Medical Care Alert vs. ADT

The growing number of medical alert systems available in the market makes it difficult to find the right and the best solution for you and your loved ones’ emergency response needs. At Elderguide, we make sure to guide you in your decision-making when it comes to choosing a life-line when an emergency occurs.

This time, we will compare the features and deals of two reputable medical alert system providers, Medical Care Alert and ADT to see which company offers the better deal. While both companies are among the most well-known in this industry, they have a notable difference when assessed methodically.

We have done extensive research to measure the value and capacities of these two systems to provide you a thorough comparison based on their features, cost, and services.

	Medical Care Alert	ADT
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A-plus	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$29.95 - $39.95	$29.99 - $39.99
Device Cost	$0	$0
Shipping Fee	$11.95	n/a
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$10	$0 - $10
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$0 - $29.95	$NaN - $NaN
Features
Connectivity Option	Cellular, Landline or Cellular	Cellular, Landline or Cellular
Two-way Speaker & Microphone	Yes	Yes
Home-based Back Up Battery Life	80 hours	20 hours or 20 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	72 hours	40 hours
Button Range	1000 ft	300 ft or 600 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	Yes, some plans	No
Response Time	12 seconds	10 seconds or 10 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

Medical Care Alert

Pros:

• Monitoring Center is based in the U.S
• Bilingual (Spanish and English) EMT/EMD-certified call center operators
• Subscribers can cancel their service at no cost once they’ve tested the system for at least 14 days
• GPS location tracker and automatic fall detection are available to all systems
• Long battery operation duration (lasts up to 3 days)
• No activation fees
• Monitoring costs are guaranteed to never increase as long as the subscriber stays with Medical Care Alert
• Free RemoteCare 24/7 smartphone app lets authorized caregivers check the location and device status of HOME & AWAY ULTRA subscribers
• Free lockbox provided with an annual monitoring plan

Cons:

• Subscribers must choose an annual prepaid plan to get the lowest monthly price
• No month-to-month billing option for new subscribers- they must prepay for at least 3 months of service

ADT

Pros:

• No long-term contracts
• Exceptional monitoring center reliability
• Lifetime warranty on all systems
• Lifetime price-lock
• 6-month money-back guarantee
• Free shipping fee and activation
• No hidden fees
• 24/7/365 monitoring

Cons:

• Limited range capacity from the base unit to the help button
• No companion or caregiver app
• Short battery life
• Limited features

Medical Care Alert Overview

Medical Care Alert is remarkable in the fact that they have properly invested in the quality of their overall medical monitoring system. Their U.S-based monitoring center is UL-approved, and maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. What sets Medical Care Alert apart from the rest is that their emergency respondents all hold EMD/EMT certification, which proves that they are all highly trained to manage emergency situations.

Medical Care Alert is a Michigan-based family-owned company. Their system works best for independent seniors who have health risks and also for our vulnerable loved ones, mainly because their emergency respondents are all experienced in the field of health care.

Medical Alert Systems

Home Medical Alert System- Landline

Home Medical Care Alert System provides in-home protection which works best for seniors who live alone. It has a base unit paired with a water-resistant help button that has up to 1000-foot range from the base console through landline connectivity. The base unit includes a hands-free speakerphone that directly connects with the emergency monitoring center. The battery features an 80-hour backup so you don’t have to worry if the power goes out. The plan is at $29.95 per month, with optional upgrade for fall detection that costs $10 every month.

Home Medical Alert System- Cellular

If landline connectivity is not available, the Home Cellular Medical Care Alert system will protect you anywhere in your home, as it connects to AT&T 4G LTE wireless network. The system has a 1,000 foot range from the base console, which exceeds the average size of an American home. This provides extra assurance for you and your family members as the range capacity covers all areas inside your home and in your yard. The wearable help button is also water-proof, and has a battery life of up to 80 hours.

Home and Away Ultra

The Home and Away Ultra provides a lightweight and compact device that comes with a wearable waterproof help button pendant, with a GPS location tracker, that is directly connected with a trained, EMT/EMD certified operator ready to respond in cases of emergencies. This mobile system connects to AT&T 4G LTE and works in any location that is accessible to the AT&T cellular service.

This is perfect for seniors who have an active lifestyle and who are more likely to be outdoors more often. A fully-charged battery can be used for up to three days, giving you convenience and peace of mind while on a holiday. This system can also be upgraded to have fall detection monitoring for only $10 a month.

Home and Away Duo

The Home and Away Duo is almost the same with the Home and Away Ultra variant, as it provides coverage in all 50 states whenever cellular signal is accessible. The system includes the GPS device and a water-proof help button which is safe to wear anywhere. Its battery life can last up to three days.

All it takes is just one push on the help button in a medical emergency. The GPS tracking device accurately locates your device so they know where to dispatch help when you need it. The specifications include a cellular connection to the AT&T cellular connection which functions anywhere in the U.S as long as cellular signal is accessible.

ADT OVERVIEW

ADT counts in the list of the most reputable medical alert system providers for business and residential customers. Based on their long history of experience, ADT has earned its reputation to be one of the most trusted names in the industry, with its nine emergency monitoring centers across 200 locations nationwide. Safety-wise, ADT also provides fire protection, home security, and automation services. On top of that, their home security systems are some of the most comprehensive on the market. 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 starts at $29.99 per month, which includes an in-home base unit that requires a standard landline connection. The system offers two-way communication 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 an ADT professional. After which, emergency respondents will be dispatched to the location to manage the situation.

The system operates within a radius of 300ft from the base station. Additionally, this system has home-temperature monitoring capabilities.

Medical Alert Plus System

Medical Alert Plus System is an in-home medical alert system that can be purchased for only $35.99 a month. It is similar to their basic plan but this does not require a standard landline connection, as it connects to the AT & T network. This system is best for seniors who want to roam freely around their home as it has a 600ft radius from the base, allowing you to step outside of your home with less worry.

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 you peace of mind to travel without having to worry when an emergency occurs. Monthly monitoring fee starts at $39.99 for this. This is already equipped with a GPS location tracking feature to track your location in case you call for an immediate medical response. It features a 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.

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.

Medical Care Alert’s monitoring fees start from $29.95-$39.95 per month, which is more affordable as compared with the cost offer of ADT, which ranges from $29.99-$39.99. While both providers do not charge an additional fee for the device setup, ADT beats Medical Care Alert when it comes to Shipping Fee, as ADT offers it for free while Medical Care Alert charges $11.95 for shipping.

Medical Care Alert has a 14-day free trial wherein users can cancel their subscription free of charge within the trial period. On the other hand, as ADT does not require for a long-term contract, it lets the subscribers cancel at any time, also free of charge under specific circumstances.

Both providers have systems that are compatible with an added feature of fall-detection, for a $10 cost on top of the basic monthly pay. Both providers offer a lifetime guarantee of a fixed payment rate as long as they stay subscribed to the system.

Lastly, Medical Care Alert charges no fee for spouse monitoring or protection of multiple people within the same residence while ADT offers the same for a one-time payment of $14.99, and an additional $5 per month.

When it comes to features, Medical Care Alert is considerably more advanced as compared to the limited offers of ADT. 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, the difference lies in their battery life, range capacity, and the availability of a Caregiver app. Medical Care Alert has a battery backup of 80 hours for its home-based system, while ADT has a relatively shorter battery life of 20 hours for the same system. This is important to note especially in the foresight of a possible power outage.

As for the on-the-go system, Medical Alert has a significantly longer battery life capped at 5 days, while ADT’s battery life lasts for only 40 hours for a fully-charged device. It is most recommended to charge the ADT’s on-the-go device every day especially when you have a schedule outdoors. ADT also does not have a Caregiver App at this time, while Medical Alert has a ready Caregiver App for its users.

The most important feature to look at is the device’s range, Medical Care Alert has a device range of 1000 ft, which covers a larger area as compared to the 600 ft range capacity of ADT.

Monitoring Center

Despite the fact that Medical Care Alert outdid ADT in terms of features, ADT has a lot to say when it comes to the reputation of its monitoring center. ADT holds the record of having the fastest response time, capped at just 10 seconds, which provides its customers the benefit of being able to rest easy knowing that they are quick to respond if ever they need help. This is slightly faster than Medical Care Alert’s response time which is 12 seconds, which is also impressively fast as compared to other medical alert systems. Both have monitoring centers that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year, and are 100% US-based which provide nationwide coverage across all 50 states in the country.

We give ADT due recognition for its establishment of nine monitoring centers that are staffed by thousands of professionals across the U.S. Their monitoring centers are TMA Five Diamond Certified, UL Certified and FM Approved which means they adhere to the highest standards in the industry.

Medical Care Alert’s monitoring center is UL-approved, and they take pride in their EMT/EMD certified emergency respondents who have a profound experience in the field of health care.

In terms of multilingual availability, Medical Care Alert is considerably more advanced, with their Bi-lingual operators who can speak Spanish, to cater to the vast number of seniors in the U.S who are more comfortable with using the Spanish language other than English.

OUR PICK

Medical Care Alert and ADT have different offers and pricing plans, but both are considerably well built medical alert systems. Each performs exceptionally well in varying areas, and they have different strengths as well. ADT is a great choice for seniors who want a basic-level protection, but at the same time, are after the established reliability and company reputation of a medical alert system. However, our pick for this comparison would be Medical Care Alert because of the following reasons;

Overall, Elderguide highly recommends Medical Care Alert over ADT as far as our data-driven review is concerned. If you want a solid protection for you or for your loved one, you might want to consider Medical Care Alert, as it practically provides better service and better functions, for a reasonable price.