[Product Review] Wellue O2Ring initial review

[CZOscar]

Background: I have been on CPAP two years after being diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea and struggled a bit getting my average AHI down to a manageable 3 or less most nights. 

Wanting to know the bigger picture I bought the Conte CMS50F a year ago to track my oxygen saturation during the night (along with a Fitbit to track sleep and heart rate) but struggled with both comfort of finger probe, reliability of readings, as well as being a bulky wrist device.  I quit using the CMS50F sometime ago and been looking for a good method to track my nightly SpO2 that was affordable.

I think I found the solution:  As posted on this forum last week I was asking about the Wellue O2Ring and based on responses (thank you) I bought the Wellue O2Ring during Cyber Monday from the rain forest and have used it for four nights.

Pros:  I am able to wear it on my index finger all night without discomfort and it tracks my SpO , my heart rate, and movement and provides the following data displayed on my iPhone, iPad, and PC (not Mac yet) with free software/apps):
Recoding time, drops over a %, drops per hour, average SpO2, lowest SpO2, a nightly score (between 0-10), and the average heart rate.

You can easily set up thresholds of the O2Ring the setting of the app/software with O2Ring on.

I compared the readings of the heart rate with my Fitbit and they both tracked exactly the same.  I have not yet compared the SpO2 with another source but based on other times I’ve been checked at doctors office - it appears to be accurate.  

I intend to track my SpO2 data nightly and with my APAP (Oscar) data, Fitbit data, and how I feel.  Will also track SpO2 a night or two without APAP to see the difference if any.

O2Ring came with two USB cables, one to charge it (about 2-3 hours initially) and another to download data to PC.  I am easily able to sync and download my nightly data to my iPhone and iPad each morning using Bluetooth - very convenient.

Loading the app is easy and the use is a bit tricky at first but becomes easy after using first time. 

Cons: It will take a while to see how long the internal battery lasts and the reliability of the unit itself.  I did have an issue with my O2Ring in that the display on the O2Ring quit working after one night.  It still works, still stores data, still syncs to my iPhone, etc, but can not see the data or status of the battery on the O2Ring BUT can on my iPhone, etc.  the rain forest is sending me a replacement at no additional cost.  I will receive new one before I’m required to return original so will continue to use it nightly.

Summary: It is comfortable to wear at night, it syncs/downloads my data via Bluetooth (convenient), and provides me with a track of my SpO2 in easily read graph along with average, max, minimum, and number of drops with % of drops below a set threshold.

Will update my review after a longer period of usage but other than the minor display issue I’m quite pleased with this product and buying it at a reduced cyber Monday sale price (thank you John/70sSano) was a bonus.  I recommend this product based on the above pros & cons and on my personal criteria.

  To WillSurf/WillSleep, JTeck1, and John/70SanO

[oliverpool]

Thanks for the review. Have you tried to see if Oscar will import and display the data?

[Osiris357]

Thanks for the review. I’ve been thinking about getting that or a similar one to see how what my oxygen levels drop to during my longer events and after a night of a lot of centrals

[Tubaman]

I received my Wellue O2-ring oximeter a couple of days ago.  I have been using a Contec CMS50i since January 2017 but its display is growing so faint that it is becoming unusable.  This is my 2nd Contec that has grown too faint to use.  I have a CMS50er (bluetooth equipped) that grew too faint to use back in 2016-2017 so that is why I purchased the CMS50i.  The CMS50i wasn't supposed to fade away -- but it did.

The 1st two sleep sessions with the Wellue went well and the computer software (Win7 p.c. here) works well.  My android 'burner' smartphone allows me to adjust settings on the Wellue but its data displays suck.  I'm concerned that the Wellue may be reporting %SpO2 levels much higher than they should be.  The 1st session reported an average of 97%, the 2nd session and average of 98%.  I have never had an average %SpO2 level higher than 94.5% reported on the Contec CMS50i or 50er.  I have seen no indication of the Contec's reported %SpO2 levels gradually declining over the 3 years I have been using it.  I've used the Contec at least 4 nights per week, along with CPAP + SleepyHead and I have saved all its reports in pdf format.

Tonight I plan to use both oximeters, Wellue & Contec, simultaneously on my left hand and try to compare their %SpO2 reports.  If the Wellue differs from the Contec by +4% I shall contact Wellue.  Wellue advertises +/- 2% accuracy.  I don't know what the Contec advertises (been too long ago).  I think +4% discrepancy between the devices may indicate a problem with the Wellue.  This disparity is too great to accept.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but using the device is pretty simple and I cannot think of any error I am making.

If anybody has any suggestions I would be happy to hear from you.
Thank you!
Tubaman/Carl

[Desiree]

I am doing a little comparsion "shopping" myself at the moment.
The four devices I have are

• Stress Alert oximeter (aka Berry Medical BM2000)
  
• Wellue O2Ring
  
• Wellue SleepU
  
• Autsmile Rechargeable 3-in-1 Pulse 0ximeter
  

Steady-state they all report within 1% of each other.  The device I am having the most problem with is the O2Ring, followed by the SleepU in misreporting my O2 spike destating.  It reports the destat correctly but the value it reports can be drastically different.

I had a O2 destat this morning at 8:56AM
Wellue SleepU reported Sp02 at 93%
BM2000 reported SP02 at 72%

When I went to verify the O2 destat with the fingertip reader I was at 75% at 8:57AM.  When I reviewed the logs for the SleepU from last night, it doesn't show any value lower than 91%.

I have a support case open with Wellue where I have sent them evidence of the discrepancies on for both the O2Ring and SleepU devices of more than 20% on multiple days, still waiting for the next response from them.  If it was just one device, I might say I have a defective device.. but given it is both devices showing the same symptoms.. lets just say I am suspicious.

[JerKaphant]

Thank you for the review! Mine has failed after 4 days, but frustratingly I cannot get any reply from their customer service and have tried via email and have tried via their website (both valid communication channels); 48 hours have passed, and they respond within 12 hours; I am beginning to wonder the the warranty is worthless?

The problem was intermittent recording (assumed brief poor perfusion overnight) which then became no recording.

If i attempt to charge it, the charge by screen comes on. If I unplug it, it tells me the time, vibrates once, shows a ‘power off symbol’ (O with a line below it), then fully shuts down.

Once off, it stays off. Bluetooth doesn’t work, but if I move it, the red light flashes (very dimly) once a second. This shows that the motion sensor is working even when off.

If I fully charge it (so it doesn’t show charging any more) i can unplug it without auto shutdown.

The best I can do if I fully charge it (so I can stop it shutting down when unplugging or), is get it to have the red light flashing on and off brightly, and ‘ - - ‘ showing on the screen. It does this when on the table, and does this when on my finger. No response to removing or placing or on finger, and no data being recorded.

When in this mode, the touch button works, the Bluetooth works, vibration can be set etc, and factory reset works (although it shuts the device down fully, the only way to restore is to finish charging to 100% before disconnecting the USB to prevent auto shutdown).

When it is in bright flashing red mode, shining a bright light on it makes the red light turn off, and the display shows the current time. Until the bright light is removed (then the red light flashes forever while it shows ‘ - - ‘ on the screen).

Connecting to Bluetooth when the USB is plugged in doesn’t help;
Unplugging it anywhere except 100% charge means auto shutdown even when Bluetooth is connected.

Essentially some kind of hardware failure, compounded by the ‘intelligent’ finger on / off detected; no button like my trusty OxyLink which works absolutely fine.........

I will update this when I hear anything from customer support, but am losing
Hope due to 48’hours silence versus their 12 hour max response time. Am likely going to do a credit card chargeback soon, and find a competitors device (it is a shame as the O2 ring is well designed, probably the best ergonomics, but if it is expensive, with a decent chance of hardware failure occurring, and silence from customer support despite the warranty, it may damage their sales).

[coldfeet7]

My O2 has worked well. I was able to get it for $140 with a discount code from Mr Ticks (see his reviews on YouTube). I use it with my CPAP and find that CPAP helps keep my O2 in the 96-92 range (I tend to run on the lower side). Importing into OSCAR with the data menu is painless, just an extra step. I sync the ring clock to my PC every once in a while. I wish the Resmed A10 would sync at least weekly via its modem connection. Does anyone know if it does? It doesn't adjust for different time zones or daylight savings change (would be nice as an option in the settings).

Without the CPAP, my O2 is a wreck, dipping into the mid-low 80s and sometimes breaching 80. It clearly tells me I need the discipline to put that CPAP mask back on if I wake after 4-5 hours and want to go without it the rest of the night. I set the Vibration to Strong so I am at least likely to wake as my O2 is crashing. When it wakes me I feel the tingling in my limbs as the oxygen returns. Clearly, that ain't good for the body.

[cathyf]

The O2 reviews at amazon complain that the battery fails after a few months, and then it won't hold a charge long enough to function for the whole night. Everyone dropping these negative reviews reports that the device works great, but the battery failing is a deal killer. Also they say that Wellue isn't honoring the 1-year warranty when the battery fails while it's under warranty. ($160 is a lot of money to pay for something that lasts less than 1 year.)

Does anybody here have experience with O2Ring and battery failure? What about Wellue being willing to honor their warranty in general?

[coldfeet7]

I will be bummed if the battery dies that quickly, but since my health is all I have, I've benefitted in seeing how drastically my pulse and O2 change when not on the CPAP. Maybe I should just charge it to about 60-70% and not use it but a couple of times a week to make sure things are still on track to preserve battery life. I charge it after use each time and don't try to get two sessions.

I've read lithium ion batteries should be charged to about 65% for long term storage and don't let them drain completely. I also charge it on a lightweight charger (the original USB chargers of modest amperage and not a FAST charger which alters the voltage during the charge cycle). I find it can charge enough on a laptop USB port in about 30 minutes or so.

[cathyf]

amazon review:

Tried this for a few days, and it lasted through the night and gave useful information. However, within the first week, it began dying before I awoke, not lasting eight hours on a full charge. The kicker was that on the fifth night, it shut down sometime through the night and burned my thumb. It was hot when I woke up, and the picture shows the burn on my thumb. Mind you, I wore a thumb ring made of three interlocking rings on the same finger for years. I would play with it and spin it half the day, and I never suffered any kind of irritation from wearing it. I say this to clarify that I do not have overly sensitive skin. This thing is dangerous! The app is disappointing too, in that you can only access your information by turning the device on, nearby. There’s no way to pull up your data at a doctor’s office, for example, unless you bring the ring along as well. It appeared that you could access it without the device nearby - only if you subscribe to a paid premium membership. That’s definitely not advertised. I have a nice wireless blood pressure cuff from the same company, and the app works the same with it. At least the cuff hasn’t burned me though!

another negative review:

[Commercial Link Removed] Search Amazon for, "Wellue O2Ring Reviews"

I purchased this device so that I could monitor my O2 saturation & heart rate while sleeping.

I was diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea. Seemed like a good idea to see if treatment was making a difference.
The O2 ring arrived, I topped of the charge. I put it on my finger and it began to displace my heart rate and toggle to my O2 sat. So far so good. I did not score the accuracy on this review as I did not compare it to a known accurate monitor. The printed material says +/-2% or +/- 2% if the HR is greater than 100 bpm. Both of those is a wide gap in my opinion. I did not see that until I received the device and read the instructions. I could live with the accuracy tolerance, I was looking for high risk changes.

The device worked well initially, I noticed the battery life was no where near as the instruction sheet indicated.
Last week I had it charged up, tried to use it and it was dead.
I charged it again, OK I attempted to charge it again, it would not accept a charge.

It is being returned today.

another

Firstly I would say the device seemed a quite nice tool. However after less than 2 weeks the problems started. It was no longer recording properly, it is not sending data accurately to the phone anymore. The bluetooth connection is unstable. It disconnects in the middle of the night, sets of the alarm and the device does not save the data, the data cannot be uploaded in the morning etc. Also the app needs some improvements, if you want to set the alarm on your phone, It requires the phone to be on all night, it cannot go to sleep. The customer service from this company is terrible. They do not respond to anything and never ever answer any question. Forget getting someone by phone. Absolute disappointment, especially for the money you are paying.

Now I know that out of 656 reviews you can expect some duds, but this seems way worse than that!

Also the burn thing is scary. I had a cell phone that would randomly turn on by itself (as in sitting on a table with no one touching it sometimes) and drain the battery to zero in about 20 minutes. Of course it got pretty hot doing it! I took it to the US Cellular store at 11 months, and they acted like I was crazy. Then I went back and the guy working there said oh yeah, I hate that phone, they all do that, I was so happy when the 18 months was up and I could get a different phone. I had the phone for 14 months at that point, and the guy told me that his experience was 3 years before. I went out on the internet and discovered that Sprint had upgraded customers' phones to fix the error, but US Cellular had a policy not to upgrade firmware. US Cellular sold me a defective, dangerous phone, refused to fix it, and wouldn't let me get a new phone 4 months early. I became a Verizon customer! But at least a cell phone heating up in my pocket is something happening while I'm awake, that happening while I'm asleep is a whole nother thing!

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