A modern mobile personal alarm does not need a landline. The device itself contains a mobile SIM and a GPS receiver, so it makes the emergency call and shares its location without going anywhere near your home phone socket.
That applies to both of our adult devices — the Go watch and the One pendant — and to the Junior kids' GPS watch. All three connect over the mobile network.
If a provider tells you a phone line is essential, they are describing a traditional base-unit system rather than a mobile alarm. Both exist; only one of them depends on your landline.
A base unit sits in the home, plugged into the mains and a phone line. A pendant triggers it when in range. It relies on that line staying in place and working, and cover generally stops at the edge of the base unit's range.
The device contains a SIM and calls our monitoring centre directly over the mobile network, sharing its GPS location. No phone line, no plug-in equipment, and the same protection indoors and out.
The SIM inside the device is the same basic technology as the SIM in a mobile phone — but it has one job. It is used to place the emergency call to our monitoring centre and to send the device's location and status.
It is included in every plan. There is nothing to top up, no separate airtime contract to arrange, and no bill from a mobile provider. It arrives ready to use.
Because the connection is mobile, the wearer does not have to be at home for it to work. Our operators receive the call and the location wherever it is raised, as long as there is usable mobile coverage.
Nothing to connect, no router settings, no home network. The device works independently of your internet.
No phone socket, no line rental, nothing to reinstate if you have already given yours up.
The device needs usable mobile signal to place its call. This is what makes it work outside the home as well as inside it.
Like a phone, the device needs regular charging. The Go watch lasts approximately 3–5 days depending on usage and settings; building charging into a regular routine is the easiest way to keep it ready.
This is where a landline-free alarm shows its value. There is no base unit to stay near, so the wearer keeps the same protection in the garden, on the pavement, at the shops or on a country walk.
When an alert is raised away from home, our operators see the device's GPS location alongside the wearer's details and can direct a relative, a key holder or the emergency services to the right place.
More on GPS personal alarms and what happens when SOS is pressed.
The UK is gradually moving from traditional analogue phone lines to digital telephone services delivered over broadband. It is a national industry transition, and timings have been revised more than once, so current official UK guidance and your phone provider are the right authorities on where things stand.
The relevance to personal alarms is straightforward. Older telecare equipment designed for an analogue line may not behave the same way on a digital service, so anyone using a landline-based alarm should check with whoever supplied it that their equipment is suitable and, if not, what the upgrade path looks like.
There is no need to panic about this. It is a planned change with support available, and providers are obliged to consider customers who rely on telecare equipment. It is simply worth checking rather than assuming.
If you are choosing an alarm now, a mobile SIM-based device sidesteps the question entirely, because it never depended on your home phone line in the first place.
Both work over the mobile network, with GPS location, fall detection and 24/7 UK monitoring included.
Best suited to: people who prefer a wrist-worn device and want health and wellbeing tracking too.
(Pendants may vary)
Best suited to: people who want one simple device worn around the neck or carried.
Increasingly common, and no barrier at all to having a monitored alarm.
Anyone who wants the same cover on a walk or at the shops as they have at home.
If you are checking whether existing equipment is still suitable, a mobile alarm is one practical option to weigh up. Our buying guide sets out what to compare.
Start with personal alarms for older people for a walk-through of the decision.
Yes. Our Go watch and One pendant contain their own mobile SIM, so they call our 24/7 UK monitoring team over the mobile network. There is no phone line to keep, no socket to plug into and no base unit in the hallway.
No. There is no requirement for home broadband or Wi-Fi. The device uses mobile connectivity, and the SIM is included in the plan with nothing to top up.
It works in a similar way to a mobile phone. When the SOS button is pressed, or fall detection triggers, the device places a call over the mobile network to our monitoring centre and switches to hands-free speech. It also sends its GPS location so our operators can direct help to the right place.
It affects equipment that depends on a traditional analogue phone line. Older telecare alarms plugged into a landline may need checking, upgrading or replacing as UK phone services move to digital. A mobile SIM-based alarm such as ours does not rely on your home phone line at all, so it is not dependent on that change. If you currently use a landline alarm, speak to whoever supplied it, and follow current official UK guidance for the latest position on the transition.
Yes. Because there is no base unit, the device works anywhere with usable mobile coverage — in the garden, at the shops, on a walk or while out with family.
Mobile coverage is very good in most places but it is not universal. When your device arrives we ask you to test it around your home and garden so you know help can be raised from the places you use most. If you have any doubt about coverage in your area, call our team before ordering and we will talk it through with you.
Our devices arrive ready to use with the SIM included. If you would like to check coverage in your area first, our UK team are happy to help.
Phone lines open Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm. Go and One: 24/7 monitoring, 365 days a year. Junior: family monitored via the app only.
