Optus Mobile Review ALDI Mobile Review Amaysim Mobile Review Belong Mobile Review Circles.Life Review Vodafone Mobile Review Woolworths Mobile Review Felix Mobile Review Best iPhone Plans Best Family Mobile Plans Best Budget Smartphones Best Prepaid Plans Best SIM-Only Plans Best Plans For Kids And Teens Best Cheap Mobile Plans Telstra vs Optus Mobile Optus NBN Review Belong NBN Review Vodafone NBN Review Superloop NBN Review Aussie BB NBN Review iiNet NBN Review MyRepublic NBN Review TPG NBN Review Best NBN Satellite Plans Best NBN Alternatives Best NBN Providers Best Home Wireless Plans What is a Good NBN Speed? Test NBN Speed How to speed up your internet Optus vs Telstra Broadband ExpressVPN Review CyberGhost VPN Review NordVPN Review PureVPN Review Norton Secure VPN Review IPVanish VPN Review Windscribe VPN Review Hotspot Shield VPN Review Best cheap VPN services Best VPN for streaming Best VPNs for gaming What is a VPN? VPNs for ad-blocking With more smart baby monitors hitting shelves at your local Baby Bunting, picking the best product for your own needs has boiled down to one question: do you need a camera and display? or can you get by with a connected smartphone or tablet. If you’re in the second camp, the Cubo AI Plus is an exceptional piece of kit that’s only faults are common in the growing market of connected monitors.
Cubo AI Plus Baby Monitor unit Baby monitor stand (assembly required) Weighted baby monitor stand base Mounted monitor cradle Portable monitor cradle Portable monitor cradle USB-C power cable Power brick USB-C humidity/temperature passthrough
But I’d be lying if I said I’d settle for anything less, personally. Opening the app to see your sweet cherub staring you dead in the eyes is never not funny, and while there might be long stretches of sleeping, the Cubo AI does manage to capture some very sweet moments. The first little smile, her tiny head cocked to the side suspiciously as you stealth your way down the hall, or the adorable laughter brought on by something as simple (and categorically unfunny) as a ceiling fan. As small as these moments seem, I’m not about to tell you a tear didn’t well up in my eye just thinking about it right now. You have the option of removing the stand to sit the monitor atop an available flat surface, but that involves rethreading the USB-C power cable through the base. It’s not an overly complicated task but also not something you want to burden yourself regularly. If the Cubo AI Plus even had enough juice on board to get you through the night, it would give you a lot more freedom when transitioning between rooms (e.g. from the main bedroom to the nursery). Maybe we should expect this in a world where everything but the kitchen sink requires an internet connection (and sometimes the kitchen sink too). Still, there are baby monitors out there, like the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor, that remain connected even when your WiFi is down. The Nanit Smart Baby Monitor stays connected over your home WiFi signal, even when your internet connection is chucking a tantrum. Then there are baby monitors like the Infant Optics DXR-8 that don’t require a WiFi connection at all. The second common issue between the Arlo Baby and the Cubo AI Plus is that neither offers an optional standalone monitor. This means that you’ve either got to have a spare smartphone or tablet handy, lest someone’s iPhone or Android ends up bearing the responsibility of streaming the baby monitor’s livestream. But all those benefits aside, having to dedicate my iPhone for baby monitor duties is still an inconvenience I could do without. Having a standalone monitor means you can set it down in your periphery and only check it occasionally. Requiring an app adds more steps and makes checking up on your wee bub a more active responsibility. I don’t need a standalone monitor, just a smarter solution, something like a web app that I can keep open in a Chrome tab throughout a typical workday. That said, it’s still a steep price to pay for that convenience and not everyone will need to pay that premium. Most of the other benefits, like 1080p day/night streaming, the in-built night light, and lullabies/white noise playback, are common among cheaper alternatives, it’s just rare you get everything in one package. Then there are the features you don’t get with the Cubo AI Plus that make the price a little eye-watering. Missing features like a standalone monitor or chargeable battery call the higher price into question. Ultimately, I think the combination of advanced smart features warrants the higher price tag but there’s no way I would recommend paying the premium for anyone shopping on a budget.
