Medical Guardian has some great options for equipment that covers you if you’re at home or traveling or in and out. Their prices are in line with other medical device companies and they have standard monthly rates. They do offer discounts for paying up front annually, but you can also opt to pay monthly or quarterly. Unlike some other companies, Medical Guardian asks for an equipment cost up front in some cases, which alleviates any surprises later if the equipment isn’t returned, but could be cost prohibitive up front.
Medical Guardian has thousands of reviews, showing a wide range of experiences, but that many reviews means the company has been around for a long time and worked out common issues. They offer a few free additional add ons for various kits, and have easy to contact Customer Service.
We love!
- Medical Guardian uses wireless service, so no need for a landline
- Free lockbox with all plans
- Stylish options for round-the-neck buttons look like real jewelry
- Add ons for some packages include lockboxes with color options, fall detection, neck pendants, wall buttons, and wristbands
- A Mini option for wearing on the belt or in pocket
- Lots of wearable options
- In-home option has a wide range of protection to 1,300 feet
- Car chargers are available for on the go systems
- Back up battery in case of power outage
- If you choose to cancel, Medical Guardian will refund a prorated amount
- Annual plans save the cost of one month
We Don’t Love…
- Product quiz tells you your best option but only after you give out your information such as email
- Up front equipment cost in some cases
- Installation is easy but does require that you contact Medical Guardian both when you place your order and when you set it up. Failing to do this will affect how the system works.
- No trial period – Refunds are prorated
Pricing and costs
Medical Guardian has a total of six packages to choose from, with a good variety of add ons available to each. Their website can be a tad overwhelming at first, but if you are willing to part with your email address, you can take the product quiz, which will quickly give you their recommendation based on your specific needs.
Mini Guardian
The Mini Guardian is a GPS and Wifi tracker that can be worn around the neck or clipped onto a belt. It is water resistant and can be worn in the shower. This is a great option for a low profile yet on-the-go option for mobile and active users. The Mini Guardian costs $124.95 for the equipment, and then the monthly cost shown above according to your plan. Simple press the button for help and the GPS or WiFi triangulation will assist in location services if needed. The mini guardian is small and compact and comes in three colors. An annual plan will get you the cost savings of one month, free ground shipping, and a free lockbox. A monthly plan’s lockbox option is $2.99 a month.
Freedom Guardian
The Freedom Guardian smartwatch comes in black or white and looks like a standard smartwatch. Plans include Emergency SOS, a 3-day weather forecast, the time and date, and a free lockbox if you choose the annual plan. At $44.95 a month (if you’re paying month to month) it’s the most expensive option, but for its usability and mobility, it’s a good deal. For $5 more per month you can add text to speech messaging and alerts and reminders. As with all plans, the annual plan gives you free ground shipping and a free lockbox.
Active Guardian
The Active Guardian offers Wifi, GPS, and cellular technologies built in. For $39.95 a month, this device is simple and works well for on the go and in the home. The Active Guardian has the best fall detection technology, which is an additional $10 a month. Free shipping, lockbox and a free month of service are included only with the annual plan, otherwise are priced accordingly.
Mobile Guardian
The Mobile Guardian is where Medical Guardian starts bundling things together. The Mobile Guardian comes with a few pieces of equipment that are all free with the annual plan, but need to be returned upon termination of the monthly service. This bundle, for $41.95 a month if you pay annually, comes with a free second button, a free lockbox, free shipping, a free wearable of your choice, and a charging station for the Mobile Guardian device. The lockbox is $2.99 a month if the monthly plan is chosen but the second wearable is still included in the monthly plan. These devices use built in GPS technology and the portable wearable device, when used within 350 feet of the mobile device, will connect you to Medical Guardian’s monitoring center. This is a great option for users who want to use one device while the other is charging, or make changes to what they carry or wear.
Home Guardian
The Home Guardian is your standard base unit with one wearable option. For $32.04 – $34.95 a month, this unit can be based in the home and the wearable can be used anywhere within range. Equipment for the Home Guardian is free, but must be returned upon termination of the service. With an annual plan, a second button is free. As with all wearables, add fall detection for an additional $10 a month, and this system is the best value with one base unit and one wearable. Choose from a pendant, or a wrist band that comes in either black or white. A lockbox with a monthly plan is $2.99 a month, and free with an annual plan.
Classic Guardian
The Classic Guardian is the most cost efficient system at a little less than $1 a day. With the Classic, you get the base unit and one wearable of your choice, though these options are limited to a pendant or wrist button. With an annual plan, you get a free lockbox, free shipping, and a free month of service. Equipment for the Classic Guardian has no upfront costs. The Classic Guardian is $29.95 a month if you choose to pay monthly and goes down to the equivalent of $27.45 per month if paid annually.
Cancellations
Medical Guardian does not charge any cancellation fees and will provide any prorated refunds accordingly. They do require the “free” equipment back, however, and will charge a fee if it isn’t returned and it could be up to $350 so it’s important to get that equipment back to them. Additionally, Medical Guardian needs a signed cancellation letter either via mail or email, before they can fully cancel the service. This is important to remember so you don’t keep getting charged after you contact them to start the cancellation process.
Equipment details
Mini Guardian
The Mini Guardian is a small and very compact device that you can slip into a pocket, wear on a belt, or around the neck. The device has GPS tracking and Wifi, and uses cellular connectivity for two way communication. The device needs to be charged but can last up to five days. It comes in three colors: black, white, and silver. This device does have an up front fee, so the device can be kept if the service is cancelled.
Freedom Guardian
The Freedom Guardian smartwatch is offered in black or white and looks great on. The watch has an Emergency SOS, a weather forecast, date and time, and really is a sleek looking smartwatch. This option is great for those who use a watch and want to double their watch as a medical alert device. For only $5 a month more, you can make it a truly smartwatch and add text to speech messaging, alerts and reminders.
Active Guardian
The Active Guardian has Wifi, GPS, and cellular technologies built in. This is the device you want to try for a good price with all the basics. You’ll need to charge it of course, but it does have the longest battery life they offer at about 5 days. This device boasts the best fall alert technology, which the company offers at an additional $10 a month.
Mobile Guardian
The Mobile Guardian is a full system that is geared for users who travel about more. This system has a charging cradle for the bae unit, that’s about the size of an old fashioned pager. An additional wearable option is included in this plan. You can choose from a pendant or a black or white button enabled wrist unit. A car charger add on can be added for $25 for ease of use. This unit is best kept in the car or nearby, as the wearables need to be within 350 feet of it to work. The base unit for the Mobile Guardian is small enough to slip into a purse or wear on a belt clip, but not probably comfortable for a pocket or around the neck. For $2.99 a month you can add a Jewelry Pendant, which is a stylish button that alerts for help. The Mobile Guardian devices have GPS and can assist in location services should the need arise. While you are charging the base unit, you can wear the wearable around the house for easy coverage.
Home Guardian
The Home Guardian is a base unit with a wearable option. The base unit has a plug so no charging is required. It has a button to press for an emergency and can be reset from the unit itself. A wearable is included with the base unit, and as with all button-only wearables, they must be within 350 feet of the base unit to call for help. This device and system is great for at home use. It would work inside a standard sized home and in the garden. Something with better range might be needed for someone leaving that range from the base unit. Add fall detection for $10 a month.
Classic Guardian
The Classic Guardian is the most cost efficient system. It comes with one additional wearable in a pretty obvious design. Jewelry pendants, sleeker watch style buttons, etc. aren’t available as the added on wearable with this plan, but it does have one base unit and one wearable. Also this plan can include mounted wall buttons or even voice activated wall buttons, for an additional $2.99 and $5 a month accordingly. These extra add ons don’t appear to be available with other systems and plans. The Classic Guardian is a good choice for cost, doesn’t require any equipment fees up front, and does just what you need. This works well for someone who is going to stay pretty close to the base unit and the wearables and buttons are all waterproof and will work in the shower or bath.
Add ons
Medical Guardian has a lot of add ons. Each system, as you go through their website and select them, has a few to choose from. Most notably, some of the systems have the Jewelry Pendants. These are available with the Mobile Guardian and Home Guardian systems.
Other notable add ons are the wall buttons available to the Classic Guardian, but only four can be added on at once. There is a monthly fee associated with each one.
The Protection Plan at $6.99 covers a pretty wide variety of issues should the units become damaged or lost. If you bought the equipment up front, as you would with the Mobile and Smartwatch plans, you might not need this. But if you received any free equipment, should the worst happen, the company would charge you for replacement costs of the devices and it can add up quite a bit. In one case, it would cost $350 to replace the lost units.
Additional units can be added to most units for $2.99 in most cases. This could work great if there is another user (up to 3 or 4 depending on the system) and is a pretty cost efficient way to give more than one person coverage. Other companies may add users but the cost can be up to 50% of the base cost, which can certainly be cost prohibitive. For more than one person, I think Medical Guardian is the best option for this alone. It also allows for more flexibility should a user decide they’d like to change up their wearable and wear a pendant sometimes and a watch another.
Wall mounted buttons are available as an add on to the Home Guardian, but not a voice activated wall button. Those are only available to a Classic Guardian system purchase.
Enhanced Emergency Notifications are $2.99 a month and offer text notification to your emergency contact list. This could be handy should you need to call 911 but also need your loved one to know about it too.
Bottom Line
Medical Guardian is a viable choice for someone needing assistance. They have a thorough range of units, devices, add ons, and at a reasonable price. For some systems the start up costs could be an issue, but they have other options to compensate for that. That being said, if you are looking for something a little savvier such as a smartwatch that works as a smartwatch, they do have something for you. They have stylist pendants and neat looking watches that don’t scream out ‘Medical Alert Device!’ so they cater to both a basic user and someone who would prefer something less obvious and more stylist.
FAQs – Here are the questions I had
How does the jewelry pendant work?
The Jewelry Pendant is a one way button that rings to the base unit. You would need to be within 350 feet of your base unit for it to reach someone. It doesn’t have a two way communication device and doesn’t have GPS, but since you’ll be pretty close to your base unit, you’d be fine.
What if I press a call button and they can’t hear me?
If you press a wearable one way button (not the Smartwatch or Mobile devices) it rings to the base unit. The operator on the other end will speak and ask if you need assistance. If you’re too far away for them to hear you (and they work pretty well) they’ll contact 911 (if you’re using the Mobile Guardian) and/or your emergency contact.
What’s the difference between the Mobile or All-in-One Guardian and the Mini Guardian? Why would I want one over the other?
These are the same, other than the Mini Guardian is much smaller, sleeker, looks cooler, and comes in three colors. Otherwise, they do the same things and all have GPS built in.
The Final Say
Overall, Medical Guardian has some neat options that are more stylish than other companies. They have more options than some and fewer than some others. The research involved in pouring through their options could be overwhelming but once you get through all of the options you could find a good system that works for you or your loved one.
I really enjoyed the jewelry pendant option, knowing that it’s not like I can just take only that with me on a car ride. You’ll need to opt for the Mobile Guardian or All-in-One if you want to use your pendant out of the house (and take your other device with you!)
I worked with Customer Service quite a bit and found that it was hit or miss. Some agents were great and answered questions and some were kind of bland and not really thinking ahead. I could tell that some were very engaging and wanted to help me find the best option for my needs. Since I reached out to three different people, I had varying experiences that could frustrate someone really wanting to know some details. One agent was phenomenal and clear. Another was just ok. Regardless, I appreciated that they had a quick to reach chat service and they were pretty prompt in getting back to me.
Lastly, I appreciate that Medical Guardian will refund you for a prorated amount should you pay for an annual plan and then not need it. This is a pretty big issue for people with other companies, and while I understand why a company might not want to offer a discount and then refund a portion, it feels a bit shady to have to pay for a whole year upfront and then get nothing if you turn off the subscription. Medical Guardian will do prorated refunds for you and makes it pretty easy. Be sure to get your units back to them though, or they’ll charge you for it.
WHAT WE LIKE MORE
- Medical Guardian uses wireless service, so no need for a landline
- Stylish options for round-the-neck buttons look like real jewelry
- Lots of wearable options
- Back up battery in case of power outage
WHAT WE LIKE LESS
- Product quiz tells you your best option but only after you give out your information such as email
- Up front equipment cost in some cases
- Installation is easy but does require that you contact Medical Guardian both when you place your order and when you set it up. Failing to do this will affect how the system works.
- No trial period – Refunds are prorated