Guides / Fall detection comparison
Plain comparisonThere is no single best fall detector. There is the one that suits the person, the home and the people who will respond. Here is how the main kinds of technology compare, including where radar, and Seenyor, is not the right fit.
Falls were the leading cause of injury hospitalisations in Australia in 2024 to 2025, and people aged 65 and over were hospitalised for falls 12 times more often than adults aged 25 to 44. Home was the most commonly recorded place where fall injuries happened. (AIHW)
No technology stops a fall. What fall detection can do is shorten the time between a fall and someone knowing about it. The options below do that in different ways, and each asks something different of the person.
Side by side
Compared by type of technology, not by brand. Features vary between models, so treat each column as typical and check the specific product.
| Question | Personal alarm pendant (button) | Automatic fall detection pendant | Smartwatch with fall detection | Camera-based system | Bed or chair pressure pad | Radar sensor (Seenyor) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Has to be worn or charged | Worn. Battery charged or replaced | Worn and charged | Worn and charged, often daily | Nothing worn. Mains power | Nothing worn. Sits on the bed or chair | Nothing worn or charged. Mains power, no battery |
| Works in the bathroom | Only if worn in the shower and water resistant | Only if worn in the shower and water resistant | Only if worn and water resistant | Rarely suitable, for privacy reasons | No. Covers the bed or chair only | Yes, ceiling mounted in the dry zone. It cannot see through a partition into a wet zone |
| Uses a camera | No | No | No | Yes, it captures images | No | No. Radar only, no images or video |
| Detects a fall automatically | No. The person has to press the button | Yes, from sudden movement of the device. Slow or braced falls can be missed | Some models, when the feature is turned on | Varies by system | No. It notices leaving the bed or chair, not the fall itself | Yes, within its coverage area. Alert after a set time on the floor, 60 seconds by default |
| Extra wellbeing information | Usually none | Some models alert after no movement for a set time | Activity and heart data on many models | Varies | Bed or chair presence and exits, movement and pressure patterns | Presence, room entries and exits, sleep reports, breathing and vital signs in a monitored bed area, long stays and inactivity |
| Alerts to a family app or phone | Unmonitored models call or text set numbers | Unmonitored models call or text set numbers | Usually, through the phone | Usually, through an app | Usually to a care team system | Yes, through the Seenyor app |
| 24/7 monitoring option | Commonly offered | Commonly offered | Some models | Some systems | Varies | Yes, an optional plan agreed after installation |
| Typical cost structure | Device bought or rented, plus a monthly fee if monitored | Device bought or rented, plus a monthly fee if monitored | Device purchase, sometimes a mobile plan | Cameras plus a possible cloud or monitoring subscription | Pad and system purchase | A$770 + GST (A$847 inc GST) one-off per device. Optional monthly monitoring, separate |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every option.
Sources: pendants and smartwatches, CHOICE personal alarm buying guide. Radar, Seenyor's own documentation: specifications, placement, alarms. Bed and chair pads, supplier material for the Bed Guardian pad in our catalogue.
Which suits whom
Suits someone who will reliably wear it, can press a button after a fall, and wants a simple, familiar option, often with 24/7 monitoring. It goes wherever they go, if it is on them.
Suits someone active, often out of the house, who will wear and charge it, and who may not be able to press a button. Worth asking how it handles slow or braced falls.
Suits someone who already likes a watch and keeps it charged. Good away from home. Check the fall feature is switched on and who it actually alerts.
Can suit some shared or supervised settings. Think carefully about privacy, consent and dignity, especially in bedrooms and bathrooms.
Suits care teams who mainly want to know when someone gets up at night or leaves a chair. It is fair to say a pad is very good at that one job. It does not cover the rest of the room. We are preparing the Bed Guardian pad for this reason.
Suits someone who will not or cannot wear or charge something, and the rooms where falls happen unseen, such as the bedroom and bathroom at night. Nothing to wear, no camera. It covers part of a room, not the person on the street.
Plenty of households combine two: a room sensor at home and a pendant or watch for time out. An occupational therapist can help you weigh it up.
We would rather you knew these before you buy. All of them come from Seenyor's own documentation.
Monitored alarms usually combine a device with an ongoing monthly fee. Seenyor is A$770 + GST (A$847 inc GST), a one-off price per device, and the 24/7 monitoring plan is optional and separate, agreed after installation.
If funding is part of the picture, read buying Seenyor with NDIS funding or paying for Seenyor through Support at Home.
Questions
No. Fall detection does not prevent a fall. It is designed to let someone know quickly when a fall has been detected.
No. Radar senses movement, not images. Seenyor records no images or video.
No. Seenyor states that fall detection covers about 24 square metres per device. Most homes use one or two devices, usually in the bedroom and bathroom.
Yes, when it is mounted on the ceiling in the dry zone. Seenyor notes a single device cannot see through a partition into a wet zone.
Yes, or 4G depending on the version. Seenyor connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and needs mains power at all times.
They do different jobs. A pad is good at noticing someone leaving the bed or chair. A radar sensor watches part of a room for a fall. Some care teams use both.
A room sensor only covers the room it is in. A pendant or smartwatch, or a combination, may suit better.
Official pages we used, checked on 8 October 2026. Rules change, so the source is always the final word.
Tell us the person, the home and who will respond. We will tell you honestly whether Seenyor fits, or whether something else would serve better.
