ADT vs. Aloe Care Health

As people grow older, their health needs change as well. Subscribing to a medical alert system gives seniors and their loved ones the peace of mind and confidence that help is easily accessible whenever it’s needed. True enough, the value of any medical alert system can be found in its streamlined function to get immediate help when a medical emergency or any related incidents that require urgent help occur.

With the advancement of technology comes many additional features that are integrated with personal emergency response systems that can bring convenience, depending on the preference of the users. Medical alert devices are now available in many configurations. Nevertheless, all these systems have a common purpose to provide professional monitoring and afford protection to their end users.

While many medical alert systems offer a wide array of add-on features and convenient tech, it is important that its main function to immediately contact help when needed is not overlooked. This is because all emergencies are time-sensitive and require a quick response. We evaluated two reputable providers, ADT Health and Aloe Care, comparing their cost and features side by side, to help you objectively decide on which medical alert system suits your needs best.

	ADT	Aloe Care Health
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$29.99 - $39.99	$24.99 - $49.99
Device Cost	$0	$99.99 - $349.99
Shipping Fee	n/a	n/a
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$0 - $10	n/a
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$NaN - $NaN	$29.99
Features
Connectivity Option	Cellular or Landline	Cellular or Landline
Two-way Speaker & Microphone	Yes	Yes
Home-based Back Up Battery Life	20 hours or 20 hours	4-6 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	40 hours	120 hours
Button Range	300 ft or 600 ft	200 ft or 200 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	No	Yes
Response Time	10 seconds or 10 seconds	30 seconds or 30 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

ADT

Pros:

• No long-term contracts required
• Reliable 24/7 monitoring
• No upfront equipment fees
• Lifetime warranty on all systems
• Monthly costs guaranteed not to increase
• 6-month money-back guarantee
• Free shipping fee and activation
• No hidden fees
• 24/7/365 monitoring

Cons:

• Restrictive range for in-home systems
• No companion app for caregivers
• Short battery life

Aloe Care Health

Pros:

• Reasonable monthly monitoring fees
• Advanced Caregiver app features
• 24/7 emergency monitoring
• Voice-activated system
• Fall detection fee is included in the basic monthly monitoring fee
• Free shipping on all orders, with offers for faster shipping for an additional cost
• Motion sensors availability with their Total Care plan
• 30-day trial

Cons:

• One-time equipment fees required
• Devices are waterproof but are not recommended to be submerged in water for too long
• Limited device range

ADT OVERVIEW

ADT Health purposefully designed their systems to be as simple and straightforward, focusing only on the basic functions of a medical alert system. They are among the most trusted providers of medical alert systems. They operate nine emergency monitoring centers across 200 locations in the U.S, which beats other medical alert providers that have two monitoring centers at most. This established network of redundancy is an important facet of a reliable monitoring system, as when one monitoring center loses power because of severe weather or any area-wide interruption, another monitoring center can sustain their operations. ADT takes huge pride in their state-of-the-art monitoring centers that are TMA Five Diamond Certified and UL-approved. They also earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Their monitoring centers are established in a redundant network, which ensures network availability especially during incidents when any of their monitoring centers loses function. They offer a range of systems to choose from: Medical Alert Basic System, Medical Alert Plus System, and On-the-go system.

Medical Alert Systems

Medical Alert Basic System

ADT's Medical Alert Basic System is the least expensive plan on the list, starting for only $29.99 per month. This includes an in-home base console, a two-way speaker, plus a waterproof help button that can be worn as a wristband or pendant. This system can be used up to 300 ft away from the base unit, in any direction. It features home temperature monitoring, which sends an alert if your home temperature goes below or above the normal level.

Medical Alert Plus System

Medical Alert Plus is an alternative in-home system for seniors who do not have a standard landline connectivity in their home, as it connects to the AT & T network. This plan costs $35.99 a month, and can be upgraded to have fall detection monitoring for only $10 a month.

With a 600ft device range from the base, users can roam around the house with more protection. Users can also opt to add an optional waterproof wall mount button that can be placed anywhere inside the house or multiple pendant options for added protection.

On-The-Go Medical Alert System

ADT’s on-the-go system is designed to offer mobile monitoring with GPS location tracking for only $39.99/month. This plan comes with a lightweight, water-proof, portable device which you can bring anywhere. It is equipped with wireless connection with two-way talk, and it can also be upgraded to have an optional fall detection feature which uses sensors to detect a fall and automatically contacts the ADT monitoring center for help.

Aloe Care Health Overview

Aloe Care Health powers its systems with advanced technology to keep older adults protected 24/7. Not only do their systems provide protection, they also afford comfort and convenience with the high-tech tools integrated in their devices. It is a good option for seniors who don’t like to wear anything when moving around the house, as it features a voice-activated medical alert system with pendant-free fall detection. The at-home medical alert packages also monitor indoor temperature, air quality, and activity.

With rates starting at $24.99 up to $49.99 a month, and equipment fees that range from $99-$349, their rates are considered to be quite high-priced. However, given the unique features present in Aloe Care Health systems, its value sustains the steep cost.

One good thing is that they don't require a long-term contract, so you're free to cancel their services at any time. Automatic fall detection is also already included in their monthly subscription fee, unlike most providers that charge a standard monthly fee for this feature on top of the base price.

One downside of their system is that the buttons only have a 200ft range from the base station. So if you have a large home, you might need to purchase an extra button so that you can still be covered in the event of an emergency.

Medical Alert Systems

Mobile Companion

Mobile Companion is Aloe Care's on-the-go device that offers LTE coverage. It's a small, pocket-sized device that has a fall sensor and two-way voice communication. It also has real-time GPS tracking and can last up to 5 days on a single charge. The monthly subscription for this service is $24.99 a month, with an initial equipment fee of $99.

Essentials

Aloe Care Health Essentials plan includes a voice-activated base console called Smart Hub and a wearable Care Button. The system uses the AT&T connection. This home-based system costs $29.99 a month with a one-time device cost of $99.99. The Smart Hub is equipped with motion, temperature, and air quality sensors. It also has a button to trigger an alarm that is directly connected to Aloe Care’s professional monitoring center. The Care Button is a wearable device that has a range of 200ft and can also be used to trigger an alarm.

Essentials Plus

The Essentials Plus plan costs $39.99 a month plus a one-time fee of $249.99 for the device cost. The one-time purchase fee includes a Smart Hub base that is voice-activated and has built-in motion, temperature, and air quality sensors; a wearable Care Button to call for help up to 200ft range; and a Mobile Companion device with wearable fall detection and AT&T LTE coverage nationwide.

Total Care

Aloe Care's Total Care package includes everything in the Essentials package plus a mobile companion. This compact system functions as an on-the-go system that protects you anywhere you go, as it operates with the AT&T LTE coverage nationwide. This plan also includes two additional mobile security features: two motion sensors and automatic fall detection. This plan is the most expensive they offer which costs $49.99 a month with a one-time device cost of $349.99.

Upon review, there is a striking contrast on the cost of ADT and Aloe Care, specifically because of Aloe Care’s expensive upfront equipment fees which range from $99-$349. The reason for the steep price is that the company requires the users to buy out the device rather than renting it or leasing it out.

Although Aloe Care Health offers free fall detection in their plans, ADT’s relatively low monitoring fees hold up for the additional $10 charge for an optional fall detection. ADT and Aloe Care both offer shipping fees for free. However, Aloe Care presents an option for an additional $40 to expedite shipment. Additionally, ADT charges a lower spouse monitoring/extra button costs for only $14.99 one-time payment + $5/ mo while Aloe Care offers the same for $29.99.

With these data on their costs, ADT evidently saves you a lot of expenses in the long run in comparison with Aloe Care.

Aloe Care Health provides convenience with its modern systems, whereas ADT keeps their systems simple and straightforward while delivering effective professional monitoring all the same.

Both offer two-way communication, GPS location tracking, and fall detection features. ADT’s battery has a back-up power that can last up to 20 hours for its in-home system, while 40 hours for its on-the-go systems, while Aloe Care has a 4-6 hour backup for its in-home system, and 5 days for its on-the-go systems.

In terms of range coverage, both providers have restrictive ranges. ADT has a 600-ft capacity at max, and Aloe Care has a 200-ft range from the base unit. When it comes to caregiver support, Aloe Care has an edge over ADT as their caregiver app allows several modern features, to include activity tracking. It also keeps tabs on calls, and allows the caregiver to be contacted for regular check-ins.

Monitoring Center

A medical alert system is only as good as their monitoring center. ADT and Aloe Care both have monitoring centers that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provide nationwide coverage across all 50 states in the country.

ADT boasts their highly reliable monitoring centers that are certified by various third-party accrediting bodies. They are TMA Five Diamond Certified, UL-certified, and FM-approved, which means that the centers adhere to the highest standards in the industry.

Aloe Care keeps the competition on a par, as their monitoring center is also TMA Five Diamond Certified, which says a lot about their monitoring and response standard.

While they both have excellent monitoring centers, Aloe Care's average response time is 30 seconds while ADT operators can attend to an emergency in as fast as 10 seconds, which is among the fastest recorded response time in the industry. This is the most important factor to be checked for in any medical alert system, as it determines the survival rate of the senior using it in case of any medical emergencies.

OUR PICK

After comparing ADT and Aloe Care Health, Elderguide sides with ADTbecause they provide efficient and reliable emergency response for a more affordable rate which the users will appreciate over time. It keeps its systems straightforward without the extra add-ons that just add to the total cost for the subscription.

The good thing about Aloe Care Health is how it prioritizes a network of caregivers through the Aloe Care Health mobile app. Their systems integrate advanced tech for the convenience and comfort of its users, which is a plus for tech-savvy seniors who are after the innovative functions that are included in Aloe Care’s packages.

However, if you are on a budget, and are after an all-inclusive function for a medical alert system that is quick to respond to emergencies, the best choice for you would be ADT Health. After all, it serves a reliable, professional monitoring and gives you utmost protection to help you retain your sense of independence with the safety of their systems.