Since 1997, Angelcare has been providing parents with unique products designed to provide peace of mind for parents with newborns. Angelcare continues to strive for innovative, research-based designs that help keep babies safe and supported. Angelcare has received various awards related to user experience and overall quality. With a goal to reduce the stresses of infant care with a constant connection, Angelcare is there to help.
The comparison chart provides an overview of the overall scores for each sound monitor in this review. The Angelcare AC401 came in second to the last place of 9 products.
The sections outlined below include information on how this Angelcare performed during testing. Metric results were used to calculate the overall score with an emphasis on sound clarity.
The AC401 earned a 7 of 10 for sound clarity. The AC401 has a maximum decibel level of 99.8db. The sound is a little loud and somewhat distorted, though not as bad as the Summer Infant Baby Wave. Overall, it has nice clarity of sound but it breaks up frequently and required regular channel changes which aren't convenient in the middle of the night when you need it most. The sound is a little bright, but not offensive.
This unit also features noise filtering (VOX mode) which worked really well compared to the competition and managed to keep the parent unit silent unless baby started making noise. This feature is a big deal for ensuring quality parent sleep. Without it, you could be listening to white noise or worse all night long which can prevent a restful night's sleep.
The AC401 earned a 3 of 10 for ease of use. The AC401 has a lot going on that make it harder to use than the competition. This unit earned the lowest score in the metric and had testers frustrated by the multiple button pushing. As a testament to the complexity, Angelcare offers eight instructional videos on Youtube to help parents work the parent unit.
Setting up the AC401 was trickier than it should have been. After plugging in the units there was a lot of beeping that didn't seem to have a cause, though it could have been because we weren't using the movement monitor. After touching the parent unit it went into “hold mode” and the beeping stopped. We had to use the manual to adjust the volume, which should be the easiest thing next to turning it on.
This is definitely the most difficult monitor to use. While many of the features will be set and forget so you won't be changing them often, everything requires the manual to figure out and many of the adjustments require pressing multiple buttons. While more features usually translate to harder to use, this one has a user interface that isn't user-friendly. If you are looking for straightforward, this is not the unit for you. We worry night time sleep-deprived parents will be frustrated by the parent unit and struggle to use the basic features as intended.
The AC401 earned an 8 of 10 for range with the longest range in the review. Eight is the high score for range and it ties with the Summer Infant Baby Wave.
The manufacturer claims a range of 820 feet. BabyGearLab testers were able to use the monitor in an open line of sight for up to 900 ft. The connection wasn't constant, however, and we did experience interruptions in sound making it harder to test even at close range. At 350 ft, the lost connection beep started going off and after 750ft, the connection was very sporadic with the last 150 ft being touch and go.
If you need a long range monitor for your home, the AC401 may be the best option. During testing, the connection worked through 9 walls and up to 160 ft inside the home. This is the most walls and greatest distance for any of the options we tested. This may vary somewhat in each home depending on construction materials and potential interference caused by other appliances.
The AC401 earned a 4 of 10 for battery life. The AC401 parent unit uses AAA batteries and is not rechargeable, though you can buy rechargeable AAA batteries to save money. ON average it lasted about 21 hours before the batteries died. This may vary depending on how often baby makes noise and whether or not you use the noise filtering feature that will save batteries.
Twenty-one hours is a long time and more than acceptable for most needs, but several other monitors offered longer battery run times in excess of 25 hours and the VTech DM221 worked for up to 46 hours on average making it a good option for parents concerned about battery life.
The AC401 earned a 7 of 10 for features offering a complex array of options including movement monitor (we did not test this feature in this review).
The AC401 comes with a temperature sensor that is fairly accurate with only a 2-degree variation from real room temperatures in our testing. It has battery backup in the child unit which is rare and it features adjustable mic sensitivity and sound activation, a feature we think is a must have for a good night's sleep.
This monitor does not have two-way talk to baby, which is not a deal breaker, but it is a feature some parents consider a must have.
Other Angelcare AC401 features include:
This Angelcare option has an average EMF reading of 0.86 V/m at 6 ft from the unit (without the movement component). This is the second-lowest reading in the review, above the Angelcare AC420. You can decrease your baby's exposure further by unplugging the product when not in use and place the monitor as far from the crib as possible.
