Review: Luvion Grand Elite Baby Monitor

The Luvion Grand Elite is the latest, and possibly best, Digital Video Baby Monitor to hit the UK.  Incorporating the most-wanted features of other leading Baby Monitors, it is simply one of the best appointed Baby Monitors yet.

When first opening the packaging for the Luvion Grand Elite, it is clear this is a truly high-end product.  The matte black finish of the coffin-style box has a luxurious feel, and a reassuring weight to it, and easily slides open to reveal the Baby Monitor, set in custom fit, black foam.  At first glance, the feature that stands out immediately is the sheer size of the screen.  At 3.5 inches, the Grand Elite has a screen equal to the largest screens available on Digital Video Baby Monitors, though no other manufacturer has shoe-horned a screen that large, in to a parent unit so small; at a mere 16mm depth, the Luvion Grand Elite has the thinnest parent unit available today (making it extremely portable).  Looks-wise, the parent unit is very minimalist, cast in white, gloss plastic, with the large screen dominating the front panel, and three buttons set in to the right of the facia:  Menu, Scan, and a 4-way D-Pad which doubles up as the volume control. Running up the left side of the impressive-sized screen are six LED bars, invisible when not in use, which give a visual indicator of noise being transmitted from the Baby Unit.  This is particularly useful when the volume is reduced on the parent unit, allowing it to be run effectively in complete silence.

The rest of the controls for the Luvion Grand Elite are spaced down the thin outer edges of the parent unit, Giving a very clean look and finish to the product.  These controls and features include 2-way Talkback, lullabies and nightlights on the Camera Unit (all being remotely controlled, which is a labour-saving addition).  One thing that truly sets the Luvion Grand Elite apart however, is its amazing connectivity.  As with Luvion's first Baby Monitor, the Luvion Platinum Digital, the Grand Elite can be connected to a television, which is particularly excellent when used in conjunction with ‘Picture in Picture' viewing, available on most modern shows. This feature allows parents to maintain a watchful eye on their children, whilst not missing any of their favourite television.  New and unique to the Grand Elite however, is the ability to input a Micro-SD card in to the Parent Unit, and record up to 16 hours of your baby's finest moments on to one Micro-SD.  While this feature may seem superfluous, would it not be nice to have the option of capturing some of your baby's cutest moments?

When setting up the Baby Monitor for the first time, it is clear that the Luvion Grand Elite was designed with plug-n-play in mind. The out of the box equipment included is at the optimum amount; all the wiring you could need, and none of the additional detritus that will end up cluttering up a drawer.  Neatly packaged in the box are the essential power leads for both Parent and Baby Unit, a convenient charger dock for the Parent Unit (which doubles as a stand), the AV cable necessary for connection to a television, a user manual, and thoughtfully, the screws that will be required if the user wishes to wall-mount the Camera Unit in the baby's room. 

From plugging in the Parent and Baby Units in their relative spots around the home; set up takes as long as flipping a switch.  The included Camera Unit is paired with the Parent Unit straight out of the box, and takes a few seconds to achieve a connection, after which all functions are available.  Adding extra Camera Units – The Luvion Grand Elite can receive signals from up to four at a time – is a very quick process, setting up the camera in the correct spot then selecting a menu option on the parent unit will pair the two together quickly.  When receiving more than one signal at a time, the Parent Unit can be set to flip between the active cameras every few seconds, or can be manually switched between one camera and the other.

Once your Grand Elite Monitor System is up and running, you will be pleasantly surprised at just how excellent the reception quality is.  Video Baby Monitors in the past have suffered from either a low quality signal, or a low quality image from a poor screen size. Utilising encrypted digital technology for security and quality, the Luvion Grand Elite provides almost HD quality images, and the crispest audio available on a Digital Video Baby Monitor.  In our tests, the baby unit was placed next to a radio in another part of the building, and the parent unit on a desk.  Once the connection was achieved, it would be completely reasonable to believe that the radio was in our office, such is the quality of the transmission, and the speaker installed in the Parent Unit.

Of course it would be impossible to discuss the performance of any Video Baby Monitor without testing it in low-light conditions – this is when Baby Monitors get the most use.  The Luvion Grand Elite has an impressive depth of field, and very little loss in quality when in strong darkness.  It is worth noting for parents new to video baby monitoring, night vision works entirely in black and white, often with a slightly green tinge.  The Luvion Grand Elite works as such, and really stands out in this area with its 5 metre depth of vision, with competitors often struggling beyond 2 metres.

In conclusion, the Luvion Grand Elite Digital Video Baby Monitor is truly a revolutionary product in its field. Drawing together the superior elements of other leading Baby Monitors, and combining them in a beautifully styled and compact unit with excellent build quality, Luvion have produced an instant market-leader.  The Grand Elite has taken its place at the top of the food chain, and will become the measuring stick against which all Video Baby Monitors must be compared. 

Click here to purchase the Luvion Grand Elite Digital Video Baby Monitor from BabySecurity