1.
How does FreedomAlert work?
It is very simple. You just push the blue button on
the wearable pendant and you can speak directly to a Friend,
Family member or the 911 operator from anywhere in or around the
home. You do not need to reach your regular telephone.
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2. Does FreedomAlert use Cellular
Service?
No! The FreedomAlert uses your standard home phone
line.
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3.
Do you have to be near the base station for
someone to hear you?
No! Because the FreedomAlert is the world’s smallest
cordless speakerphone, you can speak directly to a Friend,
Family member or the 911 operator instantly from anywhere in or
around the home. This is the only product that allows you to
speak from ANYWHERE in your home, not just within 50 feet of a
speakerphone. The pendant range is up to 600 feet in a
free-space environment! It will cover typical American home and
even a short distance outside your home into your yard.
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4. Can I test the range?
Yes. Simply use the test button on the back of
FreedomAlert. Hold the button in for 5 seconds and you will hear
a system check. If it says “All systems are OK”, then you are
within range of the base unit. You can walk around your home
and test this feature at any location to see if it will work
from there..
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5. Are there any monthly charges or
contracts?
Absolutely Not! There are no monthly charges, no
monitoring fees, no contracts, ever. You purchase the
FreedomAlert and it is yours to keep and use forever.
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6.
What happens if I am unable to speak?
If you are unable to speak, the FreedomAlert can still
provide important information by utilizing the caller ID system.
If the person you are calling has caller ID, they will instantly
know that it is you that is calling. If the FreedomAlert is set
to the 911 setting, the 911 operator will know your address from
which you are calling.
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7. How do I install FreedomAlert?
Just plug it into your existing phone jack. You will
need to program the Friends and Family phone numbers, if you so
chose. For the simplest installation you can simply select the
“911 Only” mode and your emergency call will go directly to the
911 operator.
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8.
Is FreedomAlert legal to use?
Yes! The FreedomAlert is completely legal to use in
all 50 states and Canada. The product meets the requirements of
the FCC and is in compliance with standards set by NENA (the
National Emergency Number Association –“911” group).
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9. Does FreedomAlert use a battery?
Yes, the FreedomAlert uses special rechargeable
Lithium-ion battery. There are 2 batteries included. The
battery standby time is 2-3 months and it can be tested at any
time by pushing the test button on the pendant. When the
battery test shows that the battery is low, you simply replace
the battery with the second battery that is charging in the base
unit. And just swap the two batteries around every month or
two.
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10. How can I deal with power
outages?
The FreedomAlert comes with 4 rechargeable batteries
that are installed in the base unit. These batteries are
constantly being charged while the base is plugged in the wall
outlet. When the power fails, the FreedomAlert automatically
switches over to these rechargeable batteries which will provide
over 24 hours of back-up protection. There is no maintenance
needed for these backup batteries.
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11. I keep hearing “Base and Pendant Out Of
Range” voice prompt from the pendant when the System Test or
Emergency button is pushed on the pendant:
The pendant was not properly paired to the base.
Simply relearn
the pendant to the base.
-
On the
pendant, Push and Hold both the gray System Test button and
the Blue Emergency button at the same time. The pendant
will respond with “Synchronizing Mode”.
-
On the
base, Push and Release the red Code Learn button (do this
quickly after pushing the buttons on the pendant) using a
pencil tip.
-
Both the
base and pendant will respond : “All Systems are OK”
-
Pendant is
paired with the base.
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12.
FreedomAlert seems to
act “funny” and sometimes “locks up” but then starts to work
correctly later:
We have found that if the user is trying to do things too
quickly – programming numbers too fast, pushing the test button
on the pendant and then pushing the blue emergency button, the
software can get “lost” for a moment.
When
programming or testing the FreedomAlert, be slow, deliberate and
wait for the FreedomAlert to respond.
When in doubt,
push the reset button on the back of base to be sure that the
unit has reset the software and memory buffers are filled
correctly.
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13.
There is an echo heard from the pendant or on the
telephone side of the call:
This will show up occasionally on phone calls depending on the
connection with the telephone company and the person being
called. Remember, this is an emergency phone used for short
emergency messages – not used for social calls. If the
emergency call can be placed and the emergency message can be
understood, the product has done exactly what it was designed to
do.
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14.
How many Friends’
phone numbers and in what order are the Friends’ phone numbers
dialed?
There can be up to 4 Friends’ numbers programmed (though you do
not need to program all 4 numbers) and/or 911. The calls are
placed in the order that they were programmed in to the unit.
If the first person does not answer, the unit hangs up and calls
the second number. If they don’t answer, it will call the third
etc.
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15.
How does the
FreedomAlert know that a person has picked up the emergency call
and not an answering machine?
Once a call is picked up, about 15 seconds into the call a
message is played "This is an emergency call, to continue this
call press 5 now otherwise we will hang up and call the next
contact or the emergency operator". If “5” is pushed by the
person receiving the call, the call continues. If “5” is not
pushed, the FreedomAlert hangs up and continues to the next
number. This makes sure that the call has been picked up by a
live person that wants to help rather than an answering machine
or young child.
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16.
How do you end an
emergency call?
There are 3 ways to end the call:
-
Pushing
the gray System Test button on the back of the pendant ends
the call, hangs up and resets.
-
The
FreedomAlert should detect the other person has hung up and
will automatically hang up in 20 to 30 seconds and reset.
-
If the
FreedomAlert pendant detects 60 seconds of silence, it will
automatically hang up and reset.
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17.
I programmed 4 Friends’ phone numbers but it does not
dial the first Friends’ phone number when I push the blue button
on the pendant.
If the FreedomAlert did not dial the first number but then
dialed the second number programmed, more than likely a mistake
was made while programming the Friends list. The phone numbers
need to be preceded by # to enter the
memory location.
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18. Every
time I push the blue Emergency Button on the pendant, the
FreedomAlert calls 911 rather than the Friends’ numbers that I
programmed into the unit.
If the FreedomAlert is only calling 911 – even if the switch
is set to Friends’ Only, there are no numbers properly
programmed into the Friends’ list. More than likely a mistake
was made while programming the Friends list. The phone numbers
need to be preceded by # to enter the memory location.
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19. When
programming telephone numbers into the unit and the FreedomAlert
does not respond with a voice prompt, is the number recorded?
No number is recorded into the memory of the unit unless the
unit responds back with the correct voice prompt. This is why it
is so important to be slow and deliberate when programming
telephone numbers.
If a number is pushed and the FreedomAlert does not respond with
the voice prompt – try pushing the same number again until you
hear the appropriate voice prompt. Only numbers that you hear a
voice prompt from are recorded into the memory.
If the FreedomAlert still is not responding to the telephone’s
buttons – try using another telephone to program the unit. We
have found that there are some telephones that can not be used
to program the FreedomAlert.
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20. How do
you erase previously programmed Friends’ numbers?
All previously programmed Friends’ numbers are erased when a
new Friends’ number is programmed. If one of the Friends’
numbers is changed, all of the Friends’ numbers will need to be
reprogrammed.
Also, if no Friends’ numbers are programmed into the
FreedomAlert it will call 911-regardless of the switch setting.
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21. Does it
matter which telephone jack is used for the telephone line and
the telephone on the FreedomAlert?
On the FreedomAlert it does not - the 2 jacks on the back
just act as a phone splitter
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22. I keep
getting a message from the telephone company that there are too
few numbers being dialed after the FreedomAlert dials the
Friends’ number.
On some phone systems, the FreedomAlert dials too quickly
after getting a dial tone. Program “**” before the Friends’
number (*= 1 second delay, **= 2 second delay).
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23. Is
FreedomAlert water resistant?
Yes, the FreedomAlert can be used in the shower even though
we don’t recommend it as a normal practice. Its best to just
lay FreedomAlert on the floor just outside the shower area so
that it can be reached if needed.
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24. What
is the warranty on FreedomAlert?
One Year Limited Warranty
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25. VoIP
Systems:
Special Note If Your Phone System is VoIP:
Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a telephone service that
sends your call over the Internet instead of through the regular
telephone system. This may seem minor, but the differences with
VoIP are great when it comes to 911 service.
Traditional phone lines physically connect a specific location
to the phone company - so when you call 911 the phone company
can report to the 911 center exactly where you are located. When
911 services are offered by a VoIP provider the VoIP system will
report your registered address to the 911 center. Due to the
nature of the internet, the VoIP provider does not know the
physical location the phone service is being provided to - only
the registered address which is typically the billing address.
As a result, with VoIP it is sometimes possible for a 911 center
to dispatch help to the wrong address, particularly if you have
moved without updating the provider.
Because of this, in all cases where VoIP is used we recommend
calling the VoIP provider to ensure that both 911 service is
available to you, and that your current physical address is on
file with the provider so that help will be dispatched to the
correct location.
If you are unsure if your phone system uses VoIP, or to find if
it is capable of calling 911, please contact your telephone
service provider.
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26.
Installing FreedomAlert on VoIP Systems: Many VoIP services,
such as Vonage, use a special internet adapter. This adapter
typically has a phone jack on it into which a regular phone is
connected. The FreedomAlert will connect to the adapters jack in
place of the regular phone jack in your house.
Some VoIP systems, such as Verizon's FIOS, are seamlessly
integrated into regular phone jacks, completely replacing
traditional phone service. This allows you to connect the
FreedomAlert to your existing phone jack as described in this
manual, and no special connections will be required.
Other VoIP systems use special computer software/headsets, or
sometimes a special phone which connects directly to the USB
port of a computer. Unfortunately, FreedomAlert will not work
with software or USB systems unless a provision for connecting a
regular phone is also provided.
In general, if your VoIP system can utilize a regular phone then
the FreedomAlert will work just fine. However, if you have both
a working traditional phone line AND a VoIP phone system we
recommend connecting the FreedomAlert system to the traditional
phone system.
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27. The
FreedomAlert will not dial correctly when connected to a VOIP
modem.
Always use the area code with the local number when
programming a Friends’ number into the FreedomAlert. Even though
you do not need the area code when manually dialing the local
number, VOIP systems seem to often require the area code.
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