MobileHelp review

Read our MobileHelp review to find out why this company influences so many others

MobileHelp review
The MobileHelp Smart is one of the best medical alert systems available.
(Image: © Future)

TechRadar Verdict

MobileHelp is one of the few FDA-approved manufacturers of medical alert systems to also provide a service. In fact, the MobileHelp CBS1 is such a popular in-home system that it’s widely used by other medical alert services. The speaker provides excellent communication and it includes a display with the cellular signal strength and temperature. For this reason, it’s our pick for best in-home medical alert system.

Pros

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    Best in-home medical alert systems

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    Has the best speakerphone

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    Offers a smartwatch

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    Bulk payments provide excellent savings

Cons

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    Short pendant range

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    Below-average call response time

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

As an FDA-approved manufacturer of medical alert systems, our MobileHelp review shows just how this company has become a titan in the medical alert system industry. The company's PERS units are used by a large portion of the industry, which is why you might find yourself wondering why so many companies seem to offer the same medical alert systems. And there is good reason for this—the Mobilehelp in-home system and mobile system are great performers with excellent audio and modern styles. 

In addition, MobileHelp is one of the innovators in the industry, as the service was among the first to release a medical alert smartwatch, the Freedom. Powered by Samsung, the MobileHelp Smart is the most powerful medical alert smartwatch on the market.

Medical alert systems

Manufacturing medical alert systems in the US requires FDA approval and few companies are able or willing to go through the process of getting such approval. This is why so many companies offer the same medical alert systems. And if you pay attention, you’ll find that MobileHelp (one of the few companies with the FDA approval) makes the most widely used in-home and mobile medical alert systems on the market.

MobileHelp review

The MobileHelp CBS has the best audio of any medical alert system we tested. (Image credit: Future)

Here is a breakdown of the packages the company offers:

MobileHelp Classic: The CBS2 is the most popular in-home system on the market because of its excellent speaker and the LCD display. It connects to a cellular signal rather than use a landline and features easy to use buttons and a display. The pendant range isn’t great. In our tests, it averaged about 86 feet. However, for an in-home system, 86 feet is actually perfect. Any further and you should get a mobile medical alert system.

MobileHelp Wired Home: Recently added to MobileHelp’s line of systems, the Wired Home is a traditional in-home system, connecting to a landline. This is ideal for homes where cellular signals are unreliable. The pendant range on this is also much greater than the Classic.

MobileHelp Solo: The GPS mobile medical alert system (with fall detection for an extra fee). It includes a wireless pendant, allowing you to use the Solo like an in-home system while it charges.

MobileHelp Smart: The medical alert smartwatch powered by Samsung. The watch is a Samsung but the interface was designed by MobileHelp. It calls for help via a cellular signal and includes health monitoring apps to track heart rate, medication, and more.

MobileHelp Touch: A medical alert tablet, the first of its kind. This system is ideal for seniors who are tech savvy. It provides games to help with mental acuity, pictures of family, medication reminders and more. While it’s the most expensive option, the value it provides for the price is excellent. 

Emergency response center

MobileHelp partners with Rapid Response, which earned the 2016 monitoring center of the year award given by the Central Station Alarm Association. With monitoring centers in New York and California, Rapid Response has sufficient redundancies and uses state-of-the-art monitoring technology. So while MobileHelp may not run its emergency response center, you can rest assured they partnered with one of the best emergency response companies in the U.S. 

During one round of daily three week testing, MobileHelp’s call response time averaged 53.12 seconds which was consistent with other services partnered with Rapid Response. During the second round of three-week daily tests, MobileHelp was slightly faster, averaging around 45 seconds. Both of these times were roughly average. Not impressive, but not terrible. By comparison, the average response time for all services in the first round was 69.58 seconds and 52 seconds for the second round. That said, GreatCall had the fastest response times, averaging 20 seconds in the first round and 15 seconds in the second.

MobileHelp review

This fall detection sensor is made by MobileHelp and used by most medical alert services. (Image credit: Future)

We were happy with the quality of the calls. The emergency responders used by Rapid Response were well trained and received the highest grades in our evaluation because they always sounded sincere, asked questions to confirm our identity, and asked if we needed help multiple times.

Medical alert service

As mentioned, MobileHelp manufactures PERS devices that are widely used in the industry. This also makes them one of the few companies to develop new products, like the Smart and the Touch. That said, the service is not very different from other services with regard to it’s marketing and sales tactics. While the marketing is heavy (don’t be surprised to get multiple pop-ups on each page), we like that the company is very transparent. Unlike many medical alert companies, you can find all the information you need to make a confident purchase without having to talk to a sales rep. This suggests they are confident in their product and service. 

MobileHelp review

MobileHelp manufacturers its systems, unlike most of the services we reviewed. (Image credit: Future)

The resource and information center is a trove of valuable information about each product. They also provide excellent articles about aging in place and maintaining your independence.

Cost comparison

MobileHelp’s Classic in-home system costs $24.95 per month. By comparison, Medical Guardian (which uses the same system) costs $34.95 per month. In fact, most in-home cellular systems, whether they use the MobileHelp CBS1-02 system or another, cost around $35 per month. As such, the value of choosing the manufacturer of the system is significant.

There’s more parity in the mobile GPS medical alert system category, so at $37 per month, MobileHelp Solo has an average cost. GreatCall’s Lively Mobile, for example, costs about $25 per month. However, other services offering the Solo cost about $45 per month, so you’re still getting a good deal if you want this specific mobile GPS medic alert system.

MobileHelp review

MobileHelp has very affordable packages. (Image credit: MobileHelp)

Among the best features of MobileHelp is the saving from bulk payments. Paying annually, rather than monthly can save you up to $10 per month, which is impressive savings. So if you expect to use your MobileHelp medical alert system for longer than a year, we recommend paying upfront.

Final Verdict

MobileHelp is our pick for best manufacturer of medical alert systems because the company’s in-home Classic system and the Solo mobile GPS system are widely used by other services. And with the savings you get by going with MobileHelp over the others is worth it, especially if you pay annually instead of monthly.

The company partners with an excellent emergency call center, Rapid Response. We wish the emergency response times were faster, but overall the quality of the calls with the quality of the systems makes for an excellent product your senior loved one can rely on.

And if you’re not moved by the standard packages, MobileHelp’s focus on pushing the industry forward with medical alert smartwatches and tablets is something to pay attention to.

Jeph Preece

Jeph Preece is an ambitiously creative writer, editor, and content strategist with over seven years of digital publishing experience and five years teaching and admin experience in academia. He is specialized in short-form and long-form, purpose-driven content. Jeph is also an accomplished artist, musician, and author of innovative fiction.