Can my Resmed CPAP access the internet via a DPH153-AT Microcell?

[GED]

People with sleep apnea use what are called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines which monitor the user's breathing while sleeping.  The following day most CPAP machines communicate with a monitoring website via a cell phone network.

Recently the cell phone companies starting shutting down their 3G service in favor or 4G & 5G services. The newer versions are much more capable but have deprived thousands of CPAP users of medical monitoring.  

Can I set up a Cisco DPH153-AT Microcell to provide the 3G access that the CPAP machines require? Would this require a cell phone account?

[Leo Laohoo]

Contact Resmed and ask their support if Resmed will provide free 4G/5G upgrade.  

[GED]

Resmed is already selling a version that uses 4G. It costs from $1,000 to $2,000. I expect the price to skyrocket as supply chain issues limit how fast the company can ramp up production to replace several million machines. I'm looking for an interim solution to keep everyone connected since the FCC & the FDA missed this connection.

[Leo Laohoo]

---

@GED wrote:

Resmed is already selling a version that uses 4G. It costs from $1,000 to $2,000.

---

Please read what I said, specifically "ask their support if Resmed will provide free 4G/5G upgrade".

Resmed offered FREE upgrade from 2G to 3G as long as the customer asked.  

[GED]

Hi Leo,

Sorry. I missed your context. That's a good suggestion.  I'll ask Resmed
support and see what they say.

I had to send my CPAP out for repairs back in 2020. It was a pretty
miserable 6 weeks while it was gone.  At least now, I have a somewhat
functioning machine even if it doesn't talk to the Resmed website.

[marce1000]

 - As Leo said , if that product can not keep up with the modern and or current gsm-standards , you need to firmly knock on their door (support or sales) or else consider alternatives. Modern solutions usually switch to WiFi solutions too (for accessing remote services) which nowadays nearly everyone has at home.

 M.

[GED]

Resmed is currently selling a version that uses 4G. Hopefully they redesigned the circuit board so that the communications is a replaceable module.  It costs from $1,000 to $2,000. I expect the price to skyrocket as supply chain issues limit how fast the company can ramp up production to replace several million machines.

I'm looking for an interim solution to keep everyone connected while the bureaucrats catch up to the cluster flop they created.  I'm familiar with the micro-cell technology from when we lived in a remote location.  The cell phone company gave us a "booster" that plugged into our router. 

I agree that WiFi or even Bluetooth would make more sense. I've already suggested to Resmed that they switch to WiFi rather than cell phone.  Frankly they could drop the on-board communications and just supply a USB port where the user could plug in a WiFi, 4G or even a Bluetooth dongle.  

[Rich R]

> The cell phone company gave us a "booster" that plugged into our router.

That's the key point - you can't just take any old equipment and plug it in to create a cell - it needs to broadcast the correct network for the SIM card in your device and it needs to route back to the cell company's network - usually an IPSEC tunnel using their secret key.

So only the carrier used by the CPAP could provide that device and if they're shutting down 3G it's unlikely they would provide a 3G device because they're probably re-using the spectrum for 4G/5G.