Q&A — Rientro

Quick answers to common questions. For a complete walkthrough of setup, alerts, and daily use, see the Family Guide.

For Families

Why a subscription — can't I just pay once?

Rientro is a service, not a product. We run a Watchdog server that monitors your loved one's signal 24/7. If that signal stops or changes, the system responds immediately. This requires server infrastructure running every minute of every day — a one-time purchase can't cover that.

Do I need to re-enter my data when I create an account?

Yes — guest mode uses demo data only. When you create an account, you set up your loved one's real profile (name, photo, medications, home address, emergency contacts) so it's secure and synced from the start.

Does one subscription cover multiple family members?

Yes. The Pro Plan covers up to 3 family members under one subscription — no extra charge per person. Each person needs their own watch; the subscription covers monitoring for all of them. The Free Plan covers one patient; upgrade in Settings → Subscription.

What is the 15-minute rule?

Statistics show that if a wandering person with dementia is not found within 15 minutes, the risk of harm rises sharply. The entire system is built to escalate quickly enough for you to intervene before that window closes. At night (10 PM – 6 AM), the system escalates nearly twice as fast — nighttime wandering carries significantly higher risk.

How does the WiFi fence work?

When you add your home WiFi name to the profile, the watch learns your home network. The moment it disconnects from that network, the system knows your loved one has left — often 10–30 seconds before GPS registers the departure. A 60-second grace period handles the mailbox and trash before the system activates fully.

What happens if they enter an area with no signal?

You receive a "Signal Lost" alert with the last known location. The watch continues recording GPS data internally and uploads it automatically when signal returns. The system never loses the trail — even without signal, the watch remembers.

What if they take the watch off?

The watch detects removal immediately and sends you a notification. If it stays off for 5 minutes, the alert rises to Monitor (Level 4). The watch transmits its last known location before going offline.

Does the system behave differently at night?

Yes. Departures between 10 PM and 6 AM escalate at roughly 1.8× the standard rate — sundowning hours carry higher risk due to poor visibility and temperature. A 3 AM departure can reach Emergency in under 10 minutes, versus around 15 minutes in the afternoon.

What is TETHER and when should I use it?

TETHER is for when you are out in public with your loved one. Without it, the system would send alerts the whole time you're together — because you're far from the home safe zone.

When you tap TETHER, two things happen simultaneously:

• Stay-close alert: A small boundary forms around your loved one's current spot. If they wander away while you're briefly distracted, your phone alerts immediately.
• Home-distance alerts silenced: The system stops counting distance from home.

Important: Fall detection and heart rate monitoring stay active regardless. A medical emergency fires no matter what.

Always release TETHER before bed. If it stays on overnight, the system won't alert you if your loved one wanders while you're asleep. The watch releases it automatically when it reconnects to your home WiFi — but make it a habit to tap it off when you walk in the front door.

Why is the map dark? Can I switch to a light map?

The dark map is intentional, not a style choice:

• Readable at 3 AM. A bright screen in a dark room temporarily destroys night vision. Dark mode keeps your eyes ready for what's around you.
• Critical signals pop. The red patient dot, orange hazard markers, and green safe zone stand out sharply on a dark background. On a bright map they compete with roads and terrain.
• Battery. On OLED screens, dark pixels draw near-zero power. A rescue can last hours.

This is the same reason professional search-and-rescue software defaults to dark mode. There is no light mode option.

Is my loved one's location data private?

Yes. Data is encrypted and visible only to you under normal conditions. At Emergency (Level 1), live location and medical information are shared with your emergency contacts to enable coordinated rescue — a "Break Glass" protocol triggered only when risk is confirmed. You can also manually generate a live tracking link to share with emergency services at any time.

Can I use Rientro outside the United States?

GPS tracking and all five alert levels work worldwide. Automatic SMS alerts currently go to contacts in the United States and South Korea. In other regions, you can share a live tracking link manually from the alert screen.

What if I can't afford the subscription?

Partnering with organizations like the Alzheimer's Association and local governments to provide safety subsidies for low-income families is a planned milestone. We will announce when this launches.

What is the Hold Harmless clause?

Technology helps, but it is not perfect. Batteries die. GPS can drift. By using Rientro, you agree that it is a tool — not a guardian. We are not liable if a rescue fails due to hardware limitations or environmental factors outside our control.

If I'm monitoring two people, can they see each other's location?

No. Patients do not have app accounts. The watch is a one-way transmitter — it sends data to the caregiver's phone and displays nothing to the patient. Only your caregiver account has visibility across all patients.

For Facilities

What is the Command Center dashboard?

The Command Center is a web-based dashboard at rientro.care/dashboard for memory care facilities and assisted living communities. Staff log in from any browser and see a live-updating grid of every enrolled resident's alert status — no app installation required.

Does the dashboard update automatically?

Yes. The dashboard refreshes every 30 seconds. A green "LIVE" indicator in the top right shows the last update time.

What can I see on the Mission Detail page?

Click any incident in a resident's history to see:

• GPS trail on a map — the resident's path color-coded by alert level
• Escalation timeline — every automated action with timestamps (push notification, SMS, EMS dispatch)
• Stat badges — duration, peak alert level, peak distance, and resolution
• Patient reference card — medical information formatted for EMS handoff

How do I export an incident report for compliance?

On the Mission Detail page, click Export Report. This opens a print-optimized page with the resident's information, incident summary, full escalation log, and a signature line. Click "Print / Save PDF" to generate the document.

What is the Wandering Heatmap?

The Heatmap page shows where residents tend to go when they leave the safe zone. Colored circles represent incident clusters — larger circles mean more incidents, warmer colors mean higher average severity. Filter by individual resident or view all residents across 7, 30, or 90 days. Use it to identify exits or areas that need additional security measures.

What are risk trend badges?

Each resident card on the Overview grid shows a trend indicator:

• WORSENING — incidents are becoming more severe compared to their history
• STABLE — no significant change
• IMPROVING — incidents are becoming less severe

This helps identify residents who may need a care plan adjustment before a serious incident occurs.

What analytics does the dashboard provide?

• Facility-wide stats: total incidents, average response time, average severity, highest-risk resident
• Per-resident 30-day chart: daily incident count and peak alert level
• Wandering heatmap: geographic clustering of incidents to identify problem areas
• Per-patient stats: total missions, average severity, maximum range from safe zone

Technical & Partnerships

How does the search area (isochrone) feature work — does it use extra resources?

The reachability computation only runs when an alert reaches Concern (Level 3 — wandering confirmed). At Safe (Level 5), no complex calculation runs. Safe zone maps are cached for 7 days to avoid recalculating the same area repeatedly.

We represent a police department. How does this help?

Traditional locator systems deploy radio vehicles that can take hours to reach an area. With Rientro, families can instantly share a live tracking link with officers on scene — reducing response time from hours to minutes. A professional tier with direct officer-facing rescue briefings (photo + live map) is in development.

We're a long-term care insurance provider. What's the ROI case?

A single hospitalization or search-and-rescue event for a wandering patient can exceed $50,000. A subscription that meaningfully reduces that risk is straightforward long-term care economics. Contact us at support@rientro.care for partnership discussions.

Last Updated: June 2026