AC315: False Alarms

Firstly, we want to reassure you that if you are hearing the Alarm from your monitor it indicates that your monitor is working as it should - the Camera Unit is not receiving any signals from the Sensor Pad to indicate movement is detected so the monitor is alarming.

We would like to add that Angelcare Movement Monitors do not monitor your baby’s breathing, they monitor your baby’s movements.

It is therefore set to alert you once it does not detect your baby's movement on the surface of their mattress for 20 seconds.

Young babies do have different sleeping/movement patterns compared to adults when sleeping, this is normal.

As baby grows, becomes more mobile in the crib coupled with extra layers, wet diapers, lying on their sides, hunches and in a favorite corner of the crib - these can make it harder for the pad to detect baby's movements.

In such instances, the sensitivity may need adjusting to allow for this as, the Sensor Pad can detect movement over the whole of the surface of your baby’s mattress, from corner to corner if it is at the correct level. Additionally, it may be that the sensitivity has accidentally been changed in the settings, this can happen.

Therefore, we firstly need to establish why this is occurring, whether your Sensor Pad is at the correct level for your baby's mattress so can you please carry out the Four Corner Test, please see below for information on how to do this:

NOTE: Please follow step 2 within 20 seconds after turning ON both units otherwise the movement alarm will sound.

Your baby must NOT be in the crib during this test. 

• Check that the Sensor Pad is in the middle of the crib underneath the mattress - this is regardless of where baby is in the crib
• Switch the Camera Unit & Parent Unit ON
• Press the MENU button to access main MENU
• Press the down arrow to the Sensor Pad icon and press OK to enter
• Press the down arrow and press OK
• Press the UP or DOWN arrow until sensitivity is at 2 - this is the factory setting and should only be adjusted if required
• Press OK
• Press the DOWN arrow to the Save Icon on the bottom of the screen and press OK to save this setting

Please Note if you do not carry out this last step the monitor will revert to the setting it was previously on and you will need to begin again.

*Gently place your hand in the furthest corner of the mattress & and wait for 20 seconds. If the movement alarm (series of loud continuous beeps from the Parent & Camera unit) does not sound please carry this out on the remaining corners.

• Remove your hand from the mattress and step away from the crib. The Sensor Pad is sensitive enough to detect your movement if you are touching the crib.

**Due to the lack of movement, after 20 seconds the movement alarm (series of loud continuous beeps from the Parent & Camera Unit) will sound from the Parent & Camera Unit.

• Step back to the cot and place your hand on the mattress and after a few seconds the alarm will cease as the sensor pad will have detected your movement.

*If the alarm sounds when you place your hand in any of the corners please adjust the sensitivity by turning it up 1 level and repeat the Four Corner Test again.

**If however the monitor does not alarm when you step away from the crib reduce the sensitivity down 1 level and repeat the Four Corner Test, keep adjusting this until the alarm sounds ensuring that the movements is still detected in all four corners.

It may also be that the battery in the Sensor Pad requires replacing. For optimum use this requires replacing approx every 6 months.

In the top left corner of the parent unit screen where the sensor pad icons shows, once the battery is running low this will revert to a low battery icon, see below:

If the information above does not resolve your query to rule out other factors that may be causing this:

• Is your baby asleep when you go in to check?

If yes, this would indicate that your baby is in a deep sleep as the alarm has not woken baby.

• When you check on your baby does the alarm continue or does it cease on its own?

If the alarm ceases on its own this will be because the alarm has re-established your baby’s sleeping pattern. If the alarm does not cease on its own please let us know.

• Does the alarm only happen at night?

If yes, this is because you baby, as with adults can go into a deeper sleep at night rather that when they nap during the day.

• Is there a particular time that this is happening?

Baby’s have sleeping patterns when they go in to deep sleeps and because of this the alarm can go off at certain times in the night.

• Are you using additional sleep aids such a Sleepyhead, Cocoonababy etc.?

We do not recommend the use of the Sleepyhead with the Angelcare Movement Monitor, as this could mask the movement of baby. We have had parents contact us with this issue when using the combined products.

• What type of mattress are you using?

We know that the sensor pad will work effectively with a standard hypoallergenic, spring, coir (and spring/coir combined) mattress as these allow your baby’s movements to be transferred down on to the pad.

We also know that the Sensor Pad will NOT work with a Hollow Framed, Dual Sided, Memory Foam Mattress;

A Hollow Framed Mattress is mainly a US product, it is a number of poles that are fitted together with a tight cover fitted over this. As a result of their being nothing actually inside the mattress (hollow) no movement is transferred down to the Sensor Pad. As a result, the monitor may false alarm indicating that baby`s movements are not being detected by the sensor pad.

A full Memory Foam or Dual sided Memory Foam Mattress masks the movement of your baby on the surface of the mattress due to the density of the foam and baby's movements do not transfer down to the Sensor Pad. As a result, the monitor may trigger a false alarm indicating that baby’s movement is not being detected by the Sensor Pad.