#AD This post is in collaboration with Desenio Prints
I love my daughter’s bedroom. In fact, if I am honest I would go so far as to say it is probably my favourite room in our entire house. Not only is it the lightest, biggest and most airy room in our small 3 bedroom semi-detached home, but as she has grown up, Erin’s rooms has been swapped, changed and adpated to meet her changing needs. Over the last six years, her bedroom has been transformed from a baby’s nursery to a toddler bedroom and more recently, has become a great space where she can not only get a peaceful night’s sleep, but can also play, read and learn.
We are lucky that her room has the space for a large cabin bed with a pull out desk, lots of useful storage, and more recently, a small reading corner we have created just for her – a space where she can sit and chill, delve into a book and whisk herself off into a world of imagination. She loves reading now, and as it took us quite a while to get to grips with phonics and blending, it’s such a lovely sight to see her enjoying the experience.
Creating a Gallery Wall with Desenio Prints
Up until recently there was only one thing lacking in her bedroom and that was some artwork. Whist I loved the rose pink walls and the soft grey carpet, her room didn’t really represent Erin’s personality which is vibrant, bold and full of life! As a big Instagram fanatic, I have often swiped through grid pic after grid pic of beautifully styled children’s bedrooms and felt a little bit envious, longing to create something similar at home. I have seen so much inspiration for gallery walls – walls of prints and posters in different size frames that can really create a feature on one side of the room. They look amazing, and I was really keen to create something similar myself.
Desenio Prints challenged me to check out their Gallery Wall tool on their website, in order to create some personal themed space for Erin’s bedroom. Desenio have a huge range of prints on their site suitable for all rooms of the home, including children’s bedrooms and nurseries. Using their gallery wall builder on their website, you can even mock up what it might look like before you place your order!
Children’s Gallery Wall Inspiration
We decided to let Erin help me select the prints for her gallery wall, and as such it was quite an interesting experiment to see what designs grabbed her attention!
The first was the Bear Family print, an adorable family of Polar bears, with their eyes, ears and noses being the only touch of black amoung a sea of white. With a rose pink background I thought this was an excellent choice and extremely cute.
Next up was the Sprinkle Ice Cream, and it’s not hard to understand why this one caught Erin’s attention. With a pink lolly covered in sprinkles of colour, this one was right up her street.
We then opted for Grow Up Pink – with its fun typography message. I had to explain what this one meant to Erin, but felt this was the perfect message to accompany her reading area, reminding her to enjoy being little whilst she can!
Finally we chose the Bubbles print in pink and grey, which I felt was a great combination of colours to compliment the other designs we chose.
The great thing about Desenio is that the prints and frames are available to buy separately, meaning you can chose to hang or display the prints in whatever size and by whatever method you see fit. We love the hanging frame (although decided against hanging it with string on this occasion), and love the white frames to keep the room clean and bright. Washi tape is also a great modern way to display prints and posters without damaging or putting nails into your wall – an ideal option if you are renting or planning to change the room layout fairly regularly.
Overall we are all really pleased with the finished effect of Erin’s galary wall. I Love the colours and love the fact that they remain consistent with Erin’s existing rose pink and grey colour scheme. They really have added a bit of personality into her personal space.
The finished Gallery Wall effect
I would have loved to have had a little reading area like this when I was a child. It is now looking like a really lovely ‘nook’ where she can go and relax and have some down time before bed. Erin was over the moon when the prints arrived and Daddy hung them when she was out at school, so she came back to a lovely surprise to see them displayed on the wall.
The quality of the frames and prints from Desenio was very high, and I love how easily we can unclip and replace the prints as her preferences grow and change. The prints are great value for money, and now that we have the basic gallery wall shape in place, we could order new ones if ever we decided to change the colour scheme or theme of her bedroom.
Exclusive Reader Discount
Fancy creating your own gallery wall at home? With a wide range of prints available to suit every kind of room in your home, why not check out the full range at Desenio and get some ideas on how to bring your home to life!
My code “REALMUM” gives 25% off prints* on all Desenio sites until midnight 19 September (UK time). Follow @desenio on Instagram for more inspiration!
*Except for frames and handpicked/personalised prints
#AD – This post is in collaboration with The Baby Hamper Company
When I had my first daughter, I was so unbelievably grateful for the kind words, cards and gifts I received from my friends and family. I felt incredibly lucky to have their support and reassurance, and with the huge variety of gifts and items we received, it felt like we had a really great starting point from which to welcome our new baby into the world.
When it comes to buying new baby gifts, or even gifts for baby shower or new Mum, it can be hard to know where to start. If only someone could help you select a perfect little bundle of gifts and package them up beautifully without any of the stress? Well The Baby Hamper Company most certainly can!!
We’ve teamed up with The Baby Hamper Companyto giveaway a hamper of your choice from the selection below *worth £40*, meaning you can concentrate on the important part – celebrating their arrival and giving lots of baby cuddles!
Baby Girls / Boys Hamper Large
The Baby Hamper Company large gift hampers include items that have been personally selected to put a smile on any new parents’ faces! Carefully gift wrapped with love and care, with beautiful finishing touches, these hampers are a delight to give and receive.
The large hampers come in two varieties – boys and girls with slight variations on colour scheme.
The Large Baby Boy and Large Baby Girls hampers include:
Crochet Octopus – this adorable little octopus has been hand crocheted and comes in a pink striped design in the Girls Hamper or a green striped design in the Boys Hamper. With a tactile and comforting texture perfect for little hands to play with, this is the and a ideal addition to any nursery. His tentacles also offer a sensation similar to that of the umbilical cord before birth, providing a familiar sensation for newborns.
Aden & Anais muslin square – As most Mums will tell you, you can NEVER have too many muslin squares when you have a newborn! This larger size ‘Musy’ muslin square from designer brand Aden & Anais has multiple uses, being used as a burp cloth, summer blanket, comforter and cot sheet to name but a few.
Sleepsuit in white and grey star print – The Baby Hamper Company have an exclusive range of printed sleepsuits that can be used for daytime wear as well as night. Made from 100% cotton (which helps regulate baby’s temperature) this sleepsuit with a printed with a classic grey design comes in size 0-3 months.
Knotted hat in white and grey star print – The ideal accompaniment to the sleepsuit above, this matching knotted hat will help keep little heads warm and comes in age 0-6 months.
Bodysuit – a short sleeved vest in baby pink, hand printed with a unique ‘Hello World’ design (girls hamper) or a “Boy oh Boy” print (boys hamper) . This 0-3 months vest makes a great base layer for those cute baby outfits.
Mother & Baby Gift Hamper
As lovely as it is to treat the new additions, sometimes it is nice to treat the new Mum to something special too. After the emotional and physical roller coaster that is childbirth, a little gift to say well done and help them recuperate and recover whilst coping with sleep deprivation and cluster feeding can be VERY well received.
The Baby Hamper Company have this covered too! There Mother & Baby Gift Hamper includes:
For Baby:
Skip Hop Cloud Rattle – A funky handheld baby rattle and teether toy from popular kids brand Skip Hop, this will help occupy little hands in the pushchair or crib, whilst also offering some comfort for their gums when those teeth try and make an appearance!
Grey and White Stripe Romper suit – a super soft cotton romper suit, perfect for day or night time wear in size 0-3 months.
White Muslin – a plain white cotton muslin cloth, a new baby essential for keeping clothes clean during feeding.
For Mum:
‘And Relax’ candle tin – This soothing aromatherapy scented candle is perfect for a bit of relaxing ‘mummy time’ when the little one goes for their nap. With relaxing scents helping to induce calm and relaxation, this is self care in a tin!
Cocoba truffles – Looking after a baby can work up quite the appetite, and as an indulgent treat, these 6 handmade white chocolate truffles with a raspberry and Champagne cream filling are the perfect reward! Hands of Daddy- these ones are for Mummys only!
Organic Monkey Better Belly oil – This Better Belly oil is suitable for use on both Mum and baby and can helps with stretch marks and sooth upset tummies.
#AD – This is a sponsored post in partnership with Sky Broadband Buddy
These days, it’s probably fair to say that we all have a little more screen timethan we should. Over recent months I have become increasingly conscious about the amount of screen time that both I, and my children, are having – whether it be laptops, iPads, smart TVs or mobile devices. We are a very tech friendly family, and whilst I absolutely appreciate the educational benefits of screen time when used appropriately, there are also times when I accept that the screen time in this household goes beyond a point which can be described as healthy.
I am my own worst enemy. I love blogging with a passion, but I also really struggle to switch off. There are always social media updates to make, SEO edits to tweak, invoices to send, trends to monitor and stats to record. If its not blog work, it’s playing games on my phone, browsing aimlessly through Instagram and Facebook, or at my worst, googling medical symptoms late at night when I should be attempting to sleep. (Yes really). Whilst screen time definitely has its benefits, for me personally, it also has a lot to answer for in terms of my stress and anxiety levels, and I am sometimes guilty of prioritising unnecessary screen time over my own self care.
When the Momo You Tube incident happened earlier in the year, it really made me question the amount of time the girls too spend on their screens. Whilst the majority is spent on educational apps and games, they do also watch You Tube and Sky Kids a lot, and have probably watched more than their fair share of surprise eggs being opened and unboxing reveals.
Our tech use has slowly creeped into our family time, and we could all do with a bit of a screen time overhaul.
How can Sky Broadband Buddy Help?
Back in May, Sky launched the Sky Broadband Boost pack with a brand new app Sky Broadband Buddy, which gives parents the ultimate control over their family’s internet usage.
Endorsed by Internet Matters, Sky Broadband Buddy works by installing an app on each device that is connected to your Sky network and works to manage your internet usage both on Wifi and 3G/4G – both inside and OUTSIDE the home.
Just like a remote control for the internet, with Sky Broadband Buddy you can:
Pause the Internet – pausing one person’s internet access or the whole home, to ensure that tech isn’t used at certain times of day such as meal times, home work times, or in my case (as an enforced break)
Set regular time limits and bedtimes – ensuring children’s internet usage doesn’t go beyond a certain amount each day and is turned off at the time they should be sleeping.
Apply different filters for everyone in the family so they only see what they should – setting ratings such as PG, 13, 18 or none.
See what your family does online and the sites that they visit – should you wish to.
Offer Screen Time rewards – Once their homework is done or their bedroom has been tidied, children have the ability to earn a later bedtime or more screen time by having their time limits removed.
Our Experience of Sky Broadband Buddy
We decided to put Sky Broadband Buddy to the test over the period of a week, checking out its key features by setting some limits, pause times and bed times for each family member, ‘unplugging’ from our tech and monitoring what impact this had on our overall screen time. Just like a smart meter can help get a better perspective of your energy usage, I was hopeful that taking a few small steps to limit our screen time would see not only a reduction in our overall use, but have other personal wellbeing benefits as well, including additional “time” to do something positive such as self care, relaxation or down time.
The initial set up of Sky Broadband Buddy was very straight forward, simply setting up individual profiles for each family member’s devices and applying the appropriate filter restrictions and settings.
We then specified some “Off Times” “Bed Times” and “Time Limits” for each family member based on their age and current internet usage. The settings for each device were managed centrally from the main Sky Broadband Buddy hub on my iPhone handset and could be changed, updated or overridden (by me) if required.
Test 1 – Pausing the internet
I’m sure I’m not the only one to admit that at times we have the tech out at dinner. Whilst we try and use dinner time as family time and a chance to sit round the table and talk about our day, the reality it is that it doesn’t take long before both Mike and I have checked our phones or bought out the iPad whilst they eat, in a weak attempt at trying to keep them at the table for longer or encourage them to clear their plates.
Over the past week, we used the Sky Broadband Buddy to pause the internet during the times our dinner was routinely served. This meant that all of our devices simply wouldn’t work online during that hour. We explained to the girls that during mealtimes the tech was to stay away and whilst they weren’t entirely happy about it at first, they soon got used to the revised routine. I have to be honest it was quite refreshing to focus entirely on our meals and actually communicate for a change – I think Mike learned more about the girl’s days with Mummy during the Summer holidays than he probably ever has before. This was quite an eye opener!
Test 2 – Time Limits & Bed Times
Whilst we are happy for the girls to watch the iPad for a bit after school or whilst waiting for their tea, at times, it can be hard to get them to stop. We decided to set a time limit for both the girls, allowing them access to the internet for up to 1 hour per day. I could monitor their overall use from my phone, see when the time was running low and once the hour was reached, the internet quite simply wouldn’t load on their devices.
Sky Broadband Buddy does offer some flexibility here, so if you prefer you can turn off non educational apps after an hour, but keep specific ones such as educational games, reading or writing apps accessible after the limit has been reached. You can also override these limits if they have been well behaved (see rewards below) or if it is raining monsoon outside and you simply need a bit of down time to maintain your sanity (let’s keep it real here!)
Neve at 3 actually accepted these time limits better than I expected, with her simply saying “it’s died” before going off any playing with her toys. Restricting her internet use has definitely meant she has played more with more creative tasks such as colouring in, flicking through books, role play and jigsaws, which are far more appropriate for a child of her age.
In the same way that the “park closes in the evenings” (or at least it does in our world!) the iPad now closes at bedtime. I was able to set the girls profiles to turn off at 7pm and not “wake up” again till morning. I think back to my days of Commodore 64 (yes I’m that old) where I used to cry to my Mum that it was “the furthest I’d ever got” as a desperate attempt to stay up just that little bit later. The girls are the same, whilst they may try and convince me that they haven’t seen that episode of Peppa Pig before, I am fairly confident that I have heard it at least 10 times, so nice try – it’s time for bed.
Test 4 – Age Appropriate Content
I often worry about the girls using apps that might expose them to inappropriate content. Using Sky Broadband Buddy, we have been able to set individual filters on the girls profiles, ensuring that the content that they are viewing is suitable for a PG audience. Whilst I do always supervise their iPad use, this extra filter is great for peace of mind, and reassuring to know that Erin won’t be stumbling across any content that is of an adult nature.
Test 5 – Encouraging positive behaviors
We have recently have been teaching Erin about money, responsibility and reward, and how if we want nice things we have to earn them, rather than simply being offered things on a plate. The Sky Broadband Buddy’s ability to “earn” additional screen time was an interesting concept. If Erin had been particularly well behaved, I was able to apply a reward such as turning off the bedtime I had previously set or extending the internet use limit for that particular day. This did have a really positive impact on Erin in particular, who was suddenly volunteering to help unload the washing machine and hang up the washing for a chance to earn her treat! During the Summer Holidays, this has actually been really helpful, with her helping with basic chores in exchange for staying up half an hour later in the evenings. I think the message behind this is important too and a feature of Sky Broadband Buddy that I think works great with slightly older children.
Test 6 – Date nights
Sky Broadband Buddy didn’t only have an impact on my children during the week’s test. As a blogger with a day job in addition, evenings can be a busy time for me, when the kids are finally in bed and I get the laptop out and crack on with my work. Mike and I had previously discussed having 1 night during the week and 1 night at the weekend completely ‘OFF’ where unless I have an absolutely crucial deadline or date specific activity, that the tech stayed shut way.
I had attempted this previously without Sky Broadband Buddy but this relied on my willpower and whilst my phone and laptop still worked, it was all too tempting to have a little scroll through Facebook every so often (I definitely get FOMO).
Using Sky Broadband Buddy, I set my profile so that on a Tuesday and Saturday night, the internet was off on all my devices. With no phone to distract me, we opted to do other things instead, like talk (who’d have thought it?), snuggle up and watch a movie (still technically screen time but at least shared!) – or even SHOCK horror, read a few pages of a book!
Test 7 – Blocking distracting sites
Sky Broadband Buddy has not only helped reduce my screen time during the week, but actually helped me work smarter, by blocking certain sites that were distracting me from doing my ACTUAL WORK. For example, on Tuesday mornings when I tend to tackle my to do list, I turned off Facebook, reducing the amount of interruptions I got from one of the many group chats I find myself in. As a result, I was able to ensure that the screen time that I did have during the week was far more productive, and thus reduce the amount of screen time during the week overall.
Overall Verdict of Sky Broadband Buddy
Our experiment with Sky Broadband Buddy has been really interesting for us all. The girls have learned some very important lessons about when it is and isn’t appropriate to be on the iPad, and we have all benefited from some additional time away from our tech where we have been able to talk and enjoy each others company.
I have really enjoyed having a bit of time ‘off’ from the constant social media and online world, and whilst it felt strange at first to not be able to check it (trust me when I say I tried!) I soon adjusted to leaving the phone in my drawer.
Its proven that blue screen before bed can actually reduce the quality of your sleep, and I have to admit that on my Sky Broadband Buddy ‘date nights” I have definitely found it easier to switch off, where as previously I’d find myself thinking about work before bed, or reading emails in the middle of the night. If I did wake, not having the urge to check my phone did mean I was able to get back to sleep much quicker.
Most importantly, I think becoming more conscious of my own tech use has given me an important reminder about being a role model to my children – how can I possibly expect my girls to not be glued to their devices when I am always glued to mine?? I have to show them that you don’t need to be always online and that spending time PRESENT with each other, living in the moment, is far more important.
During the week of our test of Sky Broadband Buddy, my own personal internet usage according to my iPhone’s usage tracker was down by 19%!!!. Whilst in the industry I work in my usage is probably still higher than most, I most definitely take that as a win!
Sky Broadband Buddy is an excellent way to help manage your Sky Broadband Parental Controls and restrict your family’s screen time and focus on being fully present. Because ultimately your time with your family, is the most important time of all.
You can learn more about Sky Broadband Parental Controls and Sky Broadband Buddy here
SNORING. If there is one thing that affects my relationship with Mike more than anything else it has to be sleep – more appropriately my lack of it. Not only does our youngest never sleep through the night, but Mike snores terribly, some nights successfully mastering all 5 types of bloody snoring – from the subtle steam train, to the log cutter, and the infamous shocked Daddy Pig. Trust me when I say, I’ve had to endure them all.
Whilst we have both taken active steps to getting that illusive good nights sleep, switching off our tech before bed, having time to relax and chasing the dream of a whole night in my nice cosy warm bed, his snoring disturbs me Every. Single. Time, leaving me tired and irritable, and of course – taking it out on him.
When we were offered the chance to review Moorezzzleep pillow, a pillow which claimed to help reduce snoring – I quite literally jumped at the chance – could a pillow actually save my sanity?
About the Moorezzzleep Pillow
The Moorezzzleep Pillow is a pillow with a difference and is suitable for every kind of sleeper, from your side sleeper, to your front sleeper, back sleeper or even your LOUD snorey sleeper.
The ideal solution for the front sleeper, the Moorezzzleep Pillow offers a unique and flexible curved shape, with a distinctive hollow area for arms which reduces symptoms of pins and needles and ‘dead arm’.
Around 8% of people sleep on their back, and it is often the worst position for snoring. The raised angle of the Moorezzzleep pillow also supports the head and neck when sleeping on your front, back or side, offering a more neutral position, elevating the head slightly to keep the airways open and help reduce snoring – ideal for anyone who suffers from sleep apnea.
The Moorezzzleep pillow is made here in Britain and comes with a 5 years manufacturer guarantee which is great for piece of mind as at £99 RRP it is quite an investment. That said, I don’t think you can put a price on a good nights sleep!
The Moorezzzleep pillow is made from a supersoft Vasco 50 memory foam interior and comes with a luxury 100% cotton percale pillow case. Additional cases are available at £19.99 each and are machine washable and tumble dryer safe.
Moorezzzleep pillows are available to purchase at Amazon here.
Our Experience of MooreZzzleep
We were sent a Moorezzzleep pillow for Mike, and I excitedly told him that it was on his way. Time to ditch his old faithful v pillow that he’s owned since life began, to swap it for a pillow with a difference. Our first impressions of the Moorezzzleep pillow was that the shape was a little ‘odd’ and not at all like other pillows we were used to. The revolutionary curve of the Moorezzzleep pillow is very unique, and it was clear to see that the hollow area under the curve was ideal if you wanted to lie on your front. We did wonder how comfortable it would be as the pillow is quite firm – if you are used to a very very soft pillow, this may take a little while to adjust to.
After a few “try outs” of the pillow lying in different positions (what a wonderful picture in your mind that will be!) we both thought that the space for the arms was genius, offering the ability to lie on your front and support your head without putting any pressure on your arms at all. It’s perfect for watching TV at the opposite end of the bed (which I definitely did a lot when Love Island was on!) and is far more comfortable than having to shift your weight around regularly to avoid pins and needles.
The first night we tried it I was hoping for a miracle cure (if only eh) and sadly I didn’t get one, however whilst Mike did still snore, the volume of his snoring was much shallower, and therefore I did sleep much better than I had in weeks, managing to sleep through his rumbles which to be honest is normally virtually impossible.
Mike said he slept well, found it comfortable and that he would be happy to continue using it. First hurdle overcome!
The second night was a vast improvement. We had been to my Dads for dinner and he had had a few drinks, which is pretty much a guarantee that he will be snoring, and snoring badly at that. Using the Moorezzzleep pillow I actually didn’t hear a peep! At one point during the night, I actually found myself waking at 3am and checking that he was actually breathing because he was so quiet. I kid you not! He was lying on his side, but you could see that his head was naturally tilted further back, presumably allowing him to breathe more freely.
We have now been using the Moorezzzleep pillow for just over a fortnight, and the results have been variable but overall very positive. Some nights there has been no snoring at all and others some snoring still but much lower volume, which is a vast improvement on what I had been experiencing previously. I have also noticed that on the occasions that I do hear him snoring, that it is my daughter who has woken me first and not Mike, so had I not been disturbed by her, I probably wouldn’t have noticed.
Mike’s positioning on the Moorezzzleep pillow seems to impact upon his snoring levels, so if I see that he has shifted a bit more on to his back, I can just give him a gentle nudge (aka ELBOW IN THE RIBS) and he moves back on to his side, at which point the snoring generally stops.
If you’ve tried other snoring aids and they haven’t worked for you, I would definitely recommend giving Moorezzzleep pillow a go. If all else fails, you have the perfect TV watching pillow, pillow for back massages or can simply keep it for yourself, however in my experience, it’s been just the ticket we needed. Now if Moorezzzleep can just have a quick chat with Neve and get her to stay the hell asleep everything would be perfect!
Fancy winning your own Moorezzzleep pillow worth £99??
We have a Moorezzzleep pillow to giveaway to one lucky reader worth £99! Please enter using the gleam app below. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions apply. UK entries only. Giveaway opens on the 7th August 2019 and closes 28th August 2019. GOOD LUCK!
Have you heard of the Neos Smartcam? Ever since the girls were born I became a little more conscious of home security. I always hated the idea of sitting downstairs watching TV whilst the girls were upstairs alone. What if they were unwell? What if they sneaked out of bed when we weren’t looking? What if someone broke in and went into their rooms? When the baby monitors got put away, the home security cameras arrived, and my mind was finally put at rest. But home security cameras cost a fortune right? WRONG! This week has seen the launch of the Neos Smart Cam Home Security Camera – a discreet, easy to install, app based home security camera that retails at just £19.99! Having tried a few different brands of home security camera over the years, we decided to put the Neos Smart Cam to the test in our home – could it really be as effective as others on the market with such a low budget price tag? We were asked to carry out a Neos Smartcam review Here’s how we got on.
About the Neos Smartcam Home Security Camera
You’d be forgiven for saying you haven’t heard of the Neos Smart Cam before, as the product is relatively new to the market, and we were lucky enough to road test it prior to general release.
The Neos SmartCam is an indoor 1080p full HD smart home camera that comes with motion detection, two way audio, night vision and auto arming as standard, and when motion is triggered, not only alerts your phone, but records 12 second motion clips which are saved in the cloud for 14 days (completely secure via end to end encryption). The clips can be downloaded and saved to your phone should you wish, meaning you can forward the most funny of captures to family and friends.
The Neos Smart Cam is small and discreet in size (measuring just 4.5cm across and 5cm in height – making it smaller than most smartphones) and the cube can be moved and tilted on it’s access to configure the optimum viewing angle and position. The silver part of the base simply slots down, and then you can tilt and swivel the camera according to your preference.
The Neos SmartCam is mains powered and comes with a 1.8m USB power cable (with a 1.5m extension cable available from the Neos shop if you require more. It is also wall mountable, magnetic compatible with both Apple and Android Devices.
The Neos SmartCam can be used for multiple purposes, from keeping an eye on your pets, monitoring your prize posessions or being alerted to movement upstairs when the children are sleeping. It’s also a great way for those who travel regularly to check in with their family when they are away from home.
With two children who seem to like being awake more than they do asleep, we’ve been putting the Neos Smart Cam to the test to monitor the girls bed time antics!
Our Neos Smartcam Review
Getting set up for our Neos Smartcam review was incredibly straightforward. Before you start you simply need to remove the SmartCam from the box, ensure you have a working 2.4GHz Wifi network (including details of the network name and pass code) and a spare power socket where you want to place the SmartCam. You then simply download the app (we were using an Apple device) and follow the instructions to sync and link your device.
We carried out our Neos SmartCam review in two different locations – both in the living room and upstairs. Upstairs, we decided to place our camera by our bedroom door, wanting to be alerted when we were downstairs if either of the girls had got out of beds, whilst being able to see the doors to both of their bedrooms. Both girls had video HD baby monitors in their rooms for quite some time, and as they are getting older these have now been put away, however I do miss the reassurance of being able to visually check that they are content and asleep without disturbing them, or on the contrary being alerted if they are unwell.
Getting the Neos SmartCam into the right position was very straight forward, simply using the stand to tilt and turn the camera until it was at the desirable angle. The only slight issue may be that you are somewhat restricted to location based on where your nearest plug sockets are. As the partner of an electrician, sockets were never going to be a concern in this house, however you do need to have a plug within a reasonable distance (just under 2 metres) of the device.
If you want to check in on your chosen location, you can login via the app into ‘live streaming’ mode. The 1080p Full HD camera is of excellent quality, and you can see clearly a high level of detail within the images, as well as being able to zoom in up to 8 times by pinching and stretching the screen. The Neos SmartCam is also night vision enabled, which for us is a real positive as that is the time when our house seems to come to life!! The night vision quality is excellent, and although obviously black and white, we were still able to clearly see the girls when they were moving around.
For us, the motion / noise sensors were a real positive. Erin, who quite regularly tries to sneak downstairs for a ‘very important chat’ at around 9pm, triggered the motion sensor quite a few times when slowly sleuthing her way towards the staircase (she may be ninja silent but that didn’t trick the Neos!). The two way audio allowed us to quickly encourage her to get back into bed, without waking or disturbing her sister.
Overall, we’ve been really impressed during Neos Smartcam review, in fact, there’s not much to critique about it at all. My only constructive criticism would be that it would be great if it didn’t have to be connected to the mains all the time, perhaps with some battery life that needed recharging occasionally so that you had a little more flexibility of location. It’s also worth noting that the Neos SmartCam is indoor only, therefore isn’t one that will track visitors to and from your home. Whilst it would be great as a cheaper alternative to a baby monitor, it is worth noting that the angle or direction of the camera cannot be rotated or moved remotely via the app – you do need to physically move it should you wish to change the angle. That said, pointed above the cot, this would still do the job with noise and motion sensors to alert you if your baby wakes.
Overall for the price of just £19.99 I really don’t think you can go wrong with the Neos SmartCam, it’s a small but powerful little camera which makes home security far more affordable than it has been before, and boasts many of the features included in more high value devices.
With the ability to sync a number of individual cameras to the app for home security all around your home, the Neos SmartCam allows the ability to protect your home without breaking the bank in the process.
Where can I buy the Neos Smartcam?
The Neos SmartCam is available to buy now for the bargain price of just £19.99.
We live in a fairly tech friendly household. Both myself and my partner have office jobs, and regularly work from home. As a result, we have more than our fair share of devices connected to the internet: laptops, smart phones, iPhones, iPads, the list goes on. It’s no wonder that at times we struggle to get a decent wifi connection, with all of us trying to upload or download at the same time. These days, even Neve is in on the action, trying to insist on the ‘Daddy Shark’ clip being shown on YouTube for the 100th time that day (I really wish I was joking).
We had a pretty old router in our house from when we first moved in over 5 years ago and it appeared to be crumbling under the pressure. At times, the wifi signal on my phone upstairs when putting Neve to bed was less than 5mpbs, meaning I often switched to 4G because it was inevitably faster! As a result, I’d often find myself running out of data by the end of the month, and with all of us competing for bandwidth, we decided it was time for an upgrade.
About the Product
Zyxel Multy X Tri Band wifi systemallows you to create a powerful wifi network at home for wider coverage and stronger signal strength. Unlike other traditional wireless range extenders, the Multy WiFi system can cover up to 7,500 square feet (696 m2), enabling expansive wireless coverage without compromising performance. The Multy delivers maximum wireless speed through its dedicated 5 GHz connection (between nodes), and broadcasts with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi network. With no networking knowledge required, the Multy is easily administered via the powerful iOS app.
Our Experience
Zyxel’s Multy X Tri Band Wi-Fi system consists of two AC3000 wireless routers. The first of these is connected to your internet connection to create a strong solid signal and the additional unit is placed in another area to suit your needs and ensure you can transmit the connection to all corners of your home.
My first impressions were that the product was really nicely packaged box (with a slight Apple vibe to it). Inside are two Multy X Wifi Routers both of which look very similar if not identical, two ethernet cables, two power supplies and a booklet of instructions.
The Multy routers are large white plastic featuring the X design in air holes on the top and a non slip pad on the bottom – this is ideal when you have little hands poking around, and prevents them from slipping off table or counter top surfaces.
We chose to locate the primary router within our living room, as this is where we spend the majority of our evenings and complete most of our internet based activities. This is also where our primary sky wifi router was already located.
Setting the router up was very simple, using the ethernet cables in the box to connect to the Multy from the primary wifi sky router. There is an IOS app (also available on android) which you need to download as part of the installation process, but the app then guides you step by step through the initial set up instructions. It was simple enough even for me to follow the steps, and I don’t class myself to be particularly confident when it comes to technology set up.
We then placed the second Multy X router upstairs, as our bedroom is another prime location for internet use and somewhere where we normally get weaker signal or experience drop outs during peak times. The second unit only requires a plug socket to power the router, and therefore it is a very simple plug in and go scenario. Using the app, we were able to connect the second router to the primary device, creating an extended network with the same SSID and password. This means that you don’t need to have two Wi-Fi connections connected to all your devices, just one. Always a positive!
You have the option to add a guest network so that friends and family can access the connection without being able to see any of the other devices on the network. We have left this as disabled (disabled by default) but it would be very easy to turn on should we wish to.
After getting the system up and running (which took mere minutes) I did some speed checks to see the quality of the broadband speeds in our home – our download speeds were now much higher than we had been experiencing before, even in the areas of our home where signal had previously been an issue.
We’ve now been using the Multy for a number of weeks, and have noticed fewer roaming circles, no coverage dropouts and I have not had to rely at all on my 4G connection, meaning I can save the data for when it is actually needed and where it should be required – away from the home! The wifi reach is long and as such, we can even have full wifi signal at the end of our garden which is very substantial in length (it would previously fade out if we went too far away from the house).
Some of my favourite elements of the Multy X are that not only has it solved our connectivity issues, but it also works with Amazon Alexa, so if you want to really ensure you have your kids attention around the dinner table you can even instruct Alexa to turn the Wi-Fi off! For older children who may have tech in their bedrooms, you can also set basic parental controls to ensure your children don’t access the internet when they shouldn’t (e.g. turning off access to particular devices in the middle of the night) or the ability to disable devices at the touch of a button.
Overall we have been really impressed with the Multy X system, and it is ideal for anyone with a house which has blind spots or struggles to get wifi in every area of their home. We only have a 3 bedroom semi, so the Multy system probably offers more of a boost than it needs to for a home of our size. With the Multy X covering floor spaces of up to 7000 square meters, if you have a very large property this is definitely something you should consider.
Pros:
Attractive design
Very easy to set up – even for non technical, as the app really guides you through the process
Impressive signal results
Easy to use IOS app.
Cons:
Units are on the larger side
App can be a little slow to navigate at times.
For those who are a little more technical, there is limited back end configuration, e.g. you can’t customise the IP address. This wasn’t an issue for us at all!
You can learn more about the Zyxel Multy X AC3000 Tri Band Wifi System here.
*We were sent the Zyxel Multy Wifi System free of charge for the purpose of this review however all thoughts and opinions are my own*
Hi, I’m Lucy, a thirty something mum of two from Birmingham. A memory maker, tradition keeper, stationery addict and Mr Men fanatic. HR Advisor by day and sleep deprived Mama by night!
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
3rd Party Cookies
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!
