Semi-permanently disabling modem in ResMed Airsense 10

[SarcasticDave94]

Odd curious question: can the modem be turned "off" but not really be off?

[Fats Drywaller]

Odd curious question: can the modem be turned "off" but not really be off?

A very good question, because that happens 100% of the time with modern cellular phones: the supposed "Off" switch is designed not to do what it apparently does. But with the CPAP & ASV machines so far, we're safe. The "Airplane mode" is intended to comply with FAA regulations, shutting off all RF transmissions from the device. With the Air10 series, if you go one step further and disconnect the modem internally, that's guaranteed to do it semi-permanently (but you can open it up again later and plug the connector back in if you want to; there's no permanent damage).

As others have mentioned, doing the surgery on an A10 that you don't own will be frowned on by your DME and/or insurer.

Users of "Airplane mode" will want to know about the A10's low-power mode, which you switch on by holding down the start/stop switch for a few seconds until the screen goes blank. If you use that, then you only have to see the firmware's airplane-mode nag screen once every 24 hours, when you tell the machine to exit low-power mode by pressing the start/stop switch again.

TMI? HTH, etc.

[SarcasticDave94]

Now that makes more sense when we add in the FAA regs and airplane mode. Thanks.

[Dog Slobber]

Probably worth mentioning that disabling the modem will prevent your device from receiving firmware updates.

[Fats Drywaller]

How often has a Resmed firmware update happened? Once?

[Fats Drywaller]

About firmware updates, first of all I have to agree with Sleep87 a while back:

<mild snark>
I don't suppose ResMed has published a change log showing what's new in the update?
</mild snark>

From a wearisome number of years spent in the computing industry, I have a strong aversion to being told "Ve vill decide vhat is best for you!" by manufacturers, software/firmware developers, etc. Sure, it's probable that I would want the firmware update installed, after I had read the change log. But I would never want it installed silently behind my back. That's sleazy behavior on the part of the manufacturer.

But yeah, most patients will want it, even if it's silent ... maybe especially if it's silent. So most patients should think twice before disabling the modem. I'm glad I'm not most patients and I only have to think once.

[SarcasticDave94]

Probably worth mentioning that disabling the modem will prevent your device from receiving firmware updates.

Well as far as I'm aware, the firmware updates are more rare than a $3 bill. I think we're safe to believe that firmware that may arrive, won't be missed, as I will assume that firmware activity would not be a minor issue and should be advertised in some way. Firmware for CPAPs is not like cell phones, where every so often new firmware arrives. Reiterate, CPAP firmware is a very rare item.

[Dog Slobber]

OTA firmware upgrades I'm aware of are:

• Bugfix to address a bug where static electricity is interpreted as a climate line air fault and turns the humidifier off.
  
• Feature to add Standard and Soft response to AutoSet
  
• Feature to add RERA detection
  

I think the humidifier bug fix is pretty important, as well as knowing that disabling the modem disables the updates.

[pholynyk]

The dual response and RERA detection features certainly never made it into Canada, at least for early AS10 machines. Only one update ever came to me in nearly four years.

[Fats Drywaller]

OTA firmware upgrades I'm aware of are:

• Bugfix to address a bug where static electricity is interpreted as a climate line air fault and turns the humidifier off.
  
• Feature to add Standard and Soft response to AutoSet
  
• Feature to add RERA detection
  

Thanks.  I agree that those are important to most patients.  The problem is that Resmed has chosen to bundle all communications together in one package: when you leave the modem enabled, your daily summaries are sent to Resmed and/or the clearinghouse that the DMEs retrieve them from, and your machine is eligible to have firmware updates pushed to it (without asking the patient or anyone else).  There's no separation of interests.

There are various reasons to object to the modem and to disable it, and privacy is one.  With Resmed's practices so far, and I assume PR's as well with the Dreamstation modem, there's no privacy in that regard if you leave the modem enabled beyond the compliance period.  (And during the compliance period, any patient should be, but usually is not, offered the option of providing his or her compliance data via the SD card instead of the modem.)  Personally, if I have to choose (because of Resmed's carelessness) between getting the firmware updates and nuking the modem, I'll nuke the modem.  But that's just me.

BTW, I know I'm dreaming here, but the firmware updates also should be, but are not, offered to patients on an SD card and via a .bin file downloaded from the web site and written to a card: patient inserts card; firmware reads it, sees that it's an update, verifies the blob's checksum, checks its GPG signature using a key stored in ROM for that purpose, decrypts it, and applies it if it's valid.  No shoes, no shirt, no problem.