UnaliWear Reviews

Kanega Medical Alert Watch Cost and Buying Experience

The Kanega Watch costs $299, plus a $80 monthly fee. This is at a higher price point than other medical alert watches we’ve reviewed. If you choose to pay annually you can reduce the monthly subscription cost to $64.95 per month. In comparison, Medical Guardian’s smartwatch, the MGMove, costs a one-time $199 and then $39.95 per month (but fall detection is not included). While it is more on the expensive side, the Kanega Watch is unique, as it comes with fall detection included unlike most competitor smartwatches. It also has medication reminders! It also provides access to 24/7 live agents via cellular and Wi-Fi, so you’re always connected to help.

You can buy the Kanega Watch online via the company website or call a customer service representative directly. The website has a live chat feature to answer any questions you may have. After purchasing, I was asked to provide important information about the wearer through a simple pre-shipment online form. The company wants to ensure your Kanega watch arrives preprogrammed and personalized, so they get your emergency contacts, notification settings, Wi-Fi settings, and optional medication reminders.

When I received my shipment, the box contained a Kanega Watch, a charger, four rechargeable lithium ion batteries, and a quick-start guide. Even before it arrived, I was sent several emails that were very helpful and included links to “How-To” videos to prepare me ahead of receiving the watch.

Unboxing my Kanega Watch from UnaliWear

Setting Up My Kanega Medical Alert Watch

Unboxing

Once I removed the watch, the charger, and four batteries from the box, I connected the power cable to one end of the charger block provided and plugged it into the wall. I saw a green light on the charger indicating it was on. Next, I inserted two of the provided flat square batteries into the charger block by snapping them into the charging station. There are three ports for charging on the charger jack. It’s simple, and you just need to match the gold prongs when inserting them for them to be charged. The battery on the charger will light up red when it’s charging and will turn green when they’re fully charged. It took about two hours to charge the batteries, which is pretty standard.

Charging the Kanega Watch s batteries

Unlike Bay Alarm Medical’s SOS Smartwatch, which required a little bit of setup, our watch came ready to use out of the box. I just snapped two batteries onto the watch band, and it was ready to go. The directions recommend changing your batteries a second time to fully charge the internal safety battery on the first day of use.

We struggled a bit at first when trying to change the batteries while wearing the watch (we couldn’t snap them out!). While wearing the watch, you have to put your finger on the clock display while pushing the battery inward and upward toward the clock display. However, this may be difficult for those with dexterity issues. It’s probably best to take off the watch to change the batteries. (However, UnaliWear says their oldest wearer is currently 103 and has had no issues swapping the batteries out.) The company recommends changing the batteries every 24 to 36 hours.

The Fit

The watch face diameter measures 6.1 inches (slightly smaller than a mandarin orange), its thickness is 0.5 inches, and it weighs 49 grams. The watch display is bigger than the Apple Watch but not as large as the WellBe Medical Alert Watch from HandsFree Health.

The Kanega watch face is about the size of a mandarin orange.

The Kanega Watch was way too big for my wrist but fit my father well. While I thought the watch looked good on my dad, it was a bit bulky and masculine for my taste and may appear large on a woman’s wrist, unless you like wearing big watches. Even though the directions say you can adjust the watch to fit your wrist (but doesn’t show or really explain how), we struggled with trying to make it smaller on my wrist, as the wristband wouldn’t budge. It’s important to note, though, that when ordering the watch you can choose a wristband size, from small, medium, large, and extra large. The watch can fit wrists as small as 5 inches in circumference and has a stainless steel mesh loop band. My dad is a daily Apple Watch wearer and though he really liked the look of the Kanega, he preferred the fit of the Apple Watch more.

Watch Setup

The directions to set up the watch were very clear. The box came with a guide, and the watch was ready to go immediately out of the box. Once you snap in the two batteries, on either side of the display, the watch lights up and says “Press crown to begin” (I learned that the crown is the side button). If you don’t see that message, press the crown button for 10 seconds. The display on the watch shows battery level, time, and date. The watch is illuminated and bright when wearing it in the dark.

The Kanega Watch display is bright and clear.

To begin setup, you must press the crown once and a voice tutorial will start. The tutorial will teach you how to communicate with the watch, how the watch communicates with you, and how to contact an operator at the monitoring center. While the voice tutorial is clear and quick, it only goes through the directions once. We would have liked it if it gave us the option to go through the tutorial again.

The Kanega Watch has a side button called the crown.

The keyword to use this watch is to say “Fred Astaire.” Once you do you will immediately see an ear symbol. Once you see the ear, you can give it a command or question. For example, we said “Fred Astaire,” waited to see the ear symbol, then asked “What time is it?” The voice prompt told us the exact time. The tutorial also explained that you can call emergency response in three different ways: by pressing the button on the side of the watch, using your voice, or via fall detection.

Kanega Medical Alert Watch at a Glance

Here’s a look at some of Kanega Watch’s key features:

Testing the Watch

Making a Test Call

We tested the Kanega Watch to see how quickly we could get help through their 24/7 U.S.-based emergency response center. We said “Fred Astaire,” saw the ear symbol, then said “Get Help” (or “Call the operator”). It took 46 seconds to connect us. The watch has a two-way communication system, and the volume level is loud and clear.

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert

Every second counts during an emergency, so fast response times are one of the most important features of a medical alert watch. The industry average is around 15 to 45 seconds, so the Kanega Watch’s response times are fairly average.

During the call, I also had the option to cancel by pushing the crown button. I tested it a few times and one time I forgot to say “Get Help” and nothing happened. Then I remembered, I had to say “Fred Astaire,” wait for the ear symbol, and then “Get Help” for it to start connecting me to emergency response. For someone with memory issues, this could be a problem. You also have to say it loudly and clearly; a few times I said “Fred Astaire” too low, and I didn’t see the ear symbol. However, you could also simply press and hold the button for two seconds to be connected to help.

The Kanega Watch doesn’t solely rely on a cellular connection. It can also connect to a live agent via your home’s Wi-Fi, using whichever signal is stronger and ensuring help is always available. My dad really appreciated this feature and the watch’s discrete design.

The Kanega Watch looks similar to a normal smartwatch, so it's very discrete.

Fall Detection

More than 1 in 4 older people fall each year, so having a fall detection device is important.3 Unlike most other smartwatches, the Kanega Watch comes built in with automatic fall detection (the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 does too!). Most other brands charge $10+ a month to add fall detection. The Kanega Watch has patented RealFall™ technology that is based on real falls by real wearers. Over time, the watch even gets smarter as it learns the wearer’s personal movements.

The Kanega watch vibrates three times if it detects a fall, and it alternates between showing an emergency icon and crown button. You can press the button twice to cancel it if it was a false alarm. When you see “fall detected,” just push the button to cancel the call or say “Fred Astaire,” watch for the ear symbol, and say “No” to cancel the call.

The ear symbol pops up on the Kanega Watch when to let users know when it is active and listening.

We dropped the watch on the floor 10 times, including wearing the watch and dropping to the floor, and it did not call for help. When we dropped the watch, the batteries would sometimes pop out of the wristband as it hit the floor. The results may be better in the event of an actual fall, but it’s worth noting that our results were inconsistent. Where it did detect a fall was when I was standing in the kitchen making tea, even though I never fell. The phone vibrated three times, but I canceled the call.

GPS Tracking

A downside is that the watch only lets you call emergency response, so you cannot send text messages or check the weather, which are common features with other watches like Medical Guardian’s MGMove. But it does have step counting, which wasn’t shown on the guide or website but was mentioned during the onboarding call with the Kanega rep. It can be a great feature to use for the active senior. The GPS feature, however, means you will always be connected to live emergency response inside and outside the home, and they will know your exact location. The watch does not have a companion app so your loved ones and family will not be able to track you, which is a bit of a drawback.

Verizon Data Plan

The Kanega Watch uses its own Verizon cellular data plan that is included in your monthly monitoring fee. So there’s no need to worry about having to pair with any other device to work like a cell phone, base station, or pendant. And your watch can connect with any Wi-Fi service.

Contracts and Warranty

The Kanega Watch has no long-term contracts, hidden fees, or extra costs. Customers get a 30-day money back guarantee, minus a $75 restocking fee. The watch has a lifetime warranty that covers the replacement of the watch if it breaks due to defects in materials or workmanship. UnaliWear will replace the watch once for free. After that, you will have to pay $199 (plus shipping) to replace the watch.

Kanega Medical Alert Watch vs. the Competition

There are many smartwatches in the market with medical alert features for older adults. It’s important to compare costs and features before making a purchase. Here’s a look at how Kanega fares against the competition:

Kanega Watch vs. Medical Guardian’s MGMove

The MGMove, a Medical Guardian system, costs a one-time $199 fee, plus $39.95 per month. Unlike the Kanega watch, fall detection is not included, so you’ll pay an additional $10 per month for this feature. MGMove has caregiver tracking, a step counter, reminders, and text messages for an extra $5 a month. These are features that the Kanega Watch doesn’t offer (except step counter), so MGMove is more advanced.

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert

MGMove is one of my all-time favorite medical alert watches for seniors. It offers advanced features like a caregiver mobile app, text messaging, and reminders. Plus, it’s very sleek and smaller than the Kanega Watch, perfect for those with smaller wrists.

With the Kanega Watch, you can make a call to emergency response with just your voice, but you’ll need to press a button on the MGMove to call for help. MGMove has a battery life of about 20 hours, which is shorter than Kanega’s 24 to 36 hour battery life, and you don’t have to remove the watch to charge it. For more details, check out our Medical Guardian review.

Kanega Watch vs. Bay Alarm Medical’s SOS Smartwatch

Bay Alarm Medical’s SOS smartwatch costs a one-time $199 equipment fee with a $39.95 monthly monitoring fee. But, Kanega offers a price-lock guarantee, so your monthly subscription costs won't increase over time. Plus, the Kanega Watch comes with fall detection and medication reminders at no extra cost. Compared to the Kanega Watch, Bay Alarm has a shorter battery life of about 14 hours. But it has a 15-day risk free trial, and you get a full refund minus shipping. Visit our Bay Alarm medical review to learn more.

Kanega vs. Apple Watch

The popular Apple Watch has advanced health monitoring features and fall detection, but it requires being paired with an iPhone, and it isn’t designed specifically for seniors like the Kanega Watch is. However, the Apple Watch is cheaper, starting at $249 for the SE model. Head to our best smartwatches for seniors guide for a closer look at our experience with the Apple Watch.