
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 14, 1995                   TAG: 9511140040
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DAVID BUTLER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

AN EASY WAY TO KEEP TABS ON A BABY

Q: I'd like to set up a wireless nursery monitor to keep tabs on our new baby. What options do I have? Is one available that could serve as an intercom for my home office once it's no longer needed in the nursery?

A: At least a half-dozen manufacturers produce wireless nursery or baby monitors with prices starting at around $30. Virtually all rely on miniature radio frequency (RF) transmitters. With a typical range of 100 feet or more, a wireless monitor allows you to keep tabs on the nursery throughout your home, including the patio and surrounding yard.

The transmitter's integral microphone operates continuously, picking up all but the slightest sounds. You can raise the volume on the receiver unit when you're taking a shower or lower it while reading. The latest models also provide a visual alert (a row of LEDs) in case the TV drowns out your baby's cries. Leaving nothing to chance, some models have out-of-range and low-battery indicators.

All nursery monitors are portable - in fact, some receivers are small enough to carry in your pocket or hook to a belt clip. One style is actually built into a wrist watch, making it easy to keep track of your baby's nap times. Other features worth noting: One transmitter includes a built-in night light; another plays a lullaby.

Unfortunately, none of the available nursery monitors can function as an intercom for your home office. This is because the audio signal only travels in one direction. However, another type of product is available that can handle both jobs. I'm talking about the little desktop intercoms that plug into an ordinary electrical outlet, transmitting the audio over existing household wiring.

In order to use a power line carrier (PLC) intercom as a monitor, all you have to do is lock the 'press-to-talk' button in the talk position. This keeps the audio channel open so you can monitor your nursery (or any other room for that matter) from another station. All models have this feature.

As with cordless phones, nursery monitors and PLC intercoms are susceptible to electrical interference. Consequently, both are designed to operate over more than one frequency band. If you experience hum or static on one channel, simply switch to another. Nursery monitors typically have an 'A' and a 'B' channel while PLC intercoms can usually switch among three or four channels.

In the case of an RF monitor, this multi-channel capability yields another advantage - you can employ two systems to monitor two rooms without interference between the transmitters. Or, you could simply buy an extra monitor and set all units to the same channel, although it wouldn't be obvious which room a sound was coming from.

At least one PLC intercom features an optional front-door unit. It relies on a special AC adapter to connect to the power line. You will probably want to use your existing doorbell wire to gain access to an electrical circuit since there's unlikely to be an outlet that's convenient to the front-door unit.

PLC intercoms have an important drawback: Their audio signal can disrupt other PLC products (e.g., X-10-based home control products), especially when a station is locked in the "talk" position. One model avoids this problem by instead relying on the phone line. Simply plug each station into a standard phone jack and you're talking! Intercom conversations won't interfere with the telephone.

To receive a list of companies that manufacture wireless intercoms and nursery monitors, please send $1.50 (please don't send cash) and a self-addressed envelope to David Butler F-538, Department TWN, 14713 Pleasant Hill Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28278-7927. The list includes toll-free phone numbers and a summary of each company's products. You'll also receive information on wireless video monitors.

TechTalk: Building codes require that electrical outlets mounted in potentially wet areas (e.g., next to a sink) have special provisions to prevent shock. Ground-fault interrupt (GFI) receptacles are designed to interrupt the power if even a slight imbalance in the electrical flow is detected. Do not replace a GFI receptacle with a PLC receptacle unless the entire circuit is GFI-protected. Note that PLC signals have been known to cause nuisance interrupts.

by CNB