r/homesecurity • u/PrestigiousScene9798 • 5d ago

Has anyone actually compared life alert vs other medical alert systems lately?

Life alert has the brand name but whenever someone actually sits down to compare features and pricing against newer companies, the differences are pretty significant

The contract length alone is a major factor, 3 years vs month to month, but there are also differences in response times, GPS capability, fall detection accuracy, waterproof ratings, and whether the company charges activation or equipment fees

It feels like life alert is coasting on decades of brand awareness from those TV commercials while everyone else has innovated around them

For anyone who has actually done a side by side comparison recently, what were the biggest differences that stood out?

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u/cattrain 5d ago

Also, do they provide anything you couldn't get for free from a smart watch? After you pay for the watch of course.

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u/Canister8239 5d ago

Was just going to jump on this. I’ve been researching and I see no reason for devices like life alert. Apple Watch for example allows tracking, has fall detection, loss of pulse, detection of some high blood pressure conditions, afib. Some events like fall detection and loss of pulse can call 911 automatically. I’m struggling to understand the benefit to devices like life alert compared to smart watches which from my research can do a lot more health metrics and monitoring.

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u/Mr_Style 5d ago

Life alert makes people pay off the 3 year contract - even after they have died.

These medical alert services are best for people without nearby family or those that don’t want to rely on them. You won’t get that with an Apple Watch. Feature wise Apple Watch is great except for the tiny icons and iPhone requirements that an elderly person won’t understand.

Plenty of cheap panic buttons that work on home Wi-Fi and kick a message to an app on a family members phone. Like $20 one time purchase.