Angelcare AC1200 Video Movement and Sound Monitor for Smartphone

By Published On: April 10th, 2014

For the busy, tech-savvy, at-work or at-home parent, the Angelcare […]

For the busy, tech-savvy, at-work or at-home parent, the Angelcare AC1200 Video Movement and Sound Monitor for Smartphone is worth considering. Imagine going on a date night with your spouse. You text the babysitter asking if baby is asleep (because really you can’t turn your mind off the schedule you’ve worked so hard to establish) then scroll to the Angelcare app to peek at your sweet resting angel. Don’t worry, babysitter can also watch in on your little one from the living room. Baby’s grandmother might want to tune in as well. One monitor in the nursery and up to four devices can tune in at the same time. You can watch your little one sleeping—or even speak to him—from anywhere in the world. You don’t even need an internet connection because the nursery unit can act as a wireless router.
AngelcareAC1200-1The set up is quite simple. The package contains two items: the monitor for the nursery and the sensor pad. You download the Angelcare app to your smartphone, tablet or computer, turn on the monitor, hold the monitor and your phone six inches apart from one another, wait 30 seconds and voila! You have your connection.
The instructions repeatedly emphasize maintaining a distance of three feet between the crib and monitor. That might make deciding where to put the monitor a challenge as the electrical cord is not very long. I thought using the included AAA batteries would allow the wireless monitor to work wire…less, but that’s not the case. Camera video and audio are not available while the camera runs on batteries.  Movement monitoring and the alarm are the only functions that work on batteries.
Once you have the devices synched, you will find a myriad of cool options in the Angelcare app to adjust the monitor to your liking. The camera in the monitor moves up and down so that you can find just the right angle to your crib.
There is a soft night-light that glows in the outline of the angel-shaped monitor. One afternoon as I was on the front porch with my toddler, I found it hard to see my son on the monitor, so I was able to switch to a night vision setting and see him clearly.
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Speaking of a clear image, the image on your phone is crystal clear. You have the option as well to take photos or videos of your little one sleeping without even walking into the room. You do it from the app. You can adjust speaker volume within the app of not only the sound coming from baby’s room but also you speaking into the monitor. You may even choose to play a lullaby that you have already downloaded on your phone.
All of these features are done via your smartphone or tablet without walking into the baby’s room once. Your battery will run down quicker because of constant streaming vide,o but you can pause the camera at any time. The only negative of the monitor is that it occasionally disconnects without any apparent reason.
AngelcareAC1200-3The second item is the sensor pad. You place it under the mattress on a hard board and then instructions are provided on the proper way to thread the cord to the back of the crib and down to the floor so that baby cannot reach it. To prevent a strangulation hazard, the cord has been fitted with a protective covering. It then plugs into the back of the monitor.
If the baby hasn’t moved after 20 seconds, an alarm sounds both in the baby’s room as well as on my phone, so I know to go in and check on him. The sensitivity of the sensor pad can be adjusted, but it’s worth noting that although it detects movement, it does not claim to monitor whether breathing is irregular.
Also of note: The Angelcare AC1200 Video Movement and Sound Monitor won the 2013 Good Design Award out of 700 monitor entries for innovative design, seamless user experience and ability to enrich the lives of users through design.
I love the ability to see my baby from anywhere in the world via the Angelcare app and am grateful for the peace of mind this monitor brings me.
Price: $299
To buy: angelcarebaby.com (Coming soon!)