Lorex introduces the latest in Wireless Digital Technology with excellent video quality and audio quality. The digital signal is secure and interference free. Add up to three cameras to this system for surveillance in various locations. Enjoy the convenience of an included rechargeable battery and cradle in addition to the built in stand & belt clip

User Reviews about Lorex LW2002W Portable LCD Wireless Surveillance System (White)

Ok, first the disclosure; I don't own this product yet. I'm just like you... researching and trying to decide which baby monitor is the best. I've come to a conclusion, and I'm posting this simply with the hope that you might not have to spend 5 hours of your life doing what I just did. In other words, hours ago I wish I could have read someone's "Summary of User Reviews". So, if it helps, great. If it doesn't, sorry... just trying to help.

After reading dozens and dozens of reviews at various websites (including Amazon) I've decided that this Lorex baby monitor (model Lw2002 in either white or black; thus model Lw2002W or Lw2002B) is the best monitor out there for several reasons. However, as we'll see, it's not perfect. First, the good news.

PROS:
1. Very clear daylight picture.
2. Clear sound.
3. Infrared "Night" vision or dark mode that is quite clear.
4. Motion and/or sound detection triggering an audible alarm/beep/video image at the monitor.
5. Security of signal frequency hopping digital transmission. (So the neighbor's baby monitor can't see or hear your baby.)
6. Because of the signal's digital frequency hopping (1000 times per second) the device is very unlikely to interfere
with, or suffer from interference from, your wireless router, cordless phones, microwave oven, etc.
7. Support for up to 4 cameras; all can be viewed on the same handheld monitor.
8. Auto-switching mode, for switching between multiple cameras (if you have more than one) every few seconds.
9. Remotely controllable (from the handheld monitor) night-light.
10. Ability to output video to a TV or video recorder. (e.g. set it up as a picture-in-picture while
you're watching your favorite TV program.)
11. Ease of setup. (Simply plug it into your house power outlet - or charge and use the batteries - and you're done.)
12. Reasonably low price.

Now the bad news. Although the majority of users find the product usable, and many find it ideal, the following areas are the 4 most consistently repeated of the complaints voiced by users in the countless reviews I've read. If you can live with these few product deficiencies, then this very well may be the best baby monitor for you too.

CONS:
1. Automute: By far, the number one complaint that people have is that they cannot set the sound to stay on all the time. The monitor will silence itself (mute sound and turn off the screen) if there isn't any "significant" audio or motion coming from the baby's room after a certain period of time (e.g. 10 seconds) but will of course turn on again if there is a "significant" sound or motion such as a baby talking, crying or moving. Again, this feature can't be disabled. However, to the manufacturer's credit this sensitivity is adjustable, and apparently, the device will still flash red lights (from one to several - depending on the intensity of the sound) as sounds are detected, even when the monitor is muted.

The device designer's idea, as stated by them, is to allow the parents to sleep without the white noise "hiss" that would exist with constant reproduction of a "quiet" room's sound. But many people find the sensitivity adjustment to be insufficient and wish that they could set the monitor to relay sound or picture ALL the time. (At the very least sound.) In fact, many feel that the suddenness of the device turning on and relaying sounds is more alarming than the constant "hiss" and/or noise of the child would be. As a result, these people find this muting "feature" to be disturbing and would clearly prefer to hear every sound and rely on their own brain to detect abnormalities in the child's environment or breathing, etc.

For some, they work around this by using another traditional sound only baby monitor to listen to the child, then, if they hear something unusual, they grab the Lorex monitor and turn it on to see what the child is up to. Not so elegant, but it works.

It's worth noting that this issue, which many consider to be a key design flaw, would be an extremely easy fix for Lorex to implement; simply add a "sound always on" and "video always on" setting to the setup screen. Hey Lorex, how about a firmware update!?

2. Beeping Upon Button Use: The handheld monitor beeps "loudly" every time you press any button when using it. This annoys a number of people because it wakes their sleeping spouse next to them during the night when they are using the baby monitor to check on the child. This could be easily fixed by Lorex by implementing a mute, or volume setting in the monitor's setup screen. Hey Lorex, how about a firmware update!?

3. Bad Button Placement: The relative ease with which certain buttons (e.g. specifically the power on/off button) can be inadvertently pressed. Some people complain that the buttons are just placed poorly, and shouldn't be put where they're easily and accidently pressed when picking up the device.

4. Battery Life: Although both the camera, and the handheld monitor come with plug-in AC power adapters, many people feel that the device (particularly the handheld monitor) is short on battery life. They feel that the 2.5 to 3 hours of run time (approximately) is insufficient. Personally, I feel it's on par with such a power hungry video wireless device. Of course this isn't as easy of a fix as the first two issues (which would only require a firmware update), but of course this too could be remedied by the addition of a larger more powerful lithium ion rechargeable battery.

(It should be noted that the use of batteries in the camera, particularly during the dark when the camera's infrared lights will automatically turn on, is also very short. But for some reason, people intuitively seem to understand that the camera needs to be plugged in, and so they don't complain about this. Not so for the handheld monitor; instead, people think the battery in the handheld monitor should last as long as the other handheld device they use daily... specifically, their cell phone's battery... and who knows, maybe they're right.)

Conclusion: Ok, now I'm placing my order. I'll try to post a useful update if I find anything noteworthy to add.
-- Summary of Reviews - Hope to save you a bit of research time.

After spending hundreds of dollars on various different baby video montitors and systems, I eventually landed on the Lorex. Right out of the box, it was very easy to set up and was much more solid in terms of build quality compared to the other plastic toy-like monitors out there that are horrible. I had it working in about 3 minutes after quickly glancing at the instructions (I also purchased a 2nd monitor system to go with).

It works great, however is not perfect. I was impressed in that it's quiet and you really do not get any interference and I have not noticed any issues with losing internet connection, which I had on previous models. I've come to the realization that no company out there knows how to build a quality baby monitor without having it's issues.... this still remains my #1 ranking, however.....

- Battery life is horrible and you will need to keep it int he cradle often. Just taking it downstairs to have dinner with my wife, I wondered if the battery would run out and don't believe they give you an option to put in AA's either - this should be improved in a future model for sure.

- Navigation of the handheld unit is a bit weird and not the most user friendly, though it's not that complicated. It's annoying that every time you press a button to activate a camera or do anything the unit beeps with every press you make.... this is especially stupid considering I could not lie in bed next to my wife and check on the babies without waking her up with all the beeps of the unit - this is pretty stupid and my biggest issue with the product I think. Why on earth would they not give you the option to make it completely silent if you want to???

Night vision works great, decent sound quality (not the best), and does what it's supposed to do without frequency sounds, and buzzing, etc. I do recommend the unit, however realize none of these little things are perfect including this one. -- One of the best you can buy, but not perfect....