Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We purchased this unit as a possible replacement for our Infant Optics DRX-8, which we have owned for a little over a year. While the DRX-8 is great unit overall, we grew tired of the constant WiFi interference issues (any nearby devices using WiFi would cause the unit to constantly beep that it was “out of range”). So we were excited when another comparable model came onto the market, as most other models out there either lacked features we wanted or had numerous negative reviews. So I’ll treat this review as a bit of a comparison between the two models, because I feel that the DRX-8 is one of the best currently on the market. So far we are pleased with the performance of the VM343. It doesn’t seem to have the interference issues the DRX-8 has, and has most all of the features we wanted, needed, and were used to having. The picture quality is very comparable in both regular and night-vision modes. See attached photos for some examples. The VM343 might be a tad bit more grainy (perhaps due to that larger screen size), but it’s not a deal breaker. Features we like in both units (DRX-8 & VM343): -Intuitive and easy to use menus, with the VTech having several more menu options -The picture quality is very good on both units -The pan/tilt/zoom works great on both -We have found the range on both of these units to be acceptable… easily stretching all over our two-story home -The battery life is great on both. We keep the monitors plugged in all night on the nightstand… but off the charger all day for the naps and neither has ever needed charging during this time. Pros of the VM343: -The screen is a good bit bigger than the DRX-8 (4.3” vs 3.5”) -A vibration option when sound is detected -A motion activation option for the monitor -The temperature reading seems to be more accurate than the DRX-8 (which always seemed to read about 4-5 degrees higher than the actual room temp) Cons of the VM343: -Due to the way it mounts on a bracket (instead of the base of the camera attaching direct to the wall), we found that it’s not able to tilt low enough to get the whole crib in the frame. This may not be an issue for you depending upon your desired mounting location and the distance from the camera to the crib. But we mounted ours on the same screw the DRX-8 was on and 30% of the crib is out of frame. -We like for the sound to stay on all the time and not just kick on when noise is detected (this may not be your preference though)… which the VM343 does not do by default. However, the sound machine in our child’s rooms seems to keep the sound on most of the time anyway. -The overall volume level of the VM343 seems to be a bit lower than the DRX-8… but still within acceptable limits. Mounted in the same place as the DRX-8 (which makes it the same distance from the sound machine), the volume is noticeably lower than on the DRX-8. -On the DRX-8, we liked how when you turn on the screen, it shows a quick blip of how the baby was positioned when the screen was turned off (so you can tell if they have moved since the last time you viewed them). The VM343 doesn’t do this. -This unit doesn’t have the interchangeable lenses like the DRX-8. However, we never really found a need for them anyway. I suppose it could be useful in the future if we eventually needed to change the perspective or place the camera further away. At this point, we’re still on the fence about which unit we will stick with. I will update this review a bit down the road after we’ve had a chance to break in the VM343 a bit more. Thanks for reading!