PeriSecure: Safety, Independence, Privacy

The problem: How to ensure the safety of loved ones without tracking them.

A family member or other relative leaves home and you want to be alerted if something unexpected happens while they are away (they fail to return when planned, they get lost, etc.). Sure, you can subscribe to a service that monitors their movements, but that can get expensive really fast.

What you want is a way for you to be automatically notified if your loved one is in trouble, in a way that doesn't require tracking the person and without having to rely on a third party.

What is PeriSecure?

PeriSecure is an alert system that enables family members and others to safely leave their homes for school, exercise or other purposes without fear of getting lost, while at the same time maintaining their privacy and independence.

PeriSecure is composed of two Android applications: PeriSecure Alert, which executes on the user's phone, and PeriSecure Protect, which runs on a phone, tablet or Chromebook managed by a caregiver chosen by the PeriSecure Alert user as a kind of "guardian angel". Although PeriSecure Protect requires the guardian angel to login using their email address, PeriSecure Alert has no login procedure or anything else that can identify the user.

Here's how PeriSecure works:

1. Before going out, the user decides how far from home they plan to travel and how long they plan to be away and makes the appropriate settings in PeriSecure Alert. They also decide how they want to be alerted (by a buzz and/or beep) if they approach or exceed their predetermined distance or half their expected time away. The default settings are 1 km and 60 minutes, respectively, with sound and vibration activated. In addition, they decide whether alerts are to be sent to a guardian angel.

2. In order to ensure that alerts are sent in a safe and secure way, the user's phone needs to be paired with the device used by the guardian angel, via a simple, one-time procedure (see below*).

3. Once the user's phone has been paired with the guardian angel's device, the user may leave home, confident that the guardian angel will be notified in case the user needs help.

While away from home:

PeriSecure Alert will notify the user as described in Step 1 above or if their phone battery is running low. Simultaneously, an alert is sent to the guardian angel if and only if the user has exceeded their predetermined distance or time away from home. In this way, the user's safety is assured while at the same time protecting their privacy.

In case of an emergency, the user may press the app's "Panic button" to immediately alert the guardian angel. In either case, the guardian angel may phone and/or locate the user and provide help if needed.

As noted above, PeriSecure Alert can also be operated independently of PeriSecure Protect, if desired.

*How is the user's phone configured for monitoring?

To configure a phone for monitoring, simply open PeriSecure Alert on the phone and PeriSecure Protect on the guardian angel's device, place the two devices within 100 feet of each other and press the button on PeriSecure Protect labeled Configure nearby phones. When the verification window appears on both devices, press the button labeled Accept after confirming that the connection codes on both devices match. This procedure "pairs" the user's phone with the email account of the guardian angel.

Note that if the guardian angel later signs in with a different email address, the pairing process needs to be repeated for the new address. Please refer to PeriSecure Alert Settings for details.

Once pairing has been completed, each time the user begins a trip (presses the GO button in their app), monitoring begins unless it had been previously disabled in PeriSecure Alert Settings.

How does PeriSecure stack up against the competition?

• Privacy: Other products available for monitoring users aren't too much different from GPS dog collars: they continuously relay location information to a third party regardless of whether there is an urgent reason for revealing the user's location.

We don't believe that people should be treated like dogs. PeriSecure Alert only sends location information if the user is in one of the "at-risk" situations described above or if they press the Panic button.

• Control: The decision of whether or not to enable communication between PeriSecure Alert and PeriSecure Protect is determined entirely by the PeriSecure Alert user.

• Price: Other products require a monthly or annual fee. PeriSecure Alert and PriSecure Protect each have only a one-time charge which starts after the 60-day free trial.

Where can I get PeriSecure?

PeriSecure Alert and PeriSecure Protect are available from Google Play. The development of corresponding iOS versions is currently underway.

Customer support

Please write to chiaramail.support@gmail.com if you have any questions or suggestions.