Freedom Guardian Medical Alert Smartwatch Review

Last Updated on March 5, 2021

While the decades old Life Alert necklace button continues to be frequently bought and worn by seniors, the Freedom Guardian smartwatch is a welcome upgrade to the traditional button format. It further expands on the concept of newer mobile GPS medical alert devices. It not only has GPS tracking and works both in and out of the home, it also has additional features made possible by advancing technologies.

Besides offering a ready emergency alert connection to Medical Guardian’s 24/7 monitoring service, the Freedom Guardian Android smartwatch incorporates a full suite of senior-oriented features. The watch contains a high resolution analog watch face that can read out the time, will do text-to-speech messaging, show medication and other calendar alerts, share information with concerned children and caregivers, and more.

Through Freedom Guardian, Medical Guardian has put together a useful selection of core features that support their customers in living an independent life. This represents an addition to Medical Guardian’s existing product line that includes their classic in-home medical alert system, cellular medical alert system, mobile GPS medical alert systems and in-home activity monitoring system.

Need Help? Click to Call Medical Guardian 1-800-311-6142

Disclosure: We receive referrals commissions for purchases made (details).

How the Freedom Guardian Medical Alert Smartwatch Works

The color high resolution touchscreen interface comes large icons and works with simple left-right screen navigation. There are various apps pre-installed on the watch to display or announce the time, provide medication or calendar reminders and convert spoken messages into text and vice versa.

The Freedom Guardian watch comes with a physical red emergency alert button on the side. When the button is pressed for over 3 seconds, the watch will automatically dial Medical Guardian’s emergency monitoring center to reach a response agent for assistance. As an alternative, customers can navigate to the Help button screen on the face of the watch. This can be clicked on to initiate an emergency alert call.

This smartwatch works in a standalone manner. It comes with both speaker and microphone for two-way communications with an emergency response agent. It also contains an AT&T SIM card to dial and connect through AT&T’s cellular network. The Freedom Guardian smartwatch does not need to pair up with a cell phone to make an emergency call.

Separately, caregivers and family members can message the watch wearer and retrieve GPS information through the companion Freedom Guardian mobile app (for both iOS and Android).

For more product specifics or to purchase, please contact Medical Guardian directly at 1-800-311-6142 and ask to speak with for a consultant.

Cost

The Freedom Guardian watch costs $99, plus a base monthly subscription fee of $44.95. The monthly subscription fee includes access to 24/7 emergency response monitoring and use of the mobile app by caregivers and loved ones of the subscriber. Customers can add Text-to-Speech messaging and Reminders & Alerts for an additional $5 a month.

There are no long term contracts. Medical Guardian provides pro-rated refunds on fees prepaid ahead but that remain unused due to early cancellations. The smartwatch is the customer’s to keep as it has been paid for upfront.

Overall, the costs and terms for the Freedom Guardian watch compare well with Life Alert and similar types systems on the market today. Mobile GPS Life Alert type buttons costs around $30 to $60 a month (see cost comparison chart).

For another medical alert smart watch comparison, check out the Bay Alarm Medical SOS Smartwatch.

Readers can get 2 free months on the annual billing plan by calling 1-800-311-6142 with the promo code WATCH18.

Freedom Guardian Detailed Review

Analog Watch Face

The analog face can clearly display time of the day, date and the current day of the week in high resolution. The watch will also read out the time and date. This makes it easy for anyone, even with weakened eye-sight, to easily find out what the time is.

One Design – Black or White

The Freedom Guardian comes in one design that works for both men and women. There is a choice of two colors – black or white.

Emergency Help Button

In a situation where a health or other emergency occurs, the help button can be pushed to initiate a call to reach Medical Guardian’s round-the-clock monitoring center. Reaching out to emergency services is just a matter of pushing a button.

There are two ways in which to initiate an alarm call. Firstly, this can be done through pressing and holding on the red SOS button located on the side for at least three seconds. Alternatively, the customer can slide to the Help button display on clock face and press on it.

The emergency call is made through a cellular connection. Depending on the situation, the operator is trained to contact the appropriate parties to assist the senior user. They may call on a family member to check-in the customer or summon local emergency services and more.

Cellular Connection

Calls related to emergencies are routed through AT&T’s cellular wireless network. The watch comes already installed with an AT&T’s 3G SIM card. No mobile phone line subscription is required. The cost of cellular connections is covered by the product’s monthly monitoring fees.

Speaker/ Microphone on Watch

The speaker and microphone embedded on the watch facilitates two-way communications between the user and the monitoring center operator. The customer can speak directly into the smartwatch.

Geo-Location Monitoring with GPS

The Freedom Guardian smartwatch incorporates multiple advanced location tracking technologies. It uses GPS, wifi positioning (WiPS) and cell phone tower triangulation to ascertain the location of the customer.

Together, these multiple geo-location monitoring ensures greater accuracy when pinpointing the exact location of the user in an emergency. This enables the operator to know where to send help to when the situation calls for it.

Battery Life

Freedom Guardian watch comes with a lithium-ion battery that efficiently operates for up to 48 hours starting for a full charge. The charge cycles and battery life will vary depending on the settings, usage, and other factors. The watch comes with low battery prompts to let the customer when battery is running low.

Medical Guardian recommends that their customers charge their Freedom Guardian watch every night to make sure that it stays charged and working.

Freedom Guardian Mobile App

With Freedom Guardian’s complimentary mobile application, care circle contacts can regularly monitor and at the same time be set-up to receive notifications related to the watch’s activities. The App will show a history of the watch’s location through available GPS and geo-location data.

In addition, the Freedom Guardian mobile app allows for Text-to-Speech messaging and Reminders & Alerts described below.

The App is available in both iOS (for iPhones) and Android (for Samsung and other brands) formats.

Need Help? Click to Call Medical Guardian 1-800-311-6142

Text-to-Speech Messaging

Text-to-Speech SMS messaging is available directly through the watch. This is facilitated through the mobile app. Care circle members can send text messages through the app. These text messages can be received by the Freedom Guardian smartwatch and turned into an audible text message. In turn, the watch wearer can speak off a text message that is then sent out to the mobile app user on the receiving end.

Text-to-Speech Messaging is a premium feature ($5/month extra). For more information, please contact Medical Guardian directly at 1-800-311-6142.

Reminders & Alerts

Reminders & Alerts is a feature that allows alerts for events like medication reminders or doctors’ appointments to be added. Care circle contacts can also help the user set-up reminders through the app to ensure their loved ones stay on schedule.

Reminders & Alerts is a premium feature ($5/month extra).

Water-Resistance

The Freedom Guardian watch is splash resistant, according to Medical Guardian. The company recommends that whenever the watch gets wet, it should be removed and then completely dried before wearing it again.

It has a tested protection rating of IPX7. This means that it has been tested to withstand some water submersion (from a little under 6 inches and up to 3 feet), for up to 30 minutes.

Review Summary

The Freedom Guardian medical alert smartwatch is best suited for seniors and others who like the protection of emergency response monitoring in the form of a modern smartwatch with advanced technological features. It works both in and out of the home, providing geo-location tracking, text-to-voice messaging and reminders and alerts to support an independent lifestyle.

For children and caregivers of the subscriber, the Freedom Guardian companion mobile app enables them to remain connected to, and to keep tabs on the safety of, their loved one or patient in an unobtrusive way. The Freedom Guardian smartwatch is a technologically advanced solution that provides peace of mind for both subscribers and their children and/or caregivers as each go about their daily activities.

To get started, contact Medical Guardian at 1-800-311-6142.

Disclosure: We receive referrals commissions for purchases made (details).

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Read the full Medical Guardian Review

 
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this review, the information is supplied without warranties of any kind. We advise all readers to do careful due diligence before purchasing. Take time to visit the company’s website and speak with their representatives.

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Sandra Cheng

Founder at Medical Alert Systems HQ

Sandra Cheng is our resident expert on medical alert products and founder of Medical Alert Systems HQ. She has been researching medical alert systems since 2011.   You can watch videos of her evaluating and testing different medical alert systems here. Over the years, her writing has helped over 6,000 seniors pick the best system to match their needs. Her goal is to empower each and every interested Medical Alert Systems HQ reader to make a choice that fits them or their parents well. More...

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