Review – WATCHU & Guardian App - By Nigel Morris
Intro - Main carer for three elderly relatives looking for a technical solution to enhance their security, extend their independence and give me peace of mind.
Also considered voice activated devices – only worked in house and relatives ‘ didn’t like the accent’ or couldn’t remember the activation word.
Also considered panic alarms and lanyards but relatives didn’t like aesthetics and they had limitations away from the house.
Discovered Watchu and Guardian App - the discreet appearance for indoor and outdoor use was accepted by relatives. The functions are perfect for me.
So Dad is 97, Mum is 85 and they live at home. Dads little brother is 94 and he lives at his home too. Three elderly relatives all wanting to live at home and remain independent for as long as possible.
Old age can be cruel, with sight, hearing, mobility and memory issues affecting confidence, safety and security. This can make the natural caring instinct of keeping a watch over elderly relatives a challenge. I wanted to introduce some easy to use technology that would enable my relatives to call me from anywhere, even if they couldn’t get to a phone. I tried a popular voice activated device which I thought would introduce the ability to ‘Call Nige’ from anywhere in the house but they didn’t like the synthetic voice and couldn’t remember the wake up word reliably enough. It only worked indoors and we needed several for each house too. I suggested a lanyard type panic alarm but that wasn’t discreet and had range limitations outside the house.
Then a friend told me about a smart watch designed for anyone vulnerable and to help anyone responsible for caring for them. It sounded great, worked indoors and out, could make and receive calls and messages and had a panic button. I talked to the elders and ordered one the next day, a Friday. It arrived the following Monday nicely boxed as shown in the photo and in a protective package. Inside the box was the WATCHU, a charging cable, a pre-installed SIM, a SIM tool, a brief intro and full instructions.
Set up and Configuration
Set up is easy if you follow the instructions and are careful when you enter phone numbers. Once WATCHU is paired with the App you set up basics like time, date, wearers details and can test out features as shown on the screen grabs from the Guardian App.
I tested everything and after an initial problem making a call from the WATCHU to my mobile was resolved in no time by excellent Customer Support (turned out I had omitted a digit during configuration of contact numbers) I was up and running and ready for each relative to try for themselves.
All found it comfortable and are able to make the all important SOS calls and to receive my incoming calls.
My Dads eyesight isn't great and he finds the display a little small. My Mums hands are a bit shaky and she thought the buttons a bit hard to find at first. My Uncle got into it straightaway and really liked it.
He loves his independence but is pragmatic about his vulnerability and he loves the extra feeling of safety and security WATCHU had given him..
Messaging works perfectly but was not a priority for them.
The Geo-zone alerts and location monitoring is so useful and helps me keep in touch with their lives and keep an eye out for anything untoward.
TECHNICAL OVERVIEW
- GPS, Wi-Fi, GSM & LBS Smart watch paired with Guardian smartphone app
- Date, time, alarms, pedometer
- SMS to and from Watchu
- Mobile Call to and from Watchu
- Set up to 10, adjustable (500m to 2000m dia) Geo-zones with app alert when Watchu leaves zone
- Peace of mind for the carer
- Low battery alert on WATCHU and app.
MAIN BENEFITS
- Discreet and wearable LCD watch
- Emergency SOS call button
- Two way communication
- Location tracking
- Confidence, security and independence for the wearer
- Peace of mind for the carer
- Great technical support
SET UP
- Register and top up SIM using QR Code provided - easy
- Download WATCHU Guardian App for Apple or Android (Apple in my case) using QR code provided - easy
- Register and verify App – easy and secure
- Link App to WATCHU using QR code – easy
- Add in responder mobile numbers – get it right!
SERVICES TESTED
- Technical Support – excellent
- Online Setup Instructions - fine
- App Support - excellent
BUILD QUALITY
- Well packaged
- Manufacturer states strap to be soft touch, anti bacterial, non-irritant and UV safe and buckle to be Stainless Steel
WHERE TO BUY
www.watchu.com
Orders 0800 040 8010
Support 0800 652 7780
info@watchu.com