VTech DM221 Review

VTech originated in Hong Kong in 1976 and expanded to over ten regions worldwide. The company's mission encompasses designing economical, innovative, and nice quality electronic products. VTech's North American operation has become one of the top three producers of cordless phones. VTech also manufactures a variety of monitors for babies.

Performance Comparison

Sound Clarity

The DM221 has one of the top scores for sound clarity in the top-ranking sound monitor lineup.

With a maximum volume of 103.4, this is the loudest parent unit in the review. Even at this high volume, the sound is clear though bright. Parents will have no trouble hearing what is going on in the baby's room, and deep sleepers are sure to wake when the baby cries. At a lower volume, 82.8db, the sound is clear but slightly shifted between sounding somewhat muted and then clearer. The sound filtering and voice activation both work well, and this monitor is silent when the baby is silent.

The sound from the baby's unit with two-way communication is good and not distorted or robotic sounding, so your baby will hear your voice and nothing else.

Ease of Use

The DM221 is average for ease of use. The inclusion of multiple features often results in products being harder to use. This doesn't mean they are challenging, just that they are more complicated than their bare-bones counterparts.

You just need to plug it in and turn it on to set up the monitor. This monitor has more features than some competitors, making it more complicated to use. However, the real problem is that most buttons are on the front of the parent unit, which can mean pushing the wrong buttons in the middle of the night. The front includes the power, menu, select, and volume buttons. You can set the sound sensitivity, sound alert, vibrations, a nightlight, language, and other default settings within the menu. The options are easy to understand, and the menu is easy to navigate, though compared to products with no menu, it is more advanced, and some might find it harder to program initially than a more basic option.

Range

The DM221 offers an average distance range between the baby and parent units.

According to the manufacturer, this monitor should have a range of 1000 ft when in a line of sight. This distance isn't that useful of a measurement given you are unlikely to place a baby in a field, but it came close to our test results of 1325 ft. This monitor started beeping out of range at about 1000 ft, but the sound was still fine. The connection got choppy around 1200 ft, and the connection was lost entirely at 1325 ft. It started beeping around 1000 ft, but the sound was still okay.

The indoor range stated in the manual is 160 ft. We couldn't get this far from the baby monitor, but we managed about 90 ft through 5 walls. We still had a connection at 6 walls, but the parent unit started to beep that it was out of range. We lost the signal completely after the 8th wall. Ninety feet is probably enough for many homes, and this unit would work for most families as long as their home isn't too big. The best in the review worked past 100 ft and 8-9 walls.

Battery Life

The DM221 has one of the longest living batteries in the group by far.

The DM221 has a rechargeable battery in the parent unit and no battery backup in the baby monitor. The manufacturer claims a run time of 18 hours before recharging, but our tests indicated an average run time of 46 hours! Which is far longer than any parent should need, even if they monitor all day and night. Of course, we recommend plugging in the unit when possible so you don't lose connection in the middle of the night, but it is good to know it can last so long if necessary.

Features

The DM221 offers popular features desired by parents.

The DM221 has adjustable mic sensitivity and sound activation. Both features work well and help a monitor stay relatively silent when the baby is silent. These features can translate to an easier time falling asleep and staying asleep as long as the baby does. We think this is really important, and sound activation is one of the features BabyGearLab believes should be at the top of the list for parents that have trouble sleeping.

This monitor also has two-way communication with the baby so that you can talk to the baby from another room. Talking to your baby could mean you don't need to go to the baby's room. Many parents feel this feature is mandatory, though we would just consider it a "nice to have."

This product also has the following features:

• Remote-controlled night light
• Out of range alarm
• Sound level meter
• Vibration alarm
• Belt clip
• Low battery indicator
• Sleep mode
• Mute
• Parent unit paging abilities

EMF

The VTech has an average EMF reading of 3.11 V/m at 6 ft from the unit. This reading is the highest in the group.

However, keep in mind that the further you get from the monitor, the less EMF you are exposed to. Placing the baby unit for this product as far from your baby as possible will decrease EMF, and the monitor should still pick up every little noise you are hoping to hear.

Should You Buy the VTech DM 221?

The DM221 is sure to please almost any family and works well with some of the best sound clarity in the group. This monitor is a reasonable price for most and has the features you really need instead of all the bells and whistles you will probably forget about. We think it is an excellent choice as a main baby monitor but can also work well as a backup to a favorite movement monitor.

What Other Sound Monitor Should You Consider?

If your budget is even tighter or you don't need or want the added features, you can save some money by choosing the VTech DM111. This monitor is cheaper and is easy to use, with adequate sound and range. The battery life is lower for this model, but it is long enough to make it through nap times with ease. If you'd like something full of baby-centric features or plays extra roles outside of monitoring, the Hatch Rest+ is the one. This monitor works via WiFI, giving it impressive range, and it features a sound machine, lullabies, night lights, and more.

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