Smartcard Readers

[katcw]

Hi!

I want to take more control of my own therapy. I have the Respironics M-Series Auto bipap machine, so have to get a card reader and software -- but I'm so confused about card readers! I've seen the Mako / Encore priced from $54 to $139 -- I think the same model... certainly the text says they will work with this machine's card. Then there are the military issue ones that some folks say will work and others say will not, and are a lot cheaper. Then there is the additional cost for the software -- are there various levels of software? The one I saw (Encore Pro?) was an additional $139! I am on a very tight budget, and want to get good equipment and software but cannot afford to spend more than $200 on this right now. I gather insurance generally does not cover this.

Oh -- and is all the software Windows based? If so, will it work with a Windows 2000 system?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[6PtStar]

Mako makes the card reader for Respirionics which they sell for $139. If you can get it from a Mako dealer it is cheaper. Manami out of Hong Kong sells it for $36 and Secure Tech sells it for $49. I would be careful with any reader besides the Mako, there are enough problems getting it to work without introducing another unknown. Encore Pro is no longer sold to anyone except Doctors and DME's. They wrote Encore Viewer to be sold to us end users. It is $139 but you can get a bundle (Respirionics Card Reader and Encore Viewer for $199 from cpap.com).

The bad news is that I do not think Encore Pro 1.8i or Encore Viewer 1.0 will run on Windows 2000. I tried it on 98SE and could not get it to run. You would have to find an older version of Encore Pro to get it to run on 2000 but I am not sure how far back you would have to go. Maybe version 1.6i which was sold before some time in 2007. You really need XP. Some have got them to run on Vista 32bit. Some have gotten them to work on Vista 64bit but not a real set of rules on how to accomplish this task and it seems to be more than a standard install.

The software makes a lot of difference in your therapy.

Jerry

[Yoda]

I recently purchased the encore viewer software and card reader as a package for $135. You can, too.

[jules]

the bipap auto m series needs EP 1.6 or later - the legacy / tank needs 1.5 or later

encore viewer will also work I understand

however,

for the 2000 issue, well I know of someone who claimed they could get 1.6 to work with it but really that is going to take more homework but that 1.8 wouldn't work - if 1.8 won't work I suspect EV won't work either

I would suggest posting a new thread specifically with that question to get the experts to answer

[GumbyCT]

2000 is 9yrs old. I would suggest at least getting XP Pro at the very least or don't bother.

[katcw]

2000 is 9yrs old. I would suggest at least getting XP Pro at the very least or don't bother.

The reason my Windows version is so old (Windows 2000) is because I have switched to Linux and like it a whole lot better. I'm surprised that there is no Linux or Mac version of the software!

[katcw]

I recently purchased the encore viewer software and card reader as a package for $135. You can, too.

Where did you find them at such a good price?

[johnswhite]

Hi katcw....

I am agree with you because we cannot find such things in such a low price.

[Wulfman]

From the Respironics website.

Den


EncoreViewer: System Requirements
Color monitor with 16 bit color, 800x600 resolution (minimum, but not limited to)
Windows®-compatible PC with Pentium III or later processor running Windows XP Home SP2 or Windows Vista Home
256 MB system memory
50 MB free hard disk space
Windows-compatible pointing device (mouse)
Windows-supported USB port or PCMCIA slot
UL 1950, IEC 60950, or EN 60950 compliant computer
Also requires either a USB SmartCard reader (PN 1014352) or PCMCIA SmartCard reader (PN 1014353) to copy therapy data from the SmartCard to your computer.
To Install
Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive of the PC.
Follow the on-screen instructions. (If the wizard does not appear within 30 seconds, click Start > Run, then Browse to the CD and Open the Setup.exe file.)



EncorePro: System Requirements
Encore Pro current version: 1.8i (Compatible with Windows® Vista™)
Windows-compatible computer running Windows Vista, Windows 98, NT 4.0, ME, or XP Professional with a CD-ROM drive
Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 or greater
64 MB system memory
50 MB free hard disk space
140 MB free hard disk space for database server
Color monitor with 16 bit color, 800 x 600 minimum resolution
Windows-compatible pointing device (mouse)
Windows-supported serial port (COM1-COM4)
UL 1950. IEC 60950, or EN60950 approved computer