Anyone else interested in having their Dexcom G4 BG values available at a glance on your wrist? If you're an earlier adopter via the NightScout project and Pebble wrist-watch display, do you think BG-at-a-glance is an improvement or just a mere convenience?
To me, depends on the watch. But still would be an improvement. I'd choose the Pebble first, due to battery life. Not that I'm an Apple Watch hater, really kind of like the device quite a bit. But daily charging is the killer for me on that. The Pebble with weekly charging has my interests much more.
Let me put it this way: if there were a way for me to have my cgm data projected onto my retina so that I could see it at all times, I'd do that. I think it makes that much of a difference.
Battery life is important. My cell phone can't make it a whole day without a recharge and that's a nuisance. I plan to get the Apple Watch die to its compatibility with my existing iPhone and the Dex G4 share. I'll jut charge the watch overnight like I currently do my phone.
I'm with you Biomuse. I'm not really that interested in the time of day but I like to look at my BG and trend frequently. Yeah, BG projected on my retina would work for me, too!
I'm counting the minutes until I can order an Apple Watch so I can have my Dexcom data on my wrist!
Hi Elena - I thought about going the NightScout/Pebble route but I didn't want to buy an Android phone and the other paraphernalia just to get a watch display. The Apple Watch looks like a more polished, albeit more expensive solution. I'm going to get one and try it out.
Once you place an order on April 10, how long do you figure it will take before it's in your hands? Have you downloaded the Dexcom app to your iPhone yet?
Have been using nightscout and a pebble watch since around turkey day last year. Has been so worth it for me. See numbers on wrist 24/7. Was not a smart phone user prior and at this point am still not a smart phone user. Just use a used motoG with the nightscout set up and cable to receiver and a used pebble watch, with day time cell over Ting. Monthly bill is running about $12. Was able to get set up from EBay for under the $200 needed to just get the share receiver from dexcom. The app/instructions were all shareware from the CGM in the oud/Nightscout group.
What makes this set up a keeper for me is the ever evolving options that nightscout provides.
I can use the pebble to see the raw data via nightscout so I'm never blind in the two hour restart window. I have the choice of raw, smoothed raw or the fully massaged dexcom reading.
I can also see my dex readings on my pebble via camping mode when there is no WiFi or cell service available.
My pebble last for about 4 days between charges and at this point with the standard dex receiver get 12-14 hours with my motoG. But am hearing that the nightscout share app will provide a few days of phone use since the receiver will not be charged from the phone, so each can be charged while still in use.
Bottom line is that I have no interest in shelling out for a iPhone, a data plan and then an Apple watch that does not offer me the options that my current Nightscout/MotoG/pebble/ting setup offers both on data display options and ROI/ongoing cost requirements.
We are pretty bought in to Apple so I didn’t want to get Android stuff just to have the Dexcom on my wrist. Release date is 4/24 so I should have a watch on that date if I’m not back ordered!
Yes, I have the Dexcom app and the Share receiver. My husband likes peeping at my numbers.
The glanceable display on a smartwatch is the best feature of Nightscout. (Don’t tell my husband that - he’s the developer largely in charge of the uploader.) I mean, the uploader is totally the best feature of Nightscout. (In case he reads this)
I can understand the appeal of choice between raw data, smoothed raw, and dexcom data with no blackout. You think you wouldn't miss two hours a week but the blackout always seems to occur at an inconvenient time!
I already have an iPhone and I don't like taking on any additional monthly bills if I can. But having access to a creative iterative software upgrade path is attractive.
What can you write about having the data on your wrist instead of on display on your belt or in your bag? Is the "at-a-glance" option better, less interfering?
Thanks for your feedback, Melissa. I think it will be better to have the data closer. It's not intuitive but closer data access may mean less burden. And of course the uploader makes this all happen!
Melissa, to your knowledge are there plans to coordinate with Dexcom to get the Pebble working with their iPhone app? If not, why not?
I have to be honest and say I find extremely frustrating - even angering - Dexcom's apparent decision to develop for Apple's watch preferentially.
I understand it as a business decision, but it does not do people with diabetes any favors. As things stand, the Pebble is the vastly superior platform as a CGM display, and it's iPhone compatible. So why isn't Dexcom making their app work with it?
I don't own any smartwatch - yet - but I can tell you I want my CGM number visible all the time, without my having to move anything but my eyes to glance at it. I don't care if it's in color or displayed at high resolution, at all - I want to be able to see it from any angle, all the time - screen on. I want the battery life to be a lot closer to a week than a day. I would prefer the watch itself to be less expensive rather than more, something I'm not going to worry about breaking or taking on a whitewater canoe trip.
The Pebble already meets all of these criteria. The Apple Watch meets none of them.
I feel like our priorities - not as designers or electronics consumers but as the people with a disease to manage 24/7 - are not being given much thought by Dexcom here. That's unusual. And disappointing.
For me it’s about the ability to keep my cgm under the radar. I don;t WANT people to know that I have a cgm. I put the sensor on my hip. The fact that Dexcom will display on the Apple Watch was the deciding factor for me in pre-ordering the Apple Watch.
Your frustration is well-founded.
Dexcom is not a software company (regardless of the fact there is firmware in the receiver). Software sales, as a revenue stream, will never be a sound business proposition for them, given their industry.
Communications protocol and data formats should be published as open-source, encouraging public development of apps and support across as many devices as possible. Were the whole thing approached this way from the beginning, we’d already be tracking our BG on smartphones (including the iPhone) and smarty watches that have been on the market for years.
I suspect the overweening FDA has much to do with this, as well as probably some misplaced self-interest on the part of Dexcom. However I’d put 90% of it on the FDA.
I’m curious what alarms, if any, will be configurable on the Apple Watch. In particular, I’m interested in the vibration alerts. If done right, this will allow very discreet use.
I’m trying to justify to myself and my family my want for an Apple Watch. Is anyone on the forums using a Dexcom G4 and also pre-ordered an Apple Watch for use with the Dexcom? How do you think it will help?
How much would you be willing to pay for that retinal implant?
The Apple Watch test results indicates the battery last 18 hours under normal. Daily charging won’t be an issue unless you like to spend your day gabbing on your watch.
The Nightscout project is a kludge with zero support. Caveat emptor. Read the disclaimer at the bottom of the web page.
All information, thought, and code described here is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Use of code from github.com is without warranty or support of any kind.
Each element of the system can fail at any time rendering the system unusable. There is no password protected privacy or security provided by these tools; all data you upload can be available for anyone on the internet to read if they have your specific URL to view your data. Please review the LICENSE found within each repository for further details. This is not a project of the Dexcom company. Nightscout has no affiliation with Dexcom or any other company, service or product mentioned anywhere on this website.
Do not use any of the Nightscout information or code to make medical decisions.
The Apple Watch is a finished product from an established company. It cost more but then again it does more.