Phillips Dream Station FLEX vs Mask Setting (System One Setting)

The Phillips Dream Station has a FLEX setting and Mask setting (System One setting). According to the manual they both seem to control the same thing. The FLEX setting cannot be turned OFF. You can set it to 1, 2 or 3. The Mask (System One) setting can be turned OFF or set to the System One setting given for your Phillips mask. My question is...why are they both ON. Shouldn't you be using one or the other. Does the Mask (System One) setting override the FLEX setting. It seems to me like the FLEX setting is for people that don't use a Phillips mask and don't have a Mask (System One) setting. Or do the two settings work together so you use them both if you have a Phillips mask. Like maybe the FLEX setting allows you to refine your Mask (System One) setting. Like maybe the Mask (System One) settings are increments of 10 and the FLEX settings are increments of 5. But the Mask (System One) settings has 5 options (x1,x2,x3, x4, x5) which would seem to contradict the idea that the FLEX increments are smaller and intended to refine the System One settings. I don't understand why both of these options would be on at the same time. Hopefully the Mask (System One) setting is overriding the Flex setting and not enhancing it. Or hopefully they are working together. Anyone know the answer?

They are two different things independent of each other. Please see the descriptions in the user manual.

https://incenter.medical.philips.com/do ... 3D11405972

Flex setting - page 5

Mask Type setting - page 13

The Mask Type setting assures the actual CPAP pressure is consistent across different types of masks.

Flex is exhale relief and it doesn't matter what mask is used and it can be turned off....but you have to be in the clinical setup menu area to make the change as maybe the provider put a lock on it from the user side...but you can unlock it.
Totally independent of mask resistance setting though. Like CG says...2 totally different things.

You can go here and request the clinical/provider manual and it will go into more detail than the user manual.
https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual

ChicagoGranny and Pugsy...thanks for your replies and the links. I think I will try an order the clinician manual as you suggested. I think you would both agree that the description in the user manual makes it sound like FLEX and Mask (System One) setting are the same thing. The user manual says:

FLEX-This allows you to adjust the level of air pressure relief that you feel when you exhale during therapy. Your home care provider can enable or disable this feature. When your provider enables Flex, a level will already be set for you on the device. You can increase or decrease the setting from 1 to 3. The setting of “1” provides a small amount of pressure relief, with higher numbers providing additional relief.

Mask (System One)-This setting allows you to adjust the level of air pressure relief based on the specific Philips Respironics mask. Each Philips Respironics mask may have a “System One” resistance control setting. Contact your home care provider if you cannot find this resistance setting for your mask.

Pretty much the exact same language except one says "...based on the specific Philips Respironics mask." So it leads one to think "Why would I need both of these functions set to "On." If these settings do have different functions...you can't tell by these descriptions.

I never even bother with user manuals. I go to the manuals that the providers (DMEs and doctors) use.
Past manuals (before the DreamStation) did do a better job explaining Resistance control though.
I used to have a good link at the Respironics website that explained Resistance settings but Respironics moved it and I wasn't smart enough to copy what they said.

Rest assured though...they do entirely different functions despite how Respironics words the description.

Thanks again Pugsy.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:43 pm

explained Resistance settings

I have an old note from Respironics that only said

System One Resistance Control is a unique technology ... that knows how to optimize the device's pressure delivery for any Philips Respironics mask.

I've long had a suspicion that this setting did nothing except fool some users into thinking they better only use Respironics masks with a Respironics machine.

Others have said it fine-tunes the pressure delivery to the pressure drop at the mask which varies according to the mask model. If it's more than insignificant, why haven't other manufacturers developed a similar feature?

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:30 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:43 pm

explained Resistance settings

I have an old note from Respironics that only said

System One Resistance Control is a unique technology ... that knows how to optimize the device's pressure delivery for any Philips Respironics mask.

I've long had a suspicion that this setting did nothing except fool some users into thinking they better only use Respironics masks with a Respironics machine.

Others have said it fine-tunes the pressure delivery to the pressure drop at the mask which varies according to the mask model. If it's more than insignificant, why haven't other manufacturers developed a similar feature?

I had a link for a little bit more detailed explanation but to be honest....I consider it mostly Fluff...I mean if it were so important then why are we told to just turn it off for non Respironics masks. I think it is just fluff designed to increase Respironics masks sales.
I know I did experiment with it back when I had a Respironics machine....I found it did nothing anywhere that I could tell.
More important to Respironics most likely than to me the user anyway.