Top pick
This smartwatch-style system never has to be removed for charging, and it’s stress-free to set up and use. But it’s expensive and its GPS wasn’t always accurate during testing.
The UnaliWear Kanega Medical Alert Watch, which relies on the Verizon network, is an attractive medical alert system that looks like a smartwatch (but isn’t one). This device’s unobtrusive and stylish design makes it a good option for those who want a medical alert device that doesn’t look like one, as well as for those who want to be able to take it with them when they leave home.
We think the Kanega Watch is the best mobile medical alert device. But if you’re looking for a less expensive option, or if Verizon doesn’t have good coverage in your area, we recommend the LifeFone Safe Watch Active, which uses AT&T’s network and beat out the Kanega’s GPS accuracy in some locations during our testing.
The Kanega Watch makes it easy to contact live agents. You can either push a button or verbally tell the watch you need help by using the set wake word “Fred Astaire” and then asking the watch to “Get help.” From there, it will connect you with one of the company’s emergency operators. If you do not verbally respond after you’ve been connected, the agent will contact emergency services and a designated contact within a specified time period.
You don’t have to take it off to charge it. The watch comes with four lithium ion batteries, two of which can always be charging in the included battery charger. When the batteries in the watch lose their charge (after about 24 to 36 hours), you should swap them out for the fully charged batteries; you can do this without having to remove the watch from your wrist. Every other wearable device we tested had to be removed for charging, leaving the user vulnerable for that time and making it more likely that they wouldn’t have the device when they really need it. We also loved that Kanega Watch includes a backup battery that’s built into the watch, so even if a few hours lapse between battery switches, you still have access to help.
It’s less obtrusive than a standard medical alert device. When activated, the Kanega Watch calmly states that it’s calling the operator for help. This is a stark contrast to other devices we tested, which often make alarming beeps and loud statements like “emergency alert!”
It’s stylish and adjustable. Even with most of Anna’s friends and family aware she was testing medical alert systems, none of them identified the Kanega Watch as one. The watch face and clasp come in three colors: black, champagne gold, and rose gold. The wristband is customized to your wrist size when you order it, and you can adjust it even more precisely when you receive it. Although generally comfortable, the closing mechanism sometimes pinched and could be difficult to use, and the wristband chafed when it was wet. We also found it to be a little bulkier than a typical smartwatch, particularly on small wrists.
It connects to Verizon’s cellular network and Wi-Fi. While most on-the-go systems we tested rely solely on a cellular network, the Kanega Watch pulls from a combination of Wi-Fi and Verizon’s network (you don’t need to be a Verizon customer or buy a separate plan to use it), so its coverage is more comprehensive, especially in buildings. Although you can set up only seven Wi-Fi networks for the device to remember, that often will be enough, since you can cover the most pivotal places, like home, work, and other buildings where you’re most likely to be on your own.
Setting it up is simple. This is one of only a few medical alert systems we tested that we could have given to any of our family members and had them set up themselves. Every step is clear, concise, and laid out, and the customer service line is responsive and helpful if you have any issues.
Its live agents and customer service reps are very responsive. The emergency and customer service operators were among the best we encountered. In our first round of testing, in 2023, we found that they consistently responded within 30 to 60 seconds of our call. However, the response times were slower (more than four minutes in one case) during our more-recent testing—particularly when the watch wasn’t connected to Wi-Fi.
It comes with fall-detection capabilities. Though fall detection is never going to be 100% reliable in any device, the Kanega Watch detected most of our simulated falls. It sometimes skewed to the overly sensitive side. But you can adjust that by asking customer service to recalibrate the fall-detection settings to tailor them to your activity level—whether you’re playing tennis, moving items around your home, or staying supine while recovering from a surgery. The watch is also supposed to learn from past false alarms (it was hard to tell how effective that was from our testing). And unlike almost all the other medical alert systems we tested, it doesn’t impose an extra fee for fall detection.
False alarms are easy to dismiss. Due to the Kanega Watch’s sensitivity, it had more false alarms than any other devices we tested. However, this was less of a hassle than it was with other systems because of how painless it was to dismiss the alert before it went to the call center. Out of 17 accidental alerts (either from fall detection or voice detection), only one actually made it to the call center before we were able to cancel it, and this was partially because of how quickly they answered. If you’re getting a lot of false alarms, you can ask customer service to adjust the sensitivity.
It can remind you to take your medications. The Kanega Watch is one of the few systems we tested (along with Amazon Alexa devices, Apple watches, and the OneCare CareWatch) that has an included feature to remind you to take your medications. (Some other systems offer this for an extra fee.)
It has useful features for people with vision or hearing loss. The Kanega Watch has a large, easy-to-read screen, which is particularly useful for people who have trouble reading smaller type sizes. In Pamela’s tests in New York, its call quality was crystal-clear. During Anna’s tests in Kansas, service was spottier. And it was sometimes hard to hear through the watch’s speaker, but the agents always quickly called her cell phone if they couldn’t hear her. If you have hearing loss, you can contact the company’s customer service team to create a personalized sound level tailored to your hearing ability.
It’s water-resistant. Like almost all of the medical alert systems we tested, the device is resistant to running water, so you can wear it in the shower or while you’re exercising, but you should never submerge it in water.
It’s covered under a (limited) warranty. UnaliWear covers defects in the watch, as long as you have an active service plan. If you don’t like the watch, you can return it within 30 days of the shipment date for a full refund, but you’ll have to pay a $75 restocking fee.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It’s expensive. The Kanega Watch’s one-time setup fee of $299 is one of the highest among those of medical alert systems we tested, as is the monthly service fee of almost $80 (or $65 if you pay annually).
GPS tracking wasn’t reliable everywhere we tested. During our most recent testing, we were disappointed with the accuracy of the device’s GPS, particularly because it was one of the most accurate when we tested it in 2023. While there are a lot of factors that affect GPS, four times out of 10, the watch couldn’t locate Anna, testing from the Kansas City metro area, in any way. And one of those times, operators incorrectly told Anna’s emergency contact that she was at home. When it was connected to Wi-Fi, though, the watch always showed the correct location.
Voice activation can be tricky to use. While we loved that voice activation was an option, it wasn’t as intuitive as we would have liked. We didn’t like that you couldn’t change the wake word, “Fred Astaire,” which in theory was memorable but ultimately easy to mix up with other famous contemporaries. After saying the wake word, you then need to say “Get help”—but this doesn’t work with slight variations or even just by saying “Help.” Even when we did remember the wake word, the watch didn’t always recognize it, but when we asked the call center to increase the sensitivity, we got frequent false alarms during regular conversations.
The batteries aren’t as easy to remove as the company claims. Despite how much we love the Kanega Watch’s always-charged system, the batteries can be difficult to swap out. Anna, a woman in her 30s with full use of her hands, at times had trouble dislodging the batteries from the watch and often dropped them in the process. At one point, a battery broke and became stuck, but customer service provided helpful advice on removing it, and it sent a new battery within days.
Key specs
- Price per month: $65 (billed annually) to $80 (billed monthly)
- Setup cost: $299
- Fall detection: yes
- Connects through: Wi-Fi and Verizon cellular network
- Water-resistant: yes
- Average response time: 1 minute 7 seconds (range was 20 seconds to 4 minutes 32 seconds)
