Calling for help
a guide to community alarms, 2003
(go to list of report contents)
Alarms on test
Which alarm?
Over the last 20 years that we have been assessing community alarms, standards have been introduced and technological improvements made. Manufacturers have provided some of the technical details on their products for this report and we have made assessments on how easy they are to use.
The contents page and the links below list the alarms tested. Each summary gives descriptive and performance details of the individual alarm. Use the information given in basic choices and these individual summaries to help decide which ones might suit you.
As the summaries show, many models had a mix of good and not so good features, so you will need to pick out the alarms that suit your abilities.
Best overall were the In Touch 1000 and 2000, (though these models - unlike most others - had no extra triggers), followed by the Lifeline 400. While the CareSec and IntelliLink units did well, they were let down by their triggers - IntelliLink's will soon be replaced.
Alarms tested
Follow the links under Models tested below for photographs and details of all the alarms we have tested.
The prices given in these summaries are for a unit and one portable trigger, excluding VAT. Community alarm products and services are zero rated for VAT when bought by or for people with disabilities. You can buy alarms from the manufacturer or distributor or, in some cases rent from them. Alarms are also supplied by local authorities - what you will pay depends on the authority and, in some areas, on your own means - more details are given in where to get an alarm.
The information on each alarm's features and options has been supplied by its manufacture, along with the time for which the unit back-up battery will operate and the trigger's outdoor operating range. The ease of use ratings are based on the assessment of the units and triggers by experts from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People.
Key to ratings used in models tested
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Very good |
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Good |
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Average |
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Poor |
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Very poor |
Report Contents
About alarms
What
is a community alarm?
How
does an alarm work?
Basic
choices
Who
will receive your calls?
Where can you get an alarm?
Alarms on test
Models tested
Antenna
Princess AP1000
Antenna
AP2000
CareSec
Homelink
Extra II
Horizon
II
IntelliLink
Lifeline
400
Lifeline
4000
LIfeline
4000+D
Lifeline
TalkBack trigger
S11
Carephone
Sayphone
In
Touch 1000
In
Touch 2000
In
Touch 2000 Package
Other information
Using
an alarm
Checklists
of things to look for
Alarms
in the future
Acknowledgements
Contact
details
