Just a thought about modem in CPAP

[Robert121571]

I was just sitting her thinking about the modems that are in our CPAP equipment. A while back I got a notice about Verizon is going to shut down all 2g and 3g service on December 2019. My wife still uses an old flip phone that will no longer work after that date. After some googleing I’ve learned all providers are planning on killing all non LTE service by sometime in 2020. 

How this relates to CPAP well from what I can tell all our current devices are using the old 3g service. What kind of headaches is this going to cause those of us that have to have our cpap call in to still get our supplies paid for. 

I know the SD card has all data on it but I see this being a problem that going be for people say like my wife and I who can’t drive do to disability and public transit isn’t that much here. It could be roughy taking the card in a lot. 

I know this like still a year out but just something I thought of.

[Fats Drywaller]

It shouldn't be a problem. Not only can the modems in the current generation of machines (A10s and Dreamstations) do 4G, but it's not the responsibility of the patient to maintain & upgrade that stuff. In any case where a DME is involved, the DME should do whatever is necessary, including upgrading the modem (if it's a separate module) or the entire machine (if it has an integrated modem). The product developers thought of all that. But the situation probably wouldn't even occur.

In a case where the patient owns the machine, either no DME is involved to begin with or the compliance period is over, so no modem is needed.

Of course later generations of machines, looking ahead a few years, will include modems that can do not only 4G but also 5G so we can slaughter more trees. Fun stuff. (The eventual 5G tree-slaughtering apocalypse, purely for our further convenience, is on its way. You read it here first. "Give me convenience or give me death!" ... as good old Eric B. observed.)

[srlevine1]

I was just sitting her thinking about the modems that are in our CPAP equipment. A while back I got a notice about Verizon is going to shut down all 2g and 3g service on December 2019. My wife still uses an old flip phone that will no longer work after that date. After some googleing I’ve learned all providers are planning on killing all non LTE service by sometime in 2020. 

I know this like still a year out but just something I thought of.

Peering into the future, I can see someone like ResMed building an auxiliary port adapter (located under the SD card unit and used for oximeters) that connects via Bluetooth and uses your Wi-Fi to send the data to server central. Or, alternatively, using a wi-fi enabled flash card with a smart app to transmit the data. The app would need to send only a limited amount of data which could be compressed and secured prior to transmission.

Even more problematical is the remote settings function that allows a physician or respiratory tech to adjust the machine's settings.

Since ResMed does not share schematics or any data about future development, it is a speculative quandary.

[SarcasticDave94]

FWIW my ResMed AirCurve 10 ASV modem is for AT&T 4G SW SX558-0505

[srlevine1]

FWIW my ResMed AirCurve 10 ASV modem is for AT&T 4G SW SX558-0505

 Thanks, Nice to know.

[SarcasticDave94]

Welcome. My ASV is 1 year old BTW.

[SarcasticDave94]

FWIW my ASV modem gets 1 bar at the house, my cheap welfare phone uses Sprint and gets 2 or better in same location. No, I don't really care what this signal is on the ASV.

So, if I hold my ASV just so, it'll get better signal. Oops no...it dropped the call...JK

[kotaKat]

ResMed has submitted FCC compliance information back in September for a new variant of the A10 (FCC ID 2ACHL-AIR104G) - which as the name implies, carries the 4G modem onboard.

[Robert121571]

I tried looking up the info for my dreamstation but the numbers on the modem don’t come up valid for any lookup also it dosent have the IME or other number that should ID the modem on it.