# iPod Touch: cost-effective alternative to Dexcom receiver that shares **URL:** \ **Category:** C/GM\ **Tags:** dexcom\ **Created:** [July 19, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445 "2017-07-19T16:19:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/1 "2017-07-19T16:19:37Z")
I am retooling our Dexcom tool chain. I just figured out a really cost-effective fallback on the Dexcom receiver ($600) or a regular iPhone: an iPod Touch can be the primary Dexcom receiver, and share Dexcom data to following apps, wherever in wifi range. For us, this means that home, school and playdates are all covered with a much cheaper and fairly compact device. An iPod touch 32GB can be had from Apple for $250, but Apple sells refurbished ones with the same warranty for $210. Next time, this is the Dexcom receiver I will take with us camping. ---
**Author:** ![TiaG](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/tiag/32/594_2.png) [@TiaG](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/TiaG)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/2 "2017-07-19T16:47:25Z")
are the iPod Touches smaller? That’s the one thing I was hoping to change with Samson’s setup – he wears his iPhone in his shirt pocket and it takes up a lot of real estate on his back. ---
**Author:** ![docslotnick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/docslotnick/32/75_2.png) [@docslotnick](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/docslotnick)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/3 "2017-07-19T16:51:42Z")
@TiaG The touch is surprisingly small. I just got one for my wife. The only caveat is that it is only wifi, so if you’re out of wifi range or do not have it set to automatically connect to any Wi-Fi it finds, then you will not get remote data. ---
**Author:** ![TiaG](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/tiag/32/594_2.png) [@TiaG](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/TiaG)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/4 "2017-07-19T16:58:49Z")
hmm, I may consider it as a backup in the house. For out, we rely on cell phone networks and bluetooth tethering a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/5 "2017-07-19T23:04:40Z")
@Michel You can probably get an old iPhone 4 for very cheap on eBay (at a glance around $40) or somewhere like that and replace the battery for less than $15 yourself if needed … they’d be pretty outdated to use as a smart phone but if you just want the dex receiver it might be cheap option ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/6 "2017-07-19T23:08:41Z")
> [@Sam](#): > > You can probably get an old iPhone 4 for very cheap on eBay or somewhere like that and replace the battery for less than $15 yourself… Careful with that though: I just purchased an old iPhone 5S from a reputable dealer (for about $150), supposedly inspected, and found out it won’t charge reliably even though the battery seems to last reasonably long per charge. (something to do with a flaky charging circuit). ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/7 "2017-07-19T23:09:33Z")
Yeah there’s always a risk when buying secondhand stuff… looks like you can get NIb barebones 4s for less than $100 though Then again, there’s always the risk of smashing a $700 Dexcom receiver on a rock ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/8 "2017-07-19T23:13:06Z")
> [@docslotnick](#): > > @TiaG The touch is surprisingly small. It is about the size of an iPhone SE (but thinner), which means quite small. Below is an iPhone SE vs an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7s: [https://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/img/bgLmnoOs8pgMYvzIQYLaBVrS\_DI=/fit-in/970x0/2017/04/12/a2031a2f-a664-4848-95c1-ca7722bee53c/apple-iphone-se-2017-21.jpg](https://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/img/bgLmnoOs8pgMYvzIQYLaBVrS_DI=/fit-in/970x0/2017/04/12/a2031a2f-a664-4848-95c1-ca7722bee53c/apple-iphone-se-2017-21.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![docslotnick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/docslotnick/32/75_2.png) [@docslotnick](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/docslotnick)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/9 "2017-07-20T13:32:32Z")
> [@Sam](#): > > You can probably get an old iPhone 4 for very cheap on **eBay** Careful there @Sam :cheeky: ---
**Author:** ![docslotnick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/docslotnick/32/75_2.png) [@docslotnick](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/docslotnick)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/10 "2017-07-20T16:13:12Z")
When I first got the G5 I started using my wife’s old iPhone 4s as the receiver. Actually, it worked so poorly that it drove me to xDrip. ---
**Author:** ![Sam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/sam/32/10595_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/11 "2017-07-20T16:35:52Z")
I had a lot of problems with my 6 plus initially… seems to be working fine lately though ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 1:07pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/12 "2017-07-21T13:07:52Z")
> [@Michel](#): > > It is about the size of an iPhone SE (but thinner), which means quite small. Below is an iPhone SE vs an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7s: The iPhone 8 will be coming out soon: ![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/7/775e97094d9d0b3b9a4da844e573def196f1fb0b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TiaG](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/tiag/32/594_2.png) [@TiaG](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/TiaG)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/ipod-touch-cost-effective-alternative-to-dexcom-receiver-that-shares/1445/13 "2017-07-21T14:24:56Z")
😂🤣 Possibly a teensy exaggeration but not much. One of my main complaints about new phones – they’re HUGE! You can’t enter the letters with one hand and they don’t fit in a normal size pair of jean pockets. I miss those Nokia candy bar phones.