The Echo Show is a great device that lets you use Alexa, play music, and even check in on things while not at home on your phone. The Echo Show camera quality is excellent and lets you see many details. Since so many people use the Echo Show for daily activities, can you use an Echo Show as a baby monitor?
You can use an Echo Show as a baby monitor. It has a camera and two-way audio. You can view it from your phone, so you don’t have to carry a display unit. However, there are some downsides to using an Echo Show as a baby monitor.
Even though it’s not perfect, you can use an Echo Show as a baby monitor. Keep reading to learn how to use an Echo Show as a baby monitor, the benefits and drawbacks, and some great substitutes!
How to Use an Echo Show as a Baby Monitor
Keeping an eye on your baby while you’re in another room is crucial to their safety and care, whether they’re sleeping or playing.
Baby monitors have evolved from just audio monitors to using cameras with or without WiFi. Even though the Echo Show isn’t marketed as a baby monitor, you can still use it as one. Here’s how:
- Place the Echo Show in an ideal location in your baby’s room.Open the Alexa App on your phone.Select “Devices” from the bottom menu.Select “Cameras”Select the Echo Show that you’re using as a baby monitor.
You can now access all the features of using the Echo Show as a baby monitor. You can talk to your baby using the microphone and listen to them by activating the speaker.
Note: You should never leave your child unsupervised or alone in your home. A baby monitor is not an acceptable substitute for a caregiver.
The Echo Show makes a great baby monitor since you can see your baby in a high-quality image in the light. It isn’t a perfect replacement for a camera that was designed to be a baby monitor.
Pros and Cons of Using an Echo Show as a Baby Monitor
The Echo Show is a good substitute for a baby monitor if you don’t have one or yours is out of commission. There are many great things about it, but some features that the Echo Show lacks and variances between generations as a baby monitor.
Keep on reading to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using an Echo Show as a baby monitor.
Advantages of Using an Echo Show as a Baby Monitor
As with most baby monitors, the biggest advantage of using an Echo Show as a baby monitor is that you can keep an eye and an ear on your baby. Here are some others:
High-Quality Image Without Lag
The Echo Show has a 2 MP resolution, so you can get a clear image of your baby, so long as there is enough lighting in the room.
Not having lag is also an excellent feature, so you’ll know the second your baby starts crying or stirring in their sleep.
If the camera isn’t working, we have a few things you can do to fix it.
Two-Way Audio
The Echo Show has excellent audio quality that doesn’t lag. This is great to hear if your baby starts crying if there’s a noise keeping them awake or even to get a chuckle if they’re talking in their sleep.
You can also use the microphone to talk to them if you take a minute to get to them to keep them calm.
If you find that the microphone on your Echo Show isn’t working, we have some troubleshooting tips.
Can Zoom in on the Image
Another benefit of using the Echo Show as a baby monitor is that you can zoom in on the video to see what’s going on in detail. The image quality does decrease, but we think every first-time parent can relate that they will watch their baby breathing when they first come home.
Create Routines to Help Your Baby Recognize Patterns
One of the best features of using any Alexa device is that you can create routines.
If your lighting is hooked up with Alexa, you can have the lights turn on when it’s time to wake up for the day or from nap time.
You can also use Alexa routines to start playing music at certain times and even pair it with the Echo Glow to have dance parties and change the lighting color.
Disadvantages of Using an Echo Show as a Baby Monitor
Even though there are so many fantastic features of using an Echo Show as a baby monitor, there are several features that the Echo Show lacks that baby monitors have.
No Night Vision
A major drawback to using the Echo Show as a baby monitor is that none of the models have night vision. This defeats the purpose of using it at night or in a dark room during nap time.
If you’re using it in a dark room, the best you’ll get out of using an Echo Show as a baby monitor is if you use the speakers to hear.
Limited Camera Angles
Another drawback of using the Echo Show as a baby monitor is that you can’t change the camera angle from your phone unless you’re using an Echo Show 10.
You must manually change the camera angle if you’re using an Echo Show 5 or 8. Doing that during naptime can wake your baby, defeating the purpose of having a camera baby monitor to watch them sleep.
Not the Easiest to Place
Finding a place for an Echo Show, in general, can be cumbersome. It has to be on a table, so placing your Echo Show on a nightstand next to your baby’s crib or a table across the room from the crib would be great.
You would then have to consider the wires, which could be hazardous to your baby if left not bound to the wall.
There are wall mounts for the Echo Show, but you’d have to consider if you want an Echo Show mounted to the wall in your baby’s room.
Requires WiFi
Another downside, but could also be a benefit to using the Echo Show as a baby monitor, is that it requires WiFi.
This is great, so you can keep an eye on the babysitter while you’re not home, but if the WiFi is out or you’re trying to use it on vacation where there’s no WiFi, it will make the Echo Show useless.
In these situations, you should consider using a non-WiFi baby monitor like the HelloBaby.
No Thermometer
Some, but not all, video baby monitors have a built-in thermometer. The Echo Show does not have a thermometer. However, the Echo 4th Gen has a temperature sensor, so if you want to know the temperature in your baby’s room, you’ll need those or another external thermometer.
This might not be that much of a drawback since not many of the temperature sensors on baby monitors are accurate.
Can be a Distraction
A final drawback to using the Echo Show as a baby monitor is that it can be a distraction for your baby.
The light screen can keep them awake, so before putting them to bed, you’ll have to say, “Alexa, turn off the display” so the room gets dark enough.
Additionally, if the Echo Show is within reach of the baby’s crib, it’s an easy touch screen distraction.
Conclusion
The Echo Show can make a suitable baby monitor in a pinch. While it’s not preferred, you can still use it as a baby monitor if you need one. You would, however, be better off using a camera that’s designed to be a baby monitor.
