Motorola Audio & Video Baby Monitor MBP36S review

The reason that Motorola’s Audio & Video Baby Monitor is so popular with parents is because of all the hi-tech features that give mums and dads peace of mind that comes from knowing that the safety of their little one is being monitored at all times. We've recruited the help of some mums to put the Motorola Baby Monitor to the test.

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Key features

Infrared Night Vision

Lights off? Infrared night vision allows you to check on your little ones in the dark without disturbing them.

Adjustable

The monitor features a pan, tilt, and digital zoom function. It has a 270-degree viewing angle when the monitor is moved from left to right. Plus, you can adjust the angle remotely, so there's no need to disturb anyone!

Lullabies

The MBP36S comes with a choice of five lullabies.

Testing the Motorola Audio & Video Baby Monitor MBP36S

We've recruited the help of Emily, Cerys, Jackie, Jane and Emily.

Would you recommend this to other mums?

Emily: The MPB36S baby monitor is the best I have ever seen! It does everything you need it to do! It is very compact and very portable and easy to reinstall if you are travelling. Its design is fantastic and very easy to use, you don't even need to read the instructions as it is very user-friendly. It is wipable and is made from good quality materials. It is easy to install multiple cameras if you wish to monitor other children in other rooms. I also love the pull-out stand at the back of the monitor so you can prop the monitor up on the side.

Cerys: I would recommend the MBP36S to anyone with children. The design is wonderful. Both the camera and the video receiver are of perfect size. It's really easy to use and the instructions were easy to follow. The size makes it easy to place anywhere in the home and fits discreetly in my son's bedroom.

Jackie: This MBP36S video monitor has so many features that I don't know where to start! I found it really easy to set up. There were plenty of options as to where to place the camera as you can rotate it. How cool is that! After the initial first charge, we were away and I have to say I'm very impressed! It has great picture quality and even the infrared night vision is clear.

My partner and I tested it out by speaking to each other through it and we could hear each other with ease. You can even zoom in with this, it literally is your own personal CCTV. If it didn't do enough already it also has lullabies and shows you the room temperature, I love that feature! This really does do so much, I can't rate it highly enough. You can take the monitor into another room or garden as it has an up to 300m range. I would definitely recommend this monitor.

Jane: Having tried a variety of different baby monitors the MBP36S has some great features. The sleep mode for one, allows the display to switch off whilst still allowing for audio transfer. This is a great feature. I was also very impressed with the range of the unit and didn't see any detriment to quality.

Chris: We would highly recommend this high-spec video monitor to all fellow parents.  It is fantastic and gives great piece of mind.  The set-up is so simple and the instructions are so easy to read and follow.  The camera is a great resolution. You can even see the small breathing movements of our baby while he sleeps.  The controls include a remote for changing the camera's position, which is brilliant.  Now that our baby is moving around the cot we can follow him.

When he is older, I can set up an additional camera for the playroom so that we can see him all the time when not in the room.  There are the normal features of lullabies, room thermometer and zoom.  The greatest part of this monitor is its range. It is great, we live in an old house with thick walls and had a clear picture of the park across the road. (This was for testing purposes, we don't leave our children at home alone.)

Emily: I really liked this monitor and it surprised me how much. It is sleek and modern and has a great camera that shows me all around my baby's nursery.  So easy to use and the controls are easy enough to work even through sleepy eyes at 3am.  I like that you can play music through the camera and talk too.  It really settled my little girl, and I didn't even have to get out of bed.   It is easy to transport as only has two parts, and the battery lasted through the night.

How did this product make your life easier?

Emily: This baby monitor is ideal to give you peace of mind when your baby goes to sleep. Not only can you hear your baby but the swivelling camera makes it very easy to keep an eye on them too. The large colour screen makes it very easy to see your child. There is an option of numerous nursery rhymes that you can play to help to get them asleep. It is a fantastic option if you have more than one child as you can very easily link more cameras to your handset. It also gives you the room temperature readings which helps you decide the appropriate bedding required.

Cerys: The product has made my life so much easier, I can check on my son easily without having to always go into his room and disturb him. I know that wherever I am in the house I know I will be able to hear and see him when he wakes and being able to talk directly to him reassures him that I am coming.

Jackie: This video monitor is a lifesaver as it gives you peace of mind knowing your baby/child is ok. If I got up first to get on with chores before having this monitor in my life I was forever going upstairs to make sure my little one is ok. Now I don't have to as I can see exactly what is going on. Since having this monitor I don't have to keep going up every 5 minutes to check, I can get on knowing she's ok. It's made me lazy!! Also at night, it’s good to be able to see rather than just hear as I can see whether she's just stirring or actually waking. I'm not sure I could live without this gadget now.

Jane: Having set up a gym in the garage with an aim to get fit again and lost my baby weight the monitor allows me to take the receiver into the garage and be able to keep a watchful eye over my little one.

Chris: This monitor gives both peace of mind, great camera and sound capabilities, and a fantastic range.  This certainly would make most parents' lives easier, from birth through to toddlers.

Emily: It made my life easier as I could play music through the camera and talk too.  It really settled my little girl, and I didn't even have to get out of bed. The fact that you can clearly see your child is such a reassuring thing.

Would you choose this product to win?

Emily: I currently have a video baby monitor but it doesn't swivel which means my baby often wiggles off the camera and if I go and move the camera it would wake her. Furthermore, my current video monitor doesn't have the option of music so this monitor with nursery rhymes is ideal to soothe your baby to sleep. I also love that you can add multiple cameras and keep an eye on more than one child. There is also a handy alarm function if you wish to breastfeed every few hours. Overall, this product is a very well-thought-out, easy-to-use baby monitor and I can find any fault!

Cerys: The MBP36S has everything that you need from a baby monitor. The sound quality is fantastic, the picture quality Is fab. One thing that makes it really stand out is just how easy it is to use.

Jackie: It ticks all of the boxes required by a parent to make sure their little one is safe and content. The thing that makes it stand out is that not only can you see your baby/child but you can see them clearly at night also. I've seen friends’ monitors where the image is very grainy and they didn't have added features of zooming in and out, pan and tilt. It just has everything that is required. I did read on the box that you can also buy an additional unit and have a split screen function.

What changes would you make to this product?

Emily: There is nothing I would change about this product. It does everything you need and more! Perhaps a longer battery life? Or a range of different colour options? Or maybe link the camera to an app on your iPad/phone? Seriously though, I like everything about this baby monitor. It is compact, portable, easy to use, and gives you peace of mind as you can easily see and hear your baby. It has great features such as nursery rhymes, alarms, and temperature readings. It's everything a mother wants in a baby monitor and more!

Cerys: The one thing I would change would be for how long you can get a signal. I have a large house and my son's bedroom is far from the garden so when I tried to take it to the middle of my lawn the signal was lost quite quickly. That was the only downside of the product, if the signal strength was better I wouldn't be able to fault it.

Jane: If I were to change one thing it would be the overall look and feel, not a particular trait of this monitor, however more of an overall consensus of Motorola units themselves in that they look more like an old generation webcam rather that an expensive baby monitor. That said it does perform its job to a good level.

Chris: I would only change one thing about this monitor, the tilt of the camera is not great.  It needs to be able to point lower to provide a better view of a low-positioned cot.

Emily: If it is possible for the manufacturers to add a way to attach the camera easily to a side or a wall, that would make it just perfect.  We balanced the camera on a chest of drawers and it wasn't that stable, id worry when she is older that she could reach out and grab it.

If you're looking for other baby monitors, why not check out our round-up?