Introduction

The VTech Digital Audio Monitor DM221 is a reliable audio monitoring solution designed for parents seeking peace of mind. Utilizing DECT 6.0 technology, it ensures secure and interference-free communication between the baby unit and the parent unit. The monitor features a two-way talk function, sound level indicators, and a vibrating alert for added convenience. Compact and easy to use, the DM221 is priced around $39.99, making it an accessible choice for families.

Technical specifications

• Frequency control: Crystal-controlled PLL synthesizer
• Transmit frequency
  • Baby unit: 1921.536-1928.448 MHz
  • Parent unit: 1921.536-1928.448 MHz
• Channels: 5
• LCD: 35 (x) x 21.2 (y) mm B&W LCD
• Nominal effective range: Maximum power allowed by FCC and IC. The actual operating range may vary according to environmental conditions at the time of use.
• Power requirement
  • Parent unit: 2.4 V Ni-MH battery
• Baby unit power adapter:
  Output: 6V DC 400mA
• Parent unit power adapter:
  Output: 6V DC 400mA

What’s in the box

Install the battery

The parent unit runs on rechargeable battery or AC power. To continuously monitor your baby, make sure you use both battery and AC power at the same time. With the battery alone, the parent unit can cordlessly run for a short time only.

NOTES

• Use only the battery supplied with this product.
• The operating time for using the rechargeable battery is short. If you want to monitor your baby for a long time, we recommend you connect the parent unit to AC power.

• If the parent unit will not be used for a long time, disconnect and remove the battery to prevent possible leakage.

  

Install the battery as shown below.

NOTE
Make sure the THIS SIDE UP is facing up while inserting the battery.

Replace the battery

To replace the battery, unplug the battery connector from the socket, and then pull the battery out of the battery compartment. Follow the steps above to install the battery.

Connect and charge the battery

NOTES

• Use only the power adapters supplied with this product.
• Make sure the electrical outlets are not controlled by wall switches.
• The power adapters are intended to be correctly oriented in a vertical or floor mount position. The prongs are not designed to hold the plug in place ifit is plugged into a ceiling, under-the-table or cabinet outlet.
• Make sure the parent unit, the baby unit and the power adapter cords are out of reach of children.

Connect the baby monitor

Charge the parent unit battery

When you have connected the parent unit and installed its battery for the first time, it powers on automatically. The battery icon indicates the battery status (see the following table).

NOTES

• The parent unit battery is fully charged after 11 hours of continuous charging.
• It takes longer to charge the battery when the parent unit is turned on. To shorten the charging time, turn the parent unit off while charging.
• The standby time varies depending on the sensitivity level you set, your actual use and the age of the battery.

Before use VTech Digital Audio Monitor DM221

NOTE
This baby monitor is intended as an aid. It is not a substitute for proper adult supervision, and should not be used as such.

Test your audio monitor

You may test the baby monitor before initial use, and at regular times thereafter.

CAUTION
For hearing protection, make sure the parent unit is more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from the baby unit. If you hear any high-pitched noise, move the parent unit further until the noise stops. You can also press VOLUME on the parent unit to lower or mute the noise.

1. Make sure your baby unit and parent unit are on.
2. Speak towards the microphone of the baby unit. You will hear the sound at the parent unit, and see the visual sound indicators light up.

NOTE
When the parent unit displays NOT LINKED and flashes, move the parent unit closer to the baby unit (observe the minimum distance of 1 meter/ 3 feet). You can also check if the baby monitor is connected to a live power socket and switched on.
TIP
Increase the speaker volume of the parent unit if you cannot hear the sounds transmitted from the baby unit.

Positioning the baby monitor

CAUTIONS

• Keep the baby unit out of the reach of the baby.
• Never place or mount the baby unit inside the baby’s crib or playpen.
• Do not expose the baby unit to extreme heat or direct sunlight.

1. Place the baby unit more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from your baby.

   

2. Place the parent unit more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from the baby unit.

   

CAUTION
The default volume of your parent unit is level 3. If you experience high-pitched screeching noise from your baby monitor while positioning: Make sure your baby unit and parent unit are more than 1 meter (3 feet) apart, OR Turn down the volume of your parent unit.

Operating range

The operating range of the baby monitor is up to 300 meters (1,000 feet) outdoors or 50 meters (160 feet) indoors. The actual operating range may vary depending on the environmental conditions, and other interferences such as walls, doors, and other obstructions.

Overview

Baby unit overview

1	Night light On when nightlight is turnedon manually or triggered by sound. Off when nightlight is turnedoff manually or after 15 minutes of silence.
2	POWER light On whenthe baby unitis turned on.
3	Press to turnthe night lighton or off.
4	Press to adjustthe speaker volume.
5	(On/off) Press and hold to power on or off.
6	PAGE Pressto start or stop pagingparent unit.
7	Microphone
8	Speaker
9	Power jack

Parent unit overview

Parent unit display icons

	Connection status • displays when strong signal strength is detected between the baby unit and the parent unit. • displays when moderate signal strength is detected betweenthe baby unit and the parent unit. • displays when the weak signal strength is detected between the baby unit and the parent unit. flashes when the link between the babyunit and theparent unit is lost.
	Night light auto-on On when the night light auto-on feature is turned on.
	Sound alert Displays when the sound alert of the parent unit is turned on. Flashes when there are loud sounds detected from the baby unit and the parent unit is in mute.
	Vibration alert Displays when the vibration alert of the parent unit is turned on. Flashes when there are loud sounds detected from the baby unit.
	Mute Displays when the volume is turned off.
	Battery status animates when thebattery is charging. displays solid when the battery is fullycharged. flashes when the battery the charging fails. flashes when the batteryis in low level and needs charging. No battery icon displays when there is no battery installed.

Parent unit display screen messages

Description

The Vtech DM221 is designed with simplicity and functionality in mind. The parent unit features a sleek and compact design that is easy to carry around, making it perfect for moving from room to room. The monitor includes a talking back feature, allowing you to soothe your baby remotely. The LED light on the parent unit provides a visual indicator of your baby's voice level, even if the volume is turned down or muted.

The device operates on DECT 6.0 technology, ensuring a secure and private connection between the baby unit and the parent unit. This technology also minimizes interference from other electronic devices in your home.

Using the baby monitor 

• Power on or off the baby unit
  • Press and hold to power on the baby unit. The power light turns on.

  • Press and hold again to power off the baby unit. The power light turns off.

    

• Power on or off the parent unit
  • Press and hold to power on the parent unit. The screen turns on.

  • Press and hold again to power off the parent unit. The screen turns off.

    

NOTE

1. The parent unit powers on automatically once it is connected to AC power or the battery is installed.
2. The baby unit also powers on automatically once connected to AC power.

Adjust the speaker volume for the baby unit
Press VOLUME VOLUME on the baby unit at any time.

Adjust the speaker volume for the parent unit
You can adjust the speaker volume from VOLUME 1 to VOLUME 5,o r turn it off. The speaker volume is preset to VOLUME 3.
Press VOLUME VOLUMEwhen the parent unit is not in use. When the speaker volume is set to off, the screen displays.

Adjust the sound sensitivity of the baby unit
You can choose to hear sounds from the baby unit all the time, or to hear sounds that exceed a certain level. You can use the parent unit to adjust the microphone sensitivity of your baby unit. The higher the sensitivity level, the more sensitive the baby unit is in detecting sounds for transmitting to the parent unit. The sound sensitivity is preset to LEVEL 5. 

Sound sensitivity table for reference

Display	Sensitivity	Description
		High sensitivity level
LEVEL 5		The parent unit speaker is constantly on, and you will
		hear all sounds (including
		background noises) from
		your baby’s room.
		Medium high sensitivity level
		The parent unitspeaker
LEVEL 4		turns on for soft babbling
		and louder soundsfrom
		your baby. It remains
		quiet when yourbaby
		sleeps soundly.
		Medium sensitivity level
		The parent unit speaker
LEVEL 3		turns on for loud babbling and louder sounds from
		your baby. It remains quiet
		when your baby makes
		soft sounds.
		Medium low sensitivity level
		The parent unit speaker
LEVEL 2		turns on for crying and louder soundsfrom your
		baby. It remains quiet
		when your baby makes
		soft sounds.
		Low sensitivity level
		The parent unit speaker
LEVEL 1		turns on for loud crying or screeching sounds from
		your baby. It remains quiet
		when your baby makes
		soft sounds.

1. Press MENU when the parent unit is not in use.
2. Press SELECT.
3. Press choose the sensitivity level.
4. Press SELECT to confirm your selection.
   • The screen displays SAVED and you hear a confirmation tone.

NOTE
To enter the sensitivity menu of the parent unit, the baby unit must be turned on.

Sound alert

• Sound alert feature works only when the parent unit is in mute.
• If you turn on the sound alert, the parent unit beeps when the baby unit detects sounds which light up four sound level indicators on the parent unit.
• When the sound alert of the parent unit is turned on, displays. The sound alert is preset to OFF.
• Press MENU when the parent unit is not in use.
• Press to choose SOUND ALERT, then press SELECT.
• Press to choose ON or OFF.
• Press SELECT to confirm your selection.
• The screen displays SAVED and you hear a confirmation tone.

NOTE
The sound alert setting on each parent unit is independent.

Vibration alert

• You can turn on the vibration alert so that the parent unit vibrates when the baby unit detects sounds which light up four sound level indicators on the parent unit.
• When the vibration alert of the parent unit is turned on, displays. The vibration alert is preset to OFF.
• Press MENU when the parent unit is not in use.
• Press to choose VIBE ALERT, then press SELECT.
• Press to choose ON or OFF.
• Press SELECT to confirm your selection.
• The screen displays SAVED and you hear a confirmation tone.

NOTES

Each time you set the vibration alert to ON, the parent unit vibrates briefly after you press SELECT.
The vibration alert setting on each parent unit is independent.

Night light auto-on

• You can turn on or off the night light by pressing manually on the baby unit. You can also use the parent unit to set the night light on the baby unit to automatically turn on when the baby unit detects a sound.
• When the night light auto-on setting is set to YES, displays. The default setting is preset to NO.
• Press MENU when the parent unit is not in use.
• Press to choose NIGHTLIGHT, then press SELECT.
• Press SELECT to choose AUTO ON.
• Press to choose YES or NO.
• Press SELECT to confirm your selection.
• The screen displays SAVED and you hear a confirmation tone.

NOTES

• To enter the night light menu of the parent unit, the baby unit must be turned on.
• When the night light is on, if you set its auto-on to NO, the night light will turn off.
• If night light auto-on is set to YES, and you turn off the night light manually, the night light will not be triggered by sound within 5 minutes.
• Night light will automatically turn off after 15 minutes of silence.

Language

• You can select a language (English, French or Spanish) to be used in all screen displays. The language is preset to English.
• Press MENU when the parent unit is not in use.
• Press to choose LANGUAGE, then press SELECT.
• Press to choose ENGLISH, FRANCAIS or ESPANOL.
• Press SELECT to confirm your selection.
• The screen displays SAVED and you hear a confirmation tone.

 NOTE
The language setting on each parent unit is independent.

Set default

• Use this feature to restore to the default settings. Restoring the default settings on one parent unit will also reset the shared settings for sensitivity and night light auto-on feature of the other parent unit.
• Press MENU when the parent unit is not in use.
  Press or to choose SET DEFAULT, then press SELECT.
• Press or to choose YES or NO.
• When you choose YES, press SELECT to confirm your selection. The screen displays SAVED and you hear a confirmation tone.
  -OR-
• When you choose NO, press SELECT to confirm your selection. The screen displays the previous menu.

Talk to the baby unit

You can broadcast messages from a parent unit to the baby unit and the other parent unit. If you have two parent units, you can use both of them at the same time to talk to the baby unit.

Press and hold TALK on the side of the parent unit. The screen displays TALK when the voice connection to the baby unit is made. Speak towards the MIC on the parent unit. Your voice is broadcast to the baby unit and the other parent unit.

NOTES
If the speaker volume of the parent unit is set to VOLUME OFF, it will be reset to the default volume when you press and hold TALK. When a parent unit is talking to the baby unit, it is also broadcast to the other parent unit. However, sounds from the baby unit cannot be transmitted to the parent units at the moment.

Find/page the parent unit

• Use this feature to find misplaced parent units.
• Press PAGE on the baby unit. All idle parent units ring and display PAGING.
• To end paging, press any key on the parent unit, or press PAGE on the baby unit.

NOTES
Paging rings all parent units even if the speaker volume of parent unit is set to VOLUME OFF. The baby unit cannot page any parent unit that is turned off, out of range or talking to the baby unit.

Setup Guide

Setting up the Vtech DM221 is straightforward and easy:

1. Plug in the baby unit and place it in your baby's room.
2. Insert batteries into the parent unit or charge it via the included USB cable.
3. Turn on both units; they will automatically pair using DECT 6.0 technology.
4. Adjust the volume and settings on the parent unit according to your preferences.
5. Use the belt clip to attach the parent unit to your belt or pocket for added convenience.

General product care

• To keep this product working well and looking good, follow these guidelines:
• Avoid putting it near heating appliances and devices that generate electrical noise (for example, motors or fluorescent lamps).
• DO NOT expose it to direct sunlight or moisture.
• Avoid dropping the product or treating it roughly.
• Clean with a soft cloth.
• DO NOT immerse the parent unit and the baby unit in water and do not clean them under the tap.
• DO NOT use cleaning spray or liquid cleaners.
• Make sure the baby unit and parent unit are dry before you connect them to the mains again.

Storage

When you are not going to use the baby monitor for some time, remove the rechargeable battery from the parent unit. Store the parent unit, the baby unit and the adapters in a cool and dry place.

Important safety instructions

When using your equipment, basic safety precautions should always be followed to reduce the risk of fire, electric shock and injury, including the following:

1. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product.
2. Adult setup is required.
3. This product is intended as an aid. It is not a substitute for responsible and proper adult supervision and should not be used as such.
4. This product is not intended for use as a medical monitor.
5. Do not use this product near water. For example, do not use it next to a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub or swimming pool, or in a wet basement or shower.
6. CAUTION: Use only the batteries indicated in this manual. There may be a risk of explosion if a wrong type of battery is used for the parent unit. Use only the supplied rechargeable battery or replacement battery pack (BT166342/BT266342) for the parent unit. Do not dispose of batteries in a fire. They may explode. Dispose of used battery according to the information in The RBRC® seal.
7. Use only the adapters included with this product. Incorrect adapter polarity or voltage can seriously damage the product.
   Baby unit power adapter: 
   Output: 6V DC 400mA; 
   Parent unit power adapter:
   Output: 6V DC 400mA.
8. The power adapters are intended to be correctly oriented in a vertical or floor mount position. The prongs are not designed to hold the plug in place if it is plugged into a ceiling, under-the-table or cabinet outlet.
9. For pluggable equipment, the socket-outlet shall be installed near the equipment and shall be easily accessible.
10. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.
11. Unplug the power cords before replacing batteries.
12. Do not cut off the power adapters to replace them with other plugs, as this causes a hazardous situation.
13. Do not allow anything to rest on the power cords. Do not install this product where the cords may be walked on or crimped.
14. This product should be operated only from the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power supply in your home, consult your dealer or local power company.
15. Do not overload wall outlets or use an extension cord.
16. Do not place this product on an unstable table, shelf, stand or other unstable surfaces.
17. This product should not be placed in any area where proper ventilation is not provided. Slots and openings in the back or bottom of this product are provided for ventilation. To protect them from overheating, these openings must not be blocked by placing the product on a soft surface such as a bed, sofa or rug. This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register.
18. Never push objects of any kind into this product through the slots because they may touch dangerous voltage points or create a short circuit. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product.
19. To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not disassemble this product, but take it to an authorized service facility. Opening or removing parts of the product other than specified access doors may expose you to dangerous voltages or other risks. Incorrect reassembling can cause electric shock when the product is subsequently used.
20. You should test the sound reception every time you turn on the units or move one of the components.
21. Periodically examine all components for damage.
22. Be aware of possible loss of privacy while using public airwaves. Conversations may be picked up by other nursery monitors, cordless phones, scanners, etc.
23. Children should be supervised to ensure that they do not play with the product.
24. The product is not intended for use by persons (including children) with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless they have been given supervision or instruction concerning use of the appliance by a person responsible for their safety.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues with your Vtech DM221, here are some common problems and solutions:

• No Signal: Ensure both units are turned on and within range. Restart both units if necessary.
• Move other electronic devices away from the baby monitor to reduce interference.
• Check battery levels and replace or recharge as needed.
• Adjust the volume settings on the parent unit or check for any obstructions around the baby unit.

Always follow safety instructions and avoid placing the baby unit near water or in areas where it can be exposed to moisture.

Warranty

How long is the limited warranty period?
The limited warranty period for the Product extends for ONE (1) YEAR from the date of purchase. If VTech repairs or replaces a Materially Defective Product under the terms of this limited warranty, this limited warranty also applies to the repaired or replacement Product for a period of either (a) 90 days from the date the repaired or replacement Product is shipped to you or (b) the time remaining on the original one-year warranty; whichever is longer.

Register online to get an additional 3-month warranty! Visit https://www.vtechphones.com 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear and secure digital audio transmission
• Compact and portable design
• Easily adjustable volume and LED light indicators
• Vibrating alert feature for silent mode
• Affordable price point

Cons

• No video monitoring capability
• Battery life could be longer
• No night light or temperature sensor
• Some users report occasional static or interference

Customer Reviews

Customers generally praise the Vtech DM221 for its clear audio, ease of use, and affordability. Many appreciate the vibrating alert feature and the LED light indicators, which help them monitor their baby's activity without disturbing them. However, some users note that the battery life could be longer and that there is no video monitoring or night light feature.