I’m using Dexcom 4 with the monitor. I’m considering upgrading to the Dexcom 5 so I can just view m data on my smartphone instead of carrying the receiver. I was wondering what peole’s experience has been with that. Is the sensor you wear any larger? Any downside?
Hi I’m in the same boat. I don’t use apple iPhone so there’s no difference except the shorter battery life of the g5. No difference. None.
Does that mean you need to change the sensor more often?
The battery is fully encased. It does not get changed or recharged. It lasts for eight months and dies. The sensor is the seven day disposable inserted under the skin. The sensor has a socket and tape attached to it. The socket is for the transmitter and the tape is for the skin. You open the package, stick tape onto skin, inject, remove injector and there is the socket. The transmitter plugs on to the sensor socket. The g5 is the transmitter. It runs down its battery faster than the g4 did. But the g4 is discontinued except for people on pumps made for the g4. So you get two g5s for the same order as one g4.
G4 has not been discontinued, you can still get it if you prefer.
G4 has longer transmitter life, and works for some well last the 6 month warranty period.
The G5 transmitter will run shut off at I think 118 days. But you do get two per shipment. Do need an iPhone and with G5 can elect to not carry the receiver but if the Bluetooth connection drops between the phone and transmitter you loose the data as there is receiver to store the data.
Hi - Thanks for the follow up. Is it that you lose the data with the G5 if the bluetooth connection drops if you don’t carry the receiver, or will that happen no matter what?
I wonder if they’ll be making G5 compatible with other phones besides iPhone. I have one now, but am actually thinking of moving on to something different for my next phone and don’t like the idea of being tied down.
Did you mean to say that “you lose the data as there is no receiver to store the data?”
Good to see you active again, @2hobbit1!
I am a new G5 user and I love getting the info on my iPhone! I do charge my phone a bit more often than before but the convenience of not carrying a second device makes it worth it. And since I use the Health app to count steps, I’m getting a better count these days, too. I generally carry my phone in a pocket of my jeans or pjs at home so that I’m sure of having continuity. I think I will start using the stand-alone receiver for yoga and tai chi classes instead of the phone. Oh! One thing I found out on a recent trip is that airplane mode turns Bluetooth off but you can turn Bluetooth back on manually and use the phone for monitoring while en route.
If your using G5 to the iPhone only and do not carry the receiver, then when the dexcom servers go down or you loose Bluetooth connection between the phone and the transmitter you data is lost as there is nothing available to collect and store the data. If you want to be able to access all of your data is wise to keep your receiver in range as it will store data for later upload.
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@Terry4 If no receiver in range data can be lost with direct to iPhone only.
And thanks for the welcome back - been helping out over at CGM in the Cloud…
Need to get back to helping out at other sites as well.
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@CatLady06 Dexcom has been promising android share compatibility ever since the G4 share came out. Don’t hold your breath.
Thanks for the clarification.
android v. iPhone is a bit like Coke v. Pepsi. I prefer the iPhone over android and Pepsi over Coke. Even though I am rapidly approaching being older than dirt, I like to go with “The choice of the new generation”!
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How often does that happen (dexcom servers go down)? Glad to hear that the G4 is still alive in case I decide to go that route.
Are you sure? The servers have nothing to do with bluetooth. Bluetooth is a direct connection between the iPhone or receiver and transmitter. It seems to me that the data that is lost is the shared data.
John