ADT vs. Bay Alarm Medical

The medical alert industry has grown rapidly along with the advancement of technology. The tight competition between and among medical alert providers in terms of their systems design and price offering add to the tedious decision-making on which provides the best solution for you and your loved ones’ emergency response needs.

When choosing a personal emergency alert system, it is important to note your situation, living conditions, and basically your individual needs. Elderguide created this guide to help you balance your priorities in choosing the right medical alert system that would fit your needs and that would suit your finances.

ADT and Bay Alarm Medical both offer protection and peace of mind with their systems and packages. In this article, we will compare these two providers side by side to help you choose which suits you best depending on their pricing, features, and coverage.

	ADT	Bay Alarm Medical
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$29.99 - $39.99	$19.95 - $49.95
Device Cost	$0	$0 - $159
Shipping Fee	n/a	$12
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$0 - $10	$0 - $10
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$NaN - $NaN	$39
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	32 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	40 hours	6-18 hours or 72 hours
Button Range	300 ft or 600 ft	1000 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	No	Yes, some plans
Response Time	10 seconds or 10 seconds	20 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

ADT

Pros:

• Does not require long-term contracts
• Reliable professional monitoring
• Lifetime warranty on all systems
• Price-lock guarantee
• 6-month money-back guarantee
• Free shipping fee and activation
• No hidden fees
• 24/7/365 monitoring

Cons:

• Low range for in-home systems
• No companion app for caregivers
• Limited features

Bay Alarm Medical

Pros:

• 100% U.S-based monitoring centers
• Affordable monitoring fees and flexible payment terms
• 30-day free trial
• No activation or cancellation fees
• Range of options and packages to choose from
• Committed to excellence and experience
• Caregiver app with geofencing
• 24/7/365 monitoring

Cons:

• High equipment fees for the mobile GPS help button and smartwatch

ADT OVERVIEW

Given their long history of experience, ADT has earned its reputation to be one of the most trusted names in the industry. They operate a total of nine emergency monitoring centers across 200 locations in the U.S. They put a good value on safety as ADT also provides fire protection, home security, and automation services. ADT’s medical alert services are designed specifically to get the basic functions of a life alert system solid, without having a lot of unnecessary extras and top-ups. Their monitoring centers are TMA Five Diamond Certified, and are located in strategic places across the U.S in a redundant network, which means that when one monitoring loses function, a backup center will take over so that they can still respond to emergency situations. ADT offers a range of systems to choose from, which are all thorough yet comprehensive, ranging from its 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 cheapest plan that ADT Health offers, with its base price that starts at $29.99 per month. This includes an in-home base unit that connects to a standard landline connection, and a waterproof help button that can be worn as a wristband or pendant. In case of an emergency, users can press the help button and they will immediately connect with a trained emergency responder who will be dispatched to the location to manage the situation as needed.

A unique feature offered for this system is its home temperature monitoring, which sends an alert if your home temperature goes below or above the normal level. However, the range coverage for this system is somewhat limited, as it only covers a radius of 300ft from the base station, which is lower than the range capacity of other medical alert systems we have reviewed.

Medical Alert Plus System

Medical Alert Plus System is an upgraded variant of the basic system that can be purchased for for $35.99 a month. It does not require a standard landline connection as it connects to the AT & T network. The system offers a more extensive range of 600ft radius from the base, allowing seniors to roam around the house with more protection. Although this range is not as good as the basic in-home systems we have assessed, it may be good enough if the size of your home measures up to this range capacity.

This system also comes with a home-temperature monitoring feature and can be upgraded to have fall detection monitoring for only $10 a month. 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

This compact, lightweight and easy-to-use mobile medical alert system from ADT provides protection for active seniors who are always on the move. It is equipped with a built-in GPS location tracking, features a wireless connection with a 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.

Its mobile base unit offers the same protection as their traditional home-based system but is more compact and portable. With this system, you can get the protection and peace of mind you need while remaining independent and active.

BAY ALARM OVERVIEW

Bay Alarm Medical stands out in the industry for its budget-friendly rates. The company’s good reputation of providing reliable medical alert services is rooted in its long experience in the industry. They are dedicated in providing the best service with their innovative solutions fit for the needs of their customers. Being committed to excellence and experience, they offer 24/7 monitoring service through their CSAA Five Diamond Certified monitoring centers, which also undergo random inspections by the Underwriter Laboratories to ensure that their safety standards keep up with the level of quality the industry requires. Another highlight is Bay Alarm’s ability to support up to 170 languages, which is a key takeaway for non-native English users.

Medical Alert Systems

In-Home Basic

The In-Home Basic plan has a starting price of $19.95 a month, which is among the most affordable price offers of medical alert systems. This works through a standard landline connection, and has a range capacity of 1000-ft from the base console, which provides more than enough coverage for a typical home. The plan includes a base unit and a waterproof personal help button that is safe to wear even inside the shower. Fall detection can be added to this plan for an additional $10 a month.

In-Home Preferred

In-Home Preferred is an alternative plan if you don’t have landline connectivity in your home. It connects through cellular connectivity, and it costs $29.95 per month. This system is also compatible with fall detection, which costs an additional $10 a month. It has the same range as the In-Home Basic System, and has a 32 hour backup battery life. This plan is popular because it offers free shipping when you pay quarterly, and free shipping plus a free one-month monitoring fee when you pay annually.

In-Home Premium

Bay Alarm’s In-Home Premium is the most advanced variant among the home systems offered by Bay Alarm Medical, as it includes a base unit, a help button, and four wall buttons that you can place around the house for an extra layer of security. The cost for this plan is $39.95 a month. You also have the option to add fall detection for an additional $10 a month.

SOS Mobile Lite

SOS Mobile Lite is a great choice for those who are always on the go and need to have a reliable and easy-to-use mobile medical alert system. This compact and lightweight on-the-go device is available on both AT&T and Verizon 4G-LTE networks. Unlike their home-based system, SOS Mobile plans require a one-time device payment of $99.

SOS Mobile Lite comes with a caregiver tracking app and GPS location tracking feature. Plus, the device is IPX6 water-resistant and can last up to 3 days after a full charge. Fall detection monitoring is available for an additional $10 a month.

SOS Mobile Plus

This plan is very similar to SOS Mobile Lite, but this upgraded variant offers the automatic fall detection as an inclusion to the base pricing for the system. This plan has a monthly monitoring fee of $39.95 and comes with a one-time equipment fee of $99.

SOS Mobile 360° Bundle

This system offers double protection for seniors who want to add an extra layer of security both for their homes and for their outdoor commitments. For $49.95 per month and a one-time device cost of $99, you can have the In-Home Preferred + Mobile device + Fall Detection. This package reduces the overall cost compared to purchasing each plan separately.

SOS Smartwatch

Bay Alarm’s SOS Smartwatch costs $29.95 a month, plus a $159 equipment fee for the smartwatch. The SOS smartwatch features optimal display lighting, clear two-way communication, an SOS button, and a step tracker. The device uses 4G-LTE cellular network and GPS location tracking. It is also water-resistant, and has a battery life of 6 to 18 hours.

In-home + Smartwatch

This is another bundle they offer. You can get the plan at $49.95 a month. This plan saves you around $10 and still allows access to a 24/7 US-based monitoring center, location tracking for both its in-home and on-the-go systems.

When it comes to cost, Bay Alarm Medical gets the spotlight with its low monitoring fees and great bundle deals with discounted rates. However, Bay Alarm Medical has a one-time purchase fee of $99 and $159 for the mobile GPS help button and smartwatch, respectively. Although this can be a point of consideration for seniors who are on a tight budget, it is important to consider that this rate is the standard for this tech.

ADT Health, on the other hand, provides premium protection with their systems that particularly focus on essential functions and building it from there. Their monitoring fee ranges at $29.99-$39.99 per month, with no additional upfront fee for any of its devices. ADT ships their equipment for free, while Bay Alarm charges a standard $12. Both have systems that are compatible with an added feature of fall-detection for a $10 cost on top of the basic monthly pay.

ADT and Bay Alarm Medical are two highly regarded medical alert providers that primarily aim to improve the quality of life of the elderly through its systems.

ADT highlights in its reliable and advanced monitoring, while Bay Alarm Medical shines more on its low price offer. When it comes to features and tech, both have two-way communication, can connect to either landline or cellular connection, have GPS location tracking, and are compatible with fall detection features. However, a huge difference is seen in their battery life, their device range and their response time.

ADT has a battery backup of 20 hours for its home-based system and 40 hours for its on-the-go system as compared to Bay Alarm which has a battery backup of 32 hours for its home systems, and 72 hours for its on-the-go systems. As for its range, Bay Alarm offers a wider range coverage of 1000-ft compared to the 600-ft coverage of ADT.

Monitoring Center

It is no question that for this category, ADT performs better. While ADT and Bay Alarm both have monitoring centers that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays, and provide nationwide coverage across all 50 states in the country, ADT’s monitoring centers 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.

Bay Alarm keeps up with their monitoring centers that are UL-approved and CSAA Five Diamond Certified which means they have met the standard quality operations needed in the industry. When it comes to response rate, Bay Alarm responds to an alert on an average of 20 seconds, while ADT's can do the same in as fast as 10 seconds, which is the most impressive response rate we've seen among other providers we reviewed.

OUR PICK

The good news is, ADT and Bay Alarm offer good deals for someone who is looking for a premium and reliable protection. While both companies are highly regarded in the medical alert industry, ADT and Bay Alarm perform excellently in different areas of service.

Grounding on our objective-based assessment, Elderguide highly recommends ADT because of its exceptional monitoring service. ADT works best for independent seniors who want reassurance through having a guaranteed protection and monitoring while being practical. Since it has the fastest recorded response time, it is undoubtedly a good protection plan. It also has all the essential features of a medical alert system, which anyone can rely on in times of emergencies.