It’s not uncommon for households that have new babies to suddenly discover problems related to their baby monitors and interference with wireless devices in the home such as cordless phones and internet connections. Baby monitor interference may show up in the form of static, buzzing, or annoying noises. In addition, baby monitors that have video monitoring capabilities may also experience poor reception. Another irritating aspect of the problem is that you sometimes intercept your neighbor’s phone calls on your baby monitor – and the other way around, too. This makes it very challenging to hear or decipher the noises that your baby is making in his room.
As annoying as these kinds of baby monitor interference may be, they are certainly not without a solution. Clearly, opting to eliminate one device in favor of the other is out of the question. So here is some advice on how to prevent or decrease the problem of interfering wireless signals in the house.
1. To help reduce the chances of interference, choose a baby monitor that operates on a different frequency from your other wireless devices. Nowadays, most cordless telephones are on a 2.4GHz frequency. So if you use the same channel for your baby monitor, you’ll certainly run into problems with the signal.
2. Most wireless devices allow you to switch channels in order to manage interference problems. It might be as simple as pushing a switch or a button. If you’re using a wireless router for your internet connection, however, you’ll have to resolve the issue on your computer. Avoid the router’s lowest or highest frequency bands if you’re utilizing an analog phone set to 2.4GHz.
3. Choose a cordless phone that uses the 900MHz, 1.9GHz or 5.8GHz band. Because these channels are not as frequently used as the 2.4GHz frequency, they’re less likely to encounter interference. If you have use a multiple-handset phone system with a handset-conferencing feature, choose one that utilizes the 1.9GHz or 5.8GHz channel.
4. Try switching on the baby monitor first. To get the best transmission and reception possible from a 2.4GHz video baby monitor, turn off all of your 2.4GHz devices. Then turn on the baby monitor, followed by your wireless router, and finally the base unit of your cordless phone. This results in the monitor capturing the first available signal which will give the best reception without interfering with your other wireless devices.
5. If you want to avoid having your neighbors intercept the sounds transmitted from your baby monitor, buy digital rather than analog. This will help to ensure that the only sounds you hear are the ones coming from the nursery.
6. If adjusting the frequency doesn’t do the trick, and buying a new monitor isn’t feasible, try to keep your assorted wireless products as far apart from each other as you can.