilities, but from our view the DXR-8 outperforms them in practice. For instance:
- Responsive Handset – Some similar handsets that offer remote panning are not very responsive, leading to a “laggy” feeling of a bad connection. The DXR-8 is very responsive and offers a smooth pan/tilt of the video for a superb experience.
- Video Quality – This model offers professional quality video, as can be evidenced by its optical lenses that can be swapped out for different views. This is especially noticeable at night when utilizing infrared and when using a zoom function. Since it operates on optical zoom, it does not degrade the image quality as digital zoom tends to do.
- Wide Angle Zoom Lens (Sold separately) – While it comes with a optical lens included, you can also purchase the wide angle lense, which gives a full 170-degree view and is useful when you have a large area you would like to view (such as a playroom).
- Temperature Sensor – Just like our other top pick (the iBaby M6T), this model comes with a temperature sensor to help insure your baby is in a comfortable environment. Unlike the M6T, it does not come with a humidity sensor, however.
The Cons
Every rose has its thorn, and even the DXR-8 has some drawbacks.
- Battery Life – Some users have complained about the rechargeable battery on their unit, and have mentioned that its quality begins to wane after about 2-months. Our testing period lasted 4 weeks, so we did not see the issue firsthand.
- Small Screen – The 3.5 inch screen is smaller than some other models, however this isn’t the end of the world. The other features, such as remote pan/tilt and temperature monitor certainly make up for this shortcoming.
- No Wifi – Many models nowadays allow parents to login and view the video from anywhere in the world via an Internet connection. This model is a more traditional radio-frequency transmitter and transmits to a wide (but not world-wide) radius.
Overall this is an excellent choice for any family, especially those that don’t need or want to rely on Wifi or apps to utilize the baby monitor. It offers just about every popular feature on today’s market and at a reasonable price point.
Additional Photos
USB/AC Charger
Wide Pan and Tilt Angles
Optical Lenses Available
3.5 Inch Screen Width