What is the Best Life Alert System: Functionality and Options

Table of contents:

• What Is a Life Alert Alarm System
• What Functionality the Best Life Alert Systems Should Have
• Popular Options of Life Alert Alarm Systems
• Some More Things to Factor In Choosing the Best Life Alert System

 

Would you like to enjoy better personal security? Experts recommend many precautions. You should learn to recognize potentially risky situations, avoid carrying cash and valuables, take a self-defense course, and more. On top of all these things, you should get one of the life alert type systems.

Life alert systems are convenient applications and devices for emergencies. They have a panic button and other security features users can activate in danger. For example, you can click the panic button to trigger emergency alerts when someone is following you.

What is the best life alert system? We won't offer you a rating. Yet, below we share what matters in the life alert system and how to pick the most suitable one for you.

What Is a Life Alert Alarm System

Life alert systems are devices or software that send emergency notifications to selected contacts when something threatens the user. Devices are small wearables people can keep at hand to activate alerts with a button click. Applications are predominantly iOS or Android mobile apps that add personal safety features to the user's device after installation.

Life alert systems are not the same as medical devices. Designed for common emergencies (e.g., robbery, someone is following you, you lose consciousness, get lost, etc.), they are not suitable for patients that need 24/7 monitoring. Life alert and other systems only connect the user with emergency contacts through SMS, push notifications, and calls.

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What Functionality the Best Life Alert Systems Should Have

There is no universal best life alert system for all situations. Your needs should guide your choice. Here we list the most critical features life alert alarm systems cannot work without. If you come across a solution that doesn't support them, you'd better search for other life alert systems.

• Real-time panic button alerts. These are alerts triggered with a panic button click. The main point is that life alert systems must send alerts in real-time even if recipients don't have an Internet connection. Therefore, quality life alert medical alarms systems deliver communications through several channels, like SMS and mobile notifications. As a result, even when emergency contacts miss a mobile notification, they receive an SMS or a call. It increases the reliability of life alert systems and makes people in need more likely to get timely support.

• GPS location tracking. Imagine sending a request for urgent help, but no one knows where you are. Most probably, the outcome will be poor. The life alert type systems you consider must have GPS location tracking to avoid such situations.

• Customizable emergency contacts and alerts. Life alert systems should allow users to pick the text of notifications, emergency contacts, and communication channels. Such functionality gives additional flexibility as you can adapt the use to your needs. For example, if you are a lone worker, you can configure life alert systems to send notifications to your employer or team.

• Inactivity monitoring. This feature enables the users to ask for help when they cannot click the panic button. When the device detects excessive periods of inactivity, it automatically sends alerts to selected contacts. The inactivity monitoring feature is an excellent addition to the panic button.

The combination of these features is a good sign you are choosing one of the best life alert systems. It's secure enough to trust your life or the lives of your loved ones to it. Such a solution also has features that complement each other protecting the user in an array of dangers.

Popular Options of Life Alert Alarm Systems

Each type of life alert system has its target audience and use cases. Some life alert systems are designed for in-home use. Others offer security on the go and don't have a base station you need to install. In this section, we have gathered the most common options on the market. Searching for the best life alert system, you will most likely pick one of them.

Wearable Life Alert Systems

These are on-the-go help buttons in the form of pendants, rings, clocks, or keychains. They only have a panic button with GPS location tracking. No inactivity monitoring or sophisticated functionality. Such life alert systems are a great match for seniors who move a lot and leave home independently. They are also suitable for parents who want extra security for their children.

In-Home Systems

Such alert devices are powered by wireless cellular connectivity. Users need to install the base station at home and connect it with a wearable emergency button. It supports a connection within a 1,400 feet range.

In-home systems are preferable for medical use. Users can program them to deliver medication reminders. These solutions may even come with a complimentary lockbox to enable emergency responders to access the locked home. It perfectly illustrates the use cases.

Pagers

Pagers are similar to wearable devices. They also have the panic button users can click to trigger emergency alerts or calls. The primary difference is that they are less convenient to carry than wearables, and, therefore, users often lose such life alert type systems. Besides, pagers are mainly intended to connect patients with caregivers and often miss GPS tracking. Hence, they are not suitable for adults who seek a personal safety device.

App-Based Life Alert Alarm Systems

Life alert applications have the most versatile uses. That's because they have the richest functionality out of all life alert type systems. Applications support the panic button for real-time alerts. They rely on the location tracking functionality of the connected phone to provide emergency contacts with the GPS coordinates of the person in trouble. Apps also have inactivity monitoring and rich emergency alert customization capabilities.

Most importantly, users don't need a specialized device to use app-based life alert and other systems. By installing the software on their phones, they enjoy all the necessary features on their mobile devices. Besides being cost-effective, such a solution is also the most convenient and reliable. Users are less likely to lose their phones than forget about a keychain, pager, or another wearable.

Summing up, if you need a life alert medical alarms systems for seniors, devices and apps are equally effective. The elderly are used to physical devices and may feel more confident about an in-home system or portable panic button. Yet, if you want to get the best life alert system for adults, we recommend a mobile app like AllsWell Alert. It's universal and enables you to ask for help in all kinds of emergencies, from getting lost in the forest to a panic attack.

Some More Things to Factor In Choosing the Best Life Alert System

Apart from the must-have functionality we mention in the previous section, there are some more things to note. These characteristics matter whether you pick a panic button pendant or a mobile app. They affect the quality of life alert alarm systems and user experience.

#1. Personal Data Security in Solutions With GPS Tracking

When alert solutions don't have GPS tracking, it prevents emergency contacts from providing quick help. On the other hand, when they do track location, the problem of data privacy arises. Even though we recommend solutions with location tracking, it's important to choose them carefully.

Check how the alert system provider collects, processes, and stores users' data. Location details are sensitive information that requires ultimate security measures and compliance with data privacy regulations. When data is unprotected, attackers can use it to detect the location of the user.

Ideally, the application or device must capture GPS coordinates right before sending an alert. This way, emergency contacts can receive location information, but the user's movements are never stored.

#2. Usability of Life Alert Systems

It's an obvious requirement many people ignore buying life alert alarm systems. The device or application you get should have an intuitive interface and easy navigation. Otherwise, you or your loved ones using it may fail to request help in emergencies.

The best solution is to test an alert system before installing it. You will see how it works and evaluate the ease of use. Once you see that the product is convenient, you can switch to a more advanced subscription.

#3. Subscription and Maintenance Cost

No doubt that the cost of life alert system matters. A solution cannot be the best for your needs if you spend a fortune on it. Hence, you should research the pricing of multiple options before the final choice. Solutions like AllsWell Alert may cost as low as $10/month. You won't even feel this expense in your monthly budget. So if you worry about money, there are plenty of affordable life alert type systems.

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AllsWell as the Best Life Alert System

AllsWell Alert is a personal safety & emergency alert app for people living, commuting, or traveling alone. It combines the panic button functionality with inactivity monitoring, enabling the app to send your emergency contact an alert with your location even when you cannot press a button.

Get a free version for a month to test AllsWell and make sure it's the best life alert system for you.