Is the Vtech Dm221 Audio Baby Monitor Good?

Sometimes, the most basic features are the most useful. That’s why parents still choose the Vtech Dm221, the best audio baby monitor for under $40. 

This article will cover:

• Highlights
• Considerations
• Suitable for parents who
• Features
• VTech DM221 vs. DM223
• Takeaway

Vtech DM221 is one of the famous baby monitors out there, and rightfully so. Over the years, this particular product from Vtech has proven to be an efficient and reliable audio-only baby monitor at such an affordable price.

Read through this Vtech DM221 review and learn more about this top-rated audio baby monitor on Amazon.

Is the Vtech DM221 worth it?

At about $40, it is among the most affordable audio baby monitor in the market. It is an excellent monitor and can beat most video baby monitors out there. It was the first monitor I used with my first kid, and I still use it. I’m not the only one because you can find more than 5 500 positive reviews on Amazon for this audio-only monitor.

Audio monitors have been around for a long time, and parents are still using them mainly because they cost almost one-third of the price for a video monitor.

The sound quality is far superior to the competition. The monitor has more battery life and covers more range than most video monitors. The VTech DM221 has been a best seller in his category for years.

This audio monitor is rechargeable and cordless. Because of its remarkable battery life, you can use it where there’s no electricity. This is the reason I still use this monitor when we go camping.

Another benefit of these sound-only monitors is that if you think you are already spending too much time staring at a screen, you might want to consider the VTech DM221. It is very reliable as compared to other audio baby monitors.

Highlights

• A range of 1,000 feet (+150 feet indoor)
• Secure digital audio transmission with DECT 6.0 technology
• High-quality audio
• Talk-back / walkie-talkie feature
• Battery life of 19 hours
• Sound level indicator
• Night-light
• Belt clip for portability

Considerations

For a product that has been in the market since 2012, the LED display looks kind of dated. It reminds me of cellular phones from Nokia or Motorola back in the late 90s and early 2000s.

There is no image. Since it’s a sound-only monitor, you don’t have the video image to know for sure what your kid is doing.

 Suitable for parents who

• Live in a larger house
• Travel with their kids
• Want a secure and internet-free monitor
• I don’t want to break the bank to get a quality monitor

Features

High-quality audio: Vtech DM221 offers 5 levels of sound volume. It has the loudest sound of all existing brands at about 103 dB, enough to wake you when you need to. It might be a bit trebly, but it is expected with such small speakers, and even so, what’s important is you’re able to hear your baby clear as day. The sound remains audible at around 83 dB at the lowest. However, there is a fluctuation in sound quality at this level.

This product also has some level of noise-canceling, which filters irrelevant noises. You won’t have to worry about hearing white noise over the receiver or other sounds that can get in the way between you and your baby. It is also voice and sound-activated; it means that the unit remains dormant when your little one is silent and ‘wakes up’ when your baby makes particular sounds. You can program the sound threshold to ignore those that are too low to be relevant, or you can maximize its sensitivity to all sorts of noises.

A range of 1,000 feet (+150 feet indoor): Its ideal range is 1000 feet, but this number is impractical since it’s measured in an open space unless you live in a field. Indoors, DM221 should have a working range of 90 to 160 feet, depending on how many walls there are between your and your baby’s unit. In any case, this audio monitor should be enough for the average American house.

Your parent unit will begin to beep to tell you that it’s out of range. This will naturally affect the sound quality.

Sound level indicator: When muted, you can rely on the 5 LED array as a visual indicator of noise coming from your baby’s room. Voice activation responds to the sounds your baby makes and alerts you only when needed. 

This is useful when you want to save your receiver’s battery life or enjoy peace (loud noises can be annoying when you’re tired from a day’s work).

There is also a vibrate mode to alert you when your baby is crying. As long as you keep your receiver close to you, you’ll always be able to respond to your baby’s needs.

Simple display: Its LED backlight display helps you access its features and program them according to your preference.

Secure non-Wi-Fi network: The Vtech DM221 frequency is encrypted DECT 6.0 transmission similar to wireless phones. Throughout the years, this technology has been undergoing constant security updates to prevent hackers from eavesdropping. To this day, it remains one of the safest types of wireless communication.

Unless your neighbor is James Bond and has a motive to eavesdrop, your baby monitor signal should be secure.

Two-way microphone: Lets you hear and speak to your baby from a different part of the house with an indoor working range (according to the manual) of 160 feet. 

Extra parent units: You can add one additional parent unit to share the monitoring with your partner.

Design: The monitor is compact and portable. This walkie-talkie-style monitor is the ideal monitor when you are traveling.

Night-light: The baby monitor is equipped with a soft and warm light to illuminate your baby’s crib at night. No more stumbling in the dark is getting to your baby.

Belt clip for portability: Fasten the parent unit on your belt, so both hands are free to accomplish other tasks.

The product itself weighs 12.8 ounces with dimensions 7.4 x 2.4 x 8.2 inches. You can purchase it for as low as $29.95 (last time I check on Amazon) with a 1-year warranty. It is more secure and less sensitive to interference than other analog monitors. This digital monitor transmits on a 2.4 GHz frequency and uses the DECT 6.0 technology.

Battery Life

The parent unit of the baby monitor has a battery life of 18 hours, or so Vtech claims. But testers discovered a pleasant surprise. The longest run time so far for the Vtech DM221 battery is 46 hours. That’s almost two days and two nights of use! This gives this Vtech product the most extended battery life among others within the group of audio baby monitors.

The catch here is that only the parent unit has a rechargeable battery. The baby monitor must be plugged into a power outlet at all times.

VTech DM221 vs. DM223

Other than the physical redesign, there is no difference between these two products from Vtech. The Vtech DM223 audio baby monitor is the newer model with a more modern and sleeker look.

Both have the same screen display technology, reliable DECT 6.0 wireless transmission with an outdoor range of 1000 feet, night-light, and portable walkie-talkie feature. The DM223 also retains the same 5 LED array and sound activation as the older one.

The deciding factor between DM221 vs. DM223 is the extra parent unit with the DM223 audio baby monitor. For an additional $10 (or a price of $50), both parents will have their own ‘walkie-talkie’ style unit. On top of that, DM223 has improved its visual noise indication feature. If the unit is on mute, it will alert you of any noise from the baby monitor using lights and colors. The unit will also start to vibrate if your baby’s cry has become too loud.

Takeaway

The DM221 audio baby monitor has been in the market since 2012. Even to this day, it is still the go-to product of many parents and guardians. This should come as no surprise now since it keeps proving that reliability doesn’t need to go at such a hefty price.

For a simple audio baby monitor, this DM221 from Vtech is an impressive product pact with all the essential features. You will not be disappointed.