Data Differences Between ResMed Card Reader & USB?

Do they both deliver the same data when read by ResScan? If not, are there advantages of using one over the other. Thanks!

Muse-Inc wrote:Do they both deliver the same data when read by ResScan?

Yes.

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks Bill, appreciate it. Still gathering info as to which would be the better choice. Ideal would be a wireless connection so I could add it to my wireless home network...fat chance of that

Muse-Inc,

There are 2 levels of data that can be extracted from a Resmed machine (this applies to almost all models that record data incl S7 versions).

There is the standard data & then there is the ResLink data.

A Reslink module (these can be bought for around $US 200 or so) has an extra datacard (SM = Smart Media) that captures many more nights data plus a lot more of the information that otherwise gets lost (this is data that is normally used for real time calculations but not saved on the normal datacard).

The SM cards can be read by any SM compatible reader & these retail for between $US10 - $US25. Typical price these days being $12-$15. Search Smart Media Reader on Amazon - they have them all the time.

The extra data you get from a ResLink makes it worth every penny.

DSM

dsm wrote:...The extra data you get from a ResLink makes it worth every penny

First I lusted for the AutoSet II, now it's the ResLink...can wishing make it so? Put it on my birthday list, my Christmas list?

Thanks DSM!

Another cpap supply website seems to indicate another difference that might be of interest to me.

Your S8 machine records up to 1 year of summary data, and up to 5 days of detailed session data. With the USB Adapter (i.e. without the capacity limitation of a ResScan data card) you can download all of this information to the ResScan software. This is an advantage of the ResScan USB Adapter compared with the ResScan Card Reader, which only allows 2 nights of detailed information and 180 session summaries to be downloaded due to capacity limitations of the ResScan data card.

This seems to be different that what I've been reading here. Can I get 5 days of detailed session data with the card/card reader setup or would the USB one really offer the ability to download more (5 days vs 2) detailed session data chunks at a time?

I am looking at the Clinician's manual and it says in the FAQ section on p. 47:

How much data can I obtain from the S8 Autoset II?

The S8 Autoset II stores up to 365 days of summary data and up to five nights of detailed data (up to 500 events per session). The Data Card stores up to 180 days of summary data, and up to four nights of detailed data (up to 200 events per session).

I would interpret this to mean that if you use the USB cable directly to your computer, you can wait five nights to capture everything. But if you have the Data Card setup, you need to do it every four nights. If you are having a lot of events per session, the USB cable would be the wiser choice. Otherwise, it is a matter of one day.

dsm wrote:Muse-Inc,

There are 2 levels of data that can be extracted from a Resmed machine (this applies to almost all models that record data incl S7 versions).

There is the standard data & then there is the ResLink data.

A Reslink module (these can be bought for around $US 200 or so) has an extra datacard (SM = Smart Media) that captures many more nights data plus a lot more of the information that otherwise gets lost (this is data that is normally used for real time calculations but not saved on the normal datacard).

The SM cards can be read by any SM compatible reader & these retail for between $US10 - $US25. Typical price these days being $12-$15. Search Smart Media Reader on Amazon - they have them all the time.

The extra data you get from a ResLink makes it worth every penny.

DSM

Does the basic ResLink software do reporting on the "data that is normally used for real time calculations but not saved on the normal data card" that you can get from a ResLink module? I'd be interested to see some of this reporting if anybody has it.

macmermaid wrote:I would interpret this to mean that if you use the USB cable directly to your computer, you can wait five nights to capture everything. But if you have the Data Card setup, you need to do it every four nights. If you are having a lot of events per session, the USB cable would be the wiser choice. Otherwise, it is a matter of one day.

Not really a big deal. I download my data either every day or every other day as I can't wait to see my numbers.

Can I get 5 days of detailed session data with the card/card reader setup or would the USB one really offer the ability to download more (5 days vs 2) detailed session data chunks at a time?

Yes, You can get 7 days of detailed data. Maybe more but I use that setting.
I have the USB interface . Just started using it today and its simple to use.

Im not sure I will make mine wireless. I have a portable so its super easy to just plug in and download.

Takes around 45 seconds to get all the detailed data for 1 week and 1 months worth of summary.
After its downloaded you can save and unplug and take the computer anywhere convenient to examine the data.

I may do the wireless thing just to do it and report to everyone how it went.

Best,
Phil

peppi wrote:...Takes around 45 seconds to get all the detailed data for 1 week and 1 months worth of summary. After its downloaded you can save and unplug and take the computer anywhere convenient to examine the data.

Now you've done it! Guess I'll get the USB & connect it to my laptop. The durned screen's too small to view easily, so I seldom use it but it's connected to my wireless network thus I should be able to xfer data to my desktop with the 22" monitor. Will ensure the data is on 2 machines in case one goes belly up.

macmermaid wrote:Otherwise, it is a matter of one day.

One day is not that big of a deal to me, but 3 (as indicated from the other sales site's description) is a pretty big deal. However, a poster above seems to say he is getting 7 days detailed data. 7 days to let me do it once a week would very much be my preference so I could do it every weekend instead of rolling the day around through the week.

The Clinician's Manual says:

"The S8 Autoset II stores up to 365 days of summary data and up to five nights of detailed data (up to 500 events per session)".

If the machine only stores five days of detailed data, how can you get 7 days off of it? Perhaps the number of days is dependent on the number of events - so the fewer events you have, the more days the machine can store?

Can peppi confirm that he has actually been able to transfer 7 days of detailed data through the USB cable? I agree, that might make it worth it to have the cable instead of the card / reader. Especially IF you could get MORE than 7 days if you don't have a lot of events.

[I thought I posted this earlier, but apparently not]

I am interested in the Reslink to try to get greater insight into my hypopnea numbers (which are running in the 6 - 7.5 range, on average). However, my cursory search through the Resmed website did not find anything to suggest the Reslink works with the S8 Auto II. Perhaps what I read though was posted before the S8 Auto II existed.

I also can't seem to find a vendor that sells the Reslink; the usual source for Resmed software unavailable in the U.S. (i.e., an Australian website) does not seem to carry it.

So, I guess I have a couple of questions: (1) does the Reslink work with the S8 Auto II? (2) where, if anywhere, can it be purchased, and (3) a bonus question: it works with Rescan 3.7, correct?

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

macmermaid wrote:If the machine only stores five days of detailed data, how can you get 7 days off of it?

In terms of the standard interface data (that is, non-Reslink), you don't.

macmermaid wrote: Perhaps the number of days is dependent on the number of events - so the fewer events you have, the more days the machine can store?

As far as I can tell, the nature of the data set per 24 hours is pretty much to be of a fixed length, with an event simply being the scoring interpretation of the data that is stored in each element of the data set. So even if a data element has a value of zero, it is still stored in the longtiudinal data sequence, so the overall longitudinal sequence does not materially alter in length.

The S8 II, and equivalent SV models, create a larger data set than the earlier S8 models, hence the different number of days worth of data (between various flwo generaor models) that can be transferred on the fixed capacity ResScan card.

The data available via a ResScan card or the direct USB interface is the same data (that is, there is no difference in the sumary or detailed daily data set). The only difference is the number of days that can be downloaded in one connection session.

Cheers,

Bill