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Editorial Review Lorex introduces the latest in Wireless Digital Technology with excellent video quality and audio quality. The digital signal is secure and interference free. Add up to three cameras to this system for surveillance in various locations. Enjoy the convenience of an included rechargeable battery and cradle in addition to the built in stand & belt clip ... Read more Reviews 
Wow - Great Baby Monitor, June 27, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) I was both and surprised and thrilled with the functionality and performance of the Lorex LW2002W. I really do mean thrilled with the performance. The video will give you more details on the functionality - but below is a summary of my likes and dislikes.
Pros
- Highly sensitive microphone
- Low light capability
- Very easy set-up
- Will interface with your television - will allow for a split screen using your picture-in-picture.
- Works with a recording device - a DVR, VCR, or other devices.
- Alarm for any changes in status - if it detects movement or sound
- Decent range (Not great but not bad)
- Monitor will support up to 4 cameras
Cons-
- Need to watch for audio feedback if the monitor gets to close to the camera (It could wake a baby) ... note that this is standard for any audio equipment if the receiver gets to close to the source.
- A bigger screen would be nice - if I was trying to find something to complain about
Final Verdict-
Great product at a reasonable price - the Lorex LW2002W is a easy product to review and enjoy!
5 stars
So, so as a baby monitor, August 7, 2009
After doing quite a bite of research for a baby video monitor I narrowed it down to the Lorex LW2002W Digital and the Summer Infant Best View Digital. I wanted digital because I have had problems with interference with my old monitor.
Both have many similar features but I initially purchased the Lorex with 2 cameras over the Summer Infant because of the automatic cycling between cameras feature and AV port feature. With a lot of monitors if you have more than one camera hooked up you have to manually switch from one camera to the other. I have 2 small kids and I need to monitor them both. With the Lorex you can set it to automatically switch b/w cameras about every 5-8 sec. Also the Lorex has an AV port connection that allows you to connect the monitor to your TV.
The Lorex is a quality video monitor for the the price. However, after using the Lorex I sent it back because of one feature my wife and I did not like. It automatically mutes the sound if the noise in the room is below a certain level. When the sound in the room gets above that level the audio comes back on. Lorex customer service told me that the feature prevents listener from hearing a soft hissing sound (white noise) in the receiver when the monitor room is quiet. You can't disable this feature.
Don't get me wrong, it does pick up most sounds such as normal conversation, walking on hardwood, crying, something dropping on the floor, etc. But it does not pick up very soft sounds like a baby breathing, whispering or walking on carpet. This may sound trivial but at night while I'm sleeping great audio is important. It's usually the audio that alerts me that something is going on in the room. Then I look at the video to determine if it's trouble or not.
After returning the Lorex I purchased 2 Summer Infant Best Views to monitor both my kids at the sametime. I was unable to find a monitor in the <$200 range that met all my need, so this was my compromise. Fortunately I was able to get both of them at the same price (on Amazon) that I purchased the one Lorex with 2 cameras. The Summer Infant does not have the auto camera cycling and the AV connection but it does have a very nice pan & tilt feature that allows you to scan almost the entire room and the audio is very good. You can hear a baby breathing.
The Lorex is better suited for people who are looking for a reasonably priced (not cheap) low interference video monitor to monitor older toddlers, their property or for parents who don't feel they need a continuous sound feature. One of the previous reviewers stated she uses her Lorex with her old audio monitor and it works well.
Excellent system, good value, September 7, 2008
I looked at the other two similar systems available and this one is the best in my opinion:
Setup is extremely easy - charge and turn on. Picture quality both day and night vision are excellent.
Camera can be rotated at good variety of angles and can be battery powered (though night vision would drain batteries quickly).
It's digital, so neighbors can't see your cameras and you can't see theirs instead of yours.
What differentiated this from the other ones for me was:
1) availability of additional cameras, up to 4 that can be monitored from same receiver, and
2) this system uses Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum technology, so it can co-exist with your 802.11b/g access points. I was able to use my laptop over 802.11g just fine while using the camera receiver right next to it.
Pros and Cons of Lorex Baby Monitor, January 3, 2010
We found it challenging to compare monitors on-line. We settled on the Lorex, and are quite happy, but wanted to report pros and cons for the sake of others struggling to choose:
Pros:
--clear picture
--instant pairing of camera to receiver
--good packaging and instructions
--solid feel
--cameras and receiver use the same, small 9V AC adapter; receiver can be charged on or off its home base.
--doesn't look like scary spy equipment
--cute feature of being able to turn on the nightlight on the camera from the receiver. If someone waves for help, you can signal that you're on your way.
--bright red LED's to indicate sound being received--grabs your attention nicely if you're sitting quietly reading while baby's in another room asleep.
--cameras run well on 4 rechargeable AA batteries
--night and low-light performance are amazing, and the infrared lights are completely unobtrusive
Cons:
--turns on at full volume, so that if monitor and receiver are in the same room, feedback can result. This is not fun at night when trying to use the monitor to help baby and partner sleep.
--related to this, there is no mute--you can turn the sound sensitivity and alarm volumes down, but can never be sure they are OFF.
--buttons on edges of device are too easily pressed by accident.
--camera units are very slighly top-heavy.
--slick, rounded profile of receiver is slippery; doesn't stand up well; slides around on bed or couch.
Hope this helps,
Sanjay
Cambridge, Mass.
Great Product with one AMAZINGLY STUPID FLAW, April 10, 2010
This video monitor is - by far - the best on the market with the exception of one issue. Seriously, my wife and I have have hunted, researched, and tested more than we care to admit and this is the best in almost every way. It has the best picture, the best system of connecting everything, the longest A/V cord, a recharging stand, and brilliant syncing when the portable receiver is placed in the stand (without having to connect/reconnect any cords: genius!).
So, why would I give it ONE star? Because ALL of these qualities are completely trumped by one "feature" that obliterates the value of the product. Specifically, it has an "audio auto-off" function that only plays sound over a specific volume. But, that's no problem, we'll just turn that feature off...Oh, wait! what?!? you can't turn that feature off??? That's just stupid. We are not the type of parents that rush into our baby's room over every sound he makes (in fact, we are probably too willing to let his crying escalate before intervening). However, I do not want some gadget dictating when I can and cannot hear my son.
As well thought out as this video monitor is, this one feature - I suspect - is the product of OVER-thinking. It's a hideous and horrible mistake. This monitor would have earned five stars, but for this one, tragic flaw. Oh, and in case you think I'm dramatizing this review...I AM!!!...but, I thought everyone else was too. I thought that we could live with this "feature." We cannot.
Good monitor, except few flaws..., February 21, 2009
My son grew up with Summer infant video monitor, until last month when my husband misplaced the receiver.
I have tried the Safety 1st High-Def Digital Video Monitor, returned it (read my review on that one)
Then I purchased this monitor and still deciding if I should return it and try another.
Few things I discovered so far.
PROS:
- Great clear picture when available
- Very sensitive microphone
- Convenient charging cradle
CONS:
- The biggest concern for me - the red lights for night vision come on when you turn off the lights and they scare my son. I know it might sound silly - but the first time he saw them - he freaked out, totally. Now he does not let me turn the camera his way, so I basically have an audio monitor for now. I'm hoping to convince him not to be scared so I can see him, but he won't give up yet. To mention - they do look spooky those small bright red dots in the circle... My son told me they also made a beep, but this is unverified :)
- Sound mutes when baby is quiet and then suddenly comes on when it loses signal or baby stirs. This sometimes shakes me a little when I'm in the quiet room.
- Range is not that great. In my 5,000 sq.ft 2-story house I have quite a few "low signal" and "no signal" zones. But I also had them with Summer Infant monitor. The Safety 1-st monitor had a bigger range and worked almost anywhere in the house.
- The on/off button should be re-located as it is often pressed accidentally because of its location.
Hope this helps.
Wow - How Stupid is this?, August 6, 2009
I don't usually bother writing too many reviews but I had to with this one. This product seemed to have good reviews so I bought one. The first night, it worked great and then 2nd night, the signal kept dropping from the camera to the receiver. And no, it doesn't make any sound or warning when the signal drops. It is used for the baby's room so it is a critical piece of equipment for our family. The signal dropping was intermittent and I tried pairing the receiver to the camera, reboot, etc... and finally gave up. I called customer support and they said that if I have a wireless phone at home, to turn it off and it will work right. There is no documentation or warning on this in any of their manuals. So, I asked, "let me get this straight - I can use this system but I can't have my phone on"... answer "Uhh.. yeah". Stupid!!!!!! It's going back to Amazon with a big complaint.
Note: This same system has various different names on Amazon, the Safe Baby "Guaranteed Interference Free" system is same product, different name. Don't waste your money!
Summary of Reviews - Hope to save you a bit of research time., February 3, 2010
Ok, first the disclosure; I don't own this product yet. I'm just like you... researching and trying to decide which baby monitor is the best. I've come to a conclusion, and I'm posting this simply with the hope that you might not have to spend 5 hours of your life doing what I just did. In other words, hours ago I wish I could have read someone's "Summary of User Reviews". So, if it helps, great. If it doesn't, sorry... just trying to help.
After reading dozens and dozens of reviews at various websites (including Amazon) I've decided that this Lorex baby monitor (model Lw2002 in either white or black; thus model Lw2002W or Lw2002B) is the best monitor out there for several reasons. However, as we'll see, it's not perfect. First, the good news.
PROS:
1. Very clear daylight picture.
2. Clear sound.
3. Infrared "Night" vision or dark mode that is quite clear.
4. Motion and/or sound detection triggering an audible alarm/beep/video image at the monitor.
5. Security of signal frequency hopping digital transmission. (So the neighbor's baby monitor can't see or hear your baby.)
6. Because of the signal's digital frequency hopping (1000 times per second) the device is very unlikely to interfere
with, or suffer from interference from, your wireless router, cordless phones, microwave oven, etc.
7. Support for up to 4 cameras; all can be viewed on the same handheld monitor.
8. Auto-switching mode, for switching between multiple cameras (if you have more than one) every few seconds.
9. Remotely controllable (from the handheld monitor) night-light.
10. Ability to output video to a TV or video recorder. (e.g. set it up as a picture-in-picture while
you're watching your favorite TV program.)
11. Ease of setup. (Simply plug it into your house power outlet - or charge and use the batteries - and you're done.)
12. Reasonably low price.
Now the bad news. Although the majority of users find the product usable, and many find it ideal, the following areas are the 4 most consistently repeated of the complaints voiced by users in the countless reviews I've read. If you can live with these few product deficiencies, then this very well may be the best baby monitor for you too.
CONS:
1. Automute: By far, the number one complaint that people have is that they cannot set the sound to stay on all the time. The monitor will silence itself (mute sound and turn off the screen) if there isn't any "significant" audio or motion coming from the baby's room after a certain period of time (e.g. 10 seconds) but will of course turn on again if there is a "significant" sound or motion such as a baby talking, crying or moving. Again, this feature can't be disabled. However, to the manufacturer's credit this sensitivity is adjustable, and apparently, the device will still flash red lights (from one to several - depending on the intensity of the sound) as sounds are detected, even when the monitor is muted.
The device designer's idea, as stated by them, is to allow the parents to sleep without the white noise "hiss" that would exist with constant reproduction of a "quiet" room's sound. But many people find the sensitivity adjustment to be insufficient and wish that they could set the monitor to relay sound or picture ALL the time. (At the very least sound.) In fact, many feel that the suddenness of the device turning on and relaying sounds is more alarming than the constant "hiss" and/or noise of the child would be. As a result, these people find this muting "feature" to be disturbing and would clearly prefer to hear every sound and rely on their own brain to detect abnormalities in the child's environment or breathing, etc.
For some, they work around this by using another traditional sound only baby monitor to listen to the child, then, if they hear something unusual, they grab the Lorex monitor and turn it on to see what the child is up to. Not so elegant, but it works.
It's worth noting that this issue, which many consider to be a key design flaw, would be an extremely easy fix for Lorex to implement; simply add a "sound always on" and "video always on" setting to the setup screen. Hey Lorex, how about a firmware update!?
2. Beeping Upon Button Use: The handheld monitor beeps "loudly" every time you press any button when using it. This annoys a number of people because it wakes their sleeping spouse next to them during the night when they are using the baby monitor to check on the child. This could be easily fixed by Lorex by implementing a mute, or volume setting in the monitor's setup screen. Hey Lorex, how about a firmware update!?
3. Bad Button Placement: The relative ease with which certain buttons (e.g. specifically the power on/off button) can be inadvertently pressed. Some people complain that the buttons are just placed poorly, and shouldn't be put where they're easily and accidently pressed when picking up the device.
4. Battery Life: Although both the camera, and the handheld monitor come with plug-in AC power adapters, many people feel that the device (particularly the handheld monitor) is short on battery life. They feel that the 2.5 to 3 hours of run time (approximately) is insufficient. Personally, I feel it's on par with such a power hungry video wireless device. Of course this isn't as easy of a fix as the first two issues (which would only require a firmware update), but of course this too could be remedied by the addition of a larger more powerful lithium ion rechargeable battery.
(It should be noted that the use of batteries in the camera, particularly during the dark when the camera's infrared lights will automatically turn on, is also very short. But for some reason, people intuitively seem to understand that the camera needs to be plugged in, and so they don't complain about this. Not so for the handheld monitor; instead, people think the battery in the handheld monitor should last as long as the other handheld device they use daily... specifically, their cell phone's battery... and who knows, maybe they're right.)
Conclusion: Ok, now I'm placing my order. I'll try to post a useful update if I find anything noteworthy to add.
Almost five stars if only..., January 7, 2009
I just started using this video monitor and I think it is really good quality. Picture is very clear and sharp. My only beef is that there is no way that I can find to turn the sound on constant. Basically the sound turns on every time the baby makes a noise then mutes itself after about 10 seconds until the baby makes another noise. I would prefer to have the sound be on constantly because the off and on is a bit jarring and makes it difficult to sleep. So annoying to me that I'm tempted to return it. Other than that it is a really good system and if you can stand the constant muting then this is the system for you.
Not sensitive enough to pick up baby's noises, February 11, 2010
I researched and researched before purchasing this monitor, and I thought the pros seemed to outweigh the cons with this one, but I was wrong. I really wanted a digital monitor to reduce interference (there are a lot of baby monitors in nearby houses and our old video monitor was pure static), and one that would auto-scan between multiple cameras as I have two small children. After charging the monitor, I was pleased with the picture and sound quality, and that there seemed to be no interference at all. However, when I actually used the monitor on my children, I experienced the MAJOR problem: the auto shut off feature for the sound. I was warned about this from other reviews, but I thought I could deal with not hearing the very small noises. The first time I used it was during my 3 month old daughter's nap. I placed the camera about four feet away from her and set it on the highest sensitivity. I heard her crying from across my 1800 sq foot house and the monitor did not pick it up. Later, I tried this monitor out on my two year old son. I entered his room after an hour to find him awake and playing with toys, and the monitor never once went out of auto shutoff mode! So not only does this monitor not pick up small sounds, it doesn't pick up much at all. Needless to say, I sent it back the next day. Still looking for the perfect monitor.
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