Should I buy a baby monitor with Wi-Fi or without Wi-Fi?

The choice between a Wi‑Fi and a non‑Wi‑Fi baby monitor is mostly a trade-off between convenience and remote access versus privacy and simplicity.

• Choose a Wi‑Fi monitor if you want to check in from anywhere on your phone, or if you want smart features like alerts, sleep tracking, or video clips.
• Choose a non‑Wi‑Fi monitor if your main priorities are privacy, ease of use, and reliability. These use a local radio connection, so they don’t depend on your home internet to keep working.

A good rule of thumb: if you’ll mostly use it at home, non‑Wi‑Fi is often the simpler choice. If you want to monitor remotely when you’re away, Wi‑Fi is more convenient.

One caveat: non‑Wi‑Fi monitor range can be reduced by thick walls, concrete, or wireless interference. Also, no device is perfectly risk-free, so it’s still worth choosing a reputable brand and keeping firmware updated where applicable.