Receivers as Add On Components to the Alerting Systems Main Unit

The HomeAware, Central Alert and AlertMaster systems may be expanded to work with a variety of receivers that may be added on to the system as needed. Whereas transmitter accessories enable the main units to alert you of specific activities occurring throughout the home, receiver accessories provide the user with the ability to be alerted to activities generated by the main unit when occupying other areas of the house beyond the specific room that the main unit resides in. Keep in mind that the main units reside in one room and one room only such as the main bedroom or living room. Throughout the day, individuals will occupy other areas of the home other than the specific room that is equipped with the main unit. Often times there is a need to be made aware of activities generated by the main unit when in other areas of the house (i.e. backyard, kitchen, home office, etc.). This is where receivers come into play. 

As outlined in the chart below, all three systems offer several remote receiver options. The purpose of the remote receiver is to alert the user of activities registered by the main unit in other areas of the home. Traditionally, these devices come in the form of either a table top receiver (available by all three systems) and, in some cases, a wearable version in the form of a personal pager accessory (Central Alert, AlertMaster only). 

Receiver Chart Final

STEP ONE: IDENTIFY AREAS OF THE HOME USER NEEDS TO MADE AWARE OF ALERTS

With regard to receivers, it is necessary to identify what other areas of the home the user needs to have access of alert activity registered by the main unit. For example, if the main unit is in the bedroom, what other rooms in the home will they occupy throughout the day where it will be necessary to be alerted to the doorbell or incoming phone call?  Does the patient spend a lot of time in the backyard and needs a way to be alerted of activity when outside? These are important questions to ask as it will help determine what remote receiver options make the most sense. 

STEP TWO: DETERMINE THE MOST SUITABLE REMOTE RECEIVER IN TERMS OF MODEL AND SIGNAL PREFERENCE 

The next step is to determine the most suitable remote receiver type in terms of model (table top, wearable pager, and/or smartphone alerts) and to also consider preferred signal type the user needs or wants the remote receiver to generate (audio, visual, vibrotactile) as not all remote receivers offer each type of signal. In terms of receiver model type, the chart above shows available remote receivers for each system. Table-top receivers are designed to reside in a specific room. The HomeAware offers two such remote receivers (HA360RK and HA360BRK), whereas the Central Alert (CA-RX) and AlertMaster (AL12) offer one table top option. The number of different rooms beyond the location of the main unit that a user wants to be alerted to activity is the number of receivers that will be needed. For example, if there is a need to be alerted to activity in four additional rooms beyond the one room where the main unit is located, it will be necessary to invest in four individual remote receivers. ,

Wearable remote receivers are worn by the user and will generate necessary alerts throughout the home as long as the user is within the operating range requirements of the main system. For example, both the Central Alert (CA-PX) and the AlertMaster (01886) systems offer remote receivers in the form of personal pagers. While the HomeAware system does not offer a remote receiver in the form of a wearable pager, it does offer a smartphone transmitter (HA360SPT) accessory that plugs into the back of the HomeAware main unit (not pictured above) and a free HomeAware smartphone app. When the main unit registers activity, the smartphone transmitter will wirelessly send a signal to the user's smartphone and the HomeAware app will generate push notifications via the smartphone. 

The advantage of wearable remote receivers or the HomeAware's smartphone approach is the reduced need for investing in multiple table top receivers and may be a more economical option. It is also important to consider whether the user needs or wants the remote receiver to generate specific signals as patient preferences can limit available choices.  For example, both HomeAware and the AlertMaster table top remote receivers generate visual alerts only (strobe and icons). If there is a need for a remote receiver to generate an auditory signal, the only solution is the Central Alert remote receiver as it offers auditory and visual signals with the option to add a bed shaker. For specific information on remote receivers, search the alerting systems section of this website by category or via item number using the search bar. For a step-by-step guide in assembling the best system for your patient, click Assembling HomeAware, Assembling Central Alert, and Assembling AlertMaster.