Angelcare AC420

Angelcare AC420 Review (2024)

Overview of the Angelcare AC420

The Angelcare AC420 was designed to provide parents with some peace of mind. The sound monitor is manufactured by Angelcare, who has been delivering unique and high-quality baby products designed to keep baby’s safe since 1977. The Angelcare audio monitor allows parents to hear everything going in the room with high-quality sound delivery.

Although the manufacturer has discontinued the Angelcare AC420, you can still purchase replacement parts through Angelcare for the original unit. The AC420, which delivers sound only, has been replaced by Angelcare with monitors that track baby’s breathing and provide video in addition to the sound, such as the Angelcare AC517 Baby Breathing Monitor with Video.

When purchasing an Angelcare AC420 Sound Monitor, you will receive a parent unit, a baby unit, and a docking/power station for the parent unit.

The Angelcare AC420 Baby Monitor. -Angelcare AC420 Review | Baby Journey
The Angelcare AC420 Baby Monitor. Source: Kadolog.com

Pros:

  • Sound activated
  • Easy to use
  • Temperature display
  • Adjustable microphone sensitivity
  • Multiple channels

Cons:

  • Poor range connection
  • Drops sounds
  • Difficulty staying connected
  • Doesn’t use rechargeable batteries

Commonly Asked Questions Before Buying a Sound Monitor

New and experienced parents alike love knowing what their baby is doing and that they are safe, even when they are just sleeping in the next room. A baby monitor is designed to provide parents with the peace of mind that they need to ensure their baby is still safe even if they are separated between two rooms.

These sound monitors detect any noise your baby makes when you aren’t in the room with them, alerting you to what it is your baby needs.

A baby monitor is a helpful tool to give parents a feeling of ease watching over their baby. -Angelcare AC420 Review | Baby Journey
A baby monitor is a helpful tool to give parents a feeling of ease watching over their baby. Source: insider.com

Consider the following features when shopping around for a good baby monitor:

Rechargeable Batteries

If you are like most parents, you will leave your baby monitor and its handset on at all times. If your baby monitor uses ordinary batteries, you will find yourself having to replace them often, which is not very cost-effective. Look for a baby monitor you can plug in or one that uses rechargeable batteries.

Sound Activated

You don’t want a baby monitor that keeps the speaker on at all times. Instead, find one that only turns the speaker on when a cry is detected, also known as VOX baby monitor or one with Eco Mode. Monitors that don’t provide sound activation frequently play ambient noise all night, including air conditioners running in the room or other background sounds.

Light Up Indicator

Sometimes you might mute the sound volume on the baby monitor or turn it down for some reason. In those cases, you want a monitor that provides a light-up indicator that alerts you to sound going on in your baby’s room even on mute. The light-up indicator allows you some night vision to visually monitor the noise your baby is making.

Interference Filters for Sound

Crystal clear sound from the handset is important because it allows you to hear what is going on in the room. Background noise and various ambient noises are distracting when picked up and amplified by a sound monitor, as it interferes with what you are trying to listen to. The best monitors offer a sound activation feature that will filter out the unnecessary noise.

Angelcare AC420 Review: Features

Here is a closer look at the features offered with the Angelcare Sound Monitor.

  • Ease of Use: The Angelcare AC420 Baby Monitor is its easy use. It’s easier to use than other Angelcare Baby Monitors, despite the variety of features it comes with. Setting up the unit is simple, just plug it in and turn it on.

    Both channel and volume control are located on the parent unit’s front, and the display is easy to read and understand. The display shows channel, temperature, battery level, and volume level.

Simple user interface design of the Angelcare AC420. - Angelcare AC420 Review | Baby Journey
Simple user interface design of the Angelcare AC420. Image Source: lifeofamadtyper.com
  • Sound: You want crystal clear sound with a baby monitor, and Angelcare claims that is what they provide. The parent unit offers a maximum volume of 99.9 decibels.

    The problem is when it’s maxed out and even a little lower, the sound is a bit distorted, and it struggles to continually transmit sounds. The lower volumes provide clear sound, but it still cuts in and out at times.

  • Range: Angelcare claims the range for the AC420 is 820 feet if the two units have a line of sight.

    When tested outdoors, this claim held up to about 900 feet, but static enters the sound transmission around 650 feet. At 900 feet, the two units’ signal is lost completely, but it starts alerting to being out of range around 650 feet.

    Inside Angelcare claims, it has a range of up to 328 feet, but that isn’t entirely accurate. Tests done on the units show that the number of walls and how far apart the units are from each other play a factor in how far and long range the sound transmits.

    Certain appliances also interfere with the monitor’s ability to transmit sound. On average, the distance inside for clear transmission is a little less than 100 feet.
  • Night Light: The Nursery Unit, which remains in the baby’s room, comes with a night light feature. The light is controlled by the top button on the nursery unit; simply press it to turn the night light on or off.

    Having the night light on the nursery unit produces enough light for you to quickly peek in on the baby without disturbing their sleep cycle or potentially waking them up by turning on the bedroom light. It also eliminates the need for plugging in a separate night light.
Night Light on the AC420. -Angelcare AC420 Review | Baby Journey
Night Light on the AC420. Image Source: Productreview.com.au
  • Battery Life: When using AAA batteries inside the handheld unit, you can expect an average life of 30 hours. Alkaline batteries are required for the parent unit, while the unit in the baby’s room plugs into the wall.

    Although the parent unit is portable, it gets expensive having to replace the batteries, as rechargeable ones are not recommended. Another option is to purchase rechargeable AAA, but you still have to spend time recharging them in between.

  • Additional Features: Other notable features that come with the Angelcare AC420 is a low battery indicator and the ability to use batteries in the child unit as a backup power source.

    The AC420 offers an out of range alert, which will start beeping when the parent unit is out of range. Mute turns off all sounds, but the sound level indicator light allows you to visually monitor the noise level.

    Most importantly, the Angelcare AC420 offers adjustable mic sensitivity and sound activation. The adjustable mix sensitivity allows you to set the amount of noise the mic picks up to help you reduce the interference of ambient noise, such as the heater running.

    The sound activation only picks up the baby’s sound talking, crying, or otherwise making noise, so the monitor doesn’t alert for every little noise.

Angelcare AC420 Review: Alternatives

As with all of the sound monitors we have previously reviewed, it is important to list some alternatives.

Philips Avent Dect Audio Baby Monitor SCD720/86

Philips AVENT Dect Audio Baby Monitor SCD720/86, White and Gray

The Philips Avent Dect Audio Baby Monitor SCD720/86 is another monitor that provides audio-only. These sound monitors offer a parent unit and a nursery unit with the parent unit running on batteries.

Both monitors offer a night light on the nursery unit. The Philips Avent SCD720/86 offers a better battery life on the parent unit, as it utilizes ECO Mode to converse battery life by minimizing audio transmissions.

Unlike the Angelcare AC420, the Philips Avent SCD720/86 monitor provides lullabies and talkback features to help calm your baby down from another room.

Similarities & Differences:

  • Both offer a night light
  • Both monitor room temperature
  • Philips Avent uses an Eco Mode
  • Philips Avent offers talk back ability

If you want a baby monitor with better battery life, check out the Philips Avent.

Philips AVENT Dect Audio Baby Monitor SCD720/86, White and Gray
  • DECT technology provides zero interference & a private connection
  • Night light and lullabies to calm your little one
  • Talk-back feature, talk remotely to your baby

Vtech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor

VTech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor with up to 1,000 ft of Range, Vibrating Sound-Alert, Talk Back Intercom & Night Light Loop, White/Silver

Another baby monitor that offers sound only, the Vtech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor, offers many of the same features as the Angelcare AC420, such as a night light on the baby unit and a sound level indicator.

One of the differences between the two monitors is the range; the Vtech DM221 offers a 1,000-foot range compared to 820 feet. The parent unit on the Vtech DM221 features a rechargeable battery and AC power, which, when used together, allows you to continuously monitor your baby.

Similarities & Differences:

  • Both offer a night light
  • Both offer adjustable microphone sensitivity
  • Vtech parent unit uses rechargeable battery and AC power
  • Vtech offers up to a 1,000-foot range

For an audio monitor with excellent range, consider the Vtech DM211.

VTech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor with up to 1,000 ft of Range, Vibrating Sound-Alert, Talk Back Intercom & Night Light Loop, White/Silver
  • CLEAR AUDIO AND LONG RANGE - DECT 6.0 technology provides clear audio transmission, eliminating annoying background noise while allowing you to move from room to room. Up to 1,000 feet of range lets you stay connected to your baby from another room
  • 5-LEVEL SOUND INDICATOR AND 2-WAY TALK-BACK INTERCOM - LEDs on the parent unit indicate the level of sound in your baby's room so you can visually monitor the noise level. The built-in intercom on the parent unit lets you talk to your baby from any room.DO NOT use cleaning spray or liquid cleaners
  • NIGHT LIGHT ON THE BABY UNIT - A soothing light on the baby unit gently illuminates a dark nursery. Both the parent unit(s) and baby unit allow you to turn on or off the nighlight on the baby unit

TimeFlys Audio Baby Monitor

TimeFlys Audio Baby Monitor Mustang OL, 2 Adapters 2 Batteries,Two-Way Talk, Long Range up to 1000 ft, Rechargeable Battery, Temperature Monitoring and Warning

The innovative design of the TimeFlys Audio Baby Monitor allows it to stand out from the Angelcare AC420, even though they have some similarities. Both monitors offer a night light feature on the nursery unit, they monitor the audio coming from the baby’s room, and they both monitor the temperature in the room.

The TimeFlys Audio Baby Monitor does more as it will also alert parents using an audible alarm when the room’s temperature goes above or drops below a certain point. The monitor also offers lullabies and a two-way talk feature to allow communication with the baby.

The night light is controlled remotely, and the unit offers acoustic and vibration alerts.

Similarities & Differences:

  • Both monitor temperature
  • Both feature a night light
  • TimeFlys offers two-way talk
  • TimeFlys uses is rechargeable

If you want an innovative design with lots of features, look into the TimeFlys Audio Baby Monitor.

TimeFlys Audio Baby Monitor Mustang OL, 2 Adapters 2 Batteries,Two-Way Talk, Long Range up to 1000 ft, Rechargeable Battery, Temperature Monitoring and Warning
  • PACKAGE - The parent unit additionally comes with rechargeable NiHM batteries, while both baby and parent units contain battery compartments and Micro USB connection.
  • TWO-WAY TALK & LULLABIES - Parents can talk to and comfort the baby by pressing the talking button. Lull your baby to sleep with a wide option range of up to 8 lullabies !
  • NIGHT LIGHT CONTROL - Parents can remotely control the night light for the baby unit anytime needed.

Monitor Your Baby with the Angelcare AC420

Baby monitors allow you to hear everything your baby is doing when they are in the other room. The Angelcare AC420 offers a decent range allowing you to take the parent unit with you as you move throughout the house. With a sound level indicator light, you have visual confirmation of the baby’s room’s noise level, whether the unit is on mute or not.

If you require a simple but effective audio baby monitor, take a look at the Angelcare AC420.

What do you think of this monitor from our Angelcare AC420 Review? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Angelcare AC420 Review | Baby Journey

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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