The Compatibility of Vonage With Medic Alert Systems

The MedicAlert Foundation services many elderly people with their medical home alarm system. Medical alert systems use a telephone device to alert medical personnel if someone in the home is in distress. The Vonage phone system can be used with the MedicAlert system, but compatibility issues arise when the broadband service in the home is unreliable.

Background

• Philips Lifeline, in a partnership with the MedicAlert foundation, maintains the largest medical alert system in the United States. Philips Lifeline provides members with a device that plugs into a phone jack to automatically call for help if a person pushes a security button. In order for help to arrive, the device has to be connected to a working phone connection.

VoIP

• Vonage is a Voice Over IP phone service, or VoIP. This means the phone signal is transmitted through a digital broadband Internet signal instead of a traditional analog landline signal. Vonage users have a phone adapter that plugs into the broadband router. Users have a phone connection through the router adapter even if the computer is off.

Signal Strength

• As long as your broadband signal is on and strong, the medical alert system will work with Vonage just as it does with a regular landline phone. If you've had connection issues or slow broadband speeds in the past, ask to have your signal strength checked by MedicAlert or Philips Lifeline before you sign up for the service.

Caution

• Medical alert systems only work if they're able to dial out and complete a phone call. If the Internet goes down, Vonage will also go down and the service will be unavailable. Most broadband carriers are quick to resolve problems, so it's unlikely you'll go without Vonage service for long, but if this is a concern, sign up for a low-cost metered landline with the local phone company, just for your medical alert service.