Nimb is a personal security system that you wear on your finger, then activate in the event of an emergency. Find out how Nimb works today in our review.
What Is Nimb?
Nimb is a personal security device that aims to protect you against unexpected events.
Nimb was co-founded by Kathy Roma, who has a personal reason to invest in personal security devices. In the year 2000, Kathy was attacked in a safe neighborhood, 200 feet away from the police station.
The attacker sliced open her stomach and stabbed her three times in the heart area. She still bears the scars to this day. Motivated by this attack, and wanting to prevent others from suffering a similar fate, Kathy co-founded Nimb.
Nimb, at first glance, looks like an extra thick ring. Inside that ring is communications technology that lets you send alerts to friends, family, people nearby, or private security services. You can pay Nimb $10 to $15 per month to subscribe to 24/7 security monitoring services.
To activate the ring, you just press a button on the inside of your finger. You hold that button for three seconds, and alerts will be sent to your circle.
Nimb is marketed towards anyone who wants to feel safer while walking through a rough part of town, or someone who just wants an extra layer of security while walking to their car at night. The Nimb commercial exclusively features women. However, Nimb can also be used by people with medical conditions, or someone who wants to keep track of a loved one.
Kathy Roma co-founded the company in partnership with Leo Bereschansky. Nimb is currently available to pre-order online.
Nimb Features
Nimb is essentially a ring with a panic button. When you press that button, you send an alert to friends and family, community members, people nearby, police, or emergency services. Some of the key features of the ring include:
- Sizes: 3 to 12 (US)
- Colors: Black or white
- Battery: 2 weeks of regular use (rechargeable Li-Po battery)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 or later
- Mobile Support: Apple iOS 7 or higher, Android 4.0 or higher
- Alert: Vibration motor
- Interface: Secret button facing towards the user’s palm.
- Display: 3 color LED
How Does Nimb Work?
Nimb works in a simple three step process:
Step 1) You press and hold the button on Nimb for three seconds when you need help.
Step 2) The alert is sent, and a message with your current location reaches your safety circles
Step 3) Help is on the way; when your rescue team is warned, they’re on their way to help you
Obviously, the response varies between your circles. If you have connected to Nimb’s 24/7 security monitoring team, for example, then they may contact emergency services. If your circle just includes your frinds and family, then they might drive by your location to make sure you’re okay.
How Do Safety Circles Work?
Nimb relies on something called “Safety Circles”, which is an expanding layer of people who are contacted when you alert the Nimb emergency response. Those circles range from strangers nearby to friends and family, including:
- People Nearby: Nimb’s notification is received by people within 300 yards from the place of the alert.
- Friends & Family: Relatives, friends, and other trusted individuals can be added to your circle to provide help in a time of need.
- Police & Emergency Services: Enforcement and medical assistance organizations.
- Private Security Services: Armed rapid response teams
- The Community: “People united by willingness to help those who are in trouble”, explains the official website.
You don’t necessarily need to be using a Nimb ring to receive alerts. Instead, all you need is the Nimb app, which we’ll talk about down below. People with the Nimb app will receive push notifications when someone activates their Nimb ring nearby.
Meanwhile, the “community” feature is also managed through the app. You can join various communities based on tags. If you activate the community safety circle, then members of that community will receive that alert.
Why Use Nimb?
Nimb isn’t just for those who live in sketchy neighborhoods. Some of the other reasons to use Nimb, according to the manufacturer, include:
- Making contact with suspicious people (say, on a date or when selling something)
- Night events, like drinks out with your friends
- People with health issues, who may be away from their house when they suffer a medical emergency
- Late commuters, and anyone who walks home late at night in the dark
- Tracking your kids
- Caregivers in charge of elderly patients who anyone who needs extra assistance
The Nimb App
All of the information collected through Nimb is controlled through the Nimb app, which comes with the following features:
- Alert Card: The Alert Card has your name, photo, location, built-in chat, and a map for response teams.
- Chat: Respond to emergency alerts through Nimb’s built-in chat feature and “alert cards”.
- Notifications: Receive emergency notifications and SMS from others in trouble nearby.
- Standalone Features: Send alerts, with or without your Nimb ring.
- Safety List & Tags: Preset your contact safety list and set tags to join communities.
- Safety Map: Access city safety maps at any time. Nimb appears to build these maps off of data collected by users – including places in the city where Nimb users activate their rings more frequently.
- Third-Party Services: You can link private security services and medical care platforms to your Nimb for maximum support and coverage.
What’s Incldued With Nimb?
Your Nimb purchase includes all of the following:
- Nimb ring
- Charger
- User manual
The ring is available to purchase in Classic White or Stealth Black colors.
Nimb Pricing
Nimb is priced at $129.00 USD. That’s a flat rate for all sizes between US size 3 and US size 12.
Nimb lets you pre-purchase a 24/7 emergency response call center service, which ensures someone is always monitoring your Nimb alerts as they come in. You can purchase that subscription directly from the Nimb sales page. However, you can use Nimb without a subscription as well.
The emergency response plans are priced between $10 and $15 per month, depending on where you want to pay annually, every 3 months, or every month.
Estimated shipping for Nimb is in May 2017.
Nimb Review Summary
Nimb is a unique personal safety device priced at $130. It sits comfortably on your finger and can send an alert to anyone – including medical tracking companies or personal security services – with the push of a button. The company is currently accepting pre-orders, and the estimated release date is May 2017.
Nimb is targeted towards more than just people who live in sketchy neighborhoods. It’s also marketed towards caregivers who want to keep track of patients, or people who have medical conditions that could create an emergency at any time.
There are a number of different personal security systems on the market today. Nimb is one of the smallest and most portable options. You can learn more by visiting Nimb.com.
