Hand held devices: Generally baby monitors with camera comes in a two unit pack. The primary unit is used to capture, store and transmit audio and video input. The other unit is used to: receive, process, enhance and display the output to the users.

The primary unit is more or less of standard sizes, with gradational increment in size and weight in direct proportion to the resolution, wattage, range and coverage of the cameras and speakers. Larger requirements mean bigger sized units. These units are usually mounted and will not be moved once the coverage is established and range is set.

The other unit will contain processors that help in displaying audio and video through the means of a display screen. The size of this unit can depend upon the resolution of the display screen. Usually, in a hand held baby video monitor, the size and weight of the second unit is kept to a minimum to ensure portability and ease of use to the viewers. This in turn, can compromise the video and audio output quality, which is sacrificed for the sake of compactness. Many people prefer he hand held units because of the comfort that they offer and tend to ignore the lack of clarity.

Mounted devices: The technology and principle of operation of this type of baby video monitor is the same as that of the hand held ones. The difference lies in the second unit (the display unit). Instead of a hand held device, these units are adapted to be mounted or fixed to a specific location. Since there is no need to move the second unit, the size of this unit is optimized for clarity of audio and video output. This also gives the manufacturers, the liberty to increase the features in both the units and thereby enhancing the quality of input and output. The primary units in this type of baby video monitors are larger, covering a bigger camera area, along with increased range of projection of captured video. To minimize the lack of portability, the manufacturers offer the feature in which multiple screens, placed in different locations, to be connected to the primary unit. This increases the range and enables the viewers to monitor progress from different locations. These units are costlier than the hand held ones but offer better features and clarity.

Both types are effective when it comes to monitoring and tracking baby activities. Purchase of the product ultimately boils down to user preference factor.