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Angelcare AC701 Review

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Angelcare started trading in 1997 and based in Canada. They are known for making baby monitors, which have a memorable ‘halo’ night-light.

They also manufacture other baby products such as bathing solutions and nappy disposal systems. They sell millions of products a year. They know how to make baby products and make your life easier!

The Angelcare AC401 two in one movement and sound baby monitor helps you listen out for your baby as they sleep in their cot. It has two frequencies and eight channels for clear sound transmission. This helps reduce interference from other electronic gadgets.

The portable parent unit has a handy LCD colour screen. This displays the temperature of the baby’s room. Please note this is an analogue baby monitor.

For other Angelcare baby monitor models to compare to look at the:

Angelcare AC701 Review

The parent unit comes with a 1.3 inch (3.3 cm) full colour display screen. This screen shows various settings and readings from the nursery unit. For example, you can see a visual sound indicator (lights indicate sound levels) if you have the monitor sound muted.

The Angelcare AC401 also monitors the temperature in the room your baby is in. The parent unit displays the temperature so you will know if they are too warm or cold. You will hear an alarm if the temperature is too high or low.

Sound

The unit comes equipped with voice activated sound monitoring. This means sound transmission between the nursery and parent unit is automatically triggered when sound is detected, even low-level noises.

To save battery power, if no sound is detected after ten seconds the unit will automatically switch off sound transmission. Sound transmission will automatically be switched back on when sound is detected in the baby’s room. You won’t miss a thing.

When you need to feed or change your baby in the night, the sound and movement alarm can be turned off. Remember to switch it off otherwise others in your household will be woken up by the movement sensor alarm. It’s quite loud!

You can monitor your baby with parent unit sound muted. If you have to turn off the sound for a few minutes, you will see a visual representation of sound detected in your baby’s room. There is an optional ‘tic’ sound feature. This helps reassure you that the baby monitor is working when no sound is detected.

Signal

The AC401 comes with a combination of eight channels and two frequencies. You can switch between the different channels and frequencies. This allows you to reduce and/or stop interference from other baby monitors or electronic gadgets. The monitor can send a signal up to 250 metres, dependant on the size and structure of your home. An alarm will sound if the signal is broken or the nursery and parent unit go out of range.

Movement sensorpad

The unique feature of this baby monitor is the movement sensorpad. This is placed under the mattress and detects movement of your baby. It can detect the slightest movement, such as breathing. If your baby does not move or breathe for 20 seconds, you will be alerted with a warning sound. You can change the sensitivity of the sensorpad to minimise false alarms.

The built-in ‘halo’ night-light helps you check on your baby without the need to switch on other lights. It also acts as a soothing night-light, helping your baby go to sleep.

Batteries or mains operated

If there is a power failure, the AC401 will work from battery power automatically. You must have batteries in both units, obviously!

The parent unit can be moved about your home or attached to a belt. When fully charged the parent unit can last up to eight hours. It’s helpful that you can choose to power it from the mains or by batteries. This prevents you and the baby monitor being stuck in rooms only with a power socket.

Any downsides?

There are a few things to make you aware of, but nothing major to worry about. The movement sensorpad can experience a few false alarms if you don’t set it up correctly. Do not use it in a moses basket. Also, do not use with a memory foam mattress. This is covered in the instructions, but please be aware of this.

The battery life is stated as eight hours for the parent unit. In reality general feedback is that you will get between four and eight hours dependant on the type of batteries you use. Bit obvious really. We suggest you use good quality rechargeable batteries.

The other ‘downsides’ to mention are that a couple of minor features are missing, that newer digital baby monitors of this price range come with. It doesn’t have two-way talkback facility, or built in lullabies. Not the end of the world, and I’m being picky mentioning these.

Angelcare AC401 Baby Monitor Main Features

  • Eight channels and two frequencies
  • Up to 250 metre range
  • Movement sensor pad and alarm
  • Adjustable sensor pad sensitivity
  • ‘Tic’ movement function
  • Temperature control
  • Full colour 1.3 inch (3.3 cm) display screen
  • Night light
  • Volume control and alarm
  • Voice activated sound transmission
  • Two-way talk facility
  • Out of range indicator
  • Vibration alarm
  • Mains power and battery power
  • Low battery indicator

Pros

The Angelcare AC401 analogue baby monitor has good sound quality and picks up most noises. This is dependant on the sound sensitivity option you choose. The voice activated function is useful when you don’t want or need to hear every little murmur. The multiple frequency options help keep interference to a minimum. It is quite simple and easy to set up. But, have a read of the instructions first.

The movement sensorpad is very useful and picks up minimal movement of your baby, such as of breathing. Remember to switch it off when feeding or changing your baby, especially at night. You won’t be thanked in the morning if you forget!

The temperature sensor alarm is a great feature too. You will be alerted if your baby’s room is too cold or hot. Along with the blue ‘halo’ night-light and excellent build quality, the AC401 has a good wealth of useful features.

Cons

In addition to the ones listed in the downsides section above, one other issue to mention is the false alarms than may happen. If you use the movement sensor in a moses basket, or in a cot with a foam mattress, then expect false alarms. The instructions say don’t do this.

To minimise false alarms in a standard cot or bed (with standard mattress), it is advisable to place a sturdy and slim piece of wood under the mattress. Quite a few have said when they did this, the instances of false alarms reduced and/or stopped.

Summary

The Angelcare AC401 is a very good baby monitor.

It looks good, and is fairly easy to set up. It has a good array of features such as the movement sensorpad, the recognisable blue halo night-light on the nursery unit and temperature control. With an out of range indicator, good sound quality and dependable signal range there aren’t many features it doesn’t have.

Our only hesitation, along with the fear of the odd false alarm (they happen to all baby monitors with movement sensors, not just this one), is the fact this is an analogue baby monitor. The world has moved on, and the majority (if not all) new baby monitors produced are digital.

However, the sheer weight of excellent reviews on Amazon UK and fact it’s a no fuss sound and movement baby monitor, means we can highly recommend the Angelcare AC701 as one of our good baby monitors to buy.

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