Couple of days ago I received a warning on my G4 Platinum receiver saying that the transmitter battery is low. I am not completely sure about when I started using this transmitter, but it seems to me it was not long time ago I would think it was approximately 3 month ago. Also, from my previous experience I know that usually I can use transmitter for 1-2 weeks after receiving this warning. However, this morning I received another warning, and after that the receiver stopped showing glucose value. Instead, it shows out of range (antenna) icon in the upper right corner.
So I replaced the transmitter with the new one, which was never used before. Even though it is new, it is out of warranty. The expiration date is sometime in the end of 2017. Unfortunately, this did not help. The receive still has out of range icon in the upper right corner. I tried to replace a sensor with no luck. I even tried new receiver, with the same result.
I contacted Dexcom representative, who, after long consultations with his colleagues, told me that this out of range icon means that the transmitter is dead and I need to replace it. I do not have another transmitter, so I would have to order one. Unfortunately, I do not have insurance now, so I would have to pay myself for it.
I used expired transmitters and sensors before and never had problems with them. That is why I am not sure that this current issue is caused by faulty transmitter.
I would very much appreciate any advice on what else I can try to do in this situation. Thank you!
You can also check on the receiver ( Settings > Device Info ) to see what it says about the transmitter status. If that says âokâ then itâs more likely a signal problem, not the transmitter battery.
In my experience the G4 transmitters are easily good for 6 months, or even a full year, so three months would be unusually short. Thatâs unfortunate that youâre out of warranty on it.
In my experience transmitters last even more than 6 months. They also work fine, even though they are expired. That is why this situation seems strange to me.
The G4 Platinum manual would lead you to believe that you would first get a specific low battery warning, followed by a failed/replace notice if it was a low/dead battery. Not sure what the _ _ _ means. I hesitate to suggest it - because this has its own failure problems - but you might think about doing a shutdown on the receiver and re-pairing with the transmitter on startup. In other words, a reboot, if you havenât done that already.
As an aside, you might also consider if your receiver has been exposed to very high humidity (or actually gotten wet) recently. That can create all manner of unwanted glitches and failures with the G4 receiver.
truenorth, thank you very much for your advices. I am not sure, how do you do reboot? If you shut down the receiver and then turn it on, it does not ask you to reenter transmitter ID.
As for receiver, I replaced it today with a new one, right out of the box.
When the G4 transmitter is shipped, it is packaged in a way that should prevent battery from discharging. However, it may have been dislodged at some point, so the battery would begin to discharge, while still in the box. Could be it was dead when shipped, and under warranty, at which point dexcom would replace it.
Do you recall how it was stored? Is it possible the box was opened before, for example if you bought from another person.
There are people who can replace the battery in the transmitter for a fee. You can search this site, someone might have info to post.
Are you also seeing â- - -â where your BG usually is? If so, did you change the transmitter ID on your receiver when you inserted the new transmitter? If the receiver isnât programmed with the correct transmitter ID number, it wonât pick up any signal and youâll get the out-of-range symbol. (I know this is like âMy computer wonât work!â âIs it plugged in?â âOh âŚâ but apparently it happens frequently.)
If you have a multimeter or other type of battery tester (youâll need the kind with two probes), test the batteryâs voltage. I was shipped one with replaced batteries and it was dead on arrival.
MM1: I agree with you that most likely the issue here is with transmitter battery. However, combination of three unusual things (1. previous transmitter lasted less than expected 2. previous transmitter died 2 days after I got low battery warning 3. new transmitter is not working at all) makes me suspect that it could be something else. Thank you for your suggestion to contact people who could replace the battery. I will consider it.
beacher: yes. I see these symbols where BG usually is. I did change the transmitter ID. Unfortunately, I do not have battery tester, but I will try to ask my friends/neighbors to see if they have it. Thank you for this great idea!
