About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the baby camera, which I purchased with my own money and used for two years.

My take

The Owlet Dream Duo is a great choice for anyone looking for the ease of a camera on their phone, no matter where they are. The ability to see and track baby’s sleep patterns and heart rate will calm every parent—especially first-timers.

About the monitor I own

• Model: 2020 Owlet Sock/Dream Duo 2nd Generation with Owlet Cam
• Type: Video monitor, movement/breathing monitor
• Intended age range: 0–18 months

Test conditions

• When I used the product: 2021–2023
• Child’s age range: 0–2 years old
• Where I used it: Home and traveling
• Baby Sleep Habits: Wakes often but also has long stretches of sleep

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was looking for a camera that I would be able to access on my phone so multiple users can log in, and I could see my daughter while I was away from the house. I also wanted a monitor for her heart rate and oxygen to help prevent SIDS.

Why I chose this item

I decided on this item because it monitored her heart rate as well as oxygen level. It would alert me if either dropped out of range. Humidity and room-temperature sensors were also nice add-ons. The ability to see her on my phone or iPad, and other family members to also see her from their locations, was very comforting.

What I love about it

• Technology & Features: This monitor connects to 2.4GHz internet, and it senses a baby's heart rate, sleeping patterns, room temperature, humidity, and movement, and connects via Bluetooth to one’s phone. Multiple users can log in at once and set their own alert sensitivity. This smart monitor also allows me to play background noise while I use my phone for other tasks but still hear the baby.
• Ease of Use: The app for Owlet is very user-friendly and simple to use. Each user can set their notifications and notification sensitivity. They can also set if they don’t want volume, the volume only when the video and app are open, or volume in the background of their phone. This is very nice for keeping the battery high on my phone while listening for my little one.
• Quality: I can be states away, out of town, and still be able to use the app to check into the monitor.
• Audiovisual Clarity: The sound and video have a slight delay, as most Bluetooth items have. The video quality is great and features the ability to zoom on my phone. The volume is adjustable and high quality. The heart rate and oxygen levels sensors have set off a few false alarms, but they are always great at sensing data.
• Battery Life: The sock’s battery lasts about 12 hours, so it is great if one’s child sleeps less than 12 hours.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Setup Ease: Set up is fairly easy, but sometimes the QR code does not want to scan on my phone, which can take time to adjust and set up.
• Other: The Wi-Fi camera will run into connectivity issues from time to time. It is very hard to reset and reconnect to the internet. The tech department from Owlet told me that I had too many other devices on the Wi-Fi, preventing the camera from working. Luckily, the sock works even if there is no Wi-Fi. It will notify the base station if something is out of normal ranges, but not on my phone.

Value for the money vs. other options

As a first-time mother, being able to look at my phone and see the heart rate moving on my daughter and know she was breathing was worth any price. There are other options for monitoring systems, but the accuracy and ease of Owlet were a reason for my choice. AngelCare is another monitor that offers a pad to place below the baby, and if there is any lack of breathing movement, it will alert the parent. To me, seeing heart rates and having the sock on my child’s foot was more of a reassurance than if my child rolled off the pad and caused a false alert.

Final verdict

I think the sanity that Owlet provides with its monitoring and ease of access to watch the camera makes it a number one choice in video monitoring.