Angelcare AC327 Review

Launching in 1997, Angelcare was one of the first companies to offer movement monitors to the masses. This Canadian company offers sound, video, and movement monitors for infants.

Performance Comparison

The AC327 comes with video, audio, and movement all in one purchase.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Reliability

Sensor pad movement monitors can often have more false alarms than wearables. The pad can only cover so much area and if your little moves, or rolls out of the coverage zone then the alarm will alert as it no longer sense movement. This may not be an issue when your baby is still an infant, but as they age and begin to shift, roll, and scoot, it could be more of a problem. Some of the other sensor pads we've tested include more than one pad for better overall coverage and fewer false alarms which is why the competition ranks higher in our tests. We didn't experience false alarms while testing, but some users report that it does occur.

The sensor pad on the AC327 is wireless and has adjustable sensitivity for fewer false alarms.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

The breathing pad has adjustable sensitivity to help prevent false alarms, but the alarm happens inside the nursery, so you will be waking your baby if there is a false alarm.

The Angelcare has a dedicated parent device but it feels dated and isn't the most intuitive.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use

The AC327 isn't hard to use, but there is more going on here than with most of the competition. With a parent device with few buttons and adjustable sensitivity on the sensor pad, it isn't a turn-on and walk-away device like some of the competition. We are not big fans of the user interface on the parent device and it feels dated that there are only a handful of buttons that are not intuitive and easy to mix up in the middle of the night. With advances in technology, we feel it shouldn't be too difficult to design a unit with easy-to-use buttons and features.

This monitor includes color video, voice activation, two-way talk, temperature alarm on the parent device, volume control, and low battery alarm.

The AC327 sensor pad requires a hard surface to rest on and not all mattresses are compatible. The pad is adjustable to help avoid false alarms from any nearby device that causes vibrations.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Set Up

The monitor requires more setup than some of the wearable options and has more parts than any other option in our review. With a parent device, camera, and sensor pad there are simply more components you need to deal with than some options that clip on baby's clothes and are good to go. While you don't need to pair the parent device like monitors of old, it does require mattress and bed set up, sensor pad positioning, camera installation, and ensuring a connection between the camera and the parent device.

Portability

While this sensor pad is more portable than those with wires to worry about it still isn't the best choice for travel where you can't control the kind of sleep surface you'll encounter. Because this monitor requires a hard surface to sit on and is only compatible with some kinds of mattresses, you may not be able to use it with every hotel crib or friend's mattress. If you need to take it to grandma's where you know the setup will work, then a setup without wires is arguably easier.

Electromagnetic Field (EMF)

The Angelcare AC327 emits more EMF than the previous Angelcare options we've tested. This is likely a direct result of the wireless pad compared to the previous version's wired pad. While fewer wires around a baby crib are safer, the higher level of EMF might give you pause. While the jury is still out on the cumulative effects of EMF on developing systems, we believe less is better and err on the side of caution when we can. The AC327 emitted 0.9 V/m compared to the previous version we tested with EMF of 0.7V/m. Similar higher ranking sensor pad monitors have EMF levels of 0.4 in our tests as well.

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