Owlet Cam Review

Four fathers co-founded Owlet 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 launched its WiFi camera monitor, followed by a pregnancy band in 2019.

Performance Comparison

Range

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

Audio / Visual

This monitor has below-average sound clarity compared to the competition but is similar to the other WiFi options. The sound may not seem that important when you buy 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's cries.

Despite 1080p HD video technology, the Owlet offered subpar video quality in our tests compared to the other WiFi options in our review. With an average score for video, it has more in common with basic dedicated monitors than the impressive WiFi competition that provides 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 WiFi option, but it is the darkest of the WiFi options.

Ease of Use

This monitor was 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 WiFi connection over the first week, and once it disconnects, you need to 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 they need your attention if you lose connection in the middle of the night. This could happen without your knowledge, leading 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. WiFi 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.

Features

The Owlet has fewer features than most of the competition, and if you want a lot of bells and whistles, 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.

• Works in the background while you use other apps
• Two-Way Talk
• 4x Digital Zoom
• Works with Smart Sock
• Temperature sensor

Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Levels

All WiFi monitors emit some EMF levels, so 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. Of course, you can decrease your baby's exposure by placing the monitor as far from the baby as possible without hindering its performance.

Security/Privacy Concerns

The Owlet website has little to say about security or privacy related to the Cam. The only thing we could find on their website was this:

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

Should You Buy the Owlet?

The appeal of the Owlet is that it does it all in one; it has video, audio, and movement in one package with an app that relays information like oxygen levels. However, it has been recently recalled for use as a movement monitor, and the camera was largely disappointing. Given that movement monitors have the shortest lifespan of any monitor, we don't like the idea of shelling out a lot of money for something that has such a short lifespan. The sound clarity isn't great either, so what you end up with is a monitor that doesn't do anything well except the movement-related components that you won't use after nine months.

What Other Video Monitor Should You Consider?

If you want a baby-centric WiFi monitor, we love the iBaby M8 2K Smart Baby Monitor. It has loads of baby features and great video quality. The app is easy enough to use, and we think it offers everything most parents want or need in a great video monitor. If you are interested in something with a movement monitor potential, the Nanit Pro is a high-ranking monitor with great visuals and movement monitoring capabilities with other baby-centric features. The Nanit is more expensive than most of the competition, but we think parents who want a one-and-done product it is worth the money, and it provides the visuals you expect from modern technology.