On this occasion we have tested one of the devices that the company Elea offers in its kits that facilitate autonomy and protection within the home to people in a situation of dependency. These devices can in turn be installed in the different rooms of senior centers or residences.
The different devices in this kit are associated with a gateway in charge of collecting the data from the different sensors and sending them through the internet to a server to which the family members can connect remotely through an application or a web portal to know the alerts of the different sensors.
The Elea falling detector uses 2 infrared sensors to detect if a person has fallen in front of the device. Unlike a large part of the fall sensors that we are used to testing based on accelerometers and which are more oriented to be carried by the person at risk of falls, this sensor is permanently placed in places in the home where there is a greater risk falls such as the bathroom or main rooms of the home. This type of configuration has the advantage of not depending on the will of the person when carrying the device and remaining active in those areas where it has been installed.
To put the system into operation, at least we must have a gateway with its power supply connected and one of the sensors in the kit with its battery connected.
In this case, the fall sensor has a 9V battery which is connected by unscrewing one of the side covers. In the other screw-on side cover we find the on and off controls, a power connector in case it is decided to additionally place a fixed power supply, and a link button with the gateway.
Elea devices include a small manual which we have followed to carry out the different installation and configuration steps.
Firstly, it is necessary to connect the gateway and download the Elea setup application available only for Android on Google Play through which the primary configuration is carried out.
Using the Elea setup application via Bluetooth, the gateway's internet connection is configured, being able to choose between a cable connection or including this device in an existing Wi-Fi network at home or in the center.
Once the gateway is connected to the internet, a message will appear in the Elea setup application indicating that the gateway has an internet connection.
Once these configuration steps have been carried out, it is necessary to access a web portal http://alert.elea-soluciones.es where the link of the different devices of the Kit is made. At this point we consider that the configuration process could be simplified in future versions of the system and centralized the configuration from the same device, be it Telephone or PC.
In addition to the configuration of the different devices, the family member can receive the different alerts through the web portal where it is necessary to create an account to be able to access the different options offered on the portal.
The family member also has an Android application to receive the alerts produced by the different devices in the kit. In any case, we have not been able to link the alerts to the Android application during our tests, so we tell you how we have managed the alerts from the web portal.
The physical installation of the sensor must be carried out with it in a vertical position located about 20 cm from the ground, allowing the reading of its Elea brand in the upper position.
The operating mode of the fall detector is summarized as follows:
- When a person enters a room the system is activated. The height-based top sensor identifies that the person who has entered is a person.
- If a person falls and the bottom sensor detects activity for 2-3 seconds, the system sends an alarm to the selected device (mobile or beacon).
- If the system is configured in "activity" mode, when any movement is detected in the person, a notification will be sent
The tests with the system have been satisfactory, always taking into account the aforementioned mode of use in which the person is lying horizontally on the ground after falling for a period of more than 3 seconds. The sensor has also been tested in the activity mode described below with good results.
In this case we have received the alerts through the web application of the portal http://alert.elea-soluciones.es after logging in with our username and password enabled.
In order to receive the alerts correctly, it is necessary to access the "Sites" section and click on the user to proceed to register the different devices in case they could not be registered from the Elea Setup application.
In this section we can see if these devices are active, what were their last notifications and configure when we want the reception of alarms from them to be activated.
It should be noted that the fall sensor can be configured in two different modes in the alarms section. On the one hand, with the identifier "fall" to act as a fall sensor. On the other hand, it can be configured in "activity" mode as a common presence detector in the rooms of the home where it is required.
In short, Elea's fall sensor is a comfortable and very suitable detection system for those most critical rooms in the house such as the bathroom. The system has behaved reliably during our tests as long as the web platform is used for alert management. Below are the highlights and points for improvement of the system:
Highlights:
- The fact of being a fixed installation sensor avoids the need for the user to have to constantly carry the equipment and therefore provides greater autonomy.
- The double detector system allows the precise identification of people who have been lying horizontally after a fall.
Improvement points:
- It is necessary to install sensors in all rooms of the home that are likely to be a place of risk of falls.
- The apps are only available for Android. At this point we would recommend centralizing everything in a single alert installation and management application that incorporates a guided tutorial to simplify all processes.
