MyCpap.org.....Thoughts?

Darn,
sorry for the dead link posting. Haven't figured out how to capture the URL of an old CPAPTALK post.
Anyway, CPAP.org is from Phil Gillam. I found him via whois and if you do a search here, you will see some earlier discussion.

-Clark

Haven't figured out how to capture the URL of an old CPAPTALK post.

I don't know the correct way to do it, but how I usually do it is to go to the post, right click on the "Re" line, left click "Properties," then copy the URL from the properties box.

sharperjudy wrote:I down loaded it and I like it, can't tell you much, I do understand the data better.

Could you please describe in detail what you did -- gthe exact steps -- and what data that you are talking about?

feeling_better wrote:

sharperjudy wrote:I down loaded it and I like it, can't tell you much, I do understand the data better.

Could you please describe in detail what you did -- gthe exact steps -- and what data that you are talking about?

To use the service, you go to http://www.mycpap.org. On the main page, there is a 'register' link. Click that link and create an account. Once you have created the account, there is a link towards the lower left for downloading their card utility. Click the link to download. Once downloaded, run the application and install the link. When it's over, you should have an icon on your desktop that looks like the gold part of the smart card. Hook up your reader and smartcard BEFORE startgin the program. Once you start it, there are buttons to format, backup or restore your data on the left side, on the right side is a space for your mycpap.org user ID and password. If you type those in and hit the "UPLOAD" button, it will automatically read your data off the card and upload it to your online profile. Once finish, exit the program and go back to http://mycpap.org. Log in on the left side of the screen with your user ID and password. Once in, click the link on the left side of the screen that says "Repositories", in here, it should show all your reports that you uploaded. If you hit the "Charting(Beta)" button on the left, it will create some unique charting and long term charts for you.

Kevin

klockemy wrote:To use the service, you go to http://www.mycpap.org. On the main page, there is a 'register' link. Click that link and create an account. Once you have created the account, there is a link towards the lower left for downloading their card utility. Click the link to download. Once downloaded, run the application and install the link. When it's over, you should have an icon on your desktop that looks like the gold part of the smart card. Hook up your reader and smartcard BEFORE startgin the program. Once you start it, there are buttons to format, backup or restore your data on the left side, on the right side is a space for your mycpap.org user ID and password. If you type those in and hit the "UPLOAD" button, it will automatically read your data off the card and upload it to your online profile.

So, you did not first copy the card to the computer using one of the left buttons? When I had tried to upload, it asks for a file name to upload, it does not at that time read from the card? There is something different in the behavior of the program at your place and mine... You sure it does not ask for a file name for upload at your pc?

I tried copying the card to the pc, then upload (it said upload completed), but then after when I tried any of the steps below I do not see any data of mine at all? Did you have to do any other steps, perhaps very obvious to you, that you may not have mentioned? BTW, I had tried all those things you have described here even before I asked the questions to you...

Once finish, exit the program and go back to http://mycpap.org. Log in on the left side of the screen with your user ID and password. Once in, click the link on the left side of the screen that says "Repositories", in here, it should show all your reports that you uploaded. If you hit the "Charting(Beta)" button on the left, it will create some unique charting and long term charts for you.
Kevin

A disturbing side effect. After I had copied the card to the pc (using the card utility as above), when I tried to read the data in EPro, I was getting card errors. The site says specifically that it does not write to the card in the process --- my result might have been pure coincidence, or the sw may have bugs. Anyway I lost one days data in trying to do this. I may have to reformat the card before using again, but last night I used another card.

Could you post samples of the images of the data graphs you are above to see online?

I was reading up on this and it appears that a couple other people had the same problem. The problem being that the program takes a little while to release the card back to windows. It is doing what is called a 'delayed write.' The best thing to do is to click on the icon on your taskbar and click eject or safely remove card reader before you take it loose.

As far as an example, I didn't get that far b/c I didn't feel comfortable uploading my reports without the site being encrypted or a privacy policy being defined. Not saying the guy running it's bad, just trying to CMA.

Kevin

klockemy wrote:As far as an example, I didn't get that far b/c I didn't feel comfortable uploading my reports without the site being encrypted or a privacy policy being defined. Not saying the guy running it's bad, just trying to CMA.
Kevin

Kevin, my original post was to sharperjudy, who said 'liked the data better'. Now I wonder if that user saw anything at all, or just generally like the idea of such a site, it it worked better

feeling_better wrote:

klockemy wrote:As far as an example, I didn't get that far b/c I didn't feel comfortable uploading my reports without the site being encrypted or a privacy policy being defined. Not saying the guy running it's bad, just trying to CMA.
Kevin

Kevin, my original post was to sharperjudy, who said 'liked the data better'. Now I wonder if that user saw anything at all, or just generally like the idea of such a site, it it worked better

My bad, guess I got a bit overzealous with the posting.

I looked thru practically everything at this site. As far as I can see, there was absolutely nothing functional or useful there. Perhaps donate money thru paypal works, but I did not try that

Looking at the user forum of that site, there has been no single users posting in over 15 months. All of the posts appear to be at the time the owner was setting out to setup the site. I think this whole elaborate, functional looking site, is semi automatically produced from some template based software, no real functions has been added. I have the feeling the owner was either doing some software experiments, or has since abandoned everything.

The card utility when download has some functionality, and if the save and restore functions work correctly that is all there to it. Perhaps the utility can be used for erasing the card, if the function works correctly. The contact info is to a SALES with a Vancouver, Canada address. Not a singe name of any real person anywhere on the site. Usually a software person trying to do something like this would be writing something personal about him/herself at the site. BUT THE TOTAL ENGIMA about nothing working, and no response from the people running the site gets my alarms up: if the site, and especially the downloaded card utility has some nefarious purposes --- virus, data gathering from our pc, ...

If anybody here has first hand knowledge about any useful experience at all with this site, kindly post.

I have only used the card utility to format (erase) my Smart Card. I use that every week, after getting my reports onto my computer.

Since I have been using the card utility (nearly a year now) I no longer have the "missing data" problem that occurs every 7 or so sessions, with the M Series machines.

I am very happy with that card utility for formatting but, have never tried to use any other aspect of the site.

Hawthorne wrote:I have only used the card utility to format (erase) my Smart Card. I use that every week, after getting my reports onto my computer.

Since I have been using the card utility (nearly a year now) I no longer have the "missing data" problem that occurs every 7 or so sessions, with the M Series machines.

I am very happy with that card utility for formatting but, have never tried to use any other aspect of the site.

Hawthorne, Were you aware that you could erase the card as part of the data download to Epro1.8? For example if you want to erase that once every week, then on that day, uncheck that check mark from the pop up for 'Keep data on card'. This might save the extra step of using another sw.

It is possible that erasing the card reduces the data loss frequency. I erase the card everyday as part of the data download, I have seen the data loss only about twice in one year of use so far. In your case, if you have no reason to preserve the data on the card after you download, you can erase it every time you download whether it once every 5 days or more frequently.

....BUT, I don't use Encore Pro. I use Encore Viewer.

feeling_better wrote:If anybody here has first hand knowledge about any useful experience at all with this site, kindly post.

I use the utility on a weekly basis. I cannot get Encore Pro to work on either of my computers, so I use Encore Viewer.

Every day, I print a PDF file of that day's data, then at the end of the week, I print the full week. I do the dailies because occasionally, I have a "short session" from a nap or interrupted sleep which bumps a full night's session from the weekly print out. Then I can retrieve the bumped session and put it in my folder.

At the end of the week, after I have printed all the dailies, and a weekly summary, I use the My CPAP utility to copy the data from the card to my computer. After that, I reformat the card, and start over for another week.

I have not yet had an opportunity to try the on-line data reader because of my mother's health issues. I just don't have the time for a learning curve right now.

However, I find the My CPAP utility to be an incredible boon to maintaining my data records.

ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT MY POST a couple of msgs ago. The total non-working of the site I had observed was because I am using FireFox 3.5b4. With IE, the site shows some very minimal things working, but nothing of any real use -- at least it does not look like a sham or scam or anything like that just based on what can be seen at the site. BTW, the card utility appears to work for many people.