Yeah, it's not user friendly that's for sure. And it's not easy to change what sections it's going to cover. I always have it on the movement and sound, I don't have the ticking on because it drives me bonkers. I used to have the sound part on all the time when I was downstairs during the day, but now I only have the sound, when activated by his crying, and the movement part on whenever he's in bed.
The easiest way to test it is to take the handset in the same room as the base and talk into the base and see if you can hear it, or kick it, any sound will make it come on. That way you can see if it's working or not. Once you've figured it out it's second nature switching between the settings. I swear by mine ask any questions if you need!