Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor

We've been using this monitor now for nearly 4 weeks. I looked at many different monitors but was impressed both by the fact that Motorola makes the device (a leader in wireless communication technology) and by the strong night light functionality. The 3.5 inch screen version was not then available on Amazon so we decided to buy this version. The only difference between the two is $50, a slightly larger screen and the ability to zoom in from the remote. The bigger screen would be nice but we've found the 2.8 inch to be more than adequate. Like us, I think most people just want to have a quick look to see what their child is doing generally, and don't need to zoom in to just see their face for example.

In summary:

Video quality is outstanding, both in night mode (B&W) and day (color) modes.

No interference problems so far and we live in a large apartment building.

The sound sensitivity is excellent and volume is adjustable we find about 1/2 way to max setting is plenty loud.

The remote temperature sensor is nice to have and is accurate

Battery life is good, but will not last all day unplugged especially if you are watching a lot of video.

Both camera and parent unit appear to be well-built.

Another small plus is the chargers are multi-voltage capable so can be used when traveling to Europe/Asia (just need plug adapter). I highly recommend this product to people who are looking for a video monitor.

**Update 12/21/2011**

Nearly 4 months on and we still love this monitor. A few additional comments:

As other reviewers have noted there is a zoom function. 1X and 2X. I don't want to say it is useless but we have never used it (essentially digitally magnifies picture). However it is there if you want/need it.

We replaced our wireless Belkin N+ router with a more powerful Asus dual band router. Since this time we have had, what appears to be, occasional interference. This only happens when the router is directly between the camera and parent unit. It is minor and has not diminished our use of the monitor. We've already bought one as a present for a family member, who also very happy with it.

**Update 04/10/2012**

We recently purchased an additional camera from Amazon and this has worked out great. It is very easy on the parent unit to either set it to switch back and forth automatically every 10-12 seconds or so or to simply switch manually if you like. For this you do not need to keep going back to the menu but rather you only need to double click the 'ok' button and it will then switch to the other camera.

With 3 kids, I have gone through and looked at a lot of baby monitors. This is the first video baby monitor that I have seen that is worth the money. It is super-easy to set up, the quality of the picture is excellent, quality of the sound is great, and it has great features. The night vision works really well and your view of your baby is not at all compromised even in a completely dark room. The temp sensor is really helpful, as is the two-way voice communication feature. The parent hand-held monitor is a fun gadget and I have honestly used it wireless more than I have had it plugged in and the battery life is great. The picture or sound is not compromised. The only reason I did not give it a full 5 star rating is because I don't like that you can't completely turn the sound off on the parent monitor. Although there are 8 volume levels, there is no option to totally turn the sound all the way down. So, for example, when my little guy is fussing for a while right when I put him down for a nap, I either have to listen to him cry and fuss or I have to turn the monitor completely off. I can't simply have the video and digital volume indicator on to allow me to monitor him, but I have to have the sound on as well. That's the only negative thing I have to say about the monitor and I hope this is something they can easily improve upon for the next model. But, in total, I would absolutely recommend this monitor. It's worth the money compared to others and it does the job very well. 4.5 out of 5 from me!

Jen, Mommy of 3

Buy Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor Now

Just received this monitor today and I love it!! I used a less expensive one by motorola and it really is worth it to upgrade. Night vision is excellent! The color day image is great and not at all grainy. Sound is great. No static. Parent features are fun and temperature reading will be great during winter when I worry if she is too cold. The only useless feature (for us) I can see is the alarm function. You can set the parent unit for 2,4, or 6 hours...I assume this is if you need to be reminded about feedings or if you want to schedule naps??? You can zoom from the parent unit but it basically just expands the screen to middle part of the viewing area since you can't pan or tilt from this unit (you can do this on the 3.5 screen for more $$). Still a pretty cool feature depending on where you mount your cam. Still testing the battery life....will update but I am expecting no problems. I also LOVE that you can turn the video off and just have audio. At night I don't enjoy having the "tv" effect in my room. I'd rather just turn it on when I hear her. Overall very happy.

UPDATE: battery life is AWESOME. i have had if off the charger more than on. the screen shuts off to conserve power but you just have to hit a button to bring it back up.

Read Best Reviews of Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor Here

We purchased this monitor to replace our Lorex WL2002W monitor that just up and quit after two straight years of (ab)use. We briefly discussed foregoing another monitor since our "baby" is about to turn 2 (yikes!) but we decided that we like being able to see what's going on. Also, he has a tendency to wake up and sit quietly in his crib until he gets annoyed and THEN scream at the top of his lungs. We would prefer to preempt the screaming part, but we have to be able to see him to do that. :)

They no longer sell the Lorex WL2002W and the replacement seemed like it was very similar to the old one with some extra downsides so I decided to look for a different monitor. I will compare the Motorola to our old Lorex because I found that with so many monitors out there, the comparisons provided me with the best idea of what I should be looking for.

This one is an IMPROVEMENT over the Lorex in the following ways:

-the controls are much more intuitive. (With small exception for the "on/off" button which took me about 5 minutes to find the first time. :) It's small, on the top, left-hand side and flush with the handset. I still find it a little annoying to turn it on.) With the Lorex you sorta just had to smash buttons until you got it to do what you wanted. The Lorex also had a "night light" feature that had a button opposite the on/off switch and was easily pushed when turning the thing on and off. Not so good!

-The Lorex made noise with every button and control you pressed. Beeping when it was turned on and off, volume up or down, etc. Annoying. The Motorola is blissfully silent.

-The Motorola is cute; doesn't look like it was made by some sketchy, cheap Asian company. ;)

-Motorola has a temperature indicator on handset screen which we thought would be handy since we just moved and our new house has individual temperature controls in each room. We keep a thermometer in his room and find the monitor sensor to be pretty accurate.

-Motorola handset antenna folds down compactly (Lorex was permanently perched atop the monitor like an old cell phone)

-Motorola has a battery-life indicator on the handset screen (this drove me CRAZY with the Lorex. It would let you know the battery was dying via flashing light. That would give you about 2 more minutes of use before it would totally die)

-it seems to have better range than the Lorex. Our new house is a little bigger than our old one (new house is a 2-story, plaster-walled house). I noticed that there were places in the new house where the Lorex would lose the signal very briefly. I've not noticed that with the Motorola.

Motorola monitor is DIFFERENT, but not better or worse than the Lorex because:

-With the Motorola you can turn off the video but keep the sound on. To me, this is no better or worse than the Lorex. However, from reading MANY baby monitor reviews, I have learned that this is a big deal to many parents, so I'm including it here. With the Lorex you could leave the image on but turn the sound off. (I sorta liked that about the Lorex). You could not leave the sound on and the video off. On the Motorola you cannot leave the video on and the sound off. The sound is always on.

-the handset of the Motorola is shorter but wider. It fits in my back pocket.

-The Lorex had a belt clip. Motorola does not (But I just put it in my back pocket as mentioned above)

-Motorola offers 2-way communication (so far the only purpose for this that I've been able to see is to freak out my 2-year-old...) ;)

-Motorola has video "zoom" feature. The image becomes so grainy and pixelated that I'm not sure if it would be useful.

-Motorola has lullabies which I don't find useful in any way.

It is the SAME as the Lorex:

-noise indicator lights

-volume control

-ability to turn video off

-we have not had any problems with the monitors interfering with our wireless internet. This was a concern because we have friends who have had this problem and also read many reviews for other monitors which had this problem.

It is WORSE than the Lorex:

-the picture quality. The picture quality on the Motorola isn't bad. It just isn't nearly as clear and crisp as the Lorex. To be fair, we have not seen ANY baby monitor with a picture quality (from our friends with other monitors) as clear as that Lorex monitor which is why we kept it despite its total lack of user-friendly features.

Overall, though, picture quality is not so much worse so as to be a deal breaker. This is a good monitor. We're happy with it.

Update 2/2013

So we've had this monitor for a while now. Since our original purchase we've had another baby! We bought another camera and it's in baby's room. A feature that my husband discovered by accident (I'm sure it's explained in an instruction manual somewhere...) is the "Scan." If you push the "OK" button until the word "Scan" appears, the monitor will scan/switch between both cameras. It'll stay on one camera for about 10 seconds and then switch to the other. It does this continuously. This is incredibly handy at night!

I do wish you could totally silence the handset (sometimes my son will play in his bed and I don't need to hear it. Just want to make sure he's still in his bed. :)

But other than that, still happy with the monitor!

Want Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor Discount?

This monitor is the 3rd monitor I've tried. First I bought the Summer Infant Best View monitor. The picture was awful, which wasn't actually my main problem with it, since I was just looking for something functional, not a perfect picture. My problem with the Summer Infant monitor was that it had a ton of interference with the wireless network in our house and either slowed down our wireless connection or just flat out didn't work when I was on my laptop. I had to return it. The second monitor I bought was the Samsung EZView monitor. The Samsung monitor was constantly going in and out of range, such that I didn't have confidence that it was working at any given time. I once woke up to the sound of my baby crying downstairs, and the monitor did not pick up the sound because it was out of range. So back to the store it went. Finally I bought this Motorola monitor as a last ditch effort to find a functional video monitor. If this one didn't work, I was going to just buy an audio one. Finally, I've found a video monitor that works without having to worry about it. The picture is clear on this monitor, it has a longer range than any of the others, and it never cuts in and out of range. I have not experienced any interference with this product. I have the parent unit right next to my laptop right now as I write this review, and there's no interference at all! Don't waste your time with any other video monitor. This one is the best I have tried.

Save 10% off