The Summer Infant Slim and Clear uses the same digital communication frequency, 2.4GHz, as the top performing monitors we tested. Unfortunately, it did not match their performance.
This monitor is very simple to use. There's not much more to it than turning it on and adjusting the volume.
It delivers above-average range and immunity to interference, owing to its use of digital 2.4GHz technology. However, range was not nearly as strong as other digital 2.4GHz monitors we tested.
Sound volume level was nice and loud if you crank it up full.
We love the fact that Summer Infant offers a reasonably priced two-parent version of the monitor. We think that can be very helpful in practice.
Sound clarity fell a bit short of our expectations, which were perhaps set too high by the product's name and the clarity of competing 2.4 GHz digital monitors like the Philips AVENT DECT and Motorola Digital Audio. While the Slim and Clear was much better than low-cost analog monitors in terms of sound clarity, it was no match for the crystal clear sound of other 2.4 GHz digital monitors. That said, the sound clarity is perfectly functional for hearing the baby cry, and eliminates the hiss and static of analog monitors.
We didn't really like the user-interface design of the Slim and Clear. They rely on the power button to also serve as an indication of sound activity. The power button is the fairly large blue circle with a vertical line located in the middle of the monitor. It's fairly bright at night, and when baby makes noise it becomes brighter still. The size of that light, and its level of brightness is enough to annoy and even keep you from sleeping (especially as your sleep-deprived brain obsesses with thoughts about the baby). Some parents deal with this by placing the monitor out of sight (under the bed or behind a book), or by putting a piece of black tape over the light. While these techniques are effective, we can't help but fault Summer Infant for this design issue. Many competing monitors, such as the Sony BabyCall, integrate more elegant and informative interface in their product design while maintaining low-cost.
Lastly, we were disappointed that this monitor didn't include a sound activation feature, something we feel can help you get more sleep. That said, since the monitor eliminates much of the hiss and static typical of analog monitors, there is less annoying noise to contend with.
