I recently learned that G7 sensor and Omnipod 5 pod should be separated 3 inches minimum edge to edge in order to communicate adequately. Not sure how many times I’ve violated this rule but I’m about 70 days into using G7 which means roughly 20+ pods. I’ve usually put the sensor in upper bicep facing slightly back and pods behind and below with many pods as close to the G7 sensor as the tape allows without taping one over the other. Maybe 2 per pod were too close, 14 total?
Never had a problem with pod picking up the signal from G7 sensor. In fact, often I’ll glance at the pdm and see that it has a refreshed BG value before the iphone app has it.
Am I just lucky? Has anybody experienced the warned-about communication problem with too close pod and G7 sensor?
All the same for me as well. I don’t put the over tape on the G7 partly because then I can’t get the pod as close.
I also know the pod gets the G7 reading before my iPhone because if it’s low enough for the pod to beep that happens a second or so before the alert on my iPhone.
I love that the OP5 app always has the reading! When the iPhone says lost connection for some reason or another I can always check my PDM.
I’m also pleased with the G7 and don’t mind using the Omnipod PDM as a second device to carry around. Best feature of the G7 in my view is direct to watch readings, I use it all the time with the phone stowed away or powered off.
Somewhere, either the Omnipod or the Dexcom literature, I read a statement that the insulin pump (so maybe Dexcom literature) should be kept six inches (150cm) away from the G7.
That makes sense to me; squirting humungous amounts of insulin into the interstitial fluid that the G7 measures to guesstimate BG is surely not a good idea?
The obvious search on the Google AI (well, obvious to me), comes back with this wisdom:
It is generally recommended to keep a separation between antennas, especially between transmitters and receivers, to avoid overloading the receiver’s input stage and ensure proper diversity performance
The “diversity” issue is this (also from the Giggle search, but note that I was profiled when the idiot savant said this):
For diversity performance, antennas should be separated by at least one quarter wavelength (e.g., 6 inches at 500 MHz). A full wavelength separation is even better, but any separation beyond one quarter wavelength is negligible.
Bluetooth is 2.4GHz so the wavelength is 125mm and the quoted 3" is a half wavelength. My limited understanding is that the diversity issue is simply that there may be dead zones caused by the structure of the G7 and O5 within this distance. 3" is marketing man for 1.5".
Since an intelligent reader will have this obvious question; “Can I fry my O5 by putting my G7 too close.” The answer is, IANAL; you are going to fry yourself by putting your pump next to the very thing that measures the thing the pump is pumping in! So the question is moot and I therefore won’t answer it.
No, the G7 was the first to offer direct to watch. With each new G7 sensor, there is a separate BT pairing exercise for the iphone app and the watch. Once one gets past the pairing, the direct to watch has performed flawlessly.
Since the pod is 2.05 inches long if you don’t cover the adhesive on the sensor you should be 3 inches.
My first pod during training was just below my sensor and was told just have the cannula end facing away from the sensor..