subject: Cell Phones and Baby Monitors: A Guide To Fixing Interference Problems [print this page] Household gadgets that function wirelessly have a tendency to pose a number of interference issues. The typical culprits behind these problems are none other than baby monitors and wireless cell phones. Needless to say, choosing to get rid of one particular device in favor of the other is absolutely out of the question.
What is Wireless Interference?
Interference might show up in the form of humming, static or irksome noises. Besides that, baby monitors that come with a video monitoring feature may also have a fuzzy reception. Yet another frustrating part of the entire interference dilemma is the fact that you can sometimes pick up your neighbor's phone conversations on your baby monitor and vice versa. This can make it much more difficult for you to hear or decode the noises that are coming from your baby's room.
How to fix Wireless Interference?
As bothersome as these types of interference problems may become, they are by no means without a solution. Here are a few tips on the best ways to avoid or, at least, reduce the annoyance of interfering wireless signals in your house.
1. Factor in your wireless phone.
To minimize the likelihood of interference, choose a baby monitor that works on a different frequency band than your other wireless household gadgets. Nowadays, most cordless phones work on the 2. 4GHz frequency band. Therefore, if you use the same channel for your baby monitor, you'll definitely encounter problems with the signal.
2. Adjust the channel.
The vast majority of modern wireless devices permit the changing of channels in an attempt to fix interference issues. It might be as easy as sliding a switch or pressing a button. Then again, if you are using a wireless router, you'll need to use your computer in order to resolve the problem. Don't forget to steer clear of the router's lower or upper frequency bands if you are using an analog telephone that's set at 2. 4GHz.
3. Choose a wireless phone that uses the 900MHz, 1. 9GHz or 5. 8GHz band.
Since these channels are not as commonly used as the 2. 4GHz frequency band, they're less vulnerable to interference. If you have a choice for multiple-handset-capable wireless phones, pick one that makes use of only the 1. 9GHz or 5. 8GHz channel.
4. Turn on the baby monitor first.
To get the best possible reception and transmission coming from a 2. 4GHz baby monitor with video capability, turn off all other 2. 4GHz devices in your household. Soon after that, you may turn on the baby monitor followed by your router. Last but not least, you may turn on the base unit of your wireless cellphone. By taking this course of action, the baby monitor gets to capture the signal that will provide the best reception and not impinge on your other wireless gadgets in the process.
5. Think about purchasing a digital baby monitor.
If you really want to be sure that the next door neighbors won't be able to pick up the transmitted noises from your baby monitor, buy a digital version instead of the analog one. By doing this, you'll also be confident that the only sounds you hear are the ones that are coming from your baby's room.
6. Stay at a safe distance.
If frequency band adjustments still don't work and substitution of the product is not a choice, try to keep the different wireless appliances as distant from each other as possible.
Baby monitors and wireless cell phones can definitely interfere with each other's performance. Even so, you can generally do something to resolve and/or minimize the problem.
Cell Phones and Baby Monitors: A Guide To Fixing Interference Problems
