Life is hard for new parents. During the day, you need to feed and care for the little ones, and at night you need to watch over them to make sure they’re sleeping peacefully, no matter where you are.
However, life doesn’t stop – regardless of who you are or what you’ve got to do! So what if you wanted to go camping with a baby or toddler and spend quiet time after hours in front of a campfire? Or perhaps unwind with your partner in your backyard? Spend even a small amount of relaxed quality time while the baby is sleeping.
Normally, these activities would be difficult, if not impossible, with a baby or toddler in the house or in the tent. This is where Roar Baby Monitors come in.
Our team had the honor of getting our hands on these neat, practical, and useful baby monitors.
In this review of the Roar Baby Monitors, we’re going to share photos with you, tips, and give you a general overview of the product. If you’re in the market for new baby monitors, we truly hope this review helps you decide whether this can be a great option for you.
First, we’ll cover some basics and then get into the unboxing stuff! Let’s get to it!
What makes it different from others?
Roar Baby Monitors are wireless audio monitors, but what else makes them unique? Here are a few key features:
- Extra sturdy – These audio monitors are built for campers, so they’re sturdy and can withstand a lot of pressure and drops
- Wireless – No wires, so there’s no need to worry about potential hazards, or about adding unsightly wires to your home. The monitors go where you go, wire-free and easy to carry!
- Lightweight – The unit is small and lightweight and can be easily tucked into a purse or clipped to your belt, for easy portability
- Signal range – The monitors work with over 1000 feet of separation between the two units, so you can continue to use it as long as you’re in the same general neighborhood
- Battery life – The product lasts nearly a day on a full charge, so it’s perfect for overnight camping trips, or for those keeping a watch on an elderly relative living close by
- Water resistant – These audio monitors are made for the outdoors, so they can weather the elements and resist water and snow, thanks to their clever design. You can literally dance in the rain!
- Headphone jack – If you’re in a noisy area, you can use noise canceling headphones with the monitor to make sure you can still hear your baby sleeping
These monitors are easy to use and simple, with no added frills or gimmicks. Roar Baby Monitors has created a simple but useful product that is actually fun to use!
Unboxing and first look
These audio monitors come in a neat little box, which contains two units (child and parent), a charger, a charging cable, two stainless steel belt clips, and two batteries.
Assembly is easy. Just insert the battery and close up the back side casing of both units, and you’re ready to start using the monitors!
You should always refer to the instruction manual before using it, to ensure you’re using the product correctly. However, here are a few things we noticed when unboxing the Roar Baby Monitors for the first time!
4 Things you should know before using your Roar Baby Monitors for the first time
- The User’s Manual is small (only ten pages) but has all the relevant information you’ll need to get started. Don’t skip it!
- After inserting the batteries and plugging them in to charge, it took 2 hours and 10 minutes for the first monitor to fully charge (LED went from blue to green), although we plugged both in at the same time. The second monitor took 2 hours and 44 minutes to finish charging. Not bad and right in line with the specs.
- I noticed that once the batteries are in, they are hard to take out! This is probably a good thing. The only instances in which you’d want to take them out will be if they aren’t powering up or to replace batteries in the future.
- The stainless clips do require that you unscrew a tiny screw in the back (see photos below), so you will need to have a small enough screwdriver for this.
- Battery life: after the Roar Baby Monitors are fully charged and in use, in our test, the battery lasted an average of 19 and a half hours until we noticed the LED flashing red (which means the battery is at 15% battery life and diminishing).
Ideal for?
While this product can be used by anyone looking for an audio baby monitor, its extra features give it niche appeal. It’s especially suitable for:
- New parents who enjoy camping or stargazing (so that you have peace of mind and can truly enjoy watching the stars or night sky knowing that your child is just a sound away from your Roar Baby Monitor)
- Parents who need to leave the house often to go short distances such as your backyard, deck, or get something from your car in the driveway, or perhaps a short walk!
- People with elderly family members that you want to keep an ear on while you attend to other things
- People living in places with frequent power outages or fluctuations (we recently had a long power outage in our area due to a small plane crash, and it gave us the opportunity to play around with these monitors as we were in and out getting the generator ready and firewood to keep us warm.)
- In situations where having a product plugged into an outlet may be dangerous
It’s one of the only monitors you can take with you in all weather conditions without worrying too much about water damage, scratches, or cracks.
Audio quality
Four words: clear as a bell. In fact, the audio quality was a lot better than you’d find on most baby monitors, it seemed – perhaps because they’re audio monitors. If you’re looking for an audio monitor and sound quality is a priority, we recommend this hands-down. You’ll hear every little sound your baby or toddler makes. If you’re in a noisy area, however, use headphones for the best results.
Battery life
We used the audio monitors for a full day a couple of times to check it out, and it passed the test. So that’s a double thumbs up from us for battery life! The product can definitely last over 20 hours on a single charge, although you’ll want a charging outlet nearby after that – or it’s going to die on you.
I’d recommend having some kind of portable power bank like this one that you can use to charge it without the need for a wall outlet. This is important, particularly if you go camping! Keep the portable power bank with you at all times, just in case.
When it’s time to charge, the LED indicator light will let you know (it starts to blink red). You need to plug it in using the charging cable and charger. You only get one cable with a dual output on one end, but you don’t necessarily need to charge both monitors at the same time. You are able to charge them individually, no problem (we actually tested this to make sure!).
Range
The Roar Outdoor Baby Monitor is wireless and has a range of over a thousand feet! We tested this out by walking far into the woods and also by driving out while one of us stayed back home. We used a distance tracking app to check how far apart we were, and the monitor worked smoothly, without any hitches, at the 1000-foot mark. After around this distance, however, the audio quality quickly deteriorated, but that’s to be expected.
Longevity
Although we’ve only had these monitors for a couple of months, they worked well in the beginning and just as well toward the end of our test period. The audio quality and battery life stayed intact, and there seemed to be no other signs of damage or deterioration in performance.
These monitors will get dirty, especially if you go camping or use them outdoors frequently. I’ll just point out that the slots on the front make it a bit difficult to clean. However, dirt can be easily wiped off, but a better idea, in my opinion, is to use one of those compressed air cans to blow them off. One of those cans should last you a long time.
You will want to keep these clean after each trip or use. Accumulated dirt could potentially and eventually affect the audio quality or its performance in general.
Ruggedness
The product claims to be drop-proof and water-resistant, so we tested these features out. We didn’t get too aggressive with it, but for everyday needs and accidents, this product is perfect. We dropped it a few times on different floors, such as hardwood, wooden deck, and grass. All good. Just don’t go and throw up against a rock!
It may or may not make it if you chuck it at a rock, but if you drop it while walking or get caught in a light downpour, it’ll survive.
Pricing
The monitors are currently priced at $149.99, with free shipping if you’re willing to wait a couple of days. Most baby monitors cost between $100-400, so this is a great price considering it’s water-resistant and wireless. The product quality is great, so you don’t need to worry about getting a flimsy or poorly made product.
At the time this article was being written, the company had a discount coupon on their website for 25% off. Check back to see if they have a discount when you’re ready to buy!
It’s time to disconnect!
What are you waiting for? Take your family on a camping trip and safely disconnect from the rest of the world.
