Review: Omajin Baby Monitor

When my wife and I were new parents eight years ago, baby monitors were still standard in the nursery. A transmitter in the stroller or by the bed and a receiver that could be carried around the house – simple. Today, the situation is completely different. Modern baby monitors have both video and app control and can be as advanced as expensive security cameras.

But with new technology comes new concerns. Stories of hacked baby monitors, where strangers have scared children through the speaker, have made many parents think twice before installing a camera in the nursery. So it’s reassuring to see that Omajin – a new and affordable brand from the established Netatmo – has made security and stability a top priority.

Smart technology that works

Whereas some baby monitors have both a transmitter with a camera and a separate receiver with a screen, the Omajin Baby Monitor relies on the smartphone as a receiver.
The camera has Full HD resolution, but if the connection is too poor, the image will be scaled down to 720p to maintain stability. A motorized camera head physically follows movements in the room, so the monitor always gives a clear picture of what’s happening in the nursery.

The moderate resolution is actually an advantage in many ways. The video stream only requires 125 KB/s of bandwidth (about 1 Mbit/s), which is a fraction of what a Netflix movie needs. Even with lousy cellular coverage, the camera can work as it only requires 200 Kbit/s to give you a picture of the situation. This means you can actually see what’s happening in the room when you need to, instead of staring at a stuttering screen.

Stable and secure connection

My previous experiences with smart baby monitors have been mixed. A few years ago, I tested a Philips uGrow system that constantly lost its Wi-Fi connection. It was close to being unusable. With Omajin, this is a thing of the past. The camera remains stably connected to the network and if it drops out for more than 30 minutes, you are notified in the app.

Security is ensured through encrypted data transfer and strict network connection requirements. For example, the monitor will not work on open WiFi networks. With the included 64 GB SD card, recordings can be stored locally instead of in the cloud, which is both safer and significantly cheaper. Cloud storage is still offered as an additional service, but in my opinion it’s superfluous.

From baby to toddler

Even though my youngest child is now 6 years old, I’ve put the monitor in the boys’ room to good use. It picks up both sounds and movements if he’s restless at night. The camera tracking function automatically follows him as he moves around the room and the image quality is more than good enough to see what’s going on – even in the dark with the automatic night mode.

The smart scheduling system means you don’t have to worry about notifications when your child is usually awake and active in the room. For example, you can set the monitor to standby between 06:00 and 19:00. This feature was admittedly not intuitive to find in the menu system, but once set up, it works well.

Lullabies and night light

The monitor also has built-in lullabies and a comfortable night light with adjustable RGB colors. The lullabies work well for babies who are used to simple music boxes. As kids get a little older and more accustomed to sophisticated music, they’ll probably need a different kind of music to fall asleep. But since this is a baby monitor after all, the choice of melody and sound feels right.

Room for improvement

The notification system is, in my opinion, the Omajin Baby Monitor’s biggest weakness. When the camera detects motion or sound, only a simple text message appears on the phone’s lock screen. Only when you unlock the phone and tap the notification can you see images of the event. Here I would have liked the option to automatically play live audio and video when something happens – especially when you’re in your own bedroom at night, or you’re on a short visit to a neighbor and want the peace of mind of knowing that you can quickly and clearly see and hear when something happens.

Fortunately, this is something that should be easy to fix with a software and app update, and it’s not a deal breaker for me.

Conclusion

The Omajin Baby Monitor shows how easy and good modern baby monitoring can be. Full HD video resolution delivers a crisp picture, and if your connection is slow, stability is preserved by scaling down to 720p. A smart compromise that ensures stable streaming even in poor conditions, and local storage on SD cards provides peace of mind without monthly costs.

The notification system could be more flexible, but this is a minor objection to an otherwise well thought-out monitor. For new parents looking for a reliable digital babysitter, this is a safe choice.