Angelcare vs Babysense – which smart baby monitor is right for you?
It’s every parents wish to know exactly when their baby needs them while still getting as much precious sleep as possible. Technology that includes breathing sensors and video monitors now give parents the ability to see, hear and speak with their babies from another room. When the baby is asleep, parents can rest peacefully knowing an alarm will sound if the baby stops breathing.
Two leading breathing monitors come from the companies Angelcare and Babysense. These companies have created products that include video, two-way audio, room temperature readings and sensors that accurately detect any breathing or movement anomalies.
We’ve assessed all of the features of these breathing monitors to help you decide which one will work best for your family.
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Angelcare Breathing Monitor Review
The Angelcare AC527 Breathing Monitor is combination breathing and video monitor designed to give you peace of mind while your baby sleeps. It includes a wireless “SensAsure” Breathing Sensor Pad, a Nursery Unit with camera and a 5-inch full color video touchscreen Parent Unit.
The nursery unit displays the room temperature and can be programmed to alarm if the room temp is too cold or too warm. It also houses a built-in speaker to allow two-way talk back so you can comfort your baby from afar. The nursery unit/camera can be mounted on the wall or used on a tabletop stand.
The camera has infrared night vision and video screen resolution of 480 x 272 pixels. You can zoom or pan using controls on the parent unit.
The sensor pad is small, square and wireless and is placed beneath the baby’s mattress. The pad is designed to sense movement and alarms on the nursery and parent unit will sound if there is no movement for more than 20 seconds.
How it works
The AngelCare Baby Breathing Monitor gives parents peace of mind visually (with video from the nursery unit), audibly (with sound from the two-way speaker) and knowing that a sensor pad is in place to detect when baby stops breathing. The sensor pad has four sensitivity settings that can be adjusted according to the size, age and activity level of your baby. If there is no movement detected by the sensor pad for 15 seconds, a rouse alarm single beep will sound. This is designed to make the baby stir. If the rouse alarm doesn’t cause movement, then the main alarm will sound at 20 seconds with continuous beeping on both the nursery unit and the parent unit.
How Does It Charge? Is It Wired?
Of the three main elements of this monitor, one is corded and two are wireless. The Nursery Unit/Camera needs to be plugged into the wall. The Angelcare sensor pad is wireless and uses CR2450 Batteries which should be replaced every 8 months to help prevent false alarms. The Parent Unit (monitor) is rechargeable and cordless. It needs to be plugged in for four hours to fully charge.
Pros and cons
The Angelcare monitor has many helpful features but also a few drawbacks.
Pros
- Expandable: With purchase of an additional camera/nursery unit and sensor pad, you can monitor multiples/sibligs using the same parent unit.
- Easy to install: Wireless sensor pad is simple to set up and the nursery unit/camera has two different options (wall mount or stand).
- Video Quality/Zoom: The camera has good quality video and the zoom and pan function make it easier to check on your baby.
- Adjustable Sensor Pad Settings: This option helps decrease false alarms by allowing parents to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor pad to their baby’s size and activity level.
- Portable: You can easily take the parent unit, nursery unit and sensor pad with you.
Cons
- Only one motion sensor pad makes it less sensitive to the entire surface of the crib mattress. Some users report false alarms with babies who tend to sleep more on the sides or far ends of the crib.
- It cannot be used with memory foam mattresses or mattresses with a hollow frame (the motion sensor won’t work or will cause false alarms).
- Only one motion sensor pad makes it less sensitive to the entire surface of the crib mattress. Some users report false alarms with babies who tend to sleep more on the sides or far ends of the crib.
- It cannot be used with memory foam mattresses or mattresses with a hollow frame (the motion sensor won’t work or will cause false alarms).
- The parent unit will only hold a charge for up to 5 hours on video mode and up to 6 hours on screen save and sound mode. It needs to be plugged in at some point during the night so it’s not completely cordless.
Babysense Baby Monitor Review
Babysense holds the first patent for “non-touch movement monitors.” Their Breathing and Compact Video monitor is comprised of two cameras, two sensor pads , a control unit and a 4.3” full color splitscreen display parent unit. The stand cameras can be remotely tilted up to 90 degrees and panned 360 degrees by using the parent unit. They have infrared night vision technology and include built in adjustable night lights.
The cameras also have two-way talk technology so you can speak with and comfort your baby as well as white noise and lullaby options. Additionally, Babysense cameras have a built in thermometer that you can program to warn you if room temperatures are too hot or too cold.
The sensor pads are placed under the crib mattress and are attached with cords to a control unit at the front of the crib. They are designed to detect breathing “micro-movements” as well as bigger movements. If there are less than 10 “micro-movements” per minute or if no movement is detected for 20 seconds an alarm sounds.
How it works
The Babysense bundle includes everything you need to see your baby, hear your baby, and rest easy knowing your baby is breathing. Two cameras provide a video feed that works even in the dark so you can check on your baby. The built-in two-way talk microphones will help you hear your baby fussing and give you the ability to comfort with your voice, white noise or a lullaby.
The sensors are placed underneath your baby’s crib mattress and attached to a control unit that communicates with the parent unit. They detect a drop in movements and set off an alarm if there is no movement for 20 seconds.
How Does It Charge? Is It Wireless?
The two movement sensors have cords that plug into the control unit. The control unit runs on 4 AA batteries (which should last around 6 months). The cameras/microphones need to be plugged in at all times. The parent unit has a with a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, but Babysense recommends keeping it plugged in as much as possible.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Expandable: You can add two more cameras to the Babysense monitor (for a total of four cameras). This is helpful if you want to see your baby from many vantage points and/or have another child that you would like to monitor visually using the parent unit. Additionally, you can divide up the two supplied cameras between two children.
- Easy to install: The control pad comes with a holder that slides under the mattress. Sensor pads are plugged directly into it. The stand cameras can be placed in the room and paired with the parent unit.
- More sensitive: The Babysense movement monitor includes two sensor pads so the entire crib mattress is monitored (especially when your baby can crawl and is more mobile).
- Adjustable Cameras: The remote pan and tilt options make it easier to watch your baby no matter where they are in the crib.
Cons
- The cameras have to be set on top of something (no wall hanging option). It might be difficult to place them so that you have an adequate view of the baby/crib.
- It cannot be used with memory foam mattresses or mattresses with a hollow frame (the motion sensor won’t work or will have false alarms).
- Due to the high sensitivity of the motion sensors, they can be influenced by fans, wind, and air conditoning. This can be seen as breathing or micro-movements by the sensors and prevent the no-movement alarm from sounding.
- The sensors cannot be adjusted to different sensitivity levels.
How to Choose Between the Angelcare and Babysense Baby Monitors
Both the Angelcare and Babysense breathing monitors have many useful features. If you are trying to decide between the two you should consider the following:
- Do I need a lower cost option? (Choose Angelcare)
- Do I want to be able to add on cameras to monitor additional children? (Choose Babysense)
- Would I prefer multiple cameras for a better view of my baby? (Choose Babysense)
- Would I use white noise/lullaby music? (Choose Babysense)
- Do I travel and need a more portable monitor? (Choose Angelcare)
- Would more than one sensor pad help me feel less worried? (Choose Babysense)
The Final Word on Angelcare vs Babysense
The availability of high-tech yet affordable breathing monitors can help parents feel more at ease while their baby is sleeping. Leading monitors like Angelcare and Babysense have many of the same features but a careful look at what features are important to your family can help you with this important purchase.
The Angelcare and Babysense monitors are very similar in many of their features, but in their 28 years of developing movement monitors, Babysense’s more developed technology along with special extra features put their product ahead of other offerings.
Our recommendation goes Babysense. The dual sensors that detect big and small movements, extra camera, room temperature monitoring plus added nightlight, white noise and lullaby sounds make it a breathing monitor worth purchasing.