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You've spent another night checking the monitor every hour. Or maybe you've woken up to a false alarm, again. If you're living with epilepsy, or caring for someone who does, you know that nighttime isn't just exhausting. It's a constant, quiet kind of fear. You deserve a monitoring solution that actually works, without adding more to carry, wear, or worry about.

This article compares two categories of seizure monitoring technology:

wearable trackers and camera-based home monitors.

We'll walk through how each works, where each one genuinely excels, and importantly, where each one falls short.

Quick Answer

The right choice depends on where and how monitoring is needed for you. Wearables offer portability and all-day wear; camera-based solutions offer zero friction, no skin contact and passive overnight monitoring without anything to charge or put on.

How do wearable epilepsy trackers work?

Wearable seizure monitors are devices worn on the body, typically on the wrist or upper arm, that use sensors to detect the physical signs of a tonic-clonic seizure. Most combine accelerometry (measuring movement) with additional biosignals such as electrodermal activity (a measure of skin conductance that changes during a seizure) or heart rate. When the algorithm detects a pattern consistent with a convulsive seizure, it sends an alert to designated caregivers by phone call, text, or app notification.

CE-marked and clinically validated wearable monitors for epilepsy have demonstrated strong accuracy in hospital-based studies, with the leading devices achieving approximately 96–98% detection rates for tonic-clonic seizures in clinical trials. Several are approved for use in both adults and children.

For families where the person with epilepsy is mobile, independent, and comfortable with a wrist device, wearables offer a genuinely meaningful safety net, especially for those who have seizures during the day.

What are the real-world limitations of wearable monitors?

Clinical accuracy figures are measured under controlled conditions. Real-world performance depends on something harder to measure: whether the device gets used every single night, without fail, for months and years.

According to research published in Frontiers in Neurology, consistent long-term compliance with wearable medical devices is one of the most significant challenges in epilepsy monitoring, particularly for children, people with sensory sensitivities and people with intellectual disabilities who also have epilepsy.

The most commonly reported barriers include:

1. Comfort during sleep:

Wearing a sensor band on your wrist or upper arm every night is a significant commitment. Many users report disrupted sleep, discomfort from the device's weight or warmth, or waking when the device shifts position.

2. Daily charging

Most wearable epilepsy monitors require daily or every-other-day charging. If the device runs out of battery (or is left on the wrong side of the house) monitoring fails silently, with no alert to the family.

3. False alarm fatigue

   Even well-performing devices generate some false alarms. Over time, repeated false alerts can erode caregiver trust and paradoxically, slow response speed when a real event occurs.

4. Skin contact and sensory sensitivity.

For children with autism, sensory processing differences or other developmental conditions who also have epilepsy, skin-contact wearables can be genuinely intolerable. This is not a minor inconvenience, it can make an otherwise excellent device simply unusable for a significant portion of the people who need monitoring most.

5. Social visibility.

A device that looks visibly medical affects how people are perceived: by peers, colleagues, and strangers.

For teenagers and young adults especially, this can affect confidence and willingness to wear the device consistently. The Epilepsy Foundation Australia explicitly identifies quality of life as a core factor in monitoring decisions.6

6. What wearables do well:

All-day and on-the-go monitoring. If seizures occur during school, work, the gym or outside the home, wearables are currently the only solution that can follow the person wherever they go.

How do camera-based home monitors work?

Camera-based home monitoring systems take a fundamentally different approach: rather than placing sensors on the body, they use a fixed camera (typically positioned in the bedroom) to detect seizure-related movements using cutting edge technology.

Lampsy is the first invisible camera based monitor designed for home and nighttime use. Rather than appearing as a medical device, Lampsy is embedded inside a common lamp, sitting naturally in the home environment without any visual signal about the person's medical condition. With Lampsy, there is nothing to wear, nothing to charge before bed, and no sensor on the skin.

The technology was developed and validated in partnership with leading European hospital epilepsy units, achieving over 99% detection accuracy for movements indicative of tonic-clonic seizures (convulsive seizures). The system uses privacy-preservation technology, allowing the user to choose what to display at all times.

Beyond epilepsy monitoring, Lampsy also includes a general motion detection feature that monitors for other significant movements and notifies caregivers immediately. This makes it useful not just for epilepsy monitoring, but as a broader overnight safety layer for families who need it.

💡 Lampsy was recognised by the Epilepsy Foundation Accelerator 2025 and is currently in pre-launch, with over 5,000 families across the UK and Europe already registered.

Learn more about how Lampsy works →

What are the limitations of camera-based monitors?

We believe families deserve a clear-eyed picture before making any decision. Camera-based home monitors, including Lampsy, are not the right solution for every situation. Here is an honest account of their current limitations.

Home use only
Camera-based systems are fixed in one location. They cannot follow a person to school, work, a friend's house, or on holiday. If seizures happen outside the home, a camera-based monitor alone is not sufficient protection. For people who need monitoring throughout the day, a wearable tracker remains the better fit.

Tonic-clonic seizures only, for now.

Lampsy currently detects movements associated with tonic-clonic seizures specifically. Absence seizures, focal seizures without significant convulsive movement, and other non-motor seizure types are not currently within its detection scope. This is true of most seizure monitors across all categories, but it is important to understand. Lampsy is actively working to expand detection to additional seizure types in future updates.

Not suitable if a camera in the bedroom is not acceptable.

Even with privacy-preservation technology, some individuals or families will simply not want a camera in the bedroom, and that is a completely valid position. Lampsy is designed with privacy as a priority with 3 privacy modes and fully customisable settings, so you can choose exactly what is shown and what it is not.

The bottom line:

Camera-based monitors excel at passive, zero-friction overnight monitoring at home. Wearable trackers excel at on-the-go, all-day monitoring. For many families, the ideal long-term setup may include both, a wearable for the day, and a home monitor for the night when compliance with wearables tends to drop.

Side-by-side comparison

Which solution fits your situation? A practical checklist

This checklist is designed to help you find the right fit, not to steer you toward any particular product. Tick whichever boxes apply to you or your family member.

A wearable tracker may be the better fit if:

• [ ] Seizures happen during the day, at school, at work, or outside the home

• [ ] The person is comfortable wearing a wrist or arm device during sleep

• [ ] Daily charging and device management are manageable in your routine

• [ ] You need monitoring while travelling or away from home

• [ ] The person does not have sensory sensitivities to skin-contact devices

A camera-based home monitor like Lampsy may be the better fit if:

• [ ] Seizures primarily happen during sleep or at home

• [ ] The person has sensory sensitivities and does not tolerate wearables

• [ ] Previous false alarms have caused fatigue or eroded trust in your current setup

• [ ] You want zero daily setup: setup once, runs every night automatically

• [ ] A visible medical device in the bedroom would cause anxiety or stigma

• [ ] You care for a child or adult with additional disabilities or sensory issues

• [ ] Privacy in the home is a priority and you want privacy-aligned technology

• [ ] You want broader overnight safety, including general motion alerts

Consider both if:

• [ ] Seizures happen both at home and outside

• [ ] You want layered protection, active monitoring during the day, passive monitoring at night

• [ ] Compliance with wearables drops at night but daytime monitoring is important

Lampsy is coming to the UK and Europe

Over 5,000 families are already registered for early access. Learn how Lampsy works — and secure your place before launch. Learn more about Lampsy →

What about other monitoring approaches?

It's worth briefly noting two other categories families sometimes consider:

Bed sensors (placed under the mattress) offer a wearable-free option that detects convulsive movements through vibration. They can work well for some families, though they may be affected by movement from other bed occupants and typically don't provide the visual confirmation that camera-based systems can offer.

Sound monitors and baby monitors remain popular for their low cost and simplicity. However, the Epilepsy Foundation notes there is currently no proven clinical evidence supporting their reliability for detecting tonic-clonic seizures, they respond to sound, not movement, and many tonic-clonic episodes during deep sleep happen without significant noise.

FAQ

Do wearable epilepsy monitors work during sleep?

Yes, most clinically validated wearable monitors are specifically designed for nighttime use. The challenge is long-term compliance: wearing a device every single night, charging it daily, and keeping the connected phone nearby is a sustained commitment that many users find difficult to maintain over time.

Can epilepsy monitoring devices detect all types of seizures?

No, and this is important to understand before purchasing any device. Most currently available monitors, including both wearables and camera-based systems, are validated specifically for tonic-clonic (convulsive) seizures. Absence seizures, focal seizures without significant movement, and other non-convulsive types are generally not detectable by motion-based systems.

What is the most accurate seizure monitor for nighttime use?

Both wearable and camera-based systems achieve high accuracy in clinical testing for tonic-clonic seizures. Lampsy's clinical results show over 99% detection accuracy with significantly fewer false alarms than alternatives, but accuracy in a clinical study must always be weighed against real-world compliance, which is where passive, non-wearable systems have an inherent advantage.

Is a camera in the bedroom safe for privacy?

Lampsy uses privacy-preservation technology that processes motion data locally, this means identifiable images are not stored by default. That said, any family should make an informed decision about having a camera in a bedroom, and no monitoring solution should be introduced without the knowledge and consent of the person being monitored.

Is Lampsy suitable for children?

Yes, Lampsy is suited for children over 2 years! And since it does not require body contact, it is particularly well-suited to children, including those with autism or sensory sensitivities who may not tolerate wrist-worn devices.

What if my family member has seizures both at home and outside?

In this case, a camera-based home monitor alone might not sufficient. A wearable tracker for daytime and outdoor use, combined with a home monitor for nighttime, gives the most comprehensive coverage. Always discuss your monitoring strategy with your neurologist or epilepsy nurse.

Sources

1. Epilepsy Foundation Australia - Seizure monitors & devices guidance: epilepsyfoundation.org.au

2. Frontiers in Neurology / PMC - Real-world compliance with wearable epilepsy devices: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

3. Epilepsy Action (UK) - Overview of seizure detection devices: epilepsy.org.uk

4. Epilepsy Society (UK) - Monitoring and safety: epilepsysociety.org.uk

5. ILAE (International League Against Epilepsy) - Classification of seizure types: ilae.org