With Medical Alert MobileElite ($37.95 per month), you can get emergency help anywhere you are with the press of a button.
As with any good portable medical alert system, the MobileElite uses cellular technology to connect you to an emergency response center and GPS technology to pinpoint your exact location.
It's reasonably priced and delivered relatively fast response times in testing, and it offers a neat voice messaging option.
But it's not waterproof and it's not quite as fast as our more affordable Editors' Choice, the GreatCall Lively Mobile.
Design and Features
The MobileElite uses an Anelto ANH1115 two-way device and AT&T cellular service to connect you to a 24/7 emergency response center.
It also has a GPS radio to help responders and caregivers pinpoint your exact location in the event that you are unable to provide this information to the live agent.
The device is dark gray and measures 3.4 by 1.7 by 0.6 inches (HWD).
It has a help button on its face surrounded by a light ring that blinks red when an emergency call has been initiated and glows solid red when the call has been connected.
There's a speaker above the help button and a microphone at the bottom of the device.
Unlike the GreatCall Lively Mobile and the Bay Alarm Medical Mobile GPS Help Button, the MobileElite is not waterproof and should not be exposed to splashing water or worn in the shower.
However, it comes with a waterproof pendant that can be worn in the shower and has a 1,000 foot line-of-sight range to the MobileElite device.
It also comes with a charging cradle, a black leather carrying case with a belt clip, and a user manual.
Below the help button is a smaller message button that glows solid blue when the battery is low and blinks blue when a message is waiting.
Voice messaging is a handy feature that lets caregivers and family members leave a message, but you'll need to subscribe to the 365Access app to hear it (more on this later).
In the top right corner are a power button and two tiny LEDs: one LED is a cellular signal indicator and the other is a battery indicator.
There's a slot on top for attaching a lanyard, and a mini USB port on the bottom for use with an optional USB power supply.
The internal battery charges in one hour and last up to 60 hours between charges.
That's longer than what you get with the GreatCall Lively Mobile (36 hours), but not nearly as long as the Alert1 Kelsi On-the-Go and the Medical Guardian Active Guardian, both of which will last up to five days between charges.
No-contract subscription plans go for $37.95 per month if you pay monthly, $34.95 per month if you pay semi-annually, and $32.04 per month if you pay annually.
This is in line with pricing for the MobileHelp Solo and the LifeStation Premium Mobile, but not as affordable as the GreatCall Lively Mobile prices, which start at $24.99 per month.
Medical Alert also offers home-based solutions starting at $19.95 per month for landline access, and $29.95 per month for cellular.
Fall detection goes for an extra $10 per month and additional pendant buttons have a one-time cost of $35 each.
For an additional $7.99 per month you can subscribe to the 365Access mobile app, which lets family members and caregivers track your movement using GPS.
The app can also be used to document medical information such as prescription and doctor information, and as mentioned above, loved ones can use it to leave voice messages on the device.
Installation and Performance
Before using the Mobile Elite for the first time, place it in the cradle to fully charge it.
Press the help button for three seconds to place an emergency call and tell the responding agent that you are testing the system (the agent will verify your name and address).
This is also a good time to test the range of the wearable pendant from different points around your house.
After about an hour, the MobileElite's red power light will go out, indicating a full charge.
The MobileElite delivered relatively fast response times (the time it takes for a live agent to come online after the button is pressed) in our testing.
Its average time of 22 seconds is a bit faster than the Alert1 Kelsi On-the-Go and the MobileHelp Solo (both averaged 35 seconds), and a good deal faster than the Bay Alarm Medical Mobile GPS Help Button (59 seconds).
The GreatCall Lively Mobile remains our leader, with an average response time of 13 seconds.
The MobileElite provided loud, distortion-free hands-free audio communications with response center agents, all of whom were professional and courteous at all times.
Conclusions
With the Medical Alert MobileElite, you're never more than a button press away from help wherever you need it.
It provided relatively fast response times in testing, offers up to three days of battery life between charges, and as with most mobile medical alert systems, it uses GPS technology to give emergency responders and caregivers your exact location.
It also offers a mobile app that allows caregivers and family to track your activity and leave voice messages, but you'll have to pay an extra $7.99 per month to use it.
The GreatCall Lively Mobile gives you a mobile app and Urgent Care—which offers 24/7 access to doctors and nurses for medical advice and prescriptions—for around $16 per month less, which is why it remains our Editors' Choice for mobile medical alert systems.
Medical Alert MobileElite
Cons
The Bottom Line
The Medical Alert MobileElite is a portable medical alert system that delivered good response times and clean two-way audio in our tests, but it's not waterproof and its mobile tracking app costs extra.
