Motorola Smart Nursery 7 Review – Introduction
We are super excited to be discussing the Smart Nursery 7 with you. Now for some, the very word ‘smart’ next to the word ‘nursery’ can be unsettling. Most of us have become so dependant on smart phones, gadgets and devices that the thought of a ‘smart nursery’ sounds like a daunting addition to our already technology dependant lives.
At first, we were a little sceptical too.. wondering if baby monitors are one of those things that just don’t need to advance anymore, we have had baby video monitors and movement sensor monitors for a long time now and they have been doing a grand job.. why change? Do we as parents really need to be buying and even more expensive baby monitor that does a whole host of things that we didn’t even know about a year ago?
If all of those questions are going through your head (they went through ours too), then we would love to hear you final thoughts on the matter after reading a detailed exploration of the Smart Nursery. I would hate to think that we were won over by shiny new gadgets, boasting of the latest and most expensive technology (as that is so not us). However, after spending a bit of time with this baby monitor we found ourselves reluctant to put it down and go back to using a conventional baby monitor.
We wanted to tell you about range of Smart Nursery products, the amazing features of each and the not so great points. To help you understand first of all, what exactly it is and furthermore, give you enough knowledge to enable you to decide if dipping into the future of interactive nurseries is for you just yet. So here goes…
As you many well know, Motorola have been a trusted and household name, at the forefront of the baby monitor scene for so many years. They have recently released the market leading Smart Nursery 7.
What is the Smart Nursery?
The Smart Nursery itself comprises of:
- A rather swish looking 7 inch tablet screen (which is referred to as the ‘portable Wi-Fi baby monitor’).
- The uniquely rechargeable Wi-Fi video camera, which captures crystal clear, HD video and images (capable of up to 1080p).
These two devices are included in the Smart Nursery pack and enable you to embrace the interactive nursery concept.
What do they do?
The Smart Nursery 7 inch tablet closely resembles a familiar iPad or tablet device, giving new parents a head start in the usability of the monitor.
It is fully portable and rechargeable, just like a regular tablet and gives the user full control over the camera functions. (More on than in a minute!)
It looks nothing like a conventional baby monitor and acts nothing like one either. Giving the adult access to advanced analytics on sleep monitoring, information on the nursery environment and guidance on how to create the optimum sleeping environment for baby. It allows full control over the images and video and allows you to record, save, and share them easily. This handheld device also gives the user the ability to pan, tilt and zoom the nursery camera from another room, and to activate and control other devices in the range remotely too. So as not to have to tip toe in and risk waking up baby.
It is powered by ‘Hubble Connected’ which is an awesome app which allows for easy data capturing and sharing. The ingenious thing is that the Hubble app can also be used on your current smartphone, tablet or PC. So you can see and hear what is going on at all times, no matter where you are in the home, or the world!
We love how the Smart Nursery monitor also does its very best to assist busy parents, allowing you to set reminders for things such as feeding and changing. Set notifications for important dates such as baby appointments and record beautiful digital memory books of you baby’s journey.
The super sleek HD camera is a fantastic little gadget, packed with features that make your parenting life that little bit easier. As well as the sophisticated remote pan, tilt and zoom, this little camera is also capable of tracking temperature, humidity, sound and movement, using infrared night vision for better night time monitoring and assessing the sleeping patterns of your baby. (Which is summarised into reports for you on the tablet device.)
We also love the ‘smile and cry detection’ feature of the camera, an innovative development that can record and tell you how your baby reacts, even when you’re not physically watching them on the parent unit.
A couple of final features, this smart little camera acts as a two way speaker, enabling parents to communicate and calm baby from outside of the room. The speaker can also play lullabies which can be activated from the hand held device so you don’t have to walk in and disrupt baby to turn the lullaby off.
The camera comes as part of the base set but it is also sold separately as and additional or standalone WiFi camera.
Motorola Smart Nursey 7 Monitor |
Rating |
4.5/5 |
See Price on Ebay |
Why we love it:
- Super sleek, modern and beautiful design features.
- Extensive data capturing of sleep patterns and quality.
- High definition images and video, no retro, fuzzy quality recording
- The option to incorporate more devices into the Smart Nursery range, and extend the use of the Hubble app, with partners, grandparents and friends.
Whats not to love?
- It is a costly device (with good reason of course) but to buy even just the base pack with no additional devices will set you back a couple of hundred pounds.
- You are going to need a good Wi-Fi connection to ensure that the high resolution images and video can be watched effectively. (if you have read any other consumer reviews on this product you will see that many people complain about it losing connection and down rate because of this. It is very important before purchasing that you ensure your WiFi connection is a good one! This is the same for any smart home products in general)
- Running the Smart Nursery on a Wi-Fi connection is great but streaming video or data to another device such as your smart phone via your mobile data could use up a large portion of you allowance, depending on individual circumstances.
FAQ
How do I get the Hubble App and is it free?
The Hubble app is needed to use the technology on other devices than the 7inch monitor. It can be downloaded for free on the Android Google Play Store or on the App store for IOS devices. Find the app by searching for “Hubble for Motorola Monitors”. (It’s completely free.)
How long can I stream video for using the monitor?
A fully charged battery in the hand held monitor will support up the 3 hours of video streaming.
How many people can access the camera at once?
Within the home, (Local camera mode) using the home WiFi, two users are supported. If you require more than two users at one time, all streaming will go through the remote server using Hubble. This means an unlimited number of relatives or friends can access the camera at one time.
You keep mentioning ‘The Smart Nursery Range’, what does this mean?
So far, there are four additional smart devices that can be incorporated into you personal interactive nursery ensemble. We will explore and discuss each of them for you.
The Motorola Smart Nursery Humidifier
Why would I use one?
Adding humidity to the nursery air helps aid cold and flu symptoms for little ones as it often relieves congestion. The mist from the humidifier helps to unblock congested mucous in the nose throat and lungs. General use of a humidifier can also be effective in preventing dryness that can cause irritation in many parts of the body for baby and child.
The humidifier is a robust and beautiful looking piece of kit and can be funny controlled from the parent tablet monitor or any of your other connected devices. With 3 timer settings and 4 levels of cool mist diffusion.
There is a double filter for clean water mist and the tank hold 1 gallon of water, giving up to 8 hours runtime.
Size: H31 x W35 x L21cm
Motorola Smart Nursery Baby & Me Scales
Why settle for boring conventional scales when you can own a pair of Bluetooth wireless scales that can measure and track the weight of parent and baby?
The tablet monitor or your own personal smart device can be linked, enabling your to record both yours and your babys journey.
These rather beautiful looking scales can also be used as a regular set for all of the family by switching modes.
Another little addition to your nursery collection to make life easier and to save you the hassle of manually recording weight changes.
Weight: (up to 330lbs)
Size: H37 x W39 x L5.1cm
AAA Batteries included
The Motorola Smart Nursery Dream Machine Projector
The Dream Machine Project is an adorable extra to the Smart Nursery collection, and we can tell it will become a favourite amongst family.
It projects enchanting animated scenes onto the bedroom ceiling, helping your little one to feel calm, relaxed and to drift off into a land of pleasant dreams.
Add a gentle lullaby, an animated projection or a changeable colour night light to soothe your baby to sleep… the best bit? It can be controlled 100% from the monitor tablet or your personal device, so you don’t have to disturb little one by going back into the room to turn it off.
It looks beautiful and has clearly been designed with the thoughtful and busy parent in mind. You can operate each item of the smart nursery from anywhere and help your child get back to sleep without having to even enter the room.
This device uses WiFi connectivity, controlled by the app, it also offers two way communication, further integrating the smart features into your daily routine and just generally making life easier and more technologically enhanced.
H14.8 x W10.2 x L10.6cm
Motorola Smart Nursery Alert Sensor
This smart sensor is sold as a single unit and in a double pack. It works both as a sensor and an alarm. The notification goes to and parent device to alert when a door, window, cupboard or even stair gate has been opened. (When the two parts of the sensor are no longer aligned.)
A great little gadget for adding additional safety to your child’s nursery and to your home.
The sensors are easy to set up and connect via the home Wi-Fi, using AAA batteries (included)with an alert for low battery.
Why would you need one?
For additional safety and security for your little one, a device that can be utilised for assisting everyday life and giving you extra peace of mind, especially as your little ones starts growing and inevitably exploring…!
Size: H16.4 x W3.8 x L1.8cm
Overall
We just love the Smart Nursery range and get carried away thinking of all the way that it could be integrated into peoples lives to educate parents on their little ones. To find out things they would never have been able to know had it not been for the smart camera or the sleep analytics.
The whole range has been designed in a way that speaks beauty, sophistication and functionality. It is definitely our favourite baby monitor at the moment.
each item giving parents and guardians that extra peace of mind that they are doing everything in their power to create the very best environment for their precious little ones. in terms of temperature, humidity levels, safety and comfort. Giving them the best start in life and empowering parents to easily record, and analyse data about their baby or child to help them in their parenting quest.
Becoming a parent isn’t always easy but we think that the Motorola Smart Nursery have taken some giant steps forward in easing some of the stresses and responsibilities of a loving parent.
At the very start of this article, we mentioned being sceptical about the need for such high technology being integrated into the simple function of a tradition baby monitor.
But I think that if you have made it this far that maybe you will agree that the Smart Nursery has bought baby accessories bang up to date and could very quickly become part of your every day routine with a baby or child. Motorola have carved the way for an inevitable surge in highly interactive baby products and we will be keeping a lookout for new additions to the Smart Nursery in the future.
The functions of the Smart Nursery do not have to stop or become redundant when your little one outgrows the need for a baby monitor. Ceiling projections, light light, scales, door and window safety devices and above all the video and sound capturing can be used throughout their child hood, giving parents continued support and value for money.
We think that the possibilities of using the Smart Nursery are endless and the memories captured through the images, videos, memory books and the ability to share precious moments with the whole family is simply priceless.
Motorola Smart Nursey 7 Monitor |
Rating |
4.5/5 |
See Price on Ebay |