Best Cellular Medical Alert Systems of 2021

For active seniors, a cellular medical alert system may be the way to go. Read on to find out when a cellular alert is the best choice, what to look for when buying one, and which three companies currently offer the best cellular options.

August 2, 2021

Author: Amie Clark | August 2, 2021

copied!

Best Cellular Connection

Overall Rating:

4.9 / 5

Whether you’re looking for a system for inside your home or out, Bay Alarm Medical has cellular systems for any type of lifestyle. We particularly like their mobile system, a 4G all-in-one cellular medical alert that is water-resistant and has a two-way speaker.

View Packages

Call for best price:
844-205-6061

What We Like ↓

Best Caregiver Features

Overall Rating:

4.4 / 5

Aloe Care Health’s systems, both in home and mobile, use a cellular connection to connect you to help when you need it. Through the Aloe Care Health app, your loved ones can make direct calls to your system, helping them provide care from afar.

View Packages

Call for best price:
877-959-3288

What We Like ↓

Best Mobile System

Overall Rating:

4.8 / 5

Medical Guardian offers several cellular medical alert systems. Its Active Guardian has an impressive five-day battery life, and its Freedom Guardian, a medical alert smartwatch, provides a discreet alternative to conventional medical alert systems.

View Packages

Call for best price:
855-958-3692

What We Like ↓

List of the Best Cellular Medical Alert Systems 2021

Bay Alarm Medical : Best Cellular Connection
Aloe Care Health : Best Caregiver Features
Medical Guardian : Best Mobile System

The Bay Alarm Medical GPS Help Button uses a cellular connection and GPS capabilities to contact help in or outside of the home.

As we get older, going out and about can feel more hazardous than it did before. We find ourselves worrying about what may happen if we feel unwell or fall outside. A cellular medical alert system can provide added peace of mind for active individuals.

Just like with traditional landline alerts, cellular alerts connect you directly to a call center where staff can assess your situation, track you using GPS, and dispatch EMTs or call emergency contacts.

How We Chose the Best Cellular Medical Alert Systems

Companies evaluated	22
Hours of research	150+
Hours of product testing	800+
Ranking criteria	6
Finalists chosen	5

To find the best cellular medical alert systems, we had to sift through nearly every alert company out there. To determine the best, we judged each system on the following criteria:

Cellular signal: There’s yet to be a 5G medical alert system, but we looked for medical alert systems with reliable 3G and 4G signal strength, ensuring you’ll be connected to first responders when you need it most.
Monitoring: Not all monitoring centers are created equal, so we looked for U.S.-based monitoring with multilingual support. Bonus points went to companies with certifications from the Monitoring Association and Underwriters Laboratories.
Backup battery life: Unlike landline-based systems, which can still make emergency calls during a power outage, cellular systems need power to make calls. We looked for systems with rechargeable backup batteries, which will keep your system going during a power outage until electricity is restored.
Pricing: Alert systems should always come with a reasonable price and no long-term contract. We included only providers that offer free trials and reasonable refund policies.
Home and away options: Cellular alerts are not just for outside the home. Every provider on this list offers both in-home and on-the-go systems.
Durability: Since a majority of falls occur in the bathroom, it’s important for a medical alert system to have water-resistant buttons. Help buttons should also be able to withstand drops.

Pro Tip: Don’t need cellular? Take a look at my pick for this year’s best medical alert system overall.

1. Bay Alarm Medical - Best Cellular Connection

4.9 / 5

View Packages

Call for best price:
844-205-6061

What We Like Most:

30-day risk-free trial
Optional fall detection
Location tracking on mobile units
Plans start at $21.95/month

Overview

Bay Alarm Medical offers a wide range of cellular systems: a traditional in-home system, a medical alert system with GPS, and even a medical alert smartwatch. All these devices connect to help through an ultra-fast 4G cellular connection.

Pros

One-time $35 fee for additional help buttons
$15 per month for additional fall buttons
1,000-foot in-home range
Two U.S.-based monitoring centers
32-hour in-home backup battery
Water-resistant devices

Cons

Equipment fees for some systems
Extra cost for fall detection

Bay Alarm Medical Cellular Systems

Bay Alarm Medical offers a traditional in-home system powered by either a landline or 4G connection. The system can not only be paired with additional wall buttons, but it also has a 32-hour backup battery, ensuring your system can remain powered through a loss of electricity. For mobile devices, Bay Alarm offers an all-in-one help button with GPS capabilities and a medical alert smartwatch.

Bay Alarm Medical prices start at $29.95 for the cellular systems, making it one of the more affordable providers. The company also requires no long-term contracts for its devices, so it’s a risk-free option for people new to the technology.

To learn more about each of these systems, take a look at my Bay Alarm Medical analysis.

2. Aloe Care Health - Best Caregiver Features

4.4 / 5

View Packages

Call for best price:
877-959-3288

What We Like Most:

Sophisticated voice commands
Wall-mounted fall detection
Motion sensors with activity monitoring
Helpful caregiver app

Overview

Aloe Care Health offers four systems, all of which operate on a combination of Wi-Fi and cellular connections. When paired with a smartphone, Aloe Care Health systems can send notifications and make direct calls to caregivers and loved ones.

Pros

Voice-activated calls
Non-emergency call capabilities
Activity, temperature, and air quality monitoring
No long-term contracts
Affordable mobile system
Detailed app for caregivers
Fall detection at no extra cost

Cons

Higher start-up costs
No spouse monitoring

Aloe Care Health Cellular Systems

The first thing that impressed me about Aloe Care Health’s systems was their wide array of voice commands. Simply by saying words, I could make emergency calls, contact loved ones, and even check my home’s temperature.

All my activity on the Aloe Care Health system was tracked through the Aloe Care Companion app, which notifies caregivers of any emergency calls or abnormalities, and it can even be used to place direct calls to your smartphone.

Aloe Care Health prices start at $24.99 per month for the Mobile Companion, in addition to a $99.99 one-time equipment fee. In-home systems start at $29.99 per month, in addition to equipment charges.

Read my Aloe Care Health review to learn more about the company’s systems, their prices, and how they performed.

3. Medical Guardian - Best Mobile Device

4.8 / 5

View Packages

Call for best price:
855-958-3692

What We Like Most:

Excellent customer service
No long-term contracts or setup fees
$10 per month for extra fall detection
GPS location technology
Activity monitoring

Overview

Medical Guardian offers several cellular choices. Mobile Guardian is a portable unit plus a wearable button, while Active Guardian is an all-in-one unit that offers both GPS and Wi-Fi tracking (most mobile medical alerts are GPS only). Mini Guardian, one of their newest systems, features a small and lightweight profile, making it perfect for active users. Medical Guardian also offers in-home cellular medical alert systems, as well as the Freedom Guardian smartwatch.

FYI: Read our Freedom Guardian review to learn about my experience with Medical Guardian’s smartwatch.

Pros

All-in-one mobile system
Landline and cellular options
Smartwatch option
Accurate location tracking
Fall detection available on most systems
No long-term contracts
Free month of service on annual subscriptions
Up to seven-day mobile battery life

Cons

Occasional false alarms with fall detection
Limited activity monitoring

Medical Guardian Cellular Systems

Other than the Classic Guardian, which uses a landline connection, all of Medical Guardian’s systems use a 4G cellular connection, providing quick and reliable access to monitoring agents.

My favorite of the company’s systems, however, is the Active Guardian. The system, which features built-in fall detection, GPS, and two-way talk, provides an all-in-one medical alert system that can be worn easily around your neck or on your belt clip.

The Active Guardian costs $44.95 per month, but the price can be discounted if you pay annually instead of monthly.

To learn more about the company and its systems, check out my review of Medical Guardian.

Written By

Amie Clark

Amie has been writing about senior care products and services for the last decade. She is particularly passionate about new technologies that help improve the quality of life for seniors and their families. Seeing her parents and grandparents age made Amie ask herself, “Would this be good enough for my loved ones?” In her spare time, Amie enjoys outdoor adventures and spontaneous road trips. Learn more about Amie here