ADT vs. MobileHelp

A medical alert system or a personal emergency response is now regarded as a necessity, more than an option for older adults. Technology finally figured out a good solution for helping seniors get the most out of their independent living without having to worry about emergencies.

The main function of a medical alert system is to immediately notify a monitoring center if help is needed. As all emergencies are considered time-sensitive situations, it is important to choose a medical alert system that offers round the clock monitoring and can provide fast response times.

With the rising number of medical alert systems in the market, it can be difficult to decide what is best for your needs. We evaluated two reputable providers, ADT Health and MobiHelp, comparing their cost and features side by side, to save you from the long research process and help you pick a system that you can rely on.

	ADT	MobileHelp
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$29.99 - $39.99	$19.95 - $54.95
Device Cost	$0	$0 - $49.95
Shipping Fee	n/a	$15
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$0 - $10	$10
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$NaN - $NaN	$0 - $2
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	30 hours or 30 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	40 hours	24 hours or 24 hours
Button Range	300 ft or 600 ft	1400 ft or 600 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	No	Yes
Response Time	10 seconds or 10 seconds	21 seconds or 21 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

ADT

Pros:

• No long-term contracts
• 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

MobileHelp

Pros:

• Low monthly rates
• Offers a touchscreen as a modern base console
• Offers advanced features and tech
• The MobileHelp Touch is the first tablet-based medical alert system.
• Landline or cellular connectivity options
• No long-term contracts

Cons:

• The fall detection feature is an additional cost
• Doesn’t offer a smartwatch option
• No all-in-one devices; you’ll have to wear another device if you want fall detection

ADT OVERVIEW

ADT has earned its reputation to be one of the most trusted names in the industry, with its headquarters located in Florida. As they are an established company with long years of experience, 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. ADT’s monitoring centers 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. ADT’s medical alert services are designed to efficiently sustain the essentials of a medical alert system minus the bells and whistles. They offer a range of systems to choose from: Medical Alert Basic System, Medical Alert Plus System, and On-the-go system.

ADT's Medical Alert Systems

Medical Alert Systems

ADT's Medical Alert Basic System is a landline-based system designed to provide protection for your home. It 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 console and a waterproof help button that can be worn as a wristband or pendant. This system can be used up to 300 feet 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 $39.99 a month. This plan comes with a lightweight, water-proof, portable device which you can bring anywhere. This 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.

MobileHelp Overview

MobileHelp has been in the industry for 15 years, and has helped countless seniors who want to age at home with the safety of an on-call emergency help. They offer a wide array of plan options to fit your specific needs through their unique smart devices that mainly offer convenience to the users.

They offer a sleek tablet-like mobile base station that has a number of extra features such as a gallery of images and pre-installed cognitive games. They have discounted bundled systems that are great for seniors who have a planned budget for a medical alert system. Also, their devices are compatible with fall detection and GPS tracking, so you can customize and configure your packages according to your preferences.

Medical Alert Systems

MobileHelp Classic

MobileHelp Classic features an in-home base unit with two-way communication and a waterproof help button that can be worn even while in the shower. This system is the least expensive system that MobileHelp offers, as it costs for only $19.95 a month with a one-time equipment fee of $49.95. The upfront device cost only applies to a monthly subscription and comes free with other payment plans.

The system connects to AT & T cellular network, and does not require a landline connection. The base console has a range of 1400ft which provides solid protection and coverage anywhere in your home. If there are power interruptions, the battery backup can last up to 30 hours, which makes sure that the device is still serviceable. The system is also compatible with the automatic fall detection button for an additional $10 a month.

MobileHelp Wired Home

MobileHelp is a good option if you live in an area with an unstable cellular coverage as this system runs on standard landline connectivity. The system requires a monitoring fee of $24.95 a month. It comes with a base unit and a waterproof wearable help button with a lanyard or wrist strap. The two-way communication lets the user speak to the emergency operator through the base unit speakerphone. It also has a backup battery that can last up to 30 hours. This system offers a wide coverage of up to 600ft and can be upgraded with a fall detection button for an additional $10 a month.

MobileHelp Touch Classic

MobileHelp Touch Classic can be purchased for a monthly monitoring fee of $54.95. Though you might think that this is downright expensive, the system has advanced features not available on many other systems. The price is also justifiable as it comes with a sleek touchscreen tablet which does not require any upfront device cost. The tablet features an 8-inch touch screen, and offers a variety of extra features which include a rotating gallery of pictures, medication reminders, cognitive games such as Sudoku, and a soft key touch emergency button.

This system has a coverage of up to 600ft, and it can be paired with the optional fall detection button for an additional $10 a month, and has a backup battery that can last up to 30 hours. Additionally, it uses cellular technology, so there is no need for a landline.

MobileHelp Solo

MobileHelp Solo includes a waterproof portable device that functions as a mobile base station and a waterproof personal help button that can be worn as a necklace or wristband. This system can be purchased for a monthly monitoring fee of $37.95. It connects to the AT&T cellular network, and works with two-way communication. It also has GPS tracking capabilities to easily locate users in case of an emergency.

For added protection, the system is also compatible with the optional fall detection button for $10 per month. The device can last for 1 whole day so you can take it with you anywhere without worrying about recharging it.

MobileHelp Micro

The MobileHelp Micro is the smallest and lightest version of the company's mobile device weighing only 52 grams, which makes it a perfect option for seniors who like discreet and sleek medical alert systems. Users can either wear it as a pendant with its detachable lanyard or just carry it in their pocket. The system can be purchased for only $33.95 a month with no long-term contract.

The water-proof device comes with a high-quality audio speaker system for clear two-way communication and its battery life lasts up to 24 hours on a single charge. It connects to the AT&T cellular network, and has an accurate GPS location tracking so users can be easily located in the event of an emergency. Users may opt to upgrade their experience and add the optional built-in fall detection sensor for only $10 a month.

MobileHelp Duo

The MobileHelp Duo includes an in-home base station, a portable unit, and a wearable help button that will give users protection and peace of mind in their home or away. The system connects to AT&T cellular coverage and provides assurance that help is always available anywhere with a stable cellular connection. This plan can be purchased for only $41.95 a month and can be paired with the optional fall detection button for an additional $10 monthly.

Mobile Duo

The Mobile Duo consists of two wearable waterproof help buttons. This system is the perfect deal for seniors who need an extra button for nearly the price of one. It works best for couples or roommates who live an active lifestyle and who like to spend their day away from home.

This system costs $44.95 a month, and it's basically a 2-for-1 bundle so you're getting more value for your money. The Mobile Duo offers the same features such as two-way communication, GPS location tracking, and compatibility with the optional fall detection button that costs an additional $10 a month.

MobileHelp Touch Duo

The MobileHelp Touch Duo is ideal for seniors who want advanced technology and don’t mind the steep price that comes in exchange for the comfort and convenience that it offers. This system includes a portable, all-in-one medical alert device and a tablet that offers a unique system. The tablet and mobile unit work together for the benefit of users and their caregivers as they can be connected through the MobileHelp Connect web portal.

The plan also includes a wearable help button that can be used in times when users can't get to the tablet or mobile device. This system can be purchased for $54.95 a month and can be upgraded with the optional fall detection button for an additional $10 monthly.

By comparison, ADT and MobileHelp differ for the most part when it comes to pricing. ADT’s medical alert systems range in price from $29.99 to $39.99 a month. However, your monthly fees could be higher, depending on the features you choose. ADT’s Medical Alert Basic plan is the most cost-efficient, while the Medical Alert Plus package offers twice the range of the Basic plan and additional features for a slightly increased price.

MobileHelp, on the other hand, offers a wide variety of options and upgrades, which largely affects their rates. The monthly monitoring starts for as low as $19.95 and can go as high as $54.95, with an upfront device cost for some of their systems. They also charge $15 for shipping, while ADT offers this for free.

Seniors on a budget can go with subscribing to ADT Health. They ensure that their rates are transparent, as there are no long-term contracts or hidden fees. ADT also has a price-lock guarantee, which ensures that their rates will not increase throughout your subscription. They also have flexible payment terms which provide a range of options to its customers.

As MobileHelp offers their systems at rates that are higher than ADT, this can be a good option for seniors who don’t mind looking at the steep prices as long as they’re getting their money’s worth.

ADT and MobileHelp are two top-rated providers that are known in the industry for their reliable protection and monitoring. But when it comes to features, MobileHelp stands out for its advanced tech and a wide variety of add-on features that seniors can customize to best fit their needs.

MobileHelp offers a total of 8 systems to choose from, each with their own unique configurations, that are innovatively tailored to provide advanced solutions to the needs of every senior. Their systems include options for fall detection, medication reminders, location detection, and activity tracking. Customers and authorized caregivers can also use the MobileHelp Connect app with all subscriptions

On the other hand, ADT highlights its reliable and advanced monitoring, as it provides premium protection with their systems that particularly focus on essential functions and building it from there. They provide a decent lineup of alert systems that provide basic-level protection without the nonessentials.

Monitoring Center

The Monitoring Center is the core of every medical alert system. Thus, its crucial role in the level of protection that any medical alert system provides.

ADT takes pride in their TMA Five Diamond Certified 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 also certified by other third-party accrediting bodies. Apart from having a TMA Five Diamond Certification, they are also UL-certified, and FM-approved, which means that the centers adhere to the highest standards in the industry.

As the services of MobileHelp are connected to Rapid Response's UL-listed, CSAA awardee response centers that are staffed by highly trained and experienced emergency response operators, they also provide top-tier protection for its users.

When it comes to response rate, MobileHelp responds to an alert on an average of 21 seconds, while ADT can respond in as fast as 10 seconds, which is the most impressive response rate we've seen among other providers we have reviewed.

OUR PICK

We at Elderguide are committed to help you make informed decisions based on our data-driven reviews and objective-based assessment. Between ADT and MobileHelp, we highly recommend ADT because it provides solid protection and reliable monitoring through their certified monitoring centers.

While MobileHelp can give you a wide array of options and tech-advanced tools that can improve your independent senior living, ADT offers adequate and reliable alert systems at a competitive rate that can be fairly compared to other big names in the industry.

ADT seeks to provide its customers a dependable monitoring service. Plus, its systems concentrate on providing essential functions of a top-tier medical alert system without the bells and whistles. Most importantly, it holds the record of having the fastest response time, which makes it a good investment for a protection plan. It also has all the essential features of a medical alert system, which anyone can rely on in times of emergencies.