Why does my baby monitor cut out on the stairs in a terrace?

Why do the stairs drop a monitor in a terrace?

In a two-up two-down the stairs sit in the middle of the brick sandwich. The parent unit leaves a clear bedroom, turns through a narrow well, and only then reaches the hall. BT says any obstruction cuts the published indoor range, and that the amount of walls between the units matters. A stair soffit, a closed door and the hall wall are three barriers on a short walk.

Which? records when picture and sound deteriorate as testers move through three rooms. Your stairwell is the room nobody names: you pass it in three seconds with a basket of laundry, and that is exactly when the link dies.

How do I test the top, half-landing and foot?

Keep the camera in the front bedroom. Do not 'help' the test by walking the parent unit into the back bedroom next door — that is a different, easier path.

1. 1
   Top of the stairs Stand on the landing, parent unit at hand height, stair door as it will be at night. Confirm a clean baseline.
2. 2
   Half-landing Stop on the turn. Hold still for ten seconds. Write down freeze, delay, audio break or a beep. This is the first stair result.
3. 3
   Foot of the stairs Stand on the hall floor facing up the well, then turn toward the kitchen. Two results: looking up, and looking through the hall wall.
4. 4
   Closed then open Repeat the three stops with the stair door closed and open. Night-time is usually closed.
5. 5
   One-metre rule If it beeps, BT says move the units closer — but not closer than one metre, or you get the feedback squeal. Check the battery icon before you blame the stairs; the same beep is also BT's low-battery and 'baby unit off' alert.

Keep cables and the camera a metre from the cot and out of reach. A stairwell fail is not a reason to clip the camera to the cot rail.

What should I record at each stair stop?

Can I improve a stairwell dead spot without moving the cot?

Placement changes only — the sleep space stays put.

• Aim the camera down the landing, still a metre from the cot, so the first wall is the stair door rather than the chimney breast.
• Hold the parent unit up, not in a pocket against your body.
• Retest a metre from the router if it lives under the stairs — BT lists modems/routers with microwaves and TVs.
• Do not wedge a fire door open to 'keep signal'. Log the closed-door result and stand where the link still holds.

Is a stairwell cut-out the same as mute or a low battery?

Not always. BT lists three beep causes: baby unit off / no connection, units too far apart, and parent-unit battery low. Mute is a separate state — BT says a muted speaker shows a muted-speaker icon and the lights can still flash. On the stairs, check the icon first, then the battery, then assume range.

A movement-monitor alarm (no movement for about 20 seconds) is a different device and a different drill. The Lullaby Trust's 'if the monitor alarm sounds' steps are for that class of alarm, not for an out-of-range beep on a video parent unit.

Does a stairwell test change safer-sleep rules?

No. The Lullaby Trust still wants a clear cot, baby on their back, same room for six months. A monitor never replaces that. The stair test only tells you where the parent unit still links.

In shortIn short: test the top, half-landing and foot, door closed then open. A next-door pass can still die on the well. Check mute and battery before you blame the stairs.