Medical Care Alert vs. Medical Guardian

Old age comes to everyone naturally. Whether you lead a healthy lifestyle or suffer from serious medical issues, medical emergencies can happen at any time and family members may not always be able to come when they’re needed most. That is why modernization curated a tangible solution for the elderly to let them feel safer and more relaxed knowing they can retain their independent, active lifestyles in the comfort of their own homes.

Medical Care Alert and Medical Guardian have established a good name in the industry of medical alert systems. Now, we will compare them side by side to see which company has a greater offer. Let us examine the quality of their features and services to have an objective judgment on which company provides the kind of service that most users prioritize.

To do this, we have done a broad research to assess the standards of these two systems to provide you a thorough comparison based on their features, cost, and services.

	Medical Care Alert	Medical Guardian
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A-plus	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$29.95 - $39.95	$29.95 - $39.95
Device Cost	$0	$0 - $199.95
Shipping Fee	$11.95	$12.5
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$10	$1 - $10
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$0 - $29.95	$0 - $2.99
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	32 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	72 hours	120 hours, 120 hours or 24 hours
Button Range	1000 ft	1400 ft, 500 ft or 1300 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Response Time	12 seconds	20 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

Medical Care Alert

Pros:

• Monitoring Center is 100% U.S-based
• Emergency operators are highly trained, and all have EMT/EMD certification
• 14-day free trial period, with full refund of any remaining service fee
• GPS location tracker and automatic fall detection are available
• 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
• The RemoteCare 24/7 smartphone app lets authorized caregivers check the location and device status of the HOME & AWAY help button
• 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

Medical Guardian

Pros:

• Availability of automatic fall detection feature
• Availability of GPS location tracking feature
• 24/7 US-based monitoring
• Highly customizable plans
• Wide in-home range capacity
• Anytime cancellation policy
• Comprehensive systems

Cons:

• Spouse monitoring is not available on all devices
• Expensive upfront costs and fees
• Limited add-ons

Medical Care Alert Overview

Founded in 2012, Medical Care Alert operates two monitoring centers in New York and California.They have a firm approach towards resiliency and redundancy, which are two important factors that monitoring centers should have to continue their operations even under severe weather conditions and other incidents.

As they have highly-trained emergency respondents who are all EMT/EMD certified, their systems are most ideal for seniors who have health risks and also for our vulnerable loved ones, mainly because their EMT/EMD certified operators are all knowledgeable when it comes to health care. Medical Care Alert’s monitoring system is certified by various third-party organizations, as they are UL-approved, and maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. This is an important aspect to look at because reliability always comes first when deciding which medical alert system is worth purchasing.

Medical Alert Systems

Home Medical Alert System- Landline

The Medical Care Alert Home system is a comprehensive basic medical alert system that includes a base unit paired with a pendant or wristband help button. The base unit includes a speakerphone for hands-free communication with the emergency monitoring center. This system needs a standard landline connection to operate appropriately. The water-resistant help button has up to 1000 ft range from the base console through the landline connectivity. The battery features an 80-hour backup so you don’t have to worry if the power goes out. The system is at $29.95 per month, with optional upgrade for fall detection that costs $10 every month.

Home Medical Alert System- Cellular

This system provides a good alternative if your home is not installed with a standard landline, as it connects to AT&T 4G LTE wireless network. The system has a 1,000 ft range from the base console which gives you and your loved ones peace of mind as the range capacity covers all areas inside your home. The wearable help button is also water-proof, and has a battery life of up to 80 hours.

Home and Away Ultra

This system fits the lifestyle of the seniors who have an active lifestyle and who tend to always be out and about. It provides a lightweight and compact device that comes with a wearable waterproof help button pendant, with a GPS location tracker. The device is 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 also features a three-day battery life. 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 offers similar services and features with the Home and Away Ultra. This system provides coverage in all locations nationwide wherever cellular signal is accessible. The system includes the Duo GPS device and a water-proof help button which is safe to wear anywhere. Its battery life can last up to three days, and the device comes with a free charging cradle..

The pendant is also equipped with a speakerphone and GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular location services that allows access to the Medical Care Alert call center to pinpoint the exact location of the user in times of emergencies. All it takes is just one push on the help button in a medical emergency.

Medical Guardian Overview

Established in 2005, Medical Guardian offers coverage across all 50 states for all their medical alert systems. Their company is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has 24/7/365 monitoring.

Medical Guardian has a total of five systems to choose from, depending on what best fits your lifestyle: Classic Guardian (landline), Home 2.0, Mobile 2.0, Mini Guardian, and Active Guardian. Their systems can either connect to a standard landline connectivity or through the AT&T Cellular Network. The company's devices are water resistant with a built-in two-way speaker and microphone, which allows you to communicate with their 24/7 response center.

It has highly customizable features, which work best for seniors who like to set every detail of their device packages.

Medical Alert Systems

Classic Guardian

The Classic Guardian costs $29.95 per month. The company offers different costing, as they have flexible payment plans from annual, quarterly, or monthly basis without having to sign a long-term contract. The device can connect to a standard landline connectivity and a wearable fall detection option for an additional $10/month. The base unit has a range of 1300ft and can last up to 32 hours on battery backup. Plus, this device is water-resistant and features an SOS flashlight.

Home 2.0

Home 2.0 costs $34.95 per month, with a one-time device fee of $124.95. The system includes a base unit and help button, which connects through the AT&T cellular network. You may also opt to add a wearable fall detection device for an additional $10 per month, which is the industry’s standard charge for this feature.

The base unit features a built-in speaker and microphone for clear two-way communication, as well as a backup battery that can last up to 32 hours. It has a range of up to 1400ft from the base unit, so you can be sure to get the help you need wherever you are in your home.

Mobile 2.0

The Mobile 2.0 comes with a portable, lightweight base unit that can be clipped to your belt or carried in a purse, which can be purchased for a monthly monitoring fee of $39.95 with a one-time device cost of $124.95.

It also has a personal help button that can be worn as a pendant or wristband. It mainly features a built-in speaker and microphone for efficient two-way communication, and it also has a long-lasting battery that can last up to 5 days.

The Mobile 2.0 device is water resistant so it can withstand getting wet, and it can even be carried in the shower or during rainstorms. The personal help button can also work up to 500ft away from the base unit.

Mini Guardian

The Mini Guardian is a lightweight, wearable help button that can be purchased for a monthly monitoring fee of $39.95 and a one-time device cost of $149.95. It features a long-lasting battery that can last up to 5 days. This device is water-resistant, so it is safe to use even in damp environments.

This suits perfectly for seniors who value style, as the button can be worn as a necklace, can be clipped to the user's belt or clothing, or can even be placed in a pocket. It also includes an HD speaker and microphone for communicating directly with an emergency response operator, ensuring clear communication in case of an emergency. Mini Guardian can be upgraded to include automatic fall detection for an additional $10 a month, which will automatically call for help if the user falls and is unable to press their button.

MG Move

MG Move is a water-resistant, Smartwatch-like medical alert device that offers features beyond emergency monitoring. It connects to a cellular connection, so it works anywhere with a strong cellular signal. The device includes a touch screen display, a built-in speaker and microphone, and an SOS button. It also features a step tracker and a weather app. The device costs $39.95 a month with a one-time equipment fee of $199.95.

MG Move comes with a free automatic fall detection upgrade, which will automatically call for help if the user falls and is unable to press their button.

Let’s compare Medical Care Alert and Medical Guardian’s cost offers to know which has a more affordable pricing rate.

Medical Care Alert’s monitoring fees start from $25.99-$39.95 per month, which is more affordable than Medical Guardian’s rates, which starts at $29.95-$39.95 per month. The latter also charges an expensive fee of $124.95-$199.95 for an upfront device cost, whereas Medical Care Alert does not.

Medical Care Alert also offers a cheaper shipping fee, which costs only $11.95, while Medical Guardian ships for a standard fee of $12.50. Medical Care Alert has a 14-day trial period, which beats the competition, as Medical Guardian has no trial period offered to users.

Now, let’s talk about features. As mentioned earlier, Medical Guardian offers a customizable device package, which lets the users have a say in what features to include, and what to leave out in their systems. On the other hand, Medical Care Alert offers comprehensive medical alert systems that have all the basic and advanced functions.

Both have two-way communication, can connect to either landline or cellular connection, have GPS location tracking, and are compatible with fall detection features. Medical Care Alert has a battery backup of 80 hours for its home-based system, while Medical Guardian has a 32-hour backup. As for the on-the-go system, Medical Guardian has a significantly longer battery life capped at 5 days, while Medical Care Alert’s battery life lasts up to 3 days for their on-the-go systems. Both mobile systems are compact, lightweight, water-resistant, and with GPS location tracking that is great for those who are always on the go.

When it comes to range coverage, Medical Care Alert has a device range of 1000 ft, which covers a larger area as compared to the maximum 1400 ft capacity offered by Medical Guardian.

Monitoring Center

Medical Care Alert and Medical Guardian’s monitoring centers operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Both are 100% US-based and have nationwide coverage across all 50 states in the country. While both company’s monitoring centers are UL-listed and are certified to adhere to the safety standards of Underwriter Laboratories, and both have highly trained operators, Medical Care Alert has an advantage on their EMT/EMD certified emergency respondents who have a profound experience in the field of health care. However, Medical Guardian received a TMA Five-Diamond Certification, which is the highest certification that a monitoring center can receive. This certification is only given to monitoring centers that meet the strictest standards in the industry.

In terms of multilingual availability, Medical Alert and Medical Guardian have bi-lingual employees who can speak English and Spanish.

Measuring both company’s response time, it is highly reassuring that Medical Care Alert maintains their impressive 12-second response time, while Medical Guardian’s response time is capped at 20 seconds, which is a fair speed in the industry.

OUR PICK

You can’t go wrong in choosing either Medical Care Alert or Medical Guardian, as both companies have established reliability and high quality service over the years. Both provide top-tier standards of medical alert systems. But our final say would depend on the ratings obtained on different parameters, and we highly recommend Medical Care Alert.

Medical Care Alert has a more affordable starting monthly rate for their systems, and a great difference is seen on the one-time device cost for Medical Guardian that costs $124.95-199.95 while Medical Care Alert offers it for free.

In terms of features, Medical Guardian is more advanced specifically on its on-the-go battery life of up to 5 days and its range capacity of up to 1400 feet from the base unit. These functions are important as they provide an extra layer of protection for the elderly. But when it comes to practicality, Medical Care Alert fairly offers an all-inclusive function for a medical alert system, which are all useful to the day-to-day living of the seniors.

Most importantly, Medical Care Alert’s monitoring center is faster to respond to emergencies with its shorter response time of only 12 seconds. After all, the main purpose of a medical alert system is to be able to get help as soon as possible in case of an emergency.

Overall, Elderguide highly recommends Medical Care Alert over Medical Alert as far as our data-driven review is concerned. If you’re having a hard time in making a decision between subscribing to Medical Care Alert systems and Medical Alert systems, the former really gives you the better service and better functions, for a more affordable rate.