I can have the transmitter on my thigh, and my TsimX2, with Dexcom G5 integrated, in my bra or pocket and I lose the signal. Previously, I could leave my old fashioned, non touch screen receiver almost anywhere in my very small cottage, and it rarely lost signal. Now, it loses signal ‘at the drop of a hat’. I can only hope that the transmitter range doesn’t go further down the hill with the G6.
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You would think that wouldn’t happen and it shouldn’t … especially since you have something integrated and your pump is supposed to be communicating with Dex.
Although technology is great, sometimes it isn’t better. We’re all grateful for glucometers and now cgms, it would just be nice if companies would wait to release products until they passed all the requirements. Not losing a very important signal, should be high on that list of requirements.
MM1, We were ‘Told’ by Dexcom that the G4 system was being ‘phased-out’ for the G5 system??? Don’t ‘recall’ which ‘department’ told us that, but I was going onto Medicare coverage, so I didn’t say anything as Medicare only covered the G5. Once I had a month or so on the G5, & started finding about the INCREDIBLY short ‘transmission’ range, I wanted back on my ‘favorite’ G4. I was ‘again’ told that the G4 was being ‘phased-out’…?! I DID NOT know that the G4 was/IS still a ‘viable’ system!!! Finances dictate that I ‘remain’ on the G5, (Medicare), but IF I was paying out of pocket, I’d definitely go with the G4 with MUCH longer transmission range, MUCH LONGER transmitter life, & very satisfactory past experience! (In MY ‘humble opinion’…Of Course!!!)
…I forgot to mention that, after 5 days OFF my CGM & 4+days of ‘pleading’ for dexcom to send the G5 Transmitter I had ordered back on Aug 3rd!, Fed Ex FINALLY dropped off the “long-awaited” G5 Transmitter!!! this past Sat the 18th… I’m now back “on-line” & able to ‘co-ordinate’ with my Insulin pump!.. (I’d advise ordering “EARLY & OFTEN” if your G5 transmitter is about to “expire”/ getting close to it’s ‘‘execution-date’’…)
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I’m not on Medicare, and will order new sensors next month. Guess I’ll find out what they say. Just got new G4 transmitter a couple months ago, so they should supply G4 sensors for as long is its warranty.
August 3rd I tried to reorder Dex G5 transmitters online and the web site would only allow me to order a G6 system. I’m really happy with my G5 and don’t want to be a beta tester for G6. I called to reorder over the phone and received the same sales pitch for G6 you got, and was told by Dexcom directly that G5 was being phased out and they’d like me to switch to G6. I told the operator that if I was switched to G6 against my wishes I’d just switch to the Freestyle Libre. Amazingly then she was instantly able to fill my G5 order, though it took 2.5 weeks to ship. Dexcom makes a great product that is quite profitable for them. I really hope they keep customer satisfaction and product reliability ahead of market growth and bottom line.
2 out of 3 sensor locations fail on my slim build. I don’t restart my sensors out of cost savings (my insurance oddly covers all costs of cgm) I really don’t want to throw away a reliable cgm only to start a new sensor that bleeds when I insert it and won’t give me a solid reading for a few days. Technology advances and more and more companies will be coming to the marketplace with new products. I really hope that Dexcom management can remove their heads from their behinds. Until the G6 rollout I’ve been a diehard Dexcom fan and would never look at another manufacturer, but after feeling forced into a product I’m not interested in my loyalty is gone.
No complaints from me, we like the G6 much better. More accurate, much easier for our daughter to apply herself. No sensor fails yet and good readings. Had a high alert last night and she was 390. Did a finger prick to double check and it said 391 so the G6 was pretty spot on (and still trying to figure out how she got so high in the middle of the night).
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Everyone should also be aware of the xDrip app, which can allow you to extend your G5 (and G4?) transmitter life considerably. A little bit geeky to install, but less so than replacing a G4 battery. Basically it relies on the fact that the G5 battery limit is a software limit; usually the battery still has plenty of juice at the point the software is preventing you from using it. XDrip just doesn’t have that limit built into it, so it keeps reading the data from the transmitter as long as the transmitter keeps sending. I’ve used it a couple of times to bridge over to my next transmitter when there’s been some SNAFU in my supply chain–usually only a week or two. But some people have extended their transmitter life by a couple of months. THere’s both an Android and IOS version. Here’s a link to get started:
There’s also lots of info about it on TUD if you use the site search feature.
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Thank You!! I ‘found-out’ about xDrip & I plan on installing it soon. I’ve also begun ‘battery/swap’ on 2 of my G4 transmitters & already have 2 of the ‘Old’ G4 receivers ‘up-&-running’ (I have NO problem with ‘double-backups’…!) Thanks Again!
That is the problem in the diabetes community that they come out with the products like it’s a cell phone or something I’m not understanding why a lot of the insulin pump and CGM companies just don’t create software that you can update your devices even if they did charge $60-$100 for the new software people are more capable of paying that and coughing out $10,000 for an insulin that is the problem in the time that they come out I’m not understanding why a lot of just create software that you can update your devices even if they did charge $60-$100 for the new software people are more capable than coughing out $10,000 with cgm It’s just ridiculous that the medical Engineering companies are trying to make insulin pumps and cgm into cellphones that you have to upgrade every 2years One thing is new technology That behind you manage your illness Better I think the G5 the only thing that’s different from the G6 is that it smaller and it lasts 10 days The Receiver Is the same thing like before just like with the new color display Insulin pumps came into Trend Everybody was saying how cool it was and the new features it had Actuality it was the same insulin pump except for it having a color screen is just ridiculous to me that they’re making medical devices into fashion trends
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Which is (finally finally FINALLY) what one of them, Tandem, is doing. Which means that when they roll out Dexcom-compatibile closed-loop capability, you won’t have to buy a whole new pump or wait for years until your warranty runs out. I’ve been saying this for years–it’s so unacceptable how far behind the tech curve these devices are in so many ways, and this is surely one of them. I hope Tandem’s example forces MedT to follow suit, though driving competitors out of business seems to be the preferred strategy.
Just my 2 cents… Lately there has been a shortage of G5 transmitters. I think Dexcom had planned on an earlier /more robust rollout of G6 products and didn’t manufacture /have manufactured sufficient G5 products to fill the gap. Through most channels the G5 transmitter is currently unavailable. Recently though (3ish weeks ago) I was shipped a REPLACEMENT G5 transmitter from Tandem via Dexcom. Dexcom whses shipped the product. They are available in limited supply. They will continue to support the G5 for the next 4 years due to product tie-in with other devices. They are trying to strongly encourage people to move to the G6, since it is easier for a company to manufacture fewer skus than more. I for one won’t be jumping on the G6 bandwagon for a while
I keep hearing this too, mostly here I guess, but when I ordered a G5 transmitter a couple of weeks ago I didn’t have any problem. Of course it was from the Walgreen’s in the Joslin Center building, so maybe they keep a big stock of 'em in hand…
The G6 is a bit different than the G5 as it does not require calibrations and seems to be more accurate. I know we can go for days without doing a finger prick on our daughter. There is a good comparison of the two here:
That is so true I’ve heard tandem is doing that But my biggest fear is what if the company goes under like so many of The big tech diabetes Insulin pump companies have this is the only reason that I have held on to Medtronic for many years And I never have had problems with Medtronic except for the 530g cgm system I am on the 670g as of now It will be a year in November Since I purchased this insulin pump and the only reason that I even considered this pump was because my doctor assured me that I will have better management of my crazy blood sugar levels only a auto mode insulin pump Has managed to keep me at a normal range with my blood sugars it has done tremendous help with my diabetes That it has been a complete blessing to have the 670 G insulin pump but when my warrantee is done if tandem creates an insulin pump that I’m going to make sure it is in the market for a very long time I would Consider upgrading but my dad and that works in the medical Tech world tells me never to even consider another company except for Medtronic Since they’ve been in the medical technology field with insulin pumps far longer than any other company and since they don’t only create insulin pumps only they’re not going anywhere anytime soon and I’m going to trust my dad’s opinion since he has an insight in medical technology because that is his job he’s an engineer for medical tech devices
That was also a major factor in my decision in going with the 670. I’ve experienced being a “pump orphan” once, when I switched to the Assante Snap pump only to have Assente suddenly go poof! out from under me three months later. It sucks to have to take that into consideration, but there it is. My experience with the 670 was such that if I had it to do over again with I would have accepted that risk and gone with Tandem, but it sounds like it’s working great for you–that’s terrific.
Yes for once in my life I can say that I have A1C of 5.7 and when I started on the 670 I had A1C of 12 So I have had a massive improvement and also I have a great endocrinologist That incorporates my diabetes to my lifestyle and not with the gimmick that must Endocrinologist Try to give you With a Strict Lifestyle And I saw a Tremendous improvement with my doctor change me from NovoLog over to fiasp Insulin and that insulin along with the 670 G pump has done a tremendous difference in my diabetes management and I’m so sorry that you had to be a pump Orphan That is truly a crazy experience to completely change from something that you are a customer of using
Edgepark is the devil.
This is a Tandem issue, not transmitter. I use the t: slim integrated and have to have the pump on the same side of me as the transmitter. And no, I am not that wide! 
My Android Nexus 6 picks it up in the next room, 15-20 feet away.
So it’s the pump.