Review on Wireless Monitor and Motion Sensor for Smart Caregiving: The Economy Edition by Kenny Hrdlicka

The 433-EC alarm unit is pretty good on its own as you can use up to 6 sensors. I bought a chair cushion and a bed cushion to match this unit. Contrary to other reviews I've seen, it can control all the sensors at the same time if programmed correctly. (Instructions are clearly provided along with the pads.) The motion sensor is disappointing, however. One problem is that when the motion detector goes off an alarm, it will continue to sound until you turn off the power button for a few seconds and then turn it back on. I've seen a caregiver take it off to turn off the alarm and forget to turn it back on. It would be nice if the 433-EC had a built in reset button. Smart Caregiver sells a remote reset button separately (#433-RB is about $40 on Revain) that you can press instead of flipping the power button, but why not just activate the reset button on the device itself? Alternatively, it would be nice if it resets itself automatically after about 30 seconds. Another issue is that the motion detector has too wide an angle to detect a person just getting out of bed. I've tried placing it in different spots next to the bed to see when the leg is sticking out from behind the edge of the bed. If the sensor is set to detect this, it will also pick up movement from almost anywhere in the room. If I aimed it very low to avoid triggering when moving elsewhere in the room, the alarm didn't always sound when the foot was thrown over the edge of the bed. Between frequent false alarms and the inconvenience of resetting, I don't even use a motion control unit. While not part of this package, the beds and chair cushions, which I purchased separately, are a much happier story. I added both pads to this 433-EC alarm box. The alarm unit is activated when weight or pressure is applied to one of the pads. An alarm sounds when the weight is removed. The alarm will stop sounding a few seconds after resuming pressure on the pad. In other words, if a person leans back, the alarm will stop sounding - no reinstallation of the device is required. Hooray! However, if the person will not sit down again, e.g. when transferring to a wheelchair, you must reset the alarm at this point. For security reasons, I ordered a remote reset button to reduce the chances of the power button not turning on normally. I'm not happy to spend the extra $40 but safety is my main concern! Neither in the alarm unit nor in the motion sensor warns you about low batteries. A sticker on the devices tells you to check the functionality before each use. If you leave the device on 24/7, which is what I plan to do, it won't help much! So I ordered a power supply for the alarm box. Interestingly, the motion detector also has a connection for a power supply, which is not mentioned in the product description. Bed and chair cushions have sealed batteries that need to be left on and should last for a year. They are not rechargeable or interchangeable. So I guess when they die you just throw them away! That looks kind of stupid. The warranty is one year, so I plan on keeping a close eye on it in about 50 weeks. Before purchasing this device, I called Smart Caregiver customer service. You were helpful, but now I realize I asked the wrong questions. Pros: 433-EC Alarm Unit: - Has three volume levels - Can be programmed to monitor up to 6 sensors (I bought the pressure pads separately for $75 each) - Can use a power supply (sold separately for $15) - Can be a remote -Push button reset (sold separately for $40). - EC alarm unit - No built-in reset button - To reset, you have to turn off the power switch, wait a few seconds and turn it on again - The motion detector alarm will continue to sound until the unit is reset. - No low battery alert motion detector - Angle too large for bedside alarm - Frequent false alarms - No low battery alert. Summary - Buy a set of chair cushions, bed cushions and alarm box 433-EC and forget about the motion detector. ANY movement in the room but it didn't work for my needs.