Angelcare AC417 Video, Wireless Movement and Sound Monitor review

At a glance:

This clever baby monitor has all the gadgets you could need, including movement sensors, a colour touch screen, two-way communication and a temperature display. We like the option to rotate and zoom the camera – a great feature if you’ve got twins.

What they say:

“Angelcare’s AC417 touch screen movement, video and sound baby monitor has a wireless movement sensor pad with activity tracking which reports on your baby’s movement levels for the ultimate peace of mind.”

Tested by mum Nicola Vickery for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:

Would you recommend this to other mums?

I would definitely recommend this monitor to other mums! As a first-time mum myself, I was sure I wanted a video monitor and this one did not let me down. It is easy to use after the initial set up and the sensor mat that comes with the product is a real God send when it comes to putting your mind at ease.

How did this product make your life easier?

The camera is very clear and bright and the wide screen means you can see everything very clearly. If my baby makes a noise I can see what the problem is straight away and can watch to make sure he has found his dummy or teddy.

Would you choose this product to win?

I would choose this product to win over others that I have used or seen because of the large, bright, clear screen. The sensor mat is a huge selling point for me as I was extremely nervous about putting my baby into his own room. We changed the settings on the monitor so that the screen stays on all of the time and the battery life is great – it lasted eight hours with the screen on all the time.

What changes would you make to this product?

The instructions in the box could be more in depth, and I have found the sound quality crackly when the volume is turned up to the full level, however it has not stopped me hearing my baby. Overall, we absolutely love this monitor and highly recommend it to other parents.

Tested by mum Louise Traynor for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:

Would you recommend this to other mums?

I would recommend this baby monitor to fellow mums mainly because of how easy it is to use and set up. I’m terrible with technology but managed to set this up in ten minutes! It has a number of functions I did not expect such as the room temperature display and the two-way talk, both of which are really handy. I was dubious about the movement sensor at first, thinking the alarm would go off every few minutes, yet this monitor is so sensitive it can sense her breathing!

How did this product make your life easier?

Like all mums, I constantly worry about my daughter and this product definitely gives me peace of mind. The Angelcare monitor allows me to hear my daughter clearly if she needs me and I can see her clearly too, even during the night thanks to the night vision mode.

Would you choose this product to win?

After using the Angelcare A417 baby monitor, I would definitely choose to purchase it given the choice and if I were to have any more children in the future I would use this again, or stay with this brand. When I first saw the price of the monitor, I thought it seemed a bit expensive however after using it for four weeks, including on a caravan holiday, I would happily pay the price.

What changes would you make to this product?

Overall, I cannot fault this product – it does exactly what it says on the box. However, if I had to choose one thing to improve, it would be the battery life. I had the monitor on charge most nights and found that if I had used the monitor during the day, I would need to leave it on charge during the night. This isn’t a huge problem for me, as I have a power socket by my bed so can keep it next to me charging, however it could be irritating if you didn’t have this option.

Tested by mum Sarah Welsh for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:

Would you recommend this to other mums?

I love the fact that this monitor can be wall or ceiling mounted, or used as a standalone device – I have, on occasion, moved it from my baby’s cot into the room of my naughty toddler! It’s very portable and easy to use and the battery life on the parent unit is great. You can also plug it in to a laptop or tablet to charge, which increases its portability in that you don’t need to rely on a plug socket.

How did this product make your life easier?

I love the fact that the product means I can see, hear and virtually feel my baby from another location. It’s made my life an awful lot easier as a mum with other little ones, as it means that I can put my other children to bed without the worry of not knowing what’s going on in my baby’s room. The monitor was particularly reassuring when it came to moving my baby into her cot from her Moses basket – always a worrying time for parents!

Would you choose this product to win?

I loved this product and it has really made a positive difference to my parenting, which is saying something considering this is baby number four! The sense of reassurance it gives by combining audio, visual and movement is outstanding and we were amazed at the clarity of the video picture, even in total darkness.

What changes would you make to this product?

The only thing I would improve is maybe to minimise the interference noise if both the baby unit and parent unit are close to each other.

Tested by mum Gemma Wakefield for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:

Would you recommend this to other mums?

This is an overcomplicated monitor, which I personally thought was a bit too much. The features are really advanced which made me worry slightly that I hadn’t set it up right, but the video quality is really good and even when the lights are off, we were able to see our daughter shuffling around in her bed.

How did this product make your life easier?

This is the monitor for you if you want total peace of mind while your baby sleeps, with the added benefits of learning ‘how’ your baby sleeps with all the activity data you can access.

Would you choose this product to win?

Although I thought the monitor was a little expensive and over engineered, the design is really good – it’s an attractive monitor and it does work very well. I think overall, Angelcare do have a really trusted reputation when it comes to monitors and all of their products are attractively designed.

What changes would you make to this product?

I think the price is too high for most families and a more sensitive LCD screen would be good. I’d also really like the parent monitor to have a docking case rather than a cable that goes straight into the unit as we could then automatically charge the unit when we placed it in the dock.

Tested by mum Adrienne Troughton for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:

Would you recommend this to other mums?

This monitor has it all! I’d definitely recommend it to other mums as an essential piece of baby equipment because it offers complete piece of mind for nighttime sleeping. It makes life with a baby much easier as it reduces the fear of SIDS, plus, it enables you to get on with other things whilst your baby is asleep.

How did this product make your life easier?

Life is definitely easier with this product – I can spend more time with my older child now as I am happy to leave my baby sleeping in a different room. I was worried at first that my baby’s cot mattress would be too thick and that the sensor would be unable to pick up on her breathing, but it is extremely sensitive. I’ve used sensor pads with my older child and found the alarm was constantly going off, and there were worrying wires – neither of these are an issue with the Angelcare.

Would you choose this product to win?

It Is so handy to be able to have so many features in one product! The safety features are appreciated – I’m so glad that there are no wires around my baby when she sleeps and it’s great to know her breathing is monitored even when she rolls off the sensor pad. I know I’ll be using this product for years to come, as the two-way audio feature will come in handy when reassuring my baby when she’s older and wakes in the night.

What changes would you make to this product?

This product has exceeded my expectations and I think it’s great value for money as it has many invaluable features – most of all the reassurance it provides. The only thing I would change is the brightness of the temperature display on the camera which lights up the room like a nightlight – ok for your baby, but not ideal if you’re sleeping in the same room.