Our Verdict on the Philips Avent SCD630/37 Baby Monitor
The SCD630/37 is a great option from a well-established international baby brand. The Philips Avent baby monitor is reliable and its video quality and signal range are good. The infrared night vision is also particularly good.
The Philips Avent SCD630/37 doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles that other premium baby monitor models offer, but if you don’t need these extra features, the Philips Avent SCD630/37 offers great value for money.
It’s starting to show its age, however. For 2020, we find the Eufy SpaceView camera to be a better Plug&Play monitor overall.
That said, the Philips monitor remains a reliable option if you can get it at a discount online.
Continue reading our review of the Philips Avent SCD630/37 for the in-depth results.
Our Rating: 8.5 / 10
Summary
We like:
- Very reliable and consistent video quality.
- Exceptional signal range.
- One of the best infrared night vision quality.
We don’t like:
- Doesn’t support multiple cameras.
- Poor talk-back quality.
Where to buy it: check price on Amazon
Alternatives:
- The Eufy SpaceView is the best Plug & Play monitor on our list at the moment. It comes with a dedicated parent monitor, a high-resolution video quality, and the prettiest design (check price).
- The Nanit Plus Smart Camera if you want the best WiFi video baby monitor with high-resolution video quality and personalized smart insights to help improve your baby sleep (check price).
- The VAVA baby monitor is the best Plug&Play baby video monitor under $150. It lacks a few features compared to the Eufy SpaceView camera but offers an equally good picture quality at a lower price (check price).
Overview: Philips Avent SCD630/37 Baby Monitor
Health & Safety
8/10
Privacy
9/10
Range
9/10
Audio Quality
8/10
Video Quality
9/10
Battery
9/10
Features: Philips Avent SCD630/37 Baby Monitor
Infrared Night Vision
YES
VOX
YES
Multiple Camera
NO
Two-Way Talk
YES
Play Lullabies
YES
Room Temperature
YES
Humidity
NO
Remote Pan and Tilt
NO
Remote Zoom
NO
Nightlight
NO
Video Recording & Snapshot
NO
Our Hands-on Review of the Philips Avent SCD630/37 Baby Monitor
We really like the Philips Avent SCD630/37. It has less features than other baby monitors like the Nanit Plus smart camera or the Eufy SpaceView, but it’s also significantly less expensive while providing you with an excellent signal range and video quality.
With the SCD630/37, Philips decided to build a reliable and consistent baby monitor that gives you all the essential functions that you need. It doesn’t have remote pan, tilt, and digital zoom options, but on a daily usage that wasn’t really a problem in our tests. You just need to set up the camera at a right angle during the installation and then you shouldn’t need to readjust it remotely after that.
Our main grievance with the Philips Avent SCD630/37 is that it only supports one camera. So if you have a second child or just want to use multiple cameras, you’ll need to purchase multiple monitors. If that’s the case for you, we recommend you consider another option from our list of the best baby monitors of the year.
But otherwise, you won’t be disappointed with the Philips Avent SCD630/37.
Audio and Video Quality
The audio quality with the Philips Avent SCD630/37 is excellent. It has a voice-activated (VOX) option, so the sound will only turn on when the baby monitor picks up your baby’s voice. That’s handy to block out white noise coming through. VOX also works great with the Eco mode, which allows you to turn off the video signal by default, but turn it back on immediately if your baby is active (which is better for your baby’s health as well, more on that below).
The Philips Avent SCD630/37 comes preloaded with five lullabies to soothe your baby before sleep. Each last for 15 min and you can easily start, stop, pause, or switch the song from your parent unit.
The video quality is excellent. While the display is only a 3.5” LCD, it’s sufficient to see your baby and offers a surprising amount of details. We were particularly impressed with the infrared night vision that is crystal clear even in very low light situations. The camera will automatically switch to night mode if the light is too dim in your baby’s room.
Two-Way Communication
The Philips Avent SCD630/37 has an option to talk to your baby through the camera’s speaker if you want. The talkback function can easily be accessed by pressing and holding the microphone button on the parent monitor.
We were disappointed however with the quality of the two-way communication. Our voice came out as choppy and a bit robotic in our tests. It’s ok if you just want to tell your baby that you’re on your way to pick them up, but you won’t be able to sing a song through it.
Signal Strength
The range on the Philips Avent SCD630/37 is one of the best that we’ve experienced. The baby monitor uses a wireless 2.4 GHz FHSS signal that can reach up to 1,000 feet / 300 meters outside, but realistically 165 feet / 50 meters inside with up to four walls separating you from your baby. Even in a large house with multiple stories, you can expect a reliable audio and video signal throughout.
Battery Life
In our testing, the battery life on the Philips Avent SCD630/37 was excellent. It’s plenty enough to be used unplugged during nap time and when your baby goes to bed in the evening until you go to sleep. So about seven to eight hours in total with the screen on. You can bump that up to 10 hours with the screen on standby. You will need to plug it at night to recharge while you sleep however as the battery takes about 4 hours of charging to be full. Your monitor will start beeping when its battery is almost spent.
Ease of Use
The Philips Avent SCD630/37 is one of the easiest baby monitors to use. It will take you just a few minutes to set it up, the monitor will automatically recognize the camera after you turn both on and you’ll be good to go.
The monitor itself is straightforward: on/off, nightlight, lullabies, volume, brightness, and a button to switch between the audio and video modes.
Security: Philips Avent Hacking
Because the Philips Avent SCD630/37 uses an encrypted FHSS radio signal, risks of hacking and security breach are minimal. It’s impossible for someone to hack into the Philips Avent via your WiFi connection, they would need to be within signal range. They would also need to be able to decrypt the secured signal.
Philips Avent SCD630/37 Health and Safety
The Philips Avent SCD630/37 camera connects to its parent unit through a wireless 2.4 GHz FHSS connection. It means that an electromagnetic field (EMF) will be constantly emitted from the camera to the monitor in order for you to receive an audio and video feed. We recommend that you read our article on electromagnetic field if you want to understand what it means in terms of health and safety for your baby.
In our testing, the Philips Avent SCD630/370 camera produced a similar EMF reading than the other baby monitors on our list when placed 6 foot / 1.8 meters away from our baby’s bed. This is the minimum approximate distance for most baby monitor cameras. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you limit your exposure to 0.5 mG to 2.5 mG at a time. The further you place the camera away from your baby, the less EMF they will be exposed to.
One of the advantages of the Philips Avent SCD630/37 when it comes to EMFs, however, is the ability to reduce the radiation levels by enabling the Eco mode. In ECO mode the parent unit uses a 2 seconds ping mechanism to check the connection with the baby unit instead of a continuous radio frequency connection., enabling you to limit the need for a full and constant video signal to be emitted from the baby’s camera. It will also save your parent unit battery. As soon as our baby falls asleep, we would turn on the Eco mode and leave it on for the rest of the night.
Note that the parent monitor also emits EMFs. Most parent will sleep with the unit on their bedside table, but we recommend you move it further away.
Philips Avent SCD630/37: What’s in the box
Wondering what’s in the box? Here’s everything that will be included in the Philips Avent SCD630/37 package:
- 1 x Parent monitor unit
- 1 x Baby camera unit
- 2 x Power Adaptors
- 2 x Wall Mount screws
Philips Avent SCD630/37 Price
Check the latest Philips Avent SCD630 price on Amazon.
Other Philips Avent baby monitors models
- Philips Avent DECT Baby Monitor: An audio monitor with room temperature sensor and night mode. Doesn’t have a video signal and its price is only ~$20 cheaper. For that price difference we would recommend that you opt for the Philips SCD630/37 instead.
Alternative Baby Monitors
- The Eufy SpaceView is the best Plug & Play monitor on our list at the moment. It comes with a dedicated parent monitor, a high-resolution video quality, and the prettiest design (check price).
- The Nanit Plus Smart Camera if you want the best WiFi video baby monitor with high-resolution video quality and personalized smart insights to help improve your baby sleep (check price).
- The VAVA baby monitor is the best Plug&Play baby video monitor under $150. It lacks a few features compared to the Eufy SpaceView camera but offers an equally good picture quality at a lower price (check price).
Philips Avent SCD630/37: Most Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: Can I talk to my baby through the device?
Answer: Yes. You just need to press and hold the microphone button on the monitor while talking to speak through the device in your baby’s room.
- Question: Can I use more than one camera at a time?
Answer: No. The Philips Avent SCD630/37 can only be paired with one camera.
- Question: Can I charge the baby monitor with 220v?
Answer: Yes. The Philips Avent SCD630/37 package includes adaptors to work on both 110v and 220v.
- Question: Is the camera wireless as well?
Answer: No. The camera will need to be plugged in at all time using the power cord included in the box.
- Question: Does it have a mobile app?
Answer: No. The SCD630/37 is not a WiFi baby monitor, so you will need the parent unit to see and hear your baby. Have a look at our review of the best WiFi baby monitors if you want to be able to pair it with your iPhone or Android phone.
- Question: Can it be voice-activated?
Answer: Yes. The Philips Avent SCD630/37 has a VOX mode.
- Question: Can I pair one camera with two receivers?
Answer: No. It only works with one receiver.
- Question: What is the Philips Avent baby monitor warranty?
Answer: The SCD630/37, like all Philips Avent baby products, comes with a standard two-year warranty. This is double what most of the other manufacturers offer. We recommend you contact Philips Avent if you experience any issue with your model after purchase. You can call them during normal office hours or email their customer support team.
- Question: What is Philips Avent’s customer service number?
Answer: If you’re calling from the US, you can contact Philips Avent by phone: 1-888-744-5477.
Philips Avent SCD630/37 User Manual
You can download the Philips Avent SCD630/37 baby monitor user manual from here.
Samantha is a busy mother of four, who loves finding the best products to help in raising children. She graduated from BYU in Marriage and Family Studies. When she isn’t writing or testing new products, you can find her playing board games with her kids and teaching them creative strategies.
