We review the FeverSmart Temperature Monitor from Nurofen – a children's thermometer that tracks their temperature while they sleep and sends you updates and alerts via an app.
On this page:
How does it work?
The FeverSmart Temperature Monitor allows you to continuously track your baby's temperature via the Nurofen FeverSmart app on your smartphone or tablet. You'll get real-time temperature readings, updated every minute, that you can track and respond to when fever strikes.
The app will visually indicate if your child's temperature is normal, moderate or high (based on their age), and you'll receive visual and audible alerts (if push notifications are enabled) if your child's temperature rises over 38°C.
In the kit:
- Temperature monitor
- Base station
- Adhesive patches
To use it:
- Attach the adhesive patch to the monitor and gently place it under your child's armpit, ensuring the metal sensor under the patch is positioned under the armpit. (The monitor takes up to eight minutes to warm up. During this time, the child's arm must be covering the monitor.)
- Use a compatible iOS phone/iPad or Android smartphone to connect to the app (Android 4.3 or later, iPhone 5s or later, or iPads with Bluetooth 4.1.)
- Place the base station within 1.5m of the monitor to boost the Bluetooth signal from monitor to phone for a wireless range up to 40m.
To get a reading, it's important that the child's arm is down and covering the temperature sensor at all times. This might prove difficult if your child tends to sleep with their arms raised.
Temperature accuracy
The FeverSmart has a temperature range of 35–42°C and the manufacturer claims it's accurate to ±0.2°C. We put this to the test in our labs by measuring body temperature under the arm of an adult using a reference thermometer with a known accuracy. Body temperature using the FeverSmart was measured three times and the average taken.
Based on our test, the FeverSmart didn't meet the manufacturers claimed accuracy – instead it was accurate to ±0.4°C.
Ease of use
- Setting up an account on the app for first use isn't particularly intuitive, and there are a lot of terms and conditions you'll need to accept before you can use it. The app does its best to get you to read the terms and conditions by not allowing accelerated scrolling, but this makes it a very slow process to scroll through all the necessary reading before you can hit the accept button at the end.
- Once the app is set up, the FeverSmart is easy to use. It's all controlled via the app and the instructions are fairly comprehensive.
- There's no way to turn the unit off – you'll just need to put it back on the base to recharge when you notice the battery is low. The battery level is displayed as a percentage, however it's a small display so may be difficult to see.
- It's very easy to clean with an alcohol swab, but don't immerse it in water.
CHOICE verdict
The FeverSmart is a promising product, allowing for continuous monitoring of your baby's temperature without having to constantly bother or wake them with a probe or infrared thermometer. Despite the initial set-up process, the app is a breeze to use with simple indications, alerts and updates on your baby's temperature, allowing you to act fast to bring down the fever.
However, we found the FeverSmart didn't meet its claimed accuracy and therefore we can't recommend this product. It's also pricey; you can easily monitor your child's temperature without an app-based product and you can purchase a probe or infrared thermometer for a fraction of the price.
Product details
Name: Nurofen for Children FeverSmart Temperature Monitor
Price: $140
Contact: nurofen.com.au/feversmart
Nurofen for Children FeverSmart Adhesive Patches 4-pack: $9.99
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
