Angelcare began in 1997. They offer a variety of sound, video, and movement products for monitoring babies. The company is located in Canada, the USA, the UK, Europe, and Asia. Angelcare tries to provide peace of mind by helping parents keep tabs on their baby's comfort and well-being.
The AC403 is a sensor pad style of movement monitor that did not have false alarms during our testing after we set the sensitivity level. This adjustment feature can help parents find the best level for their nursery and mattress. We suspect being able to make this adjustment is why we didn't experience any false alarms. Parents should avoid placing the product and crib near any device that could cause false alarms by creating vibration or movement like a heater, air filter, or white noise maker.
The AC403 seems to be one of the most reliable products we reviewed, but some online users have reported false alarms once their baby is old enough to roll into areas not covered by the sensors. We acknowledge that this is definitely possible, but as indicated on several movement product websites, babies that can roll and move have usually developed enough to avoid the issues that lead to lack of breathing during sleep which makes the need for movement monitoring significantly decreased. Depending on your little one and your mattress, you may or may not experience this problem as your baby ages.
We like that the AC403 has AC power and a battery backup. This feature is unique amongst the units we reviewed. Having both energy resources means parents can sleep soundly knowing they have coverage for the night.
A parent unit is a unique component in movement monitors with most of the competition alerting only in the nursery to rouse the baby as you race to turn off the alarm. Pairing a movement product with a sound or video monitor can solve this problem, but it is far more convenient to have a single parent unit that does it all. The inclusion of a dedicated parent unit means you will get immediate alerts, have regular feedback on what is happening in the baby's room, and you can potentially avoid the loud false alarms that can distress a peacefully sleeping little one. A parent unit provides alerts in your location instead of inside the nursery. It gives you constant contact with your baby's room and you avoid loud in-nursery alarms found in some of the competition. Also, one product instead of two is simpler and you don't need to remember to turn on two products every night.
This monitor is fairly straightforward once you familiarize yourself with the features and setup process. Angelcare suppliesuseful user videos in case you get stuck or need an assist. Initially, we found the parent unit somewhat confusing, but once you have the unit set, there isn't much to consider on a day-to-day basis.
The difficulty we experienced with the parent unit is due to the impressive amount of customization during the initial setup. Once we familiarized ourselves with the parent unit, it wasn't a problem. You need to wait to turn the movement monitor on until after little ones are in bed, and you need to turn it offbefore you take your child out of bed. This process prevents the alarm from going off after it senses no movement with no child in the bed.
Set up of the AC403 sensor pad is similar to any sensor pad monitor. The surface under the mattress must be firm with minimal flex to avoid false alarms and for the unit to function properly. The sensor pad is placed under the mattress and the wires from the pad are routed to the nursery unit. Be sure to route the wires out of the baby's reach to avoid potential injury or death related to strangulation. Angelcare recommends placing the nursery unit at least 39" from the crib.
The AC403 is not easy to transport making it a poor choice if you want to travel with it. It has multiple parts and requires more time to set up and a somewhat specialized crib and mattress set up. On the upside, most parents feel less worried about monitoring little ones because you are usually sharing a room.
