Connect America Review

Updated: Jul 17, 2022
Written by:
Annie Keller
Medically Reviewed by:
Jenny Sanford, MSN, APRN, AGNP-C and Caregiving Coach
14 Sources Cited

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Key Takeaways

  • Connect America is one of the largest providers of medical alert systems in the United States.
  • Connect America’s subsidiary brands include Medical Alert, Be Safer At Home, Connect America West, Home Buddy, and My Personal Response. 
  • Reviews for Connect America brand systems are generally positive. However, some people mention running into problems with billing and customer service.

Find Out If Connect America Brand Medical Alert Systems Are Right For You.

The presence of countless medical alert systems on the market today makes it tough to narrow down the right option for you or your loved one. Finding a system that meets your needs can take a lot of time if you’re doing the research yourself.

You can purchase Connect America products from brands under the company’s umbrella, including Medical Alert, Be Safer At Home, Connect America West, Home Buddy, and more.

Your search may have even led you here. If you’re wondering how Connect America brands and medical alert systems stack up against the competition, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve done the research to bring you an in-depth review of Connect America and help you shop smarter in your search for a quality medical alert system. 

Connect America Medical Alert System Overview

Founded in 2004, the Connect America company is a Pennsylvania-based provider of medical alert systems and devices, including medical alarms, personal emergency response systems (PERS), remote monitoring, and mobile alert systems. 

You can purchase Connect America products from brands under the company’s umbrella, including Medical Alert, Be Safer At Home, Connect America West, Home Buddy, and more. 

Connect America is one of the largest providers of medical alert systems in the United States.

Other Recommended Medical Alert Systems

If none of the Connect America brands offer systems that fit your lifestyle or needs, consider the following alternatives:

  • Medical Guardian: This is a great option if you’re looking for a solution for the active individual. 
  • Aloe Care Health: Aloe Care Health’s system is a solid choice for those whose priority is automatic fall detection. 
  • MobileHelp: MobileHelp offers a variety of low-cost plans that are excellent options for the budget-conscious consumer. 
  • Bay Alarm Medical: This brand is another affordable medical alert system option. 
  • LifeFone: LifeFone is a great option if you’re interested in caregiver monitoring tools.

Connect America Brands and Pricing

Because Connect America systems are sold through the company’s various subsidiary brands, we’ve put together an overview of what each brand offers.

Medical Alert

Medical Alert offers plans starting at $19.95 per month. If you sign up for an annual plan, you’ll also get free shipping and one month free. An annual plan also comes with a free lockbox.

You can also add a protection plan for an extra $1 per month. This covers:

  • Replacements for pendant or wrist buttons
  • System replacements
  • Discounts on additional accessories

Fall detection is an extra $10 per month. Medical Alert offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and doesn’t require you to sign any long-term contracts.

Systems

Medical Alert sells two main systems: an in-home system and a mobile system. 

  • Landline starts at $19.95 per month for the annual plan
  • Cellular starts at $29.95 per month for the annual plan 
  • Easy setup
  • Works with landline or cellular 
  • 30-hour battery backup
  • Waterproof buttons 
  • 24/7 two-way communication 
  • 800-square-foot range
  • Lockbox (with annual plan)
  • Optional fall detection
  • Comes with a handheld mobile device and a help button
  • Starts at $39.95 per month for the annual plan
  • GPS location services
  • 24/7 help button, two-way communication
  • Waterproof buttons (pendant or bracelet)
  • Lockbox (with annual plan)
  • Optional fall detection

Medical Alert Features

  • 24/7 monitoring
  • Your contacts are notified (instead of an ambulance) if you trigger a call but don’t need emergency assistance
  • A free smartphone app allows you to adjust your account details
  • Waterproof buttons
  • Fall detection available
  • Multilingual call center staff who use the International Language Line to translate in real-time

Lifeline

Lifeline by Philips was recently acquired by Connect America in 2021.

Unlike other Connect America subsidiaries, Lifeline charges new customers an activation fee that starts at $50. Although the brand offers a 30-day return policy, its systems are more expensive than other Connect America brand systems.

Systems

Lifeline offers three different medical alert systems, including two home systems and a mobile alert system.

  • $29.95 per month for landline
  • $43.95 per month for cellular
  • Pendant or wristband
  • Long-lasting button batteries, auto replacement if needed
  • $44.95 per month for landline
  • $58.95 per month for cellular
  • Includes fall detection, with automatic help call sent to the response center
  • $49.95 per month (plus one-time $99.95 device fee)
  • Location technology
  • Fall detection
  • Two-way voice communication
  • Pendant-style wearable device

Features

  • 24/7 monitoring, two-way communication
  • Waterproof buttons
  • Option for self-installation or technician installation
  • Philips Cares platform for caregivers, family, and providers

Be Safer At Home

Be Safer At Home is a Connect America company that offers PERS, remote patient monitoring, and medication management.

Systems

The brand offers multiple systems, including at-home and on-the-go options.

  • Landline costs $22.95 per month for a monthly plan or $19.95 per month for an annual plan (includes one month free and billed annually)
  • Cellular costs $32.95 per month for a monthly plan or $29.95 per month for an annual plan (billed annually)
  • Landline, VoIP, cellular
  • Two-way speaker
  • Neck or wrist button
  • Backup battery power
  • Mobile GPS ($35.95 per month)
  • Mobile GPS LTE system interchangeable neck or wristband ($37.95 per month)
  • Belle system also works on Verizon cellular network in addition to AT&T, location assistance and Wi-Fi, up to 30 days backup battery ($35.95 per month)
  • Belle+ works on Verizon and AT&T, GPS and Wi-Fi location tech, built-in fall detection, up to seven days backup battery ($39.95 per month)
  • Works with the landline, cellular, and mobile LTE systems
  • Additional cost of $10 per month

Features

  • Waterproof buttons
  • Two-way speaker
  • Optional fall detection

Connect America West

Connect America West is a Connect America branch based in California. It offers the same line of products as other brands under the Connect America umbrella. However, pricing may be slightly different than other providers.

Options include:

  • Standard landline medical alert system
  • Cellular medical alert system
  • Fall detector pendant 
  • Belle Mobile medical alert system
  • Belle+ medical alert system

Home Buddy

Home Buddy is a Connect America brand based in Wichita, Kansas. It offers the same systems as Be Safer At Home. 

My Personal Response

My Personal Response is a Connect America brand based in Miami. It offers the same systems as Be Safer At Home and Home Buddy.

Connect America Brand Features and Customer Service

Features offered by Connect America brands vary but may include:

  • Fall detection. With fall detection, a signal is automatically sent out if a fall is detected. Falls are detected using built-in sensors. A two-way speaker allows for communication, even if the person can’t press their help button or move. You can add this feature to almost any home or mobile system. 
  • Remote care management for caregivers. This may include:
  • The ability to manage and monitor multiple PERS devices
  • Real-time notifications of assistance alerts and emergencies
  • GPS locator technology
  • Remote device management allows you to check battery life, see alerts, and manage emergency contacts.

Some Yelp reviewers report having billing issues with numerous Connect America subsidiaries, including Medical Alert and Connect America West.

Customer Service

People seem generally happy with their experience using Connect America brand devices. 

Positive reviews mention quickly getting help after falling or having other types of accidents. Many reviewers on ConsumerAffairs comment on the excellent response time.

A few reviewers note that the devices are uncomfortable to wear or say the devices get in the way and hinder daily activities.

Connect America also has an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and is accredited by the organization. The company is quick to respond to customer complaints, and most of the complaints filed in the past year have been marked as resolved. Complaints mostly have to do with billing issues.

Canceling services also seems to be a problematic process for many customers. Some Yelp reviewers report having billing issues with numerous Connect America subsidiaries, including Medical Alert and Connect America West. Issues range from having trouble reaching the company to close accounts after someone passes away or running into problems when trying to return a system within the 30-day return window.

ConsumerAffairs reviews for the Philips Lifeline systems are mostly positive. People note that they like the feeling of safety the devices provide, saying that the service is reliable.

However, some reviewers note having issues with customer service, such as having difficulty getting replacement devices.

Be Safer At Home is accredited by the BBB and has an A+ rating with only one complaint in the last three years. Both criticisms are about spam calls and not about the brand’s customer service or actual devices.

Home Buddy is not BBB accredited but does have an A+ rating and zero complaints.

Frequently Asked Questions

While you can shower or bathe with most of the buttons available from Connect America brands, the buttons are not designed to be submerged underwater for longer than 30 minutes.

Other Medical Alert Systems That We Have Reviewed

Our Comparisons Of Medical Alert Systems

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WRITTEN BY

ANNIE KELLER
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Annie Keller is a freelance medical writer in Lowell, Mass. She has worked for a variety of medical publications and organizations. She has written about chronic illness, medical technology and devices, medical issues in the news, skin treatments, sports medicine, and many different conditions.

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MEDICALLY REVIEWED BY

JENNY SANFORD, MSN, APRN, AGNP-C AND CAREGIVING COACH

MSN, APRN, AGNP-C
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Jenny is an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner in NYC with a passion for working with aging adults and their family members. Prior to her clinical training at Vanderbilt School of Nursing, she worked in business and medical research at Harvard Business School and Massachusetts General Hospital. As a Caregiving Coach at Givers, Jenny helps family members manage the financial, emotional, and educational stresses of caring for their loved ones who are aging in place.

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