Belkin Baby Moniter (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

First I was a bit hesitant to buy this device based on some of the previous reviews but because of the Amazon Prime price I figured it was worth trying. I needed two devices to monitor two separate grandchildren in separate rooms. The iOS devices used are iPhone 4s, 5s and iPad. The following is what I found through trial and error and eventually called Belkin WeMo technical support (1-800-223-5546). 1) Loading the WeMo app was easy. The WeMo app for the phones is also used for the iPad so don't waist time searching for iPad only app. 2) Once plugged into a 110 outlet the device completes a software update. 3) Could only connect to internet one of the WeMo devices at a time 4) Using one device: phone calls in or out closed app; texts had no impact; phone idle mode had no impact; signal dropped for a few seconds when re-buffering; can use multiple iSO devices at one time; can listen to baby while surfing Facebook and Internet; phone calls on one phone does not impact monitoring signal on second. 5) Called Belkin customer service. Sonya was very helpful and consulted with their technical engineer on several of my questions. In summary each WeMo device has its own ID as printed on the bottom tag above the serial number. If you have a DUAL BAND ROUTER when you connect to the Wi-Fi network the "WeMoBaby" network will include the last few digits of this ID number. If you have enough band width you can connect multiple devices and the signal is not dropped by phone calls or re-buffering. Belkin sells dual band routers for $69.99 and will help configure the device(s) for free. Overall I am very impressed with this device. The problems I had are due to limitations in band width on my current router not the WeMo monitor. The belkin.com/WeMo web site has good information and videos to help set up and troubleshoot. A fifth star was not awarded because I think the instructions with the device should have included some of the band width issues as stated above. Check the bandwidth on your router and give Belkin technical support a call before purchasing this item. It may save you unnecessary frustration in the long run.

UPDATE: Belkin is clearly not happy with the reviews here and has takem to commenting about some updates. The updates Belkin mentions does improve the product reliability, and I upped the review to 4 stars. The service prices are still excessive.________I like the idea of this product, but it isn't a replacement for a dedicated monitor. Others will say there are cheaper ways to set up a monitor on an iPhone, but this should be a simplified interface and system even those who are not technically proficient will like. Luckily we are also using a Philips DECT model for dedicated listening in the master bedroom and family room.It's fairly reliable, but sometimes it takes effort to get it going. It also has to buffer for quite a while on a fast wireless network with very nearby access point. This is a bit irritating.The product has potential with the Premium service that will text you when the baby is crying. This is not a service I need, but tracking the crying/sleep data would be nice and is part of the $5/mo or $50/year service.I'd they can work out the bugs in this new product and lower the price, it could be a great product.

Set this monitor up on Monday January 21st 2013. Plugged it in and allowed it to connect to my router, then downloaded and started up the app on my iPhone 4 (Verizon) that I've had for just about 2 years. Followed the prompts through the app and connected the phone no problem, first directly to the WeMo itself, then through the WiFi router (Linksys 802.11 B/G/N). Following that, the app notified me that the WeMo unit would download new firmware and restart, which it did successfully over the span of about a minute. After restart, I was able to hook right up to it again.It's Thursday January 17th, and WeMo has been running flawlessly since Monday. I can listen from work over Verizon's 3G network; takes about 10 seconds to buffer and connect. WeMo is situated upstairs and at the opposite end of my house from my WiFi router. It was able to quickly connect and has stayed connected from this location, so it's working through the floor and about 100 feet away. I've also installed the app and successfully connected / listened over WiFi from our iPad 2 and my daughter's current generation iPod touch.I can honestly say I've had none of the problems others have had, perhaps due to the new firmware WeMo downloaded and installed when I first started it up? Also, the selectable noise suppression in the app is a nice touch, reminds me of "squelch" on my old CB and scanner.

My husband and I bought this product a couple months ago for our 13 month old son and have loved it. My husband and I like to be outside and this product allows us to go outside while our son is sleeping. We have the program on our iPhone and keep our phones on while we are outside. You have to have wifi in the house where the monitor is, but your iPhone can run off wifi or your data on your phone. The only problem with using the data on your phone is it uses up your data quickly.This product is very comparable in price to other baby monitoring devises, but you are not confined to a certain distance or area.One of the other things we have not liked is the app for iPhone. The app was hard to set up, it crashes frequently, and you have to pay to get cry alerts.All in all I wish would have found this product a year ago!

This sucks. Doesn't work. Keeps losing connection and stops if you open other apps on your phone. Totally unreliable. Feel stupid for buying.