A Dad’s Review of the Smart Beat Monitor
Note: This blog post is sponsored by Smart Beat. I received a free Smart Beat monitor in exchange for my honest review.
As a technology and computer nerd, I am always excited to see the latest trends in technology. It has been especially exciting to see the trend of using technology to help track, monitor and improve personal health. The Smart Beat monitor has helped me monitor the health and safety of my little boy Beckham. Anyone who is a parent knows the stress and anxiety that comes from wondering if your baby in the other room is okay. Even with other monitors, I would find myself still going into the room to check that Beckham was breathing.
Smart Beat is designed to detect and monitor your baby’s breathing and alert you if something changes. Smart Beat is able to identify more than 16 million shades of color and checks 2 million pixels 20 times per second looking for any changes in color. This feature is definitely not a gimmick, and as long as the monitor is set up correctly it works very well. Overall I was very impressed with the monitor and am especially excited to use it with our little baby girl that is on the way.
Setup/Installation
The Smart Beat Monitor comes with the following in the box:
- Camera
- Mounting kit (Screws, Anchors, Command Strips, Wall Clips to manage cords)
- Base station
- Power cords
- Network cable
- Instructions
Paper instructions are included in the box but I highly recommend downloading the app first and just walking through the instructions in the app. The app walks you through step by step exactly what to do to get your Smart Beat monitor up and running. Installation and setup went very smooth other than a hiccup with connecting the device to my wifi. However, there was an alternate setup button which then had me connect my phone to the camera’s own wifi and it did the rest from there.
Overall I was super impressed with the setup and installation process and just how easy to follow along it was. The Smart Beat mobile application is available on both iOS and Android.
Daily Use
Once the monitor is set up, using it is just as easy. All you need is your smartphone with the Smart Beat app installed which you will do during the setup process. To get started with monitoring simply tap the “begin monitoring” button in the app and you will instantly be able to see HD video and track breathing.
Some of the features include:
- Motion and Breath Detection – The app will alert you not only about breathing (none, too fast, too slow), but also will detect motion to determine if the baby is asleep or awake. This feature works very nicely, however, if you have a toddler like Beckham who moves around a lot in their sleep you may get a false awake alert.
- Breathing Rate Chart – This is actually really cool because you can see how your babies breathing rate (BPM, Breaths Per Minute) trends over time. As I am writing this article Beckham’s breathing rate is around 26 which is lower than the suggested healthy rate. I am guessing this is because he is sick but it will be good to continue tracking.
- Pan & Tilt/HD-Video – The camera has an excellent range of motion so I can even check in on Beckham when he is just playing in his room. You can control the pan, tilt and digital zoom directly from the mobile app. The camera also has night vision and two-way audio.
- Data Encryption – As an IT Professional I know just how easy it can be to hack into a standard Wi-FI camera. However, Smart Beat uses data encryption similar to how banks keep your information secure. This gives me the peace of mind to know that the creeps out there can’t hack into my Smart Beat camera.
- Remote Viewing – You don’t have to be connected to the same WiFi as the Smart Beat camera to access the camera. This would be a great feature for anyone who leaves their kids with a babysitter. I just love using it to check-in and see my sweet boy during my workday. It is just a nice reminder of my reason why I work so hard.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend the Smart Beat monitor to any parent who wants to rest assured that their baby is breathing. I think it would be very beneficial if your child was born prematurely or has any other high-risk condition. I know that there are several types of breathing, heart and oxygen monitors out there but most of them require wearing some sort of wearable which can be a hassle and not realistic once your child figures out how to use their hands.
The only negatives I have about this camera are the false alerts and the sometimes glitchy app. The good news though is that like all technology, things will only get better with Smart Beat. Their developers and engineering team are working hard every day to improve the product and software to ensure they provide the best product possible and keep your family safe. It really just is so incredible how it accurately tracks your baby’s breathing.
Smart Beat is currently available to order from their website for just under $250 and includes Free Shipping. Smart Beat also includes a 90-day money-back guarantee and a 12-month warranty. Smart Beat plans to have the monitors available in retailers starting in 2020.
