If you purchased your Canary Care package through BT Shop, you need to register with us, and set up a username and password for accessing the Canary Care portal.
Frequently asked questions
We've gathered together the answers to the questions we hear most in one place.
What's included in the monthly cost?
Subscription to the Canary Care service includes:
- Access to the Canary Care portal to view all of the activity data, set up rules, make calling circles, etc.
- All costs related to sending of any text and email notifications
- Mobile data communications from the hub to Canary Care HQ
- Access to Canary Care technical support
What if I change my mind?
We're confident you won't! But if you do, you can return the complete Canary Care system within 30 days of receipt to get a full refund of the system cost. It needs to be in a re-saleable condition: that means all the bits back in the box, and no damage to the cardboard packaging. We can’t refund the cost of shipping. Your subscription contract can be cancelled at any time. Payments will stop one month after cancellation.
Does my relative need Wi-Fi, a landline, or a mobile?
No. Canary Care has its own built-in mobile connection so your relative doesn’t need a phone line or internet connection in the house where Canary Care will be installed. You will need access to email and/or a mobile phone so you can get alerts from the system. You also need internet access to log in to the Canary Care portal and see the activity data that the system records.
My relative lives in an area with poor mobile reception - will Canary Care work?
We’re confident that Canary Care will work in over 99.5% of UK houses. The Canary Care hub can connect to all UK 2G networks and looks for the best available signal on any network. If you have problems with connectivity and mobile coverage after you’ve set Canary Care up, you can take advantage of our 30-day returns policy for a full refund.
Can I use Canary Care with a pendant alarm?
Yes. They work in different ways. Pendant alarms have to be close at hand to be effective. Often they’re are designed to be worn around the neck or the wrist so the wearer can press the button easily in an emergency. These devices absolutely have their place, but they’re usually put in place as a last resort, often after a fall or other crisis.This is what makes Canary Care different:
- It informs care decisions
With this insight you can change the care routine, arrange a GP visit, or make other changes that can help at the first sign of need. Taking preventative action is much better for wellbeing and for family relationships. It delays and reduces the likelihood of reaching that crisis point, and can help to reduce trips to hospital. - It’s ambient
Canary Care doesn’t need to be activated by the user, but rather it works away in the background, just part of everyday life. - It’s always on
The monitoring stays on 24 hours a day, so you can see what normal patterns of behaviour are, and spot when extra support is needed. It might be as simple as an evening care visit to help Mum into bed, or an early morning call from you to remind Dad to have his porridge. - It gives early warnings
The portal brings potential problems to your attention sooner. You can tell that your relative might be dehydrated – a key factor in falling at home – before anything happens, because you can see it’s 2pm and they haven’t been near the kitchen sink.
What happens if the hub's mobile network connection fails?
If the hub's mobile network connection fails, it starts storing away sensor and visitor card information. As soon as it has a mobile network connection again, the hub sends all the stored information to the portal. If the hub loses mobile network connection for an extended period, you’ll get an email or SMS notification to say the hub is offline.
What happens if the mains power to the hub fails?
If, for whatever reason, the power to the hub fails, the system will keep running on back-up battery power. You’ll get an email or SMS notification to tell you if the mains power is off for an hour or more. When fully charged, the hub's back-up battery will provide power to the hub for about 3-6 hours.
How long will the hub backup battery last?
When fully charged, the hub's back-up battery will provide power to the hub for 3 hours.
How long will the sensor batteries last?
The sensor batteries should last for at least 12 months. You’ll get an email or SMS notification when a sensor’s battery is low and needs to be changed.
Can I order more sensors?
Yes. You can buy a package with 4, 6, or 8 sensors to start off with, and you can add sensors up to a maximum of 10 sensors per system. After you buy your extra sensors, we’ll guide you through the simple steps you need to follow to add them to your system. Visit the Canary Care shop to buy extra sensors.
What kind of batteries do the sensors use?
Canary Care sensors use CR123A Lithium ion batteries. Batteries are included with all Canary Care system packages. We recommend that you purchase replacement high-power batteries from the the Canary Care shop, if required.
How do I use the Visitor card?
The visitor card is designed to help you keep track of visits to the residence where the Canary Care system is in use.
Visitors can swipe in by tapping the card lightly on the top of the hub until it the hub beeps - records the start of a visit. Visitors can swipe in the same way to record the end of a visit. If the hub doesn’t beep, the action hasn’t been recorded, and the visitor should tap again until they hear the beep, confirming the check in or out.
You can give visitor cards to individual care providers, or any other regular visitors, and register them on the portal, so you can see who is who.
In the portal, you can set rules around whether and when visitor cards are used to help you keep track of ongoing or missed visits.
For example – say your mother has a regular care worker visiting her every weekday afternoon. You can set up an ongoing rule to be notified by email if the card isn’t swiped between 1-5pm on weekdays. Or, you might want to have a chat to the carer on Tuesday, but you can’t be there when they visit. So you set a rule for Tuesday to get an SMS alert when they swipe in, so you can ring the house and talk about your mum.
Can I order more visitor cards?
Yes, Every Canary Care package comes with one visitor card as standard, and you can add as many extra ones as you like. After you buy your extra card(s), you can register them on the portal just like the first one. Visitor cards are available in standard credit-card size or key-fob sized. Visit the Canary Care shop to buy extra visitor cards.
Can I access the Canary Care portal from abroad?
Yes, as long as you have an internet connection and an internet-enabled device.
Will I receive notifications from Canary Care abroad?
Your ability to receive text notifications abroad (and the associated cost) will depend upon your mobile phone provider. You will be able to get email and mobile app push notifications on internet-enabled devices but, as with texts, the charges associated for the data will depend on your method of access and on your data provider's service.
Can I use the sensor system outside the UK?
The Canary Care system was designed for use in the UK, but it will work in any European country, although there are a few points to note:
- The hub needs access to a 2.5G cellular networks (GSM/GPRS 900/1800 MHz). If in doubt, please contact our team, and we’ll check whether such a network is available in the country where you intend to use it.
- The hub comes with a UK 3-pin power supply. To use it outside the UK you will need to provide your own power supply adapter.
- Currently, the Canary Care system is fixed to the UK time zone, and all portal data is displayed assuming the residence being monitored is in this time zone.
Is my data safe and secure?
At Canary Care we take privacy seriously. All the data collected is encrypted and transferred to our UK-based servers using secure internet protocols, so data is only accessible to authorised people. We conform to the Data Protection Act 1998.
Who owns the data?
The purchaser of a Canary Care system 'owns' the data. In data protection terminology the customer is the data controller and Canary Care processes the data on behalf of the controller in order to provide our service. If you are the purchaser and would like a copy of the data generated by your Canary Care system please get in touch with the team and we’ll arrange for a copy to be sent to you.
Who else has access to my data and what are they doing with it?
The purchaser of a Canary Care system can grant access to additional individuals/organisations who may be involved in the care process. Beyond that, only Canary Care has access to the data. We need access to the data only in order to operate, support and improve the service we offer to our customers. We never share your data with 3rd parties.
Can I ask for my data to be deleted from your servers?
Yes, we can arrange for your data to be deleted from our servers. Please contact the [email protected] to arrange this.