In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO Review

Background noise reduction and simple interface are this unit's strong points, but we don't recommend it for parents who want a monitor with long-lasting battery life
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infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review
Credit: Infant Optics
Price:  $200 List
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Manufacturer:   Infant Optics
By Wendy Schmitz ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Oct 11, 2022
60
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#12 of 13
  • Range - 20% 6.0
  • Sound Clarity - 20% 6.0
  • Video Quality - 30% 5.0
  • Ease of Use - 15% 9.0
  • Battery life - 10% 4.0
  • Features - 5% 6.0

The Skinny

The Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro has much in common with its non-Pro brother, but it interestingly offers disappointing video and battery life compared to the cheaper version. This dedicated monitor has a simple interface that is easy to use and set up. It has a somewhat dated look, but it works as expected without a lot of confusion or hiccups. Unfortunately, in our tests, it can't compete with other models for sound, video, or features, making it fairly disappointing, given the hype and the price. We think there are better options in the lineup no matter what your goals and they are all less expensive than this dedicated option.
REASONS TO BUY
Easy to setup & use
Good background noise reduction
Low EMF reading
REASONS TO AVOID
Mediocre video quality for the price
Poor battery life

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Editors' Choice Award Top Pick Award Best Value Award 
Price $200 List
$214.99 at Amazon
$150 List
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$100 List
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$30 List
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Overall Score Sort Icon
60
83
83
82
80
Star Rating
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Pros Easy to setup & use, good background noise reduction, low EMF readingWiFi range, lots of features, great images, easy to useGreat video quality, lots of features, low EMF readingHigh-quality video, clear & loud audio, can be paired to multiple cameras, infinite viewersBudget-friendly, good video quality, WiFi connectivity
Cons Mediocre video quality for the price, poor battery lifeSub-par sound, higher price, internet dependantDelayed camera control is annoying, no precision adjustment to camera, connectivity issuesNo baby-specific features, requires a Google account, a barebones app that isn't intuitivePast security concerns, no baby-specific features, must physically move the camera, poor sound quality
Bottom Line Background noise reduction and simple interface are this unit's strong points, but we don't recommend it for parents who want a monitor with long-lasting battery lifeCool WiFi option with all the bells and whistles that is easy to useThe great video quality and tons of baby-help features make this a standout pick, but the delay in the camera control causes a big setback for this modelA great option for those looking for sharp video and crisp audio who aren't as concerned about baby-specific featuresThis barebones model is easy on the wallet and doesn't compromise on video quality
Rating Categories Infant Optics DXR-8... iBaby Care M7 WiFi iBaby M8 2K Smart Baby Google Nest Cam 2nd... Wyze Cam V3
Range (20%)
6.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
Sound Clarity (20%)
6.0
4.0
6.0
7.0
5.0
Video Quality (30%)
5.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
Ease of Use (15%)
9.0
9.0
6.0
5.0
8.0
Battery life (10%)
4.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
Features (5%)
6.0
9.0
10.0
6.0
7.0
Specs Infant Optics DXR-8... iBaby Care M7 WiFi iBaby M8 2K Smart Baby Google Nest Cam 2nd... Wyze Cam V3
Communication Technology 2.4GHz FHSS 802.11 b/g/n 2.4/5GHz 2.4 / 5 Ghz 2.4 GHz
Indoor Range Test 5.5 walls
70 Feet
Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity
Open Field Range Test 1000 Feet
(if unobstructed)
Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity
Manufacturer's Claimed Range (*buyer beware!) 1000 Feet Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity Anywhere You Have Connectivity
Max Sound 84 db @ ~1ft 82 db @ ~1ft 85 db @ ~1ft 110 db @ ~1ft 100db @ ~1ft
Screen Size 5" n/a n/a n/a n/a
Max # of Cameras 4 Not Listed (Unlimited?) Not Listed (Unlimited?) Not Listed (Unlimited?) 5
Temperature Yes Yes Yes No No
Movement Detection No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sound Activation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Talk-to-Baby Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Pan/Tilt/ Zoom Pan/Tilt/Zoom Pan/Tilt/Zoom Pan/Tilt/Zoom Zoom Zoom
Battery Life 6 hours n/a n/a n/a n/a
EMF @ 6 Feet from Camera 0.2 V/m 1.42 V/m 0.23 V/m 0.6 V/m 1.47 V/m
Warranty 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year

Our Analysis and Test Results

In 2011, Infant Optics started by developing baby monitors. They created what they call active noise reduction and continue to advance their design techniques. Each Infant Optics version includes interchangeable lenses.

Performance Comparison



infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - the infant optics pro is a dedicated monitor with a below-average...
The Infant Optics Pro is a dedicated monitor with a below-average performance in our testing in most metrics.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Range


Dedicated monitors connect directly from one unit to another, and things like distance, walls, appliances, and other electronics can impact this connection. Manufacturers put a distance on the box and in advertising, and this range often sounds super long, but in reality, this range is typically a distance with no interruptions. The Pro manufacturer claims an unobstructed range of 1000 ft.

infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - the pro has an okay range inside the house, but its 3-4 walls limit...
The Pro has an okay range inside the house, but its 3-4 walls limit isn't enough for some houses.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

In our tests, we experienced a distance far closer to 500 ft when it started having spotty connection and difficulty maintaining connectivity. For indoor testing, our tests showed connectivity up to about 70 ft and 5 walls. We could push it to 155 ft, but then only 3 walls or doors before it started to struggle with sound. It isn't a terrible test result, but it isn't the best in the group either. If your house is big and your distance long, then it might not work as well as some of the competition.

infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - the night vision on the pro includes some vignetting of the image...
The night vision on the Pro includes some vignetting of the image near the center of the screen.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Audio / Visual


The Pro offers better sound than some of the competition but worse video than the competition and its non-Pro brother. Neither performance were impressive to testers compared to the competition.

The sound quality is decent overall, but the vocals are distorted and harder to decipher. You can understand the words, but they are tinny and hollow and not as true to real life as we expected. New sounds would cause the sound indicator light bar to activate, but it didn't cause the monitor to "wake up." Despite having what Infant Optics calls their ANR noise reduction, the monitor always emits noise. The monitor is audible at all times if there are sounds in the room, and turning the monitor down just results in a lower sound that is hard to hear. The ANR feature did improve the quietness of the monitor during testing, however. We couldn't hear the white noise at volume 4 with the ANR on, but we had to have the volume down to 2 without ANR, and we could still hear the white noise.

The color for the Pro is sub-par without meeting rea life...
The color for the Pro is sub-par without meeting rea life expectations but the crispness of the details is good.
Daytime images show details like eyes opened/closed but the colors...
Daytime images show details like eyes opened/closed but the colors are somewhat off, with dark colors suffering more problems.

The video for the Pro is disappointing compared to most of the competition, and while it is good enough to determine your baby's level of need, it isn't as true to life as you'd hope or we expected. The screen overall is somewhat dark compared to the others (even when set to max brightness). It has a limited range of colors, and many of the colors are not like real life at all, with blues and purples appearing as almost black, yellow appearing as orange, and red appearing as black. The images are crisp, and the zoom worked well, but if you were hoping for true to life, this isn't your camera.

The night vision of the Pro isn't the worst, but it really isn't the...
The night vision of the Pro isn't the worst, but it really isn't the best either; while you can see your little one, there is missing clarity of details on the baby's face.
Zoom works well with the Pro providing clarity on the test and color...
Zoom works well with the Pro providing clarity on the test and color chart.

The night vision is a little dark but decently crisp. You can see the baby and furniture outlines clearly, but there is a vignette effect happening outside the center of the frame. Whatever is in the center of the frame has a small bubble of light that picks up more detail than the rest of the shot. Overall it isn't great, but we preferred it over the daytime images.

infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - the user interface of the pro is intuitive, but we aren't the...
The user interface of the Pro is intuitive, but we aren't the biggest fans of menus and moving through menus on a screen when more buttons on the face would be easier.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use


The Pro has an oddly dated appearance, much like its brother. From the button design to the beige color it feels like something that hasn't changed since 2010. Perhaps for that reason, it is one of the easiest options to use. For the most used features, there are straightforward buttons on the surface of the parent device. They are easy to navigate, and you likely won't use most of them very often outside basic functionality. This monitor is easy to set up and pairs on its own when you plug it in. This monitor seems to be trying hard to increase ease of use, even including little pictures of the part it charges on the chargers, so you can keep them together.

infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - infant optics offers replacement battery packs that are easy to...
Infant Optics offers replacement battery packs that are easy to interchange.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Battery Life


The Pro has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a manufacturer-claimed run time of 11 hours in Standby mode and 6 hours with the screen consistently on for viewing. We tested the parent unit with the viewing screen on under normal monitoring situations. Our testing run time was 6 hours, which aligns with the time claimed by the manufacturer. This is not the best length as some ran up to 16 hours, with the average being closer to 10. However, it is long enough for nap time when you might be moving around your house with the parent unit, and you can use the parent device plugged in overnight to avoid disconnection.

infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - infant optics pro comes with interchangeable lenses that give you...
Infant Optics Pro comes with interchangeable lenses that give you optical zoom instead of only digital zoom. While kind of fun, we suspect most parents will choose a lens and forget they have other options.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Features


The Infant Optics Pro has several features parents will want, and they all work as expected, but nothing is a real standout or super baby-centric like night light or lullabies. We suspect the fun but somewhat useless interchangeable lenses will go unused over time and eventually end up lost of full of dust. It is unlikely that sleepy and busy new parents will bother or even know ahead of time what lens they want at any given time.

infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - the parent device of the pro has a kickstand to keep it at a nice...
The parent device of the Pro has a kickstand to keep it at a nice viewing angle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

  • 2-way talk to baby
  • Interchangeable lenses
  • Sound-activated LED indicator bar
  • Active noise reduction
  • Optical and digital zoom
  • Pan and tilt
  • Temperature Sensor
  • Connect 4 cameras

infant optics dxr-8 pro video monitor review - turning the camera off when not in use can limit the emission of emf...
Turning the camera off when not in use can limit the emission of EMF in your nursery.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Levels


EMF emissions concern some parents because we aren't entirely certain about the impact on developing infants. For us, we like to err on the side of caution by limiting child exposure to EMF whenever possible. You can start by unplugging your monitor when not in use and placing it as far away from your baby as possible without making the camera ineffective. We tested each video monitor for EMF emissions and compared the average emission at 6 feet from the camera to the competition for this test. The Pro EMF average emission was 0.2 V/m, which was one of the lowest in the group.

Should You Buy the Infant Optics Pro?


While we understand the fun of additional lenses, we don't actually think most parents will use them. With a price this high, we expected better video and sound and overall felt the Optics looks and feels outdated with overall disappointing performance in our tests. We think there are better options on the market that cost less and offer more, including both dedicated style monitors and WiFi-enabled.

What Other Video Monitor Should You Consider?


If dedicated plug-and-play monitoring is your preference, we'd recommend the LeapFrog LF920HD 7" Display. This monitor has a large parent device, good battery life, and a better-than-average range. It is easy to use and has video images that are good enough to get the job done, even if it lacks finer detail and image crispness at night. The LeapFrog monitor has more features, a simple user interface that is marked well, and a camera you can rotate or pan and tilt remotely.

Manufacturer Video



Wendy Schmitz
 

Honest, objective reviews. Led by a Pediatrician.

BabyGearLab was founded by a Pediatrician Mom with a mission to provide a reliable, independent, source of information to new parents. Our experts have tested thousands of baby and kids products to share key performance, health, and safety findings. We spend tens of thousands of dollars crash testing car seats to inform our ratings. And, we combine our review work with gobs of expert parenting advice. To assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing by people who care.

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