Babysense True Sleep Review

Audio / Visual

Audio and video are equally important, as the sound alerts you to view the video. For the True Sleep, the sound was more impressive than the video, earning one of the highest scores in the group.

The sound has a high volume of 80 dBa, and it is relatively clear. It certainly sounds like a baby crying. Other sounds like music are grainy and become distorted the louder you set the device. Mid-range volume is best if you hope to understand the lyrics or words being spoken in the room.

The True Sleep does a great job of keeping background noise quiet, creating a quiet parent unit when the baby is not in distress. We could hear faint white noise in the background, but it is relatively quiet and not disruptive or annoying. Once sound activation kicks in, the white noise slips away, and all you can hear is the sound in the room.

Sound activation worked well in our tests and kicked on almost immediately whenever the baby started to cry. The parent device has a light bar at the top that ranges from green to red and also activates with the sound and screen.

The daytime video is pretty good, but the brightness can feel overexposed, making the picture look lighter than it is in real life. There is some graininess, and we couldn't read the letters of the 3 smallest rows of the eye chart. The color vibrancy is also a little overexposed; the colors aren't as rich as in real life, but they are close enough. The patterns and shadows card is recognizable, but some of the tight patterns are blurry. Overall, the images are good, not great, but certainly adequate for checking on your little one while napping.

Night vision video for the True Sleep puts a bright spot in the middle of the image, and the image is crisper and more focused there, making it the best spot to potentially center the baby's face if seeing open eyes matters to you. The edges are somewhat blurry and grainy, almost as if the lens is dirty; the bottom lines of the eye chart test are unreadable, and the pattern deteriorates. Overall, we can still see the baby, and it is almost all that parents will need to determine their baby's level of need, but it isn't as good as others.

The Babysense has a remotely controlled camera that moves up and down as well as back and forth. However, the default field of view is pretty tight, and we had to mount it more than 6 feet from the crib to get the entire space in the camera view. However, the remote-controlled camera makes this more than acceptable as we liked to train it right on the baby's face and used the remote to see more of the space when needed.

Range

As a dedicated unit, the parent screen and camera need to connect. The range is the distance between two units at which the connection remains clear and useful for relaying information from one to the other. Walls, construction materials, and some appliances can interfere with connectivity and range, so it is important to test the device in your home as soon as you get it.

The manufacturer claims an open field test range of 1000 feet. This does not account for any walls or other interference. In our tests, we kept the connection for up to 168 ft, with 7 walls between units. At 7 walls, the audio was lost, and we could no longer hear the baby crying. This distance is likely good enough for most homes.

Ease of Use

The True Sleep is relatively easy to use and earned one of the highest results in the group for ease of use.

The number of items in the True Sleep box can feel daunting.   Credit: Rachael Lamore

The True Sleep instruction manual is useful in setting up the camera and understanding the menu.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

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When we first opened the box, it was a little overwhelming given all the parts. However, most of the parts relate to the mattress pad sensors and not the camera and parent unit, which were pretty easy to set up. The instructions recommend a minimum distance of 6 ft and suggest using a shelf, but the camera doesn't look down very well, so if you want a more direct, unskewed angle, wall mounting might be a better choice.

The camera's baseline view is very tight and zoomed in, so we had to mount it at least 6 ft away to get the entire crib in the field of view. We had to use a ladder to wall-mount it, as it was higher than we could reach.

All the buttons are well labeled, intuitive, and easy to use. The sound activation (VOX) works well and turns on both the audio to hear the baby and the screen, for visual check-ins. We love this feature as it keeps the parent bedroom quiet and dark when all is well, so there is a better chance of peaceful sleep.

Without the mattress pads, we think this unit is pretty travel-friendly. With just the camera and parent unit and no need for WiFI, the setup is quick, and even if you can't get the best view of the crib, we think most situations will offer something useful for audio and basic viewing. Plug both units in; they auto pair, and then you're ready to go.

Battery Life

The True Sleep parent device battery life, according to the manufacturer, is 20 hours in ECO mode and 12 hours in regular mode. In our tests, it lasted only 7 hours and 21 minutes with brightness at full, volume at 50%, and the video screen running continuously. This is one of the lowest times in the group, but plenty long enough for nap time when you might be up and moving around. It isn't long enough for overnight use, but we suspect most parents will plug the unit in near their bedside at night.

The True Sleep includes an adjustable brightness nightlight.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

The True Sleep includes mattress pads that detect movement indicative of breathing and alert you when this kind of movement changes or stops.   Credit: Matt Lighthart

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Features

While we don't score features, we do think it's worth considering to ensure the device aligns with your goals. The True Sleep has the following features:

• Sound activation
• Pan/Tilt
• Zoom 4x
• Room temperature sensor
• 2-way Talk-to-baby
• Adjustable nightlight
• Movement detection (indicative of breathing)
• Sound machine and lullabies
• Split-screen view with 2 cameras

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Levels

The PRO's average EMF reading was 1.80 V/m at 3 feet from the camera. The further you put the camera away from your baby, the lower that number will be.

The group average is 1.55, so it is above average, and some are significantly lower, with results below 1.

Security

As a dedicated monitor, there are fewer security concerns than with WiFi monitors, which could be hacked by outsiders via the internet. If you have concerns about hackers, it is the way to go.

Should You Buy the Babysense True Sleep?

The True Sleep is a video and movement monitor that uses mattress pad sensors to monitor movement indicative of breathing. It offers average video and audio features and quality, and it is easier to use than much of the competition. While it doesn't have the world's best video, it is more than good enough to see what you need to see in your baby's nursery. And if you want a movement component that works without a wearable or AI camera, then it also fits the bill. We think it is a compelling, dedicated monitor that doesn't require a smartphone or other device and could be a top contender for those seeking a dedicated unit with an impressive range that works without WiFi or other devices to get the job done.

What Other Video Monitor Should You Consider?

If you just want a video monitor (no movement components), the Babysense PRO Full HD can save you money and is virtually identical to the True Sleep, minus the motion sensors. The PRO has slightly better sound, a longer battery life, but a shorter range. If you want a WiFi-enabled camera for viewing away from home or for homes where dedicated monitors can't connect, the Momcozy Baby Monitor BM08 offers significantly better video you can view from anywhere, but it requires WiFi, and the sound wasn't our favorite.

Manufacturer Video