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Article overview
In the video above, I share my experience of using the Chilipad Dock Pro by SleepMe for two months. I also compare it to the Eight Sleep Pod 3 and BedJet 3.
If you prefer, you can read the short version or full transcript below.
I first published this video and article in September 2024. We’re still using the Dock Pro two months after that, so I’ve added a 4 months update at the end of the article.
The short version
The Chilipad Dock Pro by SleepMe is an effective bed cooling and heating system that might suit those whose sleep is regularly affected by temperature. It’s also a good option for couples with different temperature preferences, as the dual zones version will let you set each side independently from 55°F to 115°F.
If you’re not a fan of subscription fees, you can avoid that by leaving out the optional sleep tracking, and only having the heating and cooling. With physical buttons, an app, and schedules, it still does the job very well without any AI system working behind the scenes.
Just be prepared for some noise, as is common with all these systems, and regular maintenance requirements.
Pros
- Cool or heat each side of the bed independently.
- Powerful cooling and heating that adjusts quickly.
- Physical buttons and app controls.
- Easy to install and use.
- Comfortable, machine washable pad.
- Optional sleep tracking.
- More energy-efficient than air conditioning.
- Airplane mode.
Cons
- Dual zones requires space for two control units.
- Noticeable fan sound.
- Needs regular water refills and maintenance.
- Only works on a 2.4GHz network, so you might have to adjust your router settings.
- If one side is very hot or cold, it might be felt on the other side.
- Expensive if you want dual zones and sleep tracking.
Price
The price on the official SleepMe website depends on the bed size, and if you want single or dual zones or the optional sleep tracking.
An example would be the king size, dual zones, sleep tracking and extra coverage, which comes to $2666. A half king with no sleep tracking or extra coverage would be $1349.
Just so you know, my links here will create a 20% discount code on their website.
Video transcript / full review
Please note that I’ve lightly edited the transcript to make it read better. I’ve also added a few extra notes to clarify some points I make in the video.
In the photo above, you can see how I have my Chilipad Dock Pro set up. With bedding on, the control units and the water hoses that attach to the mattress topper are visible. If you tuck the hoses inside the bed frame, or put the control units at the head of the bed, they will be more hidden out of sight.
Above, you can also see the Chilipad Pro mattress pad. This is where the water flows through underneath you, either cooling or warming you depending on the settings.
Introduction
If you struggle to sleep because you feel too hot or cold, the Chilipad Dock Pro could be the answer. We’ve been using ours for the last two months, and have been very impressed by how effectively it can both cool and heat the bed.
And if you share your bed, with dual zones you can cool one side while heating the other, which is great for couples with different temperature needs in bed.
When I first got it, I was a bit worried that it would feel like a downgrade because I’d spent the last year using the Eight Sleep Pod 3, which is arguably the more sophisticated bed cooling system.
But as you’ll see in this review, I think there are some very valid reasons to consider the Chilipad Dock Pro if you’ve been thinking about which one might be right for you. For example, the dimensions of the control unit, the powerful cooling, the soft mattress topper, and the lower price.
Buildable, with optional sleep tracking and membership
For me, one very important difference is that the Chilipad Dock Pro is buildable, and the sleep tracking is an optional add-on. If you do want the sleep tracking, then it will cost extra, and you’ll end up with a membership fee like you do with the Eight Sleep.
So I decided to test it without the sleep tracking as a little experiment, and because I know a lot of people just don’t like membership fees.
I was also keen to see if the Chilipad Dock Pro is a viable alternative for those who only need the cooling and heating and perhaps don’t want any AI system involved in their sleep.
Just to be transparent from the outset, SleepMe did send me the Dock Pro to test out. However, they had no input into the content of this video. They don’t get to see it before it’s published. And if you’ve seen my previous reviews, you’ll know that I always cover the downsides.
So, with that said, let’s start at the beginning with the setup and installation process.
Setup and installation
The entire system arrived in one large and heavy box. The two control units and mattress pad were neatly packaged inside, along with an easy-to-follow quick start guide.
The Chilipad Pro mattress topper is where the cooled or heated water will flow through, and there are two 7-foot long hoses to connect to the control units.
The first step was to put a mattress protector over the mattress. We actually put one over the top of the mattress pad as well, so are using double mattress protectors. You then put the Chilipad Pro mattress topper over the mattress like a fitted sheet.
You can have the control units and hoses come out of the head or foot of the bed. I decided on the foot, so it’s easier to access them. Then one end of the hose clips into the connector inside the dock flap.
After that, you unbox the control units, which are securely encased in foam. The other end of the hose goes into the back of the control unit, and then you can connect the 6-foot power cord and plug it into an outlet. I was happy to see that both the hose and the power cord are quite long.
Below, you can see one of the control units. You’ll need to find space for the long hose and power cable, probably under your bed if you can to keep it out of the way.
The next step is to add the cleaning solution that comes with it to the water reservoir and fill it with water. The manual says to use distilled water, but SleepMe said it’s okay to use filtered water, which is good as it’s a lot cheaper.
All in all, the physical setup process was very straightforward and took less than 20 minutes.
Below, you can see that the mattress pad looked quite bunched up when I first set it up. I was initially concerned about that as it didn’t stretch over as neatly as the Eight Sleep pad. But, it is softer, and after spending some time straightening it out over my bed better, it’s been fine. It’s also possible that it fit differently on my bed than it would do in the US due to the differences in mattress sizes between the US and UK.
App connection via a 2.4 GHz network
Finally, you download the SleepMe app, set up an account, and connect to the control units, which was the only issue I had with the setup. Only 2.4 GHz networks are supported, so I had to change my router settings as it refused to connect automatically.
Some routers won’t have this problem, but mine did, which was a bit annoying. It didn’t take long to do though, and I had it up and running 15 minutes later.
Control unit dimensions compared to the Eight Sleep Pod 3 & BedJet 3
I wanted to show you how some different control units compare. This is the Eight Sleep Pod 3, which also uses water, and the BedJet 3, which is fan-based.
One point I really like about the Dock Pro is that I can get the control units underneath my bed frame. As you can see, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 is just a bit too big to get underneath the bed. And the BedJet 3, while the control unit goes underneath the bed frame, the nozzle and the hose on the outside are quite large.
So it’s great that you can get both Dock Pro units under the bed, as long as you have more than 6.25 inches of clearance. It just looks neater and is less of a trip hazard.
On the other hand, if you can’t get the Dock Pro or BedJet under the bed, you’ll end up with two units next to the bed, which is less convenient than the Eight Sleep, which only needs one hub for dual zones.
Below, you can see how the control unit dimensions of the Chilipad Dock Pro, BedJet 3, and Eight Sleep Pod 3 compare.
My thoughts on the heating and cooling
Let’s talk about the heating and the cooling. For us, the main benefit of the Dock Pro is that we can control the temperature of each side of the bed independently.
I’m a fairly hot sleeper, and my partner always seems to sleep cold, even in the summer. So it’s fantastic that I can have cooling on my side on hotter nights, and she can either have warming on her side or just leave it switched off, which she sometimes prefers to do.
Do I sleep better with the Dock Pro?
The most important question, of course, is: Do I feel like I sleep better when I use the Dock Pro? And honestly, I feel like I sleep pretty much the same as I did when I used the Eight Sleep Pod 3.
Both devices very successfully remove one of the main barriers to good sleep for me, which is the feeling that the bed is too hot underneath me. No matter what the weather’s doing, I can cool my side of the bed so I fall asleep easier and don’t wake up in the night feeling like I’m sleeping in a sauna. And I believe that alone has helped me sleep better during the two months I’ve used the Dock Pro than I would have done if I hadn’t used a bed cooling system.
Fitbit sleep tracking data
You can see my Fitbit sleep data here for the month of July. I removed the Eight Sleep on the 18th of July and set up the Dock Pro the next day.
Even though it’s not exactly a scientific comparison, it looks to me like I hit my target goal of seven hours of sleep on a similar number of days with the Eight Sleep Pod 3 and the Chilipad Dock Pro. And if you’re wondering if my Fitbit picks up bad sleep, I was camping for 4 days in August, and you can see how much my sleep suffered.
Controls
Physical buttons
Another point I like about the Dock Pro is that there are two ways to control it – with the app, but also with the physical buttons on both control units.
The control unit itself has three buttons: one to turn it on or off, and two for the temperature. Even though I mostly use the app, I sometimes use the buttons if I go to bed early. And since I prefer to turn my phone off at night, it also means I can change the temperature without needing to turn my phone on.
Another great feature is the airplane mode. If you hold the power button for 5 seconds, it switches to airplane mode, which will temporarily disable the Wi-Fi connection.
App
Looking at the app, I like the large dial to control the temperature. You can quickly set the temperature from a very chilly 55°F to a toasty 115°F. If you prefer, you can change it to Celsius, with a range of 13°C to 46°C.
Schedules & thermal alarm
You can also set sleep programs for each day of the week or selections such as weekdays and weekends, like I do. For each program, the app will suggest two temperature changes in the night: a temperature drop after 30 minutes for the deep sleep zone, and a temperature increase later on for the REM zone.
Note: the deep sleep zone and REM zone are blocks of time that SleepMe suggests based on the concept that we may get more of each sleep stage during the earlier or later part of the night.
There’s also an optional thermal alarm, which works well for me as long as I don’t make it too cozy. The thermal alarm will turn on 15 minutes before your chosen alarm time.
Interestingly, you can also add more manual time adjustments if you want to, but I haven’t found a good reason to do that personally.
Note: the thermal alarm is automatically set to a high temperature, so if you want a different temperature, you need to set that yourself.
One of the benefits of the schedules is that you can set it and forget it until the weather changes. However, I did have the same issue as I did in the beginning with the Eight Sleep. It took me a few days of experimenting to find a comfortable temperature.
It can get very cold or hot!
I found that the cooler temperatures on the Dock Pro felt even cooler than they did with the Eight Sleep Pod 3, which I suspect is due to the thinner padding. When you drop it down to lower temperatures, it feels really cold. I personally can’t sleep with it lower than 72°F (22°C) because it’s too cold, so the lowest temperature is much colder than I need.
And likewise with the heating, unless you live in a very cold climate and sleep with a window open, I can’t imagine sleeping all night at the maximum temperature.
Temperature spread and converging in the middle
If you’re wondering if it really does get cold or hot, you can see here that my infrared thermometer gun shows my side is cool while my partner’s side is hot.
As I scan through, the pad cools a wide area, though it does converge in the middle, which my partner sometimes notices if her side isn’t heated. So that is something to be aware of. If you max out one side and the other side is off, your partner might feel it.
Feel of the Chilipad Pro mattress topper
As for the feel of the Chilipad Pro mattress topper itself, when I first installed it, I didn’t think it looked as neat as the Eight Sleep Pod 3 Pad. It’s quite thin and doesn’t fit as tightly over my mattress, and I was concerned that it would bunch up, but it hasn’t been a problem.
However, I do like how soft it is, and it doesn’t make my mattress feel firmer like the Eight Sleep did. When you run your hands over it, you can feel the grid of water tubes, but with a mattress protector and sheet, we don’t feel it when we’re lying down.
I opened up the topper to have a look at the inner section. SleepMe calls it a hydro membrane, and you can see the water flows through quite a wide surface area. I think this combined with the thin insulation layer explains why it feels so hot or cold—especially if you don’t wear much in bed.
Fan noise of the control units
Note: If you’d like to listen to the noise and the comparisons I did, that section starts at 7:34 in the video.
Okay, let’s talk about the noise. All the bed cooling systems make some noise—that’s just the reality. Personally, I don’t mind because I use earplugs or headphones, so I never hear it. But it is important to understand that both control units make a fan sound.
Interestingly, it never varies though; it’s always exactly the same no matter what setting you’ve got it on. So let’s have a listen to the sound and how it compares to some other devices.
Note: I used a basic decibel meter to measure the volume from one meter away.
This is just one Dock Pro unit. Here’s both control units on. Here’s the Eight Sleep Pod 3 on low cooling. Here it is on max cooling. Here’s the BedJet 3 on 25% fan speed. On 50% fan speed. And 100% fan speed. And here’s a basic desk fan on a medium, then high fan speed.
If I put them in order of quietest to loudest, you can see that the Chilipad Dock Pro is in the middle of the pack, depending on the settings used. I measured one unit at 41.2 dBA and two units at 44.9 dBA.
Below, you can see the reverse side of one of my Dock pro control units, where the noise comes from. Interestingly, when I first set it up, there was some bubbling noise from the pad. But I haven’t heard it again since the first day. So it’s just the fan inside the control unit that makes noise in my experience.
Small water reservoir needing regular refills
Perhaps my biggest criticism is of the water reservoir. Firstly, while the Eight Sleep was a bit of a camel that held onto its water for ages, the Dock Pro is more of a teenager at the free refills counter!
I only had to refill the Eight Sleep water reservoir a handful of times in a year, but I’ve refilled each Dock Pro reservoir twice a month so far. I wouldn’t mind if the lid was a bit more cooperative, but while removing the Eight Sleep reservoir was as smooth as butter, the Dock Pro reservoir lid sometimes needs a bit of force to twist off, which always makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong. Maybe I am. But that’s not the end of the maintenance though.
Below, you can see the Chilipad Dock Pro water reservoir is much smaller than the Eight Sleep pod 3.
Maintenance
The user manual has instructions for monthly, quarterly, and semiannual maintenance. By comparison, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 and 4 and the BedJet 3 require much less maintenance.
On the plus side, the mattress topper is machine washable, which the Eight Sleep Pod 3 pad wasn’t.
How robust is it?
Whenever you combine water, tech, fabrics, and people wanting to sleep in peace, there’s going to be a need for a very robust design. While this is a difficult point to comment on fairly as just one person, I can say two things. Firstly, we’ve had no problems with ours so far – no leaks, no loose connections.
Secondly, SleepMe underwent new ownership in 2023. When I asked what’s changed with the product itself, they told me that they’re continually making quality control updates to the control unit and the pad. So I hope they have a rigorous quality control process, because for the price, I think it’s fair to have high expectations that it’s robust and will last a long time.
Power consumption tests
As for the power consumption, I ran mine through a power meter for three days with eight hours of cooling per night on one side and a little bit of heating on the other, which are typical of our settings.
On a tariff of 28 pence per kilowatt hour in the UK, it came to £1.70, which would be £206 per year. Interestingly, the Eight Sleep worked out at just £59 per year on similar settings.
I then ran just one unit for eight hours on the maximum cooling, which cost 38p. It probably would have cost more if I was in bed, but my partner vetoed that particular fridge test!
The BedJet 3 was by far the cheapest to run when cooling, costing just 2p for eight hours, but it’s not so cheap to run when heating. Despite the differences, all three systems should be more cost-effective to run than air conditioning.
Note: as I mention in the price section, the Chilipad Dock Pro is only available in the US, but I tested the power consumption in the UK, which is why I use British pounds and pence. If you want to see all the different readings to estimate how much power it might draw and the cost where you are, take a look at the section starting at 10:10 in the video.
Price
Let’s talk about the price now. I’m going to use US dollars because, despite my British accent, it’s only available in the US at the moment.
For example, at the time of filming (September 18, 2024), a half-king, single zone system – the ‘Me’ – costs $1,349.
The king size, dual zone system – the ‘We’ – costs $1,999.
If you add sleep tracking, it’s $199 for one or $398 for two, with a membership fee of $5.99 a month after the first free month.
Note: the membership fee includes one or two people, so it remains $5.99 even with two sleep trackers.
You can also pay $269 to increase and extend the protection coverage from the included one to two years, so that system would come to a total of $2,666 before tax.
Cost compared to Eight Sleep and BedJet
By comparison, the latest Eight Sleep Pod 4 currently costs $2,799 for the king size with dual zones. And the membership fee is $17 per month, which comes with a two year warranty, or $25 per month for five years.
The BedJet 3, which doesn’t have a sleep tracking option, is $1,148 for dual zones with the Cloud Sheet.
So as you can see, bed heating and cooling systems are luxury devices that not everyone will be able to afford. Even though the Chilipad Dock Pro is cheaper than the latest Eight Sleep Pod 4, especially if you only get one side or leave out the sleep tracking, it is still quite an investment.
Trial period
There is a 30 night trial period though, so you do have an opportunity to try it out and send it back if it’s not right for you.
Pros
Okay, before I give you my final verdict, let’s run through the main pros and cons as I see them. Starting with the pros, you can cool or heat each side of the bed independently. The cooling and heating are powerful and adjust quickly. There are physical buttons as well as app controls. It’s easy to install and use. The pad is comfortable and machine washable. The sleep tracking is an optional extra, and it’s more energy-efficient than air conditioning.
Cons
As for the cons, with dual zones, you need space for two control units. There’s a noticeable fan sound. It needs regular water refills and maintenance. It only works on a 2.4GHz network, so you might need to adjust your router settings. If one side is very hot or cold, it might be felt on the other side. And it is expensive, especially if you want dual zones and sleep tracking.
Verdict
My final verdict is that the Chilipad Dock Pro by SleepMe is a very effective bed cooling and heating system, but it might not be right for everybody.
Personally, I was really surprised by how good the cooling is, especially after using the Eight Sleep Pod 3 for a year, which raised the bar in many ways. Even though the Chilipad Dock Pro doesn’t feel quite as premium and sophisticated to me as the Eight Sleep, and I miss some features like the health metrics and vibrating alarm, I found it does the important basics of cooling and heating just as well.
As I said at the start, I wanted to see if it would work well without the sleep tracking, and I think it does. While the concept of a responsive AI system adjusting the temperature is amazing, I found I still sleep well when I set the temperature schedule myself. And at the end of the day, as long as the bed feels cool in the summer, I’m happy.
However, if you need complete silence to sleep and you can’t use earplugs or headphones for whatever reason, then the noise could be a bit of an issue. While I do like the fact that the sound is the same on all settings, it is louder than the Eight Sleep Pod 3 or the BedJet 3 on low fan speed, but it is quieter than a standard fan. You also need to be willing to refill the reservoir quite frequently if you use it a lot and do some periodic maintenance.
On balance though, I think the Chilipad Dock Pro is worth trying if your sleep is often affected by temperature or if you’re a couple that has very different temperature needs. And if you’re not a fan of subscription models – maybe you’ve got enough subscription fees already in your life – then you can avoid that completely as long as you don’t mind leaving out the sleep tracking and only having the heating and cooling.
4 months update and maintenance
It’s now been four months since we first installed the Dock Pro. The main point to share is that we’ve still had no problems with it. It seems to work as well as it did the day we got it.
The way we use it has changed as we head towards the colder months of the year though. I rarely use the cooling now, and have my side switched off most of the time. Now it’s my partner’s turn to really make good use of it!
She absolutely loves the heating, and has it turn on shortly before going to bed most nights. We’ve found that it heats the bed very quickly, so even if we go to bed earlier, manually turning it on gets the bed toasty warm in no time.
Recently, we’ve been using it manually much more than we did with the Eight Sleep. With the Eight Sleep, we had both sides running every night, mainly because of the sleep tracking and health metrics. But with the Dock Pro, if we don’t need it, we just turn it off at the mains to keep the utility bills down.
Tackling the biggest maintenance job
As I mentioned, there is more maintenance required with the Dock Pro than the Eight Sleep Pod or Bedjet. So this week I decided to give the biggest job a go – draining the entire system.
There is a small draining tool – it looks like a random part you might throw away, so remember not to! It was very easy to carry the base units and drain them over the sink and it didn’t take long.
I initially tried to drain the mattress pad into a bucket while it was still on the bed, but hardly any water came out, so I had to remove the tubes and cover and take it to the bathroom (which is what you’re supposed to do).
SleepMe says you can hang it over a shower rail to drain, but mine meets the ceiling, so that was impossible. That meant I had to hold the pad in one arm, clip the draining tool on with my other hand, and keep moving it around to try and get all the water out.
Below, you can see the draining tool is clipped onto the tube connector. Once it clips on, it stays on without needing to keep holding it in place, so the water will drain until you unclip it.
A surprisingly large amount of water came out, and it took nearly ten minutes to fully drain it, with multiple changes in the way I held the pad to get it all out. In hindsight, it probably would have been faster and easier with help, but I managed.
It’s great that you can machine wash the pad, and it appears to have survived that.
Even though it’s a bit of a faff doing this part of the maintenance, it’s not so difficult, and doesn’t need to be done often. Still, I can appreciate that some people might prefer the less frequent maintenance needs of the Eight Sleep or BedJet.
