If you want to know the main Owlet Sock 2 vs 3 differences, you’ve come to the right page as I have provided a detailed comparison highlighting all the differences with details of some improvements in the third generation sock. This 2022 update has incorporated the feedback of a few more parents that used the first(released Oct. 2015) and second-generation (released Mar. 2017) Owlet Smart Socks. We have also shared all the info we have on the third-generation Owlet Smart Sock 3 released on July 09, 2020.
In November 2021, Owlet discontinued sales of Owlet Smart Socks following an FDA warning that claimed that Owlet is a medical device while Owlet insists it is a low-risk device. Below is a snapshot of the FDA warning in the letter dated October 30, 2021;

There is currently a petition that has been signed by over 156,000 parents looking to keep the Owlet in the market. Read the full FDA warning letter here. Earlier this year, Owlet released Owlet Dream Sock, a sleep-assisting device with similar features but marketed more as a sleep monitoring device than a breathing and heartbeat monitor like its predecessors.
Owlet is among the best breathing monitors we’ve reviewed here and I am very excited to share the knowledge we’ve obtained as we put together this review. Some parents have credited Owlet for saving their babies’ lives. In this review, I have detailed its features, functionalities, pros, and cons. I have also shared some resources(external) I found on the net regarding its accuracy and they have answered some of the common questions regarding this award-winning breathing baby monitor.
We have a detailed review of the older Smart Sock 2, along with a detailed user guide below but first, we’ll go over the differences between Owlet Smart Sock 2 and Owlet Smart Sock 3. This will assist you to decide if Owlet’s third generation is worth the higher price when compared with the features of the second generation (v2). If you want to skip this comparison go to our Owlet review and guide, click here.
Owlet Sock 3 Vs 2, the Main Differences: Which one is better?
Owlet Smart Sock 3 is definitely better than Smart Sock 2 and the extra $50 is worth every dollar. In summary, Owlet Smart Sock 3 is better than Owlet 2 when you consider the consistency of readings, the magnetic wireless charging that is fast, the improved sleek design, the improved technology, and improved sleep trends data. I’ve explained in detail below:
No products found.
First, you’ll really like and perhaps appreciate getting readings consistently from your baby even when the baby’s feet are in gentle motion (wiggling), thanks to Owlet Smart Sock 3’s super-sensitive sensor. On Owlet Smart Sock 2, you will not get any reading if your baby is wiggling or having any gentle motions and I’ve personally had to wake up at night to go check on the baby. To me, this was a huge differentiator as it really helps to get those readings on time when you need to.
Secondly, Owlet Smart Sock 3 has a magnetic wireless charging of its base station which is new to all baby monitors. I do not know of any other brand that uses magnetic wireless technology and I have reviewed a good number of Owlet alternatives. With Smart Sock 2, you need to plug in your base station to charge, and most of the times when I used Owlet Smart Sock 2, I’d forget to plug in – the fact that it requires you to use my two hands to plug it in, makes it harder when you are occupied and therefore easy to forget.
Owlet 3 can fully charge in 90 minutes, half the time you need to charge Owlet Smart sock 2, and in my experience, a charge of 20 to 30 minutes will suffice for most of the night. So, even when I forget to charge until it’s a few minutes to bedtime, I can still get a good amount of charge in 20 minutes. On the other hand, Owlet Smart Sock 2 requires 4 hours to fully charge! However, If you forget to charge on time, you’ll be woken up by annoying low-battery notifications at 3 or 4 am when the battery goes below 20%.
Thirdly, Owlet Smart Sock 3 has an improved design compared to Owlet Sock 2. Owlet 3’s sleek design is much smaller than Owlet smart Sock 2 as shown in the diagram below:

Another significant difference between Owlet 3 and 2 is sleep trends and insights. The third generation Owlet Sock has improved sleep trends data compared to the older Smart Sock 2. You’ll get data on your baby’s sleep quality such as the hours the baby slept, the number of waking hours, among others.
The table below shows more features that differentiate Owlet Smart Sock 2 from Owlet Smart Sock 3:
Owlet Smart Sock 2 | Owlet Smart Sock 3 |
---|---|
No products found. | No products found. |
Released in March 2017 | Released on July 9, 2020 |
A package has 3 socks, one for each size | A package has two socks for each of the three sizes |
Fits babies of 0 to 18 months or 6-25 lbs. | Fits babies of 0 to 18 months or 5 – 30 lbs. |
Not as reliable charging or storing power – Customers have reported that the second generation does not hold a charge for long. After 6 – 9 months in use, you will face challenges charging it. It takes 180 minutes to fully charge the battery | 16 hours battery charge (fully charges in 90 mins) |
Dimensions: 3.50 x 3.50 x 0.70 inches | Dimensions: Measures 3.5″ L x 3.5″ W x .7” H |
Gives you a basic insight on how the baby slept – metrics such as how long the baby was awake, in a deep sleep, and in light sleep and for how long. | It has new improved sleep trends – hours slept, the number of wakings, sleep quality, and more. This feature makes Owlet Smart Sock 3 closer to Nanit Plus – a smart monitor for advanced sleep insights. |
Washing involved first removing the sensor from the socks | You can wash the sock and the sensor too with no damage |
Poor connectivity between the Base Station and sensor | It has an improved and reliable connection between the base station and sensor |
Does not support wireless charging. Charging involves plugging a micro-USB cord into the sensor to charge, which takes time | Wireless charging – Features a one-handed wireless charging that allows you to simply plug the sensor into the Base Station. |
Smart Sock and sensor sometimes fails to track when the baby moves their foot | Smart Sock and sensor is designed to flex to the foot and track through gentle motion, giving more live readings consistently |
No products found. | No products found. |
Review of Owlet Smart Sock 3: Released on July 9, 2020
Wondering when Owlet Smart Sock 3will be released or when it was released? There were earlier indications that Owlet would release the Owlet Smart Sock 3 in 2019 and it wasn’t until July 9, 2020, when I finally received an email announcing the release of Owlet’s third-generation sock. Back in 2019, we sent an email to Carole, a customer care associate at Owlet to ask about the release date and this was the response:


The Owlet Smart Sock 3 is the long-awaited smart sock monitor that was just recently launched on July 9, 2020, by Owlet Baby Care. According to Zack Bomsta, Owlet’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Smart Sock 3 offer so much better user experience than what the Smart Sock 2 offered.
This is what Zack had to say, “As a company, Owlet is constantly striving to do better, which inspired us to create the newest Smart Sock 3. Based on real feedback from parents, we have redesigned the Smart Sock with updated technology and product enhancements like greater size flexibility, better accuracy, and nuanced notification settings. It’s more user-friendly, and we believe it will become a must-have for all parents.“
Smart Sock 3 supports the 2.4GHz wireless network and only works with Android and iOS. Like the second-generation Owlet Sock, it does not support 5 GHz. It comes with a Base Station and a sensor. However, unlike the Smart Sock 2 which comes with only one Sock for every size, the Smart Sock 3 comes with two socks for each size. This gives you an extra sock to use when you have washed the other one and prolongs the usability.
It is also designed to track the baby’s heart rate and oxygen level through gentle motion while sleeping. This enables the sensor to pick movement even if the baby is wiggling their foot, eliminating frequent false alarms. If your baby’s heart rate or oxygen levels drop below the preset levels the Smart Sock will notify you with lights and sound alarm on the Base Station and Owlet app. The Base Station is your primary notification device.
Infants can use it from day one until they are 18 months old/ 30 pounds. Just like Smart Sock 2, it is worn on the baby’s foot and has a sensor that transmits to the base station and Owlet App. Should you decide to use the Smart Sock 3 for monitoring multiple babies; each baby will require its own Smart Sock and Base Station unit. Parents can add each device to the Owlet app to receive their babies’ live readings in the same app.
It has also improved the charging system so that you simply plug the sensor into the Base station and you are ready. This saves time and eliminates the frustration experienced with Smart Sock 2.
Below is a link to Owlet Smart Sock 3 Duo (with camera and app) on Amazon.
Here is a review of Owlet Smart Sock 3 Duo:
Owlet Smart Sock 3 features
- Tracks the baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels
- Measures your baby’s sleep trends
- View real-time data for your baby’s vitals on your Owlet app
- Designed for babies from 0 to 18 months / 5 to 30 pounds
- Dual monitoring on the Base Station and Owlet app on your smartphone
- Base Station that offers wireless, drop-and-go charging
Owlet Smart Sock 3 Pros
- Provides better fit for both smaller and bigger babies than Smart Sock 2
- Fast charging than Smart Sock 2
- You receive notifications on the Base Station even with no Wifi
- Improved Bluetooth signal connectivity than Smart sock 2
Cons
- It is still an expensive option
- It is not compatible with a 5GHz wifi network, so is the 2nd-generation Owlet
The rest of this article is a review of Owlet Socks in general and we start with the background. If you want to skip some sections, you can use the links below:
- What is Owlet Smart Sock
- How Does Owlet Smart Sock Work? The Pulse Oximeter Baby Monitor
- Refurbished Owlet Monitor vs New
- Owlet Base Station Colors & Notifications: Green, Yellow, Red, and Grey
- Can I use Owlet for Twins?
- Can You Wash The Sock?
- Owlet Smart Sock 2 Vs Smart Sock 1
- Smart Sock FDA Approval & Reliability/Accuracy of Owlet
- Owlet Smart Sock Alternatives & Competitors
- Owlet Smart Sock Safety and EMF Radiation
- Sock Durability: The Sock Needs to be Replaced
Let’s get started with some background:
You may remember seeing a small gadget similar to a clothing clip – they are very common in hospital examination rooms. Almost everyone visiting a doctor has to use this gadget which grips your finger as it takes some reading. That gadget is a pulse oximeter. The latest brands are actually very cool.


This technology is very important. It shows oxygen saturation (SO2) level and heartbeat rate and was first discovered by Glenn Allan Millikan, an American physiologist in 1940s. It is even more important for kids who are prone to SIDs and other respiratory difficulties.
From the 1940s and to 2015, this technology had been left for doctors in hospitals yet it is so critical and can deliver more accurate alerts making it possible to better monitor babies, especially preemies and those with respiratory issues. You can read more about pulse oximetry here or this summary of how a pulse oximeter works.
Owlet was invented and has been patented to Owlet Baby Care, a company that started in 2013 and has since won several awards, including three in 2019 CEC awards. In addition to the Owlet review, I also have some helpful comparison tablets of Owlet vs others such as Angelcare, Cocoon Cam, Miku, Baby Vida, Snuza, and Sense U, among others.
Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor Review 2022
For three years, my baby used Smart Sock as I didn’t look back after purchasing the first-generation Smart Sock in December 2015. My little baby used three socks and several accessories including a replacement sock without a sensor, batteries for the sensor and did benefit from HSA/FHA as well as Owlet’s warranty. So, I am a total insider when it comes to using Owlet Smart Sock. As of this update, I am probably among the few parents that have emailed Owlet to ask for the release date of the third-generation sock (details below).
I am very happy to share all the critical information you need to know about Owlet Smart Sock as a parent who has used it for probably the longest time. I have also interacted with several mums and have spent over a month collecting data as we made an update to this Owlet baby monitor review. While I strongly recommend Owlet Smart Sock (OSS), I also present this review with a comparison of OSS and other best-rated breathing baby monitors of 2022.
Refurbished Owlet Monitor vs New
A refurbished Owlet saves you $100 and it works perfectly as the new Owlet monitor. In addition, it is backed by the 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee which means you can return it and get your money back.
If you’ve used the refurbished unit you may have questioned what exactly ‘refurbished’ mean as they look similar to new ones. Usually, when someone makes a purchase of Owlet and returns it, it is classified as part of the units to be refurbished. Parents have attested that they pass any quality control for a ‘new product’ despite being $100 cheaper.
A refurbished Owlet Smart Sock 2 is available for sale on Amazon for about $199, about $100 less than what the new Smart Sock by Owlet costs. In Jan 2020, Refurbished Owlet was listed for sale on Amazon and on Owlet’s website. However, they were unavailable on the website or on Amazon. You can check it here for availability today.
Below are what some parents had to say about refurbished Owlet on a Q&A:
Q: What is the difference between new and refurbished ? Does it woek differently or what ?
Kyle
A: Refurbished is just a returned owlet, repaired if nessicary by the company, and resold at a discounted rate. Mine came with everything it was supposed to and works just as a new one would.
Q: Does it still come in the original packaging with instructions, etc? I want to get this as a gift and want to make sure Its just as good as new.
A: Yes, it is indistinguishable from new.
Jake, MI
Below is a table with more details:
Refurbished Owlet | New Owlet |
Rated 4.2/5 by 354 parents that have bought this on Amazon | Rated 4.2/5 by 1,795 parents that have bought this New unit on Amazon |
Come with a box, indistinguishable from the New owlet’s box | New box |
The refurbished units passed through quality controls to ensure it is certified as good for use | The new units function well and do not need certification of refurbishment. |
Backed by the 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee. | If you don’t like it you can return it within 30 days for a full refund, |
Cheaper than new units. You can check its availability and price on Amazon. | New Owlet is more expensive than the refurbished Owlet. Check price on Amazon. |
Are refurbished Owlet good?

Refurbished Owlet is as good as a new owlet baby monitor. Below is another review from a parent who attests that the certified refurbished Owlet Sock is worth buying:
Q: How do i know if the refurbished one will work as good as the new one?
A: The refurbished one we purchased is perfect. We have twins and bought a new one, and were borrowing an older model from a family member, but after 7 months, they needed theirs back. So, with a little trepidation, I purchased a refurbished one on Amazon. I would never have known the difference. It obviously went back to the factory, and was checked out, in order to get the certification. It was re-packaged, and we have had zero issues with it. I would absolutely go this route again with this product, if I needed to
Parent review on Amazon
Unfortunately, there isn’t any refurbished owlet cam. Owlet does not ship any refurbished Owlet cameras. If you are looking to buy a refurbished Owlet baby monitor you can find it on the Owlet Care website, in Target, or on Amazon here.
Video Review of Owlet Smart Sock 2
Below is a video review of Owlet by Babylist.
Owlet Smart Sock Awards Awards:
As a user myself and as the Editor here at 10BabyGear, we have reviewed diverse breathing baby monitors and spoken to several parents who have used Owlet and other alternatives. I have the confidence to claim that Owlet is the best-breathing baby monitor in the market. Since 2015, parents across America haven’t stopped talking about how great it is, and below are some of the awards it has won:
- Best Baby Monitor of 2017 and 2018 by What to Expect Awards
- Best Wearable Baby Monitor of 2018 by the Bump
- A Software/Mobile Apps Honoree 2018 at CES Innovation Awards
- Sleep Monitoring Solution of the Year 2018 at IoT Breakthrough Awards
- Best Breathing Baby Monitor in the 10BabyGear’s List of Best Baby Monitors 2020
Before we go into details, let’s go through some basics:
What is Owlet Smart Sock
It is a Smart Sock that is tied to the baby’s foot and has a smart sensor attached which uses clinically-proven pulse oximetry technology to give you the baby’s heart rate and oxygen level at any given time. Its main use is to alert you when these two vital signs; oxygen levels and heart rate, are out of the normal range. It will alert you using the smartphone app or to a base circular station, which you’ll see in the image below. First, here are the images of the 3 Owlet Smart Socks.

Owlet smart sock 2 is composed of three socks in three different sizes and one sensor. The sock comes in three different sizes which enable the baby to grow with the device. The recommended age your baby can use this is from 0 to 18 months, which means you can use the three sizes of socks at different periods until your child is 18 months. If your baby is a preemie, Owlet Smart Sock 2 is a great breathing monitor for your baby’s oxygen levels and breathing rate. This gadget should be high up on your list.
What does it do?
Owlet Smart Sock monitors your baby’s heartbeat and oxygen level and notifies you when the heartbeat and oxygen levels go out of the set range. The set range and which you should not worry about are different for oxygen level and heartbeat rate. The set vital signs range are as follows:
- 80 to 100 for Oxygen level
- 60 to 220 for heartbeat rate.
Owlet smart sock 2 has been regarded as the most crucial gadget for parents with infants or with a baby born prematurely. Owlet recommends the Smart Sock 2 for babies who are:
- Aged between 0 to 18 months or any preemie
- At the risk of respiratory failure or,
- At the risk of choking during sleep
The option parents had before the Owlet’s smart sock 1 was to take shifts at night to keep an eye on the baby especially if the baby is sick or at risk of respiratory failure. Bad luck for single parents. The challenge of sleeping with the baby and staying awake all night can be daunting to any parent and can cause severe anxiety. For quality sleep and peace of mind, thousands of parents have relied on Owlet’s smart sock since 2015.
How Does Owlet Smart Sock Work? The Pulse Oximeter Baby Monitor
The Smart Sock attached and in contact with your baby’s foot takes the heart rate and oxygen level using pulse-oximetry technology. The Sock relays the heart rate and oxygen levels to the base station and the base station then alerts you if the heart rate or oxygen levels are too high or too low.
Now that you’ve gotten a basic understanding of how Owlet works, let’s go through the key steps of how Owlet Smart Sock can be used to monitor your baby. Specifically, we will focus on how best to use this breathing baby monitor and get it to work so that it relays life-saving alerts to you through the base station and through the iOS and Android Connected Care App.
We’ll first go through how you put on the sock on the baby’s foot after inserting the sensor into the sock and in the second part, we’ll discuss the different notifications that you get with Owlet.
First, you need to learn how to put on the baby’s Sock on the baby’s foot.
The first step is to put the smart sensor in the sock. The Smart Sensor goes into the sock and the Smart Sock goes into your baby’s foot as shown in the picture below:

Once you attach the sensor to the sock, it should appear as shown in the next picture below. Make sure to center the sensors in the holes or sock windows so they can send the LED light to read the pulse without the sock obstructing it.

When you put Smart Sensor in the sock, make sure the sensors(that emits LED light) should be unobstructed as shown below:

The second step is to put the Smart Sock on to the baby’s foot. Remember, it can go on any of the baby’s foot as shown in the picture below.


The dome with the sensor just needs to be positioned on top of the right foot (if you use the sock on the right foot) and the dome and sensor need to be positioned on the bottom of the left foot (if you use the baby’s left foot).
Wondering how to put the smart sock on? The Smart Sock can be put on by wrapping the sock with the dome and sensor around the left or right foot loosely as shown in the diagram alongside.
Once the sock has been put on the baby’s foot, you can even have the baby wear pajamas on top of the sock. No problem at all. The Sock can stay all night and you can be assured that the baby will not be able to kick it out of the foot.
The first generation sock (Smart Sock 1) had issues with the sensor falling off and triggering false alarms but the Smart Sock 2 has been redesigned and the sock does not easily fall off.
The Owlet Parts and Notifications:
In this part, we’ll discuss how each part of Owlet is used in the monitoring process. We’ll go through the smart sock, the sensor, and the base station as shown below in its packaging box:

Smart Sock & Sensor
Owlet comes with 3 Socks and 1 pulse-oximetry sensor.
The socks come in three colors which you can choose during your purchase and in three sizes that can grow from when your baby is barely a day or a week old to when the baby is 18 months (the maximum recommended age to use Owlet).
Base Station:
A base station receives the signal from the Smart Sensor device that gets attached to the socks. The base station receives information from the Owlet’s pulse readings. On the front, there is a logo, and on the side are two micro-USB ports to charge the base station and to charge the sock sensor. Please note that this is not a type C micro-USB port.
The owlet base station range is 100 ft. and this means you need to keep the base station within 100 ft from the sock and sensor to avoid receiving false alarms or to avoid the base station disconnecting. This owlet base station distance is limited as it uses Bluetooth to transmit signals from the sensor device in the sock to the base station. You should note that the base station is wired and is powered by electricity and not batteries like the sensor.
You can dim the base station by holding and pressing the middle of the base station.

Here is how to turn the Owlet Smart Sock off:
I was pretty annoyed every time the base station was blinking red or yellow and giving sound alerts and usually wondered how I could turn off Owlet without actually making it stop transmitting the signals. In the second generation model, Smart Sock 2, you just gently press the middle part of the base station and it will stop. Well, technically, it will still be receiving the signals from the sensor.
As shown in the GIF below of the base station, the base station can change color into 5 different colors. Below is what each base station color means and what you should do:
Owlet Base Station Colors & Notifications:

1. Grey Light:
When you see the Owlet base station showing grey color, it means that it plugged in and charging.
2. Pulsing Green:
When you see Owlet smart sock green light (on the base station), it is a good sign. It means all vital signs are within the set range. When the Owlet smart sock is flashing green, it is your time to set back and relax before the baby wakes up again when in need of your attention. There is no Owlet Smart sock alert or your baby does not need your or you are not being alerted by the base station as the breathing rate and the oxygen level are alright. This means the Owlet smart sock heart rate range is not too high or too low.
3. Flashing Yellow:
Have you seen your Owlet Smart Sock flashing yellow like the one shown in the picture below?

When you see flashing yellow on your base station, don’t worry, the sensor just can’t get an accurate reading, that’s why the circular/ring base station is flashing yellow. It does the chime still – one of the little babies. It is usually because of the smart sock falling off or due to poor placement. When out or range, you may also see the flashing light and the app indicating ‘connecting’. Try to get closer to the sensor or try to remove any thick obstruction that may be blocking or interfering with the Owlet signal.
4. Blue Flashing:
You may also this when the base station loses connection to wifi or maybe out of the Bluetooth range of 100 ft. and gives blinking blue with chimes to the tune of hush little baby.
5. Red Flashing and Sound Alarms:

When you see the Owlet Smart Sock blinking red, the readings of your baby’s vital signs are outside the normal range. Owlet Smart Sock red light is not necessarily a bad thing and does not necessarily mean your baby has stopped breathing.
Don’t be alarmed to think that your baby may have had SIDs. The Owlet Smart Sock red alarm should, however, get your attention as the heart rate of your baby may be out of range. The first thing you do when you see the blinking red on the Owlet’s base station should be to check the reading of the Owlet Smart Sock 2 App. When flashing red, the app is properly connecting to the sensor but the heart rate may be out of the set range.
In the picture above, the reading of 60 may be considered low for a healthy baby and the Owlet Smart Sock reading of 220 may be considered too high. The heart rate range parameters of 60 to 220 cannot be adjusted but to give you flexibility, Owlet allows you to adjust sensitivity to different heart rate levels. This allows you to adjust the sensitivity for flashing yellow and flashing blue alerts. The alert for too high or too low heart rates cannot be adjusted as that is what Owlet is meant to alert you for.
The table below shows you the meaning of alerts when the Owlet Smart Sock reading is below 60 (too low heartbeat rate), between 60 and 220 and, 220 and above (too high heartbeat).
Reading on Owlet Smart Sock 2 | Below 60 Beats per Minute (BPM) | 60 to 220 Beats per Minute (BPM) | Above 220 Beats per Minute (BPM) |
What this means: | Your baby needs your attention, the heartbeat is low and you’ll see a flashing red | Your baby is doing great as the heartbeat is within the normal range. You may see flashing green | Your baby’s heartbeat is high and needs your attention as the BPM is out of the normal range. You will see flashing red alert |
The table above has the recommended heartbeat rate for a baby using Owlet at various months. Heart rate or oxygen levels are outside the pre-set range. This is when the vital signs are out of the set normal range – The rings turn red and it rings an alert instead of the chimes to the turn of hush little baby. The heartbeat rate may be low when your baby is asleep. As your baby grows the heart rate also decreases. The heart rate may also go up and may receive the flashing light alert when the baby is feeding.
The Owlet Smart Sock Oxygen level preset range is 80 to 100. For oxygen readings, anything below 94 should be of concern but 95 and above are considered normal. Below 94 may indicate a lack of oxygen may be because of blockage in the airwaves or the lungs are congested. Any reading below 80 is absolutely bad and you should attend to your baby immediately.
Normal oxygen concentration in blood is 89% but various conditions may prevent it from going above or below this 89% mark. You should, however, be concerned if it drops below 80%.
The picture below illustrates the color options for different alerts of Owlet Smart Sock 2. Remember the notifications you receive on your phone station so you only receive notifications through the app or through the base stations at different times of the day. If you are a parent who likes to sleep and does not like getting disturbed by phone notifications at night, you can adjust the settings so you only receive phone notifications during the day and base station notifications at night.
Owlet Smartphone App: Owlet Connected App
Which App should you download for Smart Sock 2?
You should get the Owlet Connected App for free on Appstore or on Google Playstore. Make sure you chose the new Owlet Connected App which has just over 10,000 downloads on Google Playstore as of July 2019. The new App is called Connected App and the old one was called the Owlet Care App. The new App is what you need to download as it supports Owlet Cam, the video baby monitor launched by Owlet in 2019. Trying to find the App for Owlet Smart Sock 2? Use the links above to get the Android App that works with all Android devices such as Samsung or download the iOS App for Apple devices. Prior to 2019, the Owlet Connected App was paid (and not free) but there was a lot of pushback that made Owlet remove the fees associated with cloud storage and that’s how we got the Owlet Smart Sock for free, or rather the Owlet Smart Sock App.
The new Owlet app is very simple, easy to set up, and by all means very minimalistic. There is one main page that allows you to swipe and get more details on the baby’s breathing rate and oxygen levels.
Owlet Smart Sock Battery
Owlet Smart Sock sensor that is attached to the sock is powered by a coin-cell rechargeable battery that is included when you purchase Owlet. You should however not confuse that with what powers the base station. The owlet base station is powered by electricity and needs to be plugged into work. The Sensor’s batteries are similar to those you see in wristwatches and at one point I actually thought they were the same. It takes about 3 hours to fully charge and should last for about 18 hours according to Owlet’s marketing materials. Owlet’s batteries have actually been a disappointment to many parents (read further on the Owlet’s Cons below).
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Pros and Cons
Pros
- The monitor gives parents peace of mind and quality sleep knowing they will be alerted anytime the baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels are out of the preset range
- A wireless design which eliminates the risk of entanglement
- It does not need Wifi connection to transmit to the base station, only for the Owlet app
- The Sock is soft and comfortable on the baby’s foot
- The Sock is free from harmful chemicals
- The Sock is easily washable
Cons
- It is expensive ($249.00) – actually no longer available on Amazon
- Some customers complain that despite claiming 100 feet connectivity, the monitor loses connection frequently, even within a few feet
- Some customers have complained that the monitor failed to connect to the app completely
- The Sock does not fit some babies properly
- The loud alarm and flashing alerts due to disconnection can be very annoying especially at night
- The app does not always update the stats in time
- Sometimes the sensor fails to charge even when plugged in
Can I use Owlet for Twins?
Unfortunately, the Owlet smart sock is not really meant for twins as it comes with one sensor. This is despite Owlet coming with 3 socks. Apparently, the sensor in the Sock is the most expensive part of the Smart Sock and they couldn’t sell 3 sensors and 3 socks. If you plan to monitor twins as I do, you should consider buying two units of Owlet Smart Sock 2.
The genius of Owlet smart sock 2 is in the sensor device that is attached to the center (dome) of the smart sock. The device sends red pulses, just like the hospital pulse-oximetry, and reads the baby’s heartbeat and oxygen levels. Each smart sock has two diodes that emit a red pulse into the baby to get the reading that you need.
At the back of the base station, there is wifi and sock LED lights that basically show if the connection is established between the base station and the sock. When the base station is charging the sensor, the base station light turns to white as indicated above.
Owlet smart sock 2 uses Bluetooth, and not wifi, to transmit signals from the smart sock to the base station. In fact, this process can happen without wifi or Owlet Smart Sock 2 can function without wifi. However, if you want to receive alerts on your phone, you need a wifi connection.
Owlet Smart Sock is only used for infants – below 18 months. There is nowhere in the manual and Owlet has never communicated Owlet smart sock for adults or for people with epilepsy. You should only use the smart sock strictly and Only monitor your baby’s heartbeat and oxygen levels.
Can You Wash The Sock?
A very common question revolves around if you can wash Owlet Smart Sock 2 and how to wash it. To answer the first part, yes you can wash Owlet Smart Sock 2. Also, you should wash the sock once a week. Your baby can wear the same sock for up to 7 days and when you wash it, remove the sensor first and store it somewhere where it cannot come in contact with water. Put mild washing detergents on a basin and let the sock soak for a few minutes before rinsing it gently using your hands. Rinse it with clean water to remove all the detergents and allow it to dry in the air without putting it in the dryer.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Vs Smart Sock 1

My friend was part of the group of parents who use the Owlet beta in the Summer of 2015 and we couldn’t wait for the release of Owlet Smart Sock 1 in October 2015. An improved and better-designed Owlet Smart Sock 2, the second generation of the same Smart Sock was released to the market on March 2nd, 2017, and I have used at least 3 sets of Owlet Smart Socks 2. Like many other parents who had enjoyed the first generation, despite its glitches, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the OSS 2. Below is a picture of the improved Smart Sock 2:
As of September 2019, there is anticipation, and mothers across America are wondering when Owlet Smart Sock 3 will be released. As per the communications from Owlet, the company behind this pioneering pulse-oximetry technology, Owlet Smart Sock 3 was released in 2020.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 was released 17 months after Owlet Smart Sock 1 and the major difference between the first and the second generation is design, accuracy, and app functionalities. Owlet Smart Sock 2 has a better design and fits well to the baby’s feet without falling resulting in fewer false alarms. Owlet Smart Sock 1 had several false alarms as it kept falling off the baby’s feet.
The comparison table below has more details on the difference between Owlet Smart Sock 1 and 2:
Owlet Smart Sock 2 | Owlet Smart Sock 1 |
Released to the market in March 2017 | Released to the market in October 2015 |
Better design that remains attached to the baby’s foot and is less likely to fall off as shown in the picture above | The poor design was prone to falling off the baby’s foot and it sent several false alerts (yellow notifications) |
Available for sale in several retail outlets including online stores such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart | No longer available on sale. |
Can be worn by the baby on either foot | Sock 1 was not universal and each foot worked with its sock |
Very breathable with open toe | Not very breathable |
12 times longer Bluetooth range compared to the original smart sock | Shorter Bluetooth range |
An additional antenna in the base to improve connectivity | No antennae |
Stronger and sturdier base | Base not made of strong hardware |
Washable | Washable |
Better App reporting | Poor App reporting |
The video below describes the great features of Owlet Smart Sock 2.
Below is a short video we could find to describe Owlet Smart Sock 2:
Ready for third-generation Owlet Smart Sock already?
Owlet Smart 2 has been on sale in major retail outlets for the past 28 months since its release in March 2017. There were significant improvements in the second generation Smart Sock and expect to see more improvements in the Owlet Smart Sock 3.
So, when should your baby stop using Owlet?
The question of when to stop using Owlet can be tricky. If your baby has any respiratory-related infection/problem you should use Owlet as long as it takes. The 18-months recommendations are for healthy babies.
How much does Owlet Smart Sock weigh?
The Owlet Smart Sock packaging weighs 1.3 pounds (~0.6 kg) altogether but the Smart Sock itself weighs less than 0.02 pounds which is an equivalent of 0.009071847 kg (approximately 0.01 kg). This is very light and ideal for an infant and this weight should not worry any parent wondering whether the weight of the sock is too high.
Smart Sock FDA Approval & Reliability/Accuracy of Owlet
So, is the Owlet Smart Sock FDA approved? No.
Owlet Smart Sock is not a medical device and does not fall under the purview of medical devices that FDA regulates and approves. While Owlet Smart Sock uses the same technology used by pulse oximetry devices found in hospitals, Owlet is not the same as a hospital pulse oximeter and should not be as a medical device or in place of a hospital pulse oximeter. FDA has not approved Owlet Smart Sock for use in medical settings or applications.

Reuters also ran a story in 2018 with the headline, “Consumer baby monitors may get vital signs wrong”. The article basically described how Owlet Smart Sock had given inaccurate readings. The article quotes a study done by a team led by Dr. Chris Bonafid of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The study compared Baby Vida and Owlet’s performance and showed that Owlet missed sending alerts on 9 occasions.
Below is a quote from Reuters explaining the Owlet Smart Sock inaccuracy”
” The Owlet device missed 9 occasions in which the baby’s oxygen saturation was alarmingly low, accurately caught low oxygen saturation 71 times and falsely sounded the alarm 26 times. The Baby Vida missed 102 occasions in which the baby’s oxygen saturation was too low, but it never sounded an alarm when nothing was wrong. It did, however, often falsely display low pulse rates.”
Linda Caroll, Reuters, August 2018
Prior to this article, the American Academy of Pediatrics also came out strongly against Owlet Smart Sock in 2017. As part of their safety guidelines to prevent SIDs, the Academy and doctors who reviewed Owlet Smart Sock warned parents against relying on it to prevent SIDs and even went to the extent of claiming that Owlet Smart Sock is a dangerous device. Owlet, however, has a disclaimer here where they specifically warn:
WARNING: The Smart Sock is not a medical device. It is not intended for use as a medical device or to replace a medical device. It does not and is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, alleviate or prevent any disease or health condition or investigate, replace or modify anatomy or any physiological process.
The Owlet Smart Sock is meant for healthy babies up to 18 months of age and the notification thresholds on the Owlet Smart Sock are not as stringent as a medical monitor.
Owlet
In 2017, the National Center for Biotechnology published research done by doctors who had reached out to parents of 47,495 newborns who had used Owlet Smart Sock 2. You can read the report here.
The report was made following a study of newborns over a period of close to two years – It started in October 2015 and ended in May 2017. The report is better summarized with this sentence from the research’s abstract:
“A total of 94% of parents reported a better quality of sleep (because of Owlet Smart Sock). The fast and continuous pace of device adoption and reported experience suggest excellent parental acceptance of the OSS. Prospective studies are warranted to further evaluate its applications in the high-risk newborn population. “
Global Pediatric Health, 2017
If you are asking or wondering, is Owlet Smart Sock worth it, you should know that over 94% of parents who have used it reported better sleep and that thousands of parents across America have accepted this clinically-proven pulse oximeter? You are not an exception. Owlet is totally worth it and I personally recommend it to any parent raising an infant.
You can read our SIDs safety prevention tips on breathing baby monitors page.
CBS even ran a story following the research:
Owlet responded with a snapshot of its results of accuracy testing which can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov here.
The snapshot below was presented by Owlet through its CEO who argued that Owlet was reliable and was only meant for home use.

What does this mean and is the Owlet safe? Owlet is safe and even though the Smart Sock may have missed alerting parents on some occasions, it is fair to state that it is far more accurate than the current alternatives in the market such as Baby Vida which missed sending alerts 72 times during the same study. In terms of microwave radiation, the EMF level as indicated below is very minimal compared to mainstream baby monitors. If you are still wondering whether it actually works, you can try to read all the reviews of Owlet on Amazon and hear parents tell of what they like best about Owlet. In brief, Owlet actually works and has been credited to have saved lives numerous times.
The video below shows that there is little variation between Owlet Smart Sock readings from hospital pulse-oximetry which essentially goes to attest Owlet as the most accurate vital-signs baby monitor:
Owlet Smart Sock Alternatives & Competitors:
There are 11 other devices that are similar to Owlet Smart Sock but with variance in features.
Regarding Smart Sock and SIDs, I think it is very important to take all the necessary precautions and not to fully rely on Owlet or any of the alternatives below. As a parent, you should still take the necessary SIDs prevention guidelines to make sure your child is safe. Of course, you can choose to go for Owlet Smart Sock alternatives such as:
Baby Vida:
Baby Vida baby monitor is an oxygen monitor and a heart rate monitor that is most similar to Owlet Smart Sock as it has a Sock design and tracks the same vital signs. It was released to the market in July 2015 and was invented by Mollie Evans, a mom who is worried about SIDs. You can read our comparison of Baby Vida and Owlet below.
Babysense Hisense 7
Uses a clip attached to the baby’s blanket/swaddle, onesie and keeps track of the breathing It alerts you if the baby stops breathing.
Rated 3.9/5 by over 130 customers
Angelcare Baby Monitor (AC517)
Uses a sensitive pad placed under the mattress and alerts you if the baby stops breathing for 20 seconds.
You can read the whole review of Angelcare
Rated 3.5/5 by over 70 customers
Monbaby Breathing Monitor
MonBaby breathing monitor sends signals over wifi to a smartphone app, every five seconds. It alerts you if there is an abnormal change in breathing.
MonBaby breathing monitor is an award-winning smart breathing monitor with a 4.2/5 rating on Amazon and it works by attaching it to a baby’s clothing. Its patented snap-on feature allows you to easily attach it to onesies or pajamas. It connects to a smartphone app and lets you know if the baby’s breathing is out of range.
It principally works to alert you of the following:
- Breathing movement
- Body positions
- Fall detection/proximity detection
- Real-time stats and long-term sleep cycle graphs
- Ambient Temperature audible alarm
Unlike Owlet, MonBaby alerts you of the baby’s body positions and alerts you if your baby is in danger of falling down. A number of parents have purchased it with Cubo AI Plus baby monitor, another smart monitor that doesn’t have breath monitoring.
2. Before you purchase it, you can download the app (demo version) and consider all functions and capabilities
3. The device has several sensors for temperature, breathing movement, positioning, and connects to the phone using Wifi and/or Bluetooth
4. It’s relatively cheaper than other breathing monitoring monitors – almost 1/3 cheaper.
Cocoon Cam Plus
This is the latest breathing baby monitor. This release which uses computer vision to track real-time baby’s breathing patterns and rate also sends you the video in HD and has complete baby monitoring and not just breathing.
Snuza Hero (SE)
It vibrates three times and before sending an alarm, unlike Snuza Go which just sends an alarm without vibrating.
Snuza Go
Sends an alarm when the baby’s breathing is out of the normal range
Snuza SE Premium
Miku Baby Monitor
Miku combines computer vision and sophisticated sensors to track the breathing of your baby. It is the most expensive breathing baby monitor that uses advanced sensor fusion technology as opposed to pulse oximetry technology to track the breathing and oxygen levels. Miku was one of the best overall baby monitors of 2022 in 10BabyGear’s review.
While some of the above Owlet’s alternatives may monitor the baby’s breathing and oxygen levels, Owlet stands out and the table below gives an overview of how these other alternatives or competitors of Owlet fair when compared.
The below table summarizes the competitors of Owlet:
Location Of Sensor | Pulse Rate | Respiratory Motion | Pulse Oximetry | Uses App | Check Price | |
Owlet Smart Sock | Sock | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Check Price |
Baby Vida | Sock | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Check Price |
Monbaby | Button | No | Yes | No | Yes | Check Price |
Snuza Pico | Diaper Clip | No | Yes | No | Yes | Check Price |
Sproutling | Leg Band | Yes | No | No | No | Check Price |
Nanit & Nanit Plus | Computer Vision | No | Yes with breathing wear | No | Yes | Check Price |
Sense U | Diaper Clip | No | Yes | No | Yes | Check Price |
Snuza Go | Diaper Clip | No | Yes | No | No | Check Price |
Snuza Hero | Diaper Clip | No | Yes | No | No | Check Price |
AngelCare | Mattress/ Pad sensor | No | Yes | No | No | Check Price |
Miku Baby Monitor | Sensor Fusion | No | Yes | No | Yes | Check Price |
We have analyzed all the above Owlet Smart Sock alternatives and competitors. We also compared all of them in one table on the page with breathing baby monitors and SIDs prevention tips. The above competitors use devices such as clips attached to the diapers or sensor pads placed under the mattress.
To summarize the above table with a comparison of the top 11 breathing baby monitors, Owlet Sock takes the lead as the best breathing monitor. For example, most of the above competitors do not measure Oxygen levels and are used in limited locations as it does not use wifi or Smartphone Apps. Snuza Pico, for example, does not use an App and does not measure the baby’s oxygen levels. Snuza also has a shorter charging cord and may require you to get an extension which may bring strangulation risk at your nursery. Others such as Angelcare, require you to purchase an additional board and do not use an app and therefore do not send you notifications to your phone.
Owlet Smart Sock Vs. Baby Vida Baby Monitor
One of the closest competitors to Owlet Smart Sock is Baby Vida, which is a device closest in make and technology to Owlet. It has the same sock, although with a slightly different design. It was released after Owlet’s pulse oximeter baby monitor.
As of this update in September 2019, it has been rated 2.6/5 on Amazon by over 50 customers. On the other hand, Owlet has been rated 3.9/5 by over 1,100 customers on Amazon.
Below is a snapshot of a picture of a baby wearing a Baby Vida sock to monitor the baby’s oxygen levels.

While Baby Vida also uses Smart Sock and tracks the oxygen level in the blood like Owlet, it has several differences that make it comparable but not quite as good as Owlet. See the table below for exact 3 similarities and 4 distinct differences we found while doing this review:
Feature | Owlet Sock 2 | Baby Vida |
Uses a Smart Sock | Yes | Yes |
Technology | Pulse oximetry | Pulse oximetry |
Sock Location | Foot | Foot and ankle |
Cost | Expensive | Very cheap |
Wifi Required | No | No |
Range | 100 ft. | 60 ft. |
What it measures | Heart rate and oxygen level | Heart rate and oxygen level |
Release to market | March 2017 | July 2015 |
Wireless | Yes | Yes |
Inventors | 6 Owlet team members | Mollie Evans |
Price | Check Price | Check Price |
You can read a more detailed comparison of Owlet and Baby Vida with details such as accuracy and reliability (Link to a comprehensive BMC review and comparison table)
Owlet Base Station Range
The Owlet Sock gets connected to the base station if it is within 100 ft.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Pros and Cons:
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Pros
1. Owlet is Accurate and Reliable
In 2008, Owlet got a lot of criticism from the American Association of Pediatrics with claims that it was inaccurate. The Association through a study warned parents against relying on it. This was despite prolonged testing and Sock adjustments to improve its reliability. In another study to test the reliability of Owlet Sock, researchers engaged over 47,000 newborns who were using the Owlet Smart Sock between 2015 and 2017. The result was shockingly impressive! 92% of the parents indicated that Owlet was very reliable.
Like other parents that have found Owlet to be reliable compared to other oxygen baby monitors such as Baby Vida and Snuza, my number one reason to go for Owlet was because of its reliability and accuracy. Some parents that have complained of too many alerts probably don’t care that the cost of not receiving that red blinking or yellow notification could save a life.
2. Owlet Pioneering Pulse Oximetry Technology In Baby Monitors
Owlet Smart Sock uses a non-invasive technology that can get the readings of a heartbeat and oxygen levels. It does so by emitting a red light to the baby’s skin on the foot and the light detects the vital signs, specifically how much oxygen is in the blood and how fast the heart of the baby is pumping blood.
This technology is life-saving and I usually find that it is not stressed enough. Owlet’s pulse oximetry technology has been around since the 1940s and for more than 7 decades, the technology was confined to hospitals. Like most adults, my first experience with a pulse oximeter was at the hospital. Owlet became the first company to develop, test a reliable pulse oximeter to be used in a home setting. With this technology, I have been able to comfortably tell with confidence that the baby is doing great. No more worries!
Below is a short video of Dr. Antonio explaining what pulse oximetry is:
3. Dual Notification: App and Base Station
You can be alerted by the base station that changes color from green or yellow to red in case your baby needs your attention. You can also receive the alerts on your mobile phone – through the smartphone App – the Owlet App. The second-generation Owlet smart sock 2 has fixed the false alarms and alerts that plagued the old generation smart sock. The smart sock 2 still wraps around the baby’s heel but it also goes over the foot. We’ve used this for over 6 months and our baby hasn’t managed to kick it off and we haven’t had false alarms. The sock design has been improved significantly and should make parents proud that Owlet can be a reliable alerting device in case the baby is in danger or needs care or attention.
Since Owlet is a wifi baby monitor, whatever is happening on the base station, you have the option of being notified on your phone through the Owlet app. When they first released the Owlet app in 2016, it was exclusive to iPhone but they’ve since rolled out the app that works with Android phones such as Samsung.
4. Owlet’s Pulse Oximeter Baby Monitor Has Great Design: Not too tight on the foot & does not fall off
When Owlet announced the release of the second-generation Smart Sock, or the Smart Sock 2, I was among the parents eager to know how the new design would work with my twins. The new design is perfect. Unlike the Smart Sock 1 which easily fell off the baby’s foot triggering yellow notifications, the Smart Sock 2 does not have several false alerts/alarms. This is partly because the Smart Sock 2 is very comfortable and the baby doesn’t even bother kicking it (because it is not too tight and just comfortable). Even for preemies or those babies with little feet, Owlet has step-by-step guidelines on how to make sure the Sock fits the baby and does not fall off. You can opt for the sock recommended for those aged 1 month or lower if the feet are very small. You can also opt for the one recommended for 1 to 3 months old babies and the larger one recommended for 4 to 18 months.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Cons:
1. Sock Durability: The Sock Needs to be Replaced
There have been complaining and have personally had to deal with Owlet’s customer service as my sock could barely last 4 months. Coming to think of it now, it might be that all Owlet did the calculation and found that 4 months for each sock should be best if they offer a warranty of 12 months. This is despite the recommended use being up to 18 months. After the 12 months, I am not sure if Owlet expects you to make another purchase before your Infant is over 18 months. This was my biggest complaint and have had to buy Owlet Smart Sock replacements (sock only) for up to $39 including shipping.
Below is a picture of Owlet smart sock 2 replacement and a link to purchase it on Amazon. As of November 2021, Owlet Smart Sock replacement has been rated 4.8/5 by over 500 customers on Amazon.
Furthermore, it was very difficult for me to find out how to get the replacement as it wasn’t listed on Amazon. I ended up contacting Owlet who assisted me to get the Sock replacement.
3. Owlet Battery Life is Short and Battery Needs Replacement
Owlet indicates on its marketing materials and on its website that the battery life of the sensor in the sock is 18 hours. However, over 20% of the verified reviews we analyzed were complaining of Owlet Sock’s short battery life, as low as a few hours and even minutes. Some parents expressed their frustration that they were receiving low battery alert notifications after using the Smart Sock for just a few hours. This is very disappointing given that Owlet is not cheap or comparable to some affordable breathing baby monitors. If your Owlet battery is faulty or not holding a charge, you should consider getting a replacement before the one-year warranty expires. One of the reasons Owlet has given for shortening battery life is that when the sensor is out of the base station’s range of 100 ft., it keeps trying to reconnect and it uses more power than the battery is designed for.
As of July 2019, Owlet’s replacement battery is not available on major retail outlets such as Amazon or Walmart and you should contact Owlet if the Owlet Smart Sock battery has any of the following three common issues:
- Owlet battery barely holds a charge or drains/dries fast: If the battery keeps dying, then you should definitely go for a replacement. This is a priority because every time the battery is low and the alarm is triggered, the baby is woken up.
- Owlet Smart Sock battery status not showing or just contact
- Owlet smart sock battery not charging
One last thing you should know about the sensor battery is that it remains powered on or it is turned on throughout as long as it is not plugged in the base station.
Owlet Smart Sock Safety and EMF Radiation
Amidst all the criticism that this home-oximetry device has received after studies such as the one by the American Academy of Pediatricians mentioned in the Reuters article above, you may be asking yourself whether Owlet Smart Sock 2 is safe. Then the answer is yes. Owlet smart sock is safe and just like other baby monitors, it has gone through the necessary approvals including the testing of EMF radiation by FCC to ascertain that the radiations levels are within the SAR limits of 4 W/Kg.
Below is a snapshot of the SAR Report that was approved by the FCC in 2016. The report indicates that Owlet passed the testing and had an EMF reading of 0.735 W/kg. You can read more on Owlet’s EMF here.

The reading of 0.735 W/kg is very low, about a quarter of EMF levels emitted by other top baby monitors such as Infant Optics DXR 8 and Vava baby.
You can read the full Owlet’s SAR Report here.
While some parents try to make the EMF level a con/disadvantage of Owlet and they forget the benefits that it comes with. I personally encourage you to get an Owlet if you are expecting a baby or currently raising an infant. The reason why I am not worried about Owlet’s EMF is that its emission levels are the lowest when compared with SNuza Hero and other brands such as and Angelcare. In fact, Angelcare recalled all movement baby monitors with sensor pads in 2013 because of strangulation hazards.
You may be wondering how Owlet Smart Sock EMF level does when compared with other breathing baby monitors such as Snuza and we have a table for you below:
Owlet Smart Sock | Snuza Go | Snuza Hero | |
EMF Radiation Level | 0.735 W/Kg | 1.5 to 3.1W/kg | 1.5 to 3.1W/kg |
You can read more about EMF radiation, its dangers and how to be safe.
Owlet Vs Other Monitors
While Owlet is interchangeably called the Owlet Smart baby monitor or preemie socks, it has a lot of differences when compared with other traditional baby monitors with a few similarities.
The table below summarizes the differences between Owlet and other baby monitors.
Owlet Smart Sock | Other Baby Monitors / (such as Infant Optics DXR 8) |
Does not support 2-way talk | Have two-way talk |
Does not play lullabies | Play Lullabies |
Does not read the room temperature in the baby’s room | Have room temperature sensors |
Does not have humidity sensors | Have humidity sensors |
Does not have video viewing or night vision | Have video viewing and night vision |
Owlet Smart Sock Vs Miku Vs Cocoon Cam
The main difference between Owlet and Miku is the technology the two baby monitors use. Owlet uses pulse-oximetry while Miku uses sensor Fusion technology. Sensor Fusion and Computer vision are both AI-based technologies used in top-tech baby monitors available in the market today. Owlet’s tech does not rely on a camera while Miku relies on image-processing technology as they are not wearable sensing monitors like Owlet.
Until 2019, Owlet had not released a camera or video baby monitor and in February 2019, it released Owlet Smart Sock that comes with a Camera unit. Wit this, Owlet is now comparable to a video baby monitor that tracks breathing and oxygen levels such as Miku. Let however compare these other common competitors that use computer vision, AI and not pulse oximetry, the clinically proven way of tracking breathing and oxygen levels.
If you want to read the comparison of Nanit Plus Vs Owlet, you can read our detailed guide here.
Owlet Smart Sock | Miku and Miku Pro | Cocoon Cam | |
Technology | Pulse Oximetry | Sensor Fusion | Computer Vision |
Video Viewing | No | Yes | Yes |
Contact with Baby | Yes | No | No |
What it Does Best | Monitors oxygen level and heartbeat rate | Tracks baby sleep and breathing rate | Track breathing rate |
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Manual:
You can download a helpful Smart Sock 2 user manual here.
Owlet Smart Sock Technology & Brief History:
Owlet smart sock was invented by a Brigham Young University (Utah) team of six after registering a company called Owlet Care (link to Owlet Care website). In 2013, the start-up won the International Business Model Competition (IBMC) held in Harvard. The patent to baby monitor pulse oximetry was granted to Owlet in March 2015 and they released the first Owlet Smart Sock for sale in October of the same year, 2015. Owlet is currently based in Lehi, Utah, and has been around since 2010.
Below is a picture of the team holding a cheque after winning a start-up IBMC in 2013.

The story of Owlet began with the experience of one of the co-founders who previously worked in a hospital and specifically with the pulse oximetry device. The traditional pulse oximetry in the hospital has a cord that most patients don’t like, despite providing doctors and patients the vital data required to diagnose or to treat certain symptoms. Taner Hodges, the CEO, thought of wireless pulse oximetry – basically a device that can measure the vital signs without cords/wires that regular devices have. Owlet tried selling to nurses and doctors and they failed before they found the baby products niche which they then settled to make a device to monitor the vital signs of babies.
Using the same pulse-oximetry technology, Owlet pioneered a device that can be attached to the baby’s feet to monitor the breathing and oxygen level to prevent respiratory failure. In a home setting, Owlet made the device that allows parents to monitor blood oxygen levels and heart rate and report that to a parent. The parent is alerted in case the vital signs are out of the normal range with the aim of reducing instances of SIDs, the number one cause of infant deaths in the US. For first-time parents, this increases the anxiety of parents a lot. There are about 4 million babies born in the US every year and Owlet stepped up to assist parents to have a better sleep with their innovative device, the Smart Sock.
When Owlet piloted the baby monitor in 2014, 96% of 105 mothers indicated that they’d use the technology and that partly pushed the team to work on the Smart Sock.
Buying Owlet Smart Sock & Its Sale Performance
Owlet Smart Sock 2 is sold by several retailers in the US, Europe, Australia, the UK, and several other countries across the globe. Retailers such as Best Buy, Buy Buy Baby, Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, eBay stock and sell Owlet Smart Sock 2. Amazon is the preferred retailer by many parents and it is currently number 13 in the top 100 best-selling baby monitors selling on Amazon (As of July 2019). It is also the best-selling breathing baby monitor, ahead of all the competitors such as Snuza, Miku and Baby Vida mentioned above.
According to Helium Data, Owlet is shipping about 5000 units per month (as of July 2019). So next time you’re thinking of trying to find a retailer near you, by searching Owlet Smart Sock near me’, you should opt for Amazon as it is Prime eligible which means you may be able to receive it the next day after you order it if you reside in the United States.
If you are into deals for young parents like me, you can wait for Owlet Smart Sock sale, deal or discount code during informal or formal holidays such as Mother’s Day, Christmas (in December), Amazon Prime Day (in July), or Black Friday (in November). You can also keep checking our page on baby monitor deals and keep an eye on Owlet Smart Sock sales or discounts. Who knows, you could come across Owlet smart sock for free.
Owlet Smart Sock’s best price hasn’t been lower than $199. When there is an Owlet Smart Sock 2 sale, parents usually get a chance to save up to $100. In other words, they end up paying $199 instead of its normal price of $299. However, you can get this certified refurbished unit on Owlet’s website for $199. I personally recommend you get Owlet’s certified refurbished units instead of Owlet second-hand units.
Aside from its relatively higher cost compared to its competitors, Owlet’s socks are not durable. You’ll need to occasionally replace the sock at a cost of $40. In fact, you may end up purchasing up to three sets in one year as they are not durable at all. That’s an additional $120. You can contact Owlet using Owlet’s customer service phone number and email below:
Phone Number: (844) 334-5330
Emails: contact@owletcare.com
Owlet’s customer service team that is based in Provo, Utah is great and will guide you accordingly on how to get a replacement sock.
Conclusion:
Having reviewed all the details of how Owlet Smart Sock 2 works, you can probably agree with me now when I make the following conclusion. My most befitting conclusion for this review is that Owlet Smart Sock is the best technology currently available to track the baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels. Having compared Owlet vs Baby Vida, Snuza, Miku, Cocoon Cam, among others, this conclusion is based on the fact that pulse-oximetry is clinically proven to accurately track the vital signs of newborns.
You can check the price of Owlet Smart Sock 2 on Amazon here.
Follow the five steps listed on Owlet’s Smart Sock 2 guide above.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 is not in the purview of FDA jurisdiction as baby monitors are not considered as medical devices. It is therefore not an FDA-regulated device.
Owlet will not transmit audio or video signals if there is no wifi connection. It uses 2.4 GHz wifi to transmit the signals and wouldn’t work otherwise.
According to Owlet, you can view the recorded video by removing the SD card in the back of Owlet cam and playing it on the computer. Owlet SD card will do a max of about 48 hours of video storage and thereafter, it tapes/records over older files.
Owlet cam is not compatible with Amazon Alexa/Echo products. You can read more on Alexa compatible baby monitors here.
The Owlet Cam is designed to be wall-mounted in its magnetic base.
Plug the Owlet SD card into a computer and you review recorded videos for up to 24 hours.
Owlet cam does not send out any notifications. All you can do with Owlet cam is view your baby in real-time
Yes, Owlet cam records 24 hours on an SD card which you can remove and view it using your computer
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
- More info
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.
Owlet Smart Sock 3 Baby Monitor with Oxygen & Heart Rate
1 used from $280.00
Features
- Monitor What Matters — The award-winning Smart Sock tracks your baby’s sleep patterns. View your baby’s sleep trends in the Owlet App from anywhere.
- View Sleep History & Trends — The Smart Sock tracks Baby’s sleep cycles and displays trends over time so you can spot patterns and make adjustments to Baby’s schedule as they grow. Track the total number of hours slept and review a history of light sleep, deep sleep and number of night wakings.
- Check Connection Status — The Base Station glows green when the Smart Sock is connected and notifies with lights and sound if the connection is disrupted.
- Proven Peace of Mind. — Designed for Babies 0-18 months and up to 30 pounds, millions of parents trust the Smart Sock every night to help track their baby’s sleep and enjoy more peace of mind.
- Get a Complete Picture — Upgrade to the Owlet Monitor Duo for the most complete picture of your baby’s well-being while they sleep. The Duo offers the intelligence of our award-winning Smart Sock paired with our Wi-Fi Cam.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor, Green
Features
- Know your baby is okay: Track your baby's heart rate and oxygen levels while they sleep using clinically-proven pulse oximetry, and be notified if something appears to be wrong. Have complete peace of mind knowing you can keep track of your baby's heart rate and oxygen levels from anywhere.
- Worry less and sleep better: The Smart Sock connects to a base station that glows green letting you know everything is okay, but uses lights, sounds and app notifications if heart rate or oxygen levels are too high or too low. Parents can sleep better and have less anxiety knowing they'll be made aware if levels go outside of preset zones.
- Convenient, easy-to-use: Each unit includes 3 washable socks that comfortably wrap around the baby's foot and connect to a base station up to 100 ft. away without wires. Socks fit most infants from 0-18 months or 6-25 pounds and should be hand washed regularly and alternated from right to left foot each night. Always keep the base station at least three feet away from your baby's crib.
- Smart phone app: See real-time heart rate and oxygen levels on multiple phones using Owlet's cloud-connected app. Free iOS & Android apps available. New history tab provides parents with historical trends for heart rate and oxygen and sleep tracking--see how long & how well baby slept.
- Our Promise: Love it or return within 30 days for a full refund, making it a great gift for baby registries and showers or as a gift to new parents. BPA free, latex free, lead free. Owlet app only supports 2.4 GHz wireless router. Only connect to a private network that requires a secure password
Last update on 2023-06-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API