Angelcare Vs Owlet vs Babysense vs Snuza

In this article, we review the Angelcare baby monitor and provide a detailed comparison with other breathing baby monitors such as Owlet, Babysense, Baby Vida, and Snuza.

Below is a summary of this article:

• Background Info About Angelcare brands
• Angelcare Vs Owlet Smart Sock
• Angelcare Vs Baby Vida
• Angelcare Vs Babysense
• Angelcare Vs Snuza Hero
• Can Angelcare Get Hacked
• How Angelcare Works
• Which Angelcare baby monitor is best
• How to Install Angelcare Baby Monitor
• Angelcare baby monitor accessories

Angelcare Vs. Owlet Smart Sock:

Angelcare and Owlet smart sock are both baby monitors meant to track the baby’s vital signs. Angelcare uses a sensor pad that tracks micro-movements of the baby’s breathing. On the other hand, Owlet smart sock track the baby’s oxygen level and heartbeat rate using a clinically-proven pulse oximetry technology.

We’ve gone through studies and reviews comparing Angelcare sensor pad technology and Owlet’s pulse oximetry technology and we can confidently say that Owlet is more accurate and more reliable. It may also be important to note that none of Angelcare baby monitor brands are on the top 100 best-selling baby monitors on Amazon. You can check its current ranking here.

The table below shows more differences between Angelcare and Owlet Smart Sock:

Angelcare baby monitor with breathing sensor is comparable to the Owlet Smart Sock 2, the latest brand of Owlet Care. However, I think it is important to note that both Angelcare and Owlet both have baby monitor brands with cameras and capabilities to stream videos of your baby from the nursery.

The comparison of Angelcare and Owlet Smart Sock above is however only limited to the breathing baby monitors manufactured by the two brands. 10BabyGear reviewed Owlet and found it to be incredibly accurate with predicting the baby’s oxygen level and heartbeat rate per minute. In a study to determine Owlet’s accuracy, over 90% of the cases were accurate readings and Owlet has been credited to have saved lives by giving alerts just when you need them the most.

Owlet’s accuracy is attributed to clinically-proven pulse oximetry technology that was invented in the 1940s and it sends a ray of light to the blood and is able to obtain the oxygen concentration in blood and the heart’s pulse rate. This is amazing and has been proven to be very accurate compared to Owlet’s respiratory movements tracker. Respiratory movements do not use any clinically proven technology other than the physical movement of the baby’s body as it breathes in and out.

Angelcare’s technology is not used in hospitals like Owlet’s tracking technology that is relied on by thousands of doctors across the world. While Angelcare’s patented sensor pad technology was invented in 1997, Owlet’s technology in baby monitors was just approved in 2015 but has since overtaken Angelcare in terms of sale and reception in the market. Owlet is currently the top 10 best-selling baby monitor in July 2019 and Angelcare’s leading brand, the Angelcare AC517 is number 41 as of July 2019.

Another key difference between the Angelcare baby monitor and Owlet Smart Sock is that Angelcare does not track oxygen concentration in blood or the baby’s heart rate while Owlet does exactly that. On the Owlet’s Connected App, available on Android and iOS devices, you can read the baby’s heartbeat and oxygen level. If the Owlet heartbeat rate is too high or if the oxygen level is too low, you get a pulsing red alert on the Owlet’s base station and a push alert on your phone. On the other hand, Angelcare only notified you when your baby’s breathing has not been detected for a period of 20 seconds.

You may also remember that Angelcare recalled over a million Angelcare baby monitors in 2013 because of the risk of strangulation because most of their brands prior to 2015 were wired. Angelcare now has breathing baby monitors that are wired and some are wireless. On the other hand, the sensing LED device that is placed on Owlet’s smart sock is not wired and it sends its signal to the base station using Bluetooth technology. The Owlet’s sensor is also powered by the battery and therefore does not need to be connected to an AC outlet.

Angelcare Vs BabyVida

Angelcare and BabyVida are classified as baby monitors that track your baby’s vital signs. Like Owlet, BabyVida uses a smart sock sensor and this is the biggest differentiator of Angelcare from BabyVida. Unlike BabyVida, Angelcare uses a sensor pad that is placed below the mattress.

The table below explores more features that differentiate Angelcare from BabyVida.

Angelcare Vs. Babysense

Angelcare breathing monitor and Babysense 7 use the same exact sensor pad technology. While Angelcare comes with one sensor pad per purchase, Babysense 7 comes with 2 sensor pad.

While Angelcare’s patented sensor pad has been available in the market since 1997, Babysense 7 has been available in the market since November 2017. Both Angelcare and Babysense 7 use sensitive pads to track pulmonary movements and alerts you when the baby stops breathing.

One major difference between Angelcare and Babysense is that Babysense sends two alerts, one if no movement is not detected after 10 seconds and another alert after 20 seconds.

The table below summarizes Angelcare vs. Babysense.

Angelcare Vs Snuza Hero

Snuza Hero is one of the brands by Snuza and has been available on Amazon since October 2018. Snuza is an ISO-certified South African brand that manufactures breathing and movement baby monitors and was founded in 2007 by Greg Gallagher. Unlike Angelcare, Snuza comes in closer contact with the baby’s skin as it is clipped to the diapers to track the abdominal movements. This is the major difference between Angelcare and Snuza Hero as Angelcare uses a sensor pad.

The table below shows all the differences between Angelcare and Snuza Hero

Bottom Line: Snuza Hero which has a sensor attached to the baby’s diaper or attached to the baby’s other clothes such as onesie or socks have been known to have more false alerts as they easily fall off. If you are looking for a more reliable movement tracker, Angelcare should be your top choice as they are more accurate compared to Snuza. Even though Angelcare has been known to keep beeping more often as your baby grows, there are guidelines on how to correct this problem and is less of an issue compared to Snuza’s false alarms.

Can Angelcare Baby Monitors Be Hacked?

Angelcare baby monitors that do not use wifi are very difficult to hack but it is possible for Angelcare wifi baby monitors to be hacked. Angelcare Baby Monitor with Video and Breathing Sensor Pad, the AC517 is a non-wifi baby monitor and it is almost impossible to hack as it uses FHSS technology that is hack-proof. The FHSS technology was invented in 1941 and powered secret communications between the Allied forces during World War II. There haven’t been any reported cases of the FHSS Angelcare baby monitor being hacked and in general, there haven’t been any cases of FHSS baby monitors getting hacked. Below are all the Angelcare baby monitors that cannot be hacked:

• Angelcare AC017 – Breathing monitor with a wireless sensor pad
• Angelcare AC417 – Baby breathing and video baby monitor
• Angelcare AC315 – A wired breathing and video baby monitor
• Angelcare AC510 – A video baby monitor

While Angelcare has some brands of its baby monitors use 2.4 GHz frequency and are prone to hacking, you should follow our anti-hacking security measures to secure yourself and your family. When Angelcare and other breathing baby monitors such as Owlet are compared to determine which one is more prone to hacking, Angelcare’s non-wifi baby monitors that use FHSS do better as they are not hackable. On the other hand, Owlet uses low-power Bluetooth technology to transfer signals from the sensor to the base station. From the base station, Owlet pushes the notifications to the phone using wifi and this is when hackers can hijack the signals. Similar to Babyvisa which uses Wifi, it is also prone to hacking and you should take the following precautionary steps to secure your wifi baby monitor:

1. Turn on your wifi router’s inbuilt firewall
2. Be extra-careful and follow the steps setting up a strong password that has a combination of uppercase, lowercase, special characters, and numbers.
3. Make sure your default IP range is WPA2.
4. Delete any default account that may be hardcoded to the baby monitor
5. Make sure you update the firmware whenever the baby monitor brand releases it. Learn more about firmware updates (link to baby monitor firmware)

How Does Angelcare Baby Monitor Work?

Angelcare baby monitor works by detecting respiratory movements that a baby makes using an ultra-sensitive pad that was invented in 1997 by Maurice Pinsonnault. Below are the three steps that explain how Angelcare detects breathing and alerts the parents, a brief summary of how Angelcare works:

1. A sensory pad is placed on top of a 0.25-inch flat wooden frame below the mattress in the baby’s crib or in the baby’s bed. There are two types of Angelcare sensory pads, the wired and the wireless sensory pads. I prefer the wired and you can see on this article later all the types of Angelcare wireless baby monitors.
2. Once you’ve placed the Angelcare sensory pad below the mattress, make sure your parent unit or your smartphone (for wifi baby monitors) are powered on. Make sure your Angelcare sensory pad also has batteries to power it.
3. The genius of Angelcare gets to work by aggregating all micro-movements it detects in the entire bed or crib at the center of the sensory pad and tracking the rate of movement.
4. If the sensory pad does not detect movement for more than 20 seconds, the sensor pad relays that information to the parent unit which then alerts you to attend to the baby. While Angelcare detects and tracks the baby’s breathing, it does not give you your baby’s breathing rate per minute and this is one major difference between Angelcare and other breathing baby monitors such as Miku and Cocoon Cam that give you the exact breathing rate per minute of your baby.

How to Install Angelcare Baby Monitor (Set/Reset/Pair/Set-up/Mount/Connect)

Step 1: Before you even embark on installing or mounting your Angelcare breathing baby monitor, make sure you get the Angelcare support board that measures 0.25 inches by 0.25 inches and 6 millimeters thick as shown below. The board is required for stability as you won’t want the pad positioned wrongly in the bed as it may give false alarms. It is available on Amazon here. Unfortunately, several Angelcare baby monitors do not come with this wooden frame required when mounting Angelcare baby monitor. If you have the wooden frame already, you need to put it on the bed or the crib below the mattress.

Steps 2: Place the sensor pad face up below where the baby sleep. It is, however, important to note that some of the latest models of Angelcare breathing baby monitors have ultra-sensitive pads that still capture any movement even when your baby is sleeping on the side not directly above the pad.

Steps 3: The third step when installing the Angelcare baby monitor is making sure all the Angelcare devices you purchased are powered and ready to work. Like any device, it only works when it is powered by batteries or AC power. Run the power cord from under the baby’s bed and make sure it is always out of your baby’s reach. In 2013, Angelcare recalled millions of its baby monitor brands because of risk of strangulation and it is important you follow all the necessary precautions when mounting Angelcare baby monitor so you don’t put your baby at risk.

Step 4: Power the nursery unit as well using batteries but plug in the AC adapter so it works when there is a power outage. Once they are powered, connect the sensor pad cord to the baby/nursery unit of your Angelcare baby monitor.

Step 5: Make sure the parent unit is powered and working and program the different settings that will get you started with monitoring your baby’s breathing with Angelcare.

The video below shows the 5 steps described above:

Which Is The Best Angelcare Baby Monitor to Buy?

Angelcare has a range of over 10 baby monitor brands and deciding the best can be a challenge. We have analyzed all of them and have narrowed down our search to three main contenders, AC517, AC417, and AC310.

According to our analysis here at 10BabyGear, Angelcare AC517 is the best Angelcare baby monitor currently available in the market. It is currently the best-selling Angelcare brand and is the 41st best-selling baby monitor on Amazon behind other video baby monitors such as Infant Optics, Arlo baby monitor and Owlet Smart Sock 2.

Angelcare AC517 comes with 5-inch color LCD screen and unlike earlier models that had wired sensor pad, Angelcare AC517 uses a wireless sensor pad. This is a big plus for me as I try to avoid any wired baby monitor to reduce the risk of strangulation in the nursery. This brand is not just great because of its wireless sensor pad and touchscreen display, it also has the following features that make it a great video baby monitor:

• Two-way talk
• Long-range of over 800 ft. (820 ft. from Angelcare’s marketing materials)
• Excellent night vision with a range of up to 12 ft.
• Room temperature sensor
• Digital zoom of up to 2 times, 2x.
• An option to mount it on the table or on the wall.

The features above make Angelcare AC517 the best Angelcare baby monitor in the market and as indicated earlier, this is currently the best-selling brand of Angelcare. This goes to tell you that parents have had great things to say about it and more parents are getting their hands on it. You can check its current price on Amazon here.

Angelcare Baby Monitor Accessories

Angelcare Add-on Camera

Angelcare has a number of accessories that you can purchase without getting the entire Angelcare baby monitor set. Angelcare gives you the option to purchase an additional camera which costs similar to those of traditional add-on camera such as Infant Optics add-on camera. You can check today’s price of Angelcare camera on Amazon here.

With an additional camera, you can turn your Angelcare baby monitor into a twins baby monitor. The add-on cameras are compatible with Angelcare AC300, Angelcare AC400 and Angelcare AC500 series that you can get on Amazon. The Angelcare camera has 2x digital zoom, wide-angle lens and pan capabilities that work during the day and at night as it has excellent night vision. If you are considering Angelcare baby monitor for twins, you should choose expandable Angelcare baby monitors that can support more than one camera.

Angelcare Baby Monitor Stand (Mounting Stand/Support)

Angelcare also allows you to buy Angelcare baby monitor stand. With Angelcare video baby monitor, you get a camera that may need to be mounted on the wall or you can get an Angelcare baby monitor stand to support the camera that has a temperature display screen.

Angelcare Batteries for AC517, AC417, AC510, AC315, and AC310

Angelcare batteries are available on sale on their website for $17.50. The available batteries are compatible with AC517, AC417, AC510, AC315, and AC310 baby monitors. The Angelcare batteries are currently not available on Amazon.

Angelcare Baby Monitor EMF Level

According to SAR report that Angelcare submitted to FCC, the average Angelcare baby monitor EMF level is 0.02968V/M. This is below Owlet’s EMF. The snapshot below shows the average EMF level converted from microvolts to volts/m

Bottom Line: Angelcare baby monitor has low radiation is one of the low-emission baby monitors. You can read more about baby monitor radiation and how you can be safe.

Angelcare Background Info

Angelcare has been trusted by parents since it was founded in 1997 by Maurice Pinsonnault who invented the movement sensor pad. The first Angelcare breathing baby monitor was the AC100 model that was designed in 1998. AC101, its successor was launched in 2001 and it won the Time’s Magazine best invention of the year. The latest award for a baby monitor by Times Magazine was awarded to Nanit Plus, a sleep tracking baby monitor that emerged as the top wifi baby monitor that links with a phone.

Angelcare baby monitors are now a worldwide brand with distribution in North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, among other regions. It is by far the most widely used breathing baby monitor as Owlet, its chief competitor has not established distribution in several regions, other than in North America.

So, what is the Angelcare baby monitor? It is a breathing baby monitor that tracks micro-movements a baby makes and alerts the parent in case the movements are not recorded for a period of 20 minutes using an ultra-sensitive sensor pad. There are two forms of Angelcare baby monitor, the wireless Angelcare baby monitor, and the wired Angelcare baby monitor.

Another common question that we’ve answered in other posts is, does Angelcare baby monitor detect breathing? Yes, Angelcare detects breathing by sensing any micro-movements the baby’s body makes as a result of pulmonary movement. However, unlike Owlet Smart Sock, Angelcare does not indicate or measure the baby’s pulse rate per minute or the baby’s heartbeat rate as it does not use pulse-oximetry technology, the only technology proved to reliably give accurate heart rate and oxygen levels. Other baby monitors that measure the baby’s breathing rate per minute are Miku baby monitor and Cocoon Cam.

And that brings us to our next section, the breathing baby monitor technologies.

Angelcare Technology Vs Other Technologies

Angelcare’s technology has helped parents to monitor the baby’s movement using a patented sensor pad that tracks the tiniest movements into an analog signal that is then relayed to you. It is very important to note that Angelcare baby monitors do not track breathing but rather track all micro-movements, concentrating them at the center of a sensor pad. The baby can be lying anywhere in the bed and does not actually have to be right above the sensor pad as it uses an ultra-sensitive technology to sense and concentrate the movement patterns. Unlike Owlet that uses pulse oximetry, Angelcare uses a wired sensor pad.

Conclusion:

Angelcare baby monitor and Babysense 7 technologies are not comparable to Owlet’s pulse-oximetry technology but they have both been proven to be equally accurate. You should also read our review of Owlet and its comparison with other breathing baby monitors.

• About the Author
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Ashley Davis( Chief Editor/Product Testing Specialist )

Hi there! I am Ashley Davis, a mom of three kids and the editor here at Motherhoodhq.com. I have been a parent since 2011 and have been doing full-time consulting as a baby sleep expert since 2019. When I am not researching or testing the next baby gear hitting the market, you’ll find me teaching my toddlers a trick or two – especially over the last few months with the lockdown. I hope you’ll find my guides and reviews helpful as you make your next purchase decision. If you have any questions, you can reach me at ashley.d@motherhoodhq.com.

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