GPS Tracker Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When Family1st Medical Alert arrives, plug in the charging cradle and place Family1st Medical Alert into the cradle as shown. Family1st Medical Alert will vibrate and state “Charging.” Typical charging time is 2-3 hours. The red battery light flashes every 5 seconds while charging and is solid when Family1st Medical Alert is fully charged. Family1st Medical Alert will state, “Your device is now active. Please press your button,” once activation is complete.
To test fall detection technology in Family1st Medical Alert, hold Family1st Medical Alert above eye level in one hand and drop it into the palm of the other hand at waist level. When a fall is detected, Family1st Medical Alert states, “Fall detected. Press the call button to cancel.”
A fall may be canceled within 12 seconds by pressing the call button, and the device will state, “Fall detection canceled.” If not canceled, you will hear tones or ringing and then a voice message.
The specialist will answer the call. If your Family1st Medical Alert does not test properly, please contact support immediately.
Press the call button until the call light turns on solid blue and the device vibrates, and users will be connected with an emergency care specialist. Specialists can speak with and locate the user, and they will send emergency help or loved ones to assist, depending on what is needed.
You can go to caregiver.freeus.com and log in with the email address and password set up during activation. You can click Find or Track under the locator on the dashboard. Note: Tracking reduces the Family1st Medical Alert battery life.
You can also locate Family1st Medical Alert with free mobile applications.
Emergency contacts are individuals who can receive text and email alerts when Family1st Medical Alert needs to be charged or powers off, and they may also be contacted during and/or after an emergency and in non-emergency situations.
Contact your PERS dealer to add or edit emergency contacts.
To charge, plug the charging cradle into the wall and rest Family1st Medical Alert on the cradle with the speaker at the top and the call button below. Family1st Medical Alert will say “charging.”
The red battery light will flash every 5 seconds while Family1st Medical Alert is charging. When Family1st Medical Alert is fully charged, the battery light will be solid red. You can remove it from the cradle when fully charged.
Typical charging time is 2-3 hours.
The Family1st Medical Alert battery will last up to 7 days, depending on signal strength and how frequently location information is requested. Family1st Medical Alert uses more power when it is in a low signal area or when requesting information from it. Battery life will vary, like a cell phone does. The Family1st Medical Alert battery can last from over a day in poor conditions to 7 days in standby.
The red battery light will flash every 10 seconds when the battery is low.
To restart Family1st Medical Alert, press and hold the power button on the right side of the device until the blue call light turns on. The red battery light will be solid until the device powers off. The device cannot make calls while off.
Press and hold the power button to power back on. Family1st Medical Alert will say the battery level: “Battery OK” or “Battery low, please charge.” The lights around the call button will be solid for 5 seconds, and then the blue call light will flash every 5 seconds.
Please wait two minutes after restarting before pressing the call button or clicking Find.
To update information about the Family1st Medical Alert user, contact your PERS dealer.
To update your account information, contact your PERS dealer.
You can view and/or download recent location history by clicking History under the device information in the caregiver portal or mobile app. Location history is recorded if you did a FIND request or when tracking.
Enter the number of days or hours you would like to view on the map.
To download history, enter the dates you would like to view and click Update.
Family1st Medical Alert is a 4G LTE two-way voice mobile personal emergency response system with fall detection, plus GPS, WiFi and cellular triangulation location-based services.
Emergency care specialists and caregivers can locate users on a map, anywhere they are with GPS and cellular signals. WiFi and cellular triangulation help care specialists quickly know if the user is at home, and WiFi can also help determine the Family1st Medical Alert location if GPS is not available.
Other products rely on base stations that are located in various places around the house. Family1st Medical Alert, like a phone, works wherever there is cellular signal and enables the user to have quick contact with emergency care specialists. Family1st Medical Alert has a powerful speaker and microphone built in and is IPX7 water-resistant, though it should not be submerged. Family1st Medical Alert can also send alerts to caregivers when the unit has low battery and when it is powered off.
When the Family1st Medical Alert button is pressed or when the unit detects a fall, A-GPS and WiFi location data and two-way voice data are sent to care specialists. If GPS signal is not available, Family1st Medical Alert can be located with WiFi and cellular triangulation. Specialists can view the user’s location and speak with the user, and specialists can send emergency personnel or loved ones to the user, depending on what is needed.
Family1st Medical Alert is IPX7 water-resistant. Family1st Medical Alert should not be submerged. Family1st Medical Alert should be towel-dried after exposure to water.
Individuals with pacemakers should consult their physician and review their pacemaker materials regarding interaction with cell phones, and take the same precautions the materials recommend for this device.
Alerts can come via text message and/or email. You can add emergency contacts to receive battery and power alerts by contacting your PERS dealer.
A-GPS stands for Assisted Global Positioning System. It enhances the performance of a basic GPS’s location time and accuracy. Compared with regular GPS systems, A-GPS provides much faster positioning even when GPS signal conditions are weak.
A-GPS can locate a moving object within 5 yards in most cases, depending on the signal strength from satellites and cell towers.
A-GPS takes less power (saving battery life) and time to acquire satellite and cell tower signals and finds the user quicker. Under stand-alone GPS operation, a GPS receiver typically needs more than 30 seconds to receive the satellite position data and other satellite information required to compute a position. In weak signal areas such as urban canyons, building interiors or locations surrounded by tall trees, where the receiver has limited or no direct access to the open sky, determining a positioning can take much longer.
The Family1st Medical Alert unit weighs 2.6 oz.
Please visit https://family1st.io/products/ to buy our products. You will receive an email from us when you purchase our device, with your login information.
You will receive your order within 5 business days.
To change your plan, please contact us at support.gps@family1st.io
To change your plan, please contact us at support.gps@family1st.io.
Within 30 days of purchase, you can get a full refund on your purchase. This does not include refunds on products damaged by water or handling. To request a refund, email us at support.gps@family1st.io.
Portable Tracker – No installation required. Simply place it in an optimal position where it can get clear access to the satellite (e.g. under the passenger seat or dashboard). Kindly note metal and thick material can interfere with GPS signals – the device will have trouble reading in the glove compartment or center console.
OBD Tracker – Plug it into the OBD port of the vehicle.
Hardwired Tracker – Install this device by following the instructions provided in the manual.
When attached beneath a vehicle, here are the requirements:
- The magnets should be on a flat part of the frame towards the edge of the vehicle (about 6 inches from the edge).
- When you get low to the ground, you should be able to see the device. If you can’t see the device at all, most likely there will be interrupted service.
- The lights on the face of the device should face the street (face away from the magnets of the case).
- The device should not be hidden up in any metal enclosures, including bumpers and wheel wells.
Note : Please know your device will not work well or at all indoors or any covered building (e.g. parking garages). As indicated in the requirements above, GPS devices are meant to have clear access to the sky / satellites.
Using the device cannot affect the vehicle warranty in any way.
Using the device can help with the insurance as we can monitor hard braking patterns and keep an eye on the Driver’s Score Reports.
Please visit this link to activate your device: https://family1st.io/gpsactivation/
Battery life expectancy is dependent upon how often the device is updating. With 60 second motion updates (Basic Plan) and an average drive time of one hour per day, the battery life can last up to 14 days.
We have an outgoing call service, Monday – Friday, 9AM-5PM PT. You can call us at +1 (855) 462-7819 to leave a message, and we’ll have an agent call you back.
For immediate assistance, please know we have 24/7 email support. Email us at support.gps@family1st.io.
Our Tech Support Specialists are available 24*7.For phone support please request a phone call via a ticket during normal business hours (9:00 AM- 5:00 PM PST).
If it is a NEW portable device, please power cycle it by turning it off and then turn it on and take it for a 10-minute drive.
For a new OBD please unplug the device and plug it all the way through and start the ignition
For Hardwired, please check if the Red wire is connected to power, white to ignition and black to ground.
If it is an existing device please email us at support.gps@family1st.io with details of
the issue with your device.
For the Basic plan, the device updates once every minute. We have plans that will increase the update intervals. Please email us today for more options.
Once you purchase a device from us, you will receive all the information you require via email on how to get started.
In the tracking platform please go to Report Generation/ Travel Log Report to view your logs for a date range you have chosen.
