Owlet Cam Review

Owlet was co-founded by 4 fathers in 2013 who wanted to use technology to protect their children by creating an at-home pulse oximeter to monitor their baby from a distance. The first Owlet Sock ships about two years later with an international launch two years after that. In 2018, Owlet launches its Wi-Fi camera monitor followed by a pregnancy band in 2019.

Performance Comparison

The Owlet is a Wi-Fi monitor that works with your smart device and Internet connectivity.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Range

With Wi-Fi connectivity you should be able to connect to your baby anywhere you have internet access. This means it has superior range ver dedicated monitors that can be limited by square footage, walls, and other forms of home interference. However, in our tests, the Owlet struggled to stay connected to the Wi-Fi consistently when the competing Wi-Fi monitors didn't have any challenges.

The Owlet was tested for decibel levels in our tests for sound.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Audio / Visual

This monitor has below average sound clarity compared to the competition, but similar to the other Wi-Fi options. Sound may not seem that important when you are buying a video monitor, but don't forget it is the sound of your baby crying that will alert you to look at the video images. Without good sound clarity and features, you could miss your baby cries.

Despite 1080p HD video technology, the Owlet offered subpar video quality in our tests compared to the other Wi-Fi options in our review. With an average score for video, it has more in common with basic dedicated monitors than the impressive Wi-Fi competition that provided clear, true to life images in the day or night. The daytime color is a little off and it has similar distortion trouble as one other Wi-Fi option, but it is the darkest of the Wi-Fi options.

The setup of the Owlet hurt its overall ease of use results as it took us over two hours using the App and we eventually had to initiate setup on a computer instead.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use

This monitor is challenging to use and earned a very low score for ease of use compared to the other options in this review. While it was very easy to set up using the app and the limited features prevent it from getting complicated but that is where the easy to use ends. We had significant problems keeping a Wi-Fi connection over the first week and once it disconnects you need to almost start over to get it going again. In fact, it appears to be a known issue for Owlet and many users complain that the product "doesn't work consistently." Of course, the goal of monitoring your baby is for peace of mind that you will be alerted if he or she needs your attention if you lose connection in the middle of the night. This could happen without your knowledge which could lead to a lack of sleep worrying about the monitor disconnecting without your knowledge.

Battery Life

This camera does not have a battery and must be plugged in to operate. The battery life tests we perform focus on the battery in the parent unit. Wi-Fi monitors rely on your personal device for viewing. Traditionally, smartphones and tablets have longer battery lives than the parent devices that come with dedicated monitors. Of course, this depends on how you use your device, what else it is running and how old it is.

The Owlet comes with a cord containment device to help manage cords and prevent strangulation hazards when mounting.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Features

The Owlet has fewer features than most of the competition and if you want a lot of bells and whistles than it isn't going to meet your needs. It does not have baby-centric features like nightlight or lullabies and it doesn't have sound activation which is our favorite and one we think makes a good monitor even better.

The Owlet rests in the included mounting block but is not adjustable remotely.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

• Works in the background while you use other apps

• Two-Way Talk

• 4x Digital Zoom

• Works with Smart Sock

• Temperature sensor

We test each monitor with n EMF reader so that you can compare the emissions of the Owlet to other monitors.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Levels

All Wi-Fi monitor emit some level of EMF, which is why we test them all under the same conditions so we can compare values to the competition as opposed to saying the readings are absolutes. The Owlet has an average reading of 0.82 V/m with the reader placed 6 ft from the monitor. This is one of the lowest values in the group making it a good choice for parents concerned about EMF exposure. Of course, you can decrease your baby's exposure by placing the monitor as far from the baby as possible without hindering its performance.

The owlet camera cannot be moved remotely.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Security/Privacy Concerns

We would prefer more information and transparency from the company on how they work to prevent hacking and ensure the safety of children.

Manufacturer Video