Anmeate SM24 Review
Pros: Cheaper, good battery life
Cons: Shorter range, few features, manual camera adjustment
Manufacturer: Anmeate
The Skinny
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Anmeate SM24 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | |  | | |
| Price | $70 List $59.99 at Amazon | $199 List $129.98 at Amazon | $200 List | $188 List $179.99 at Amazon | $90 List $89.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Cheaper, good battery life | Internet range, great images, versatile long term use | Good visuals, lots of features, easy to use | WiFi range, lots of features, great images, easy to use | Lower price for dedicated, better sound, good video |
| Cons | Shorter range, few features, manual camera adjustment | No internet / no monitor, disappointing sound | Sound could be better, harder setup | Sub par sound, higher price, internet dependant | Shorter range, fewer features, less vibrant color |
| Bottom Line | Somewhat average monitor with no standout features or visuals | Really cool WiFi camera with lots of uses and great video for simple baby monitoring | Good for long term use if you already own other Arlo products | Cool WiFi option with all the bells and whistles that is easy to use | Good dedicated monitor if WiFi is not an option |
| Rating Categories | Anmeate SM24 | Nest Cam Indoor WiFi | Arlo Baby | iBaby Care M7 WiFi | Hello Baby HB65 |
| Range (20%) | |||||
| Sound Clarity (20%) | |||||
| Video Quality (30%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
| Battery Life (10%) | |||||
| Features (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Anmeate SM24 | Nest Cam Indoor WiFi | Arlo Baby | iBaby Care M7 WiFi | Hello Baby HB65 |
| Communication Technology | 2.4 GHz | 802.11 a/b/g/n | 2.4 GHz | 802.11 b/g/n | 2.4 GHz |
| Indoor Range Test | 4 Walls 65 Feet |
Anywhere You Have Connectivity | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | 4 Walls 65 Feet |
| Open Field Range Test | 600 Feet | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | 800 Feet |
| Manufacturer's Claimed Range (*buyer beware!) | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | Anywhere You Have Connectivity | 1000 Feet | |
| Max Sound | 82.4 db | 86 db | 93 db | 82 db | 76.3 db |
| Screen Size | 2.4" | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3.2" |
| Max # of Cameras | 4 | 10 Per Home with Unlimited Homes | 5 simultaneous video streams free. Up to 20 cameras with paid subscription. |
Not Listed (Unlimited?) | 4 |
| Temperature | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Movement Detection | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sound Activation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Talk-to-Baby | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pan/Tilt/ Zoom | Zoom | Zoom | Zoom | Pan/Tilt/Zoom | Pan/Tilt/Zoom |
| Battery Life | 14 hrs | n/a | n/a | n/a | 14 hrs |
| EMF @ 6 Feet from Camera | 1.67 V/m | 0.92 V/m | 0.75 V/m | 1.42 V/m | 0.83 V/m |
| Warranty | 1 Year | 2 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Anmeate appears to owned by the same parent company as Hello Baby. The two websites have the same product descriptions and lineup with virtually identical products with different names. Their about us page is identical and we suspect you'll find the same customer support for either company.
Performance Comparison
Range
The Anmeate SM24 has below average range for the group. The manufacturer doesn't offer a claim for the range of this pairing. In our open field testing, this unit started to struggle for connection around 200 ft, this connection broke altogether at around 600 ft. Indoors, the Anmeate stopped working at 4 walls and 65 feet between the camera and parent unit. This might work for apartments and smaller homes, but given the shorter open field range, we suspect it will struggle more than the competition in most homes (as every home varies).
Audio / Visual
The Anmeate SM24 offers average results for both audio and visual quality and clarity. The audio has a maximum decibel level of 82.4 with clarity peaking at around 82. It features sound activations with an eco-mode that turns off after about 15 seconds of no sound. It has three settings, low, mid, and high (eco). The sound is hollow overall and there is some rattle to it, but it is still better sound than that offered by the majority of the video competition. It also has sound activation/filtering that helps keep your bedroom quiet when the baby is quiet and it seems to work well in our tests.
The video quality for the Anmeate SM24 is on par with most of the dedicated competition. None of the dedicated monitors could compete with the WiFi options which offered excellent visuals that were similar to real life and have the clarity to see breathing and open eyes. The SM24 is somewhat fuzzy and lacks color trueness in daylight images with a slight green tint overall. The lack of clarity gets worse in night vision with a bright spot in the center and little visuals around the perimeter. As the zoom feature is digital-only, it only makes things worse. The parent screen is so small, this also contributes to the lack of details you will be able to see.
Ease of Use
The Anmeate SM24 earned an average result for ease of use. It isn't hard to use, but there isn't much going on here either. Set up is simple and the camera and parent unit automatically pair when plugged in.
The parent unit interface is simple and includes volume, brightness, zoom, microphone, and menu on the face. The buttons are large and rubber making them easy to see and feel in the dark. The menu is one level so there isn't a bunch of button pushing or menus inside menus to mess with.
Battery Life
The Anmeate SM24 parent unit has an impressive battery life, right around 14 hours under ordinary use. The camera does not have a battery and requires plugging in at all times. While some of the competition offers a battery backup for power failures, this model does not.
Features
The Anmeate SM24 doesn't offer many features beyond the minimum needed to see your little one in the nursery. You can pair this parent unit with up to four cameras.
The SM24 offers:
- Temperature sensor
- Sound activation
- Talk to baby
- Digital zoom
- Kickstand
Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Levels
The Anmeate SM24 EMF levels in our tests have an average of 1.67 V/m with the reader 6 ft from the camera. To decrease the exposure to EMF you can move the camera the maximum distance from the crib where it will still function effectively (typically around 12 feet depending on the monitor). This average is on the high side for the video monitors with the average being closer to 0.89 V/m. If EMF is a concern to you and you are trying to limit or reduce your baby's exposure to EMF, then this is probably not the option for you.
— Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz