Dexcom: BT interference with PS3 game controller (Dualshock 3)

It didn’t take long for me to have me first obvious interference from a BT item: my PS3 controller. I don’t know if it’s due to the proximity to the xmitter or the receiver, but it showed up as a 15-minute loss of readings (dropouts?) on the receiver, corresponding to the time I was using the PS3.

I have so many BT items, there’s no way to quickly list them, but those that I’m concerned about include:

  1. PS3 media remote
  2. Amazon Fire TV remote
  3. Smartwatch
  4. cell phone
  5. Contour Next One meter (funny, it’s included with Dexcom)
    etc, etc, etc.

Car bluetooth for music streaming or phone calls in BMW 5-series and in Lexus NX causes signal loss on G5+iPhone.

Bluetooth is 2.4 GHz and unfortunately that band is used for all kinds for things from wifi routers, to cell phones to microwaves. Many bluetooth links can still work in the face of significant noise, but not always. And the fact that the Dexcom uses Bluetooth LE (for Low Energy) means that it is more susceptible to being jammed. And it isn’t just jamming. If have something metal shielding the dexcom from direct line of sight to your transmitter that can also mess things up.

Chances are that you can move your Dexcom to a position where it is away from other RF sources and closer and in more direct line with your transmitter and it will work better.

I’ve use my PS3 controller a lot since that first post and haven’t had a repeat of lost data. I’m a Call of Duty Junkie