CPAP users, can I hack a CPAP machine? I want to breathe anonymously.
March 23, 2023 3:30 PM   Subscribe

CPAP users, is it possible to hack a CPAP machine? I have a machine that I last used about 4-5 years ago. It's been sitting on my closet shelf, but due to increasing AFIB and sleeping problems, it looks like I will have to return to using a face-sucker. Can I use it without having it transmit my information?

The machine in question is a ResMed Airsense Autoset 10 *for her*--still listed on the ResMed website.

I used this machine for 3 1/2 years before giving it up because of continual aggravation, both from use and from the financial wear and tear on my wallet.

The machine came from a business that did all the monitoring and provided (overpriced!) supplies that were required to be purchased on a particular timeline, otherwise under my contract I was penalized financially with a higher monthly rate. I can understand scheduled replacement of filters, but buying hoses and humidity reservoirs on their schedule was a ridiculous waste of money and plastic.

All the data reporting and subsequent adjustments from their end were automatic provided my WIFI was connected. I'm not sure if they forwarded information to my insurance and physician or not--I would assume so. When I fired them, they didn't ask for the machine back, so I assumed I had paid for it. I don't have the contract, but if I remember right, it was a kind of rent to own scenario. I remember they pestered me to upgrade to the model 11, so I assume it was like a scam iPhone type deal, once it's nearly paid for, you have the privilege of upgrading to more useless bells and whistles for a new new high price.

I want to use the machine, but I don't want it reporting to the business that supplied the machine or anyone else. I'd just as well it didn't have any WIFI capability at all, as well as not having to have a 'provider' to be allowed to use it. Is it possible hack it for that? I think I'm smart enough to figure out when to change the filters and accessories without nagging.

My original prescription is dated from 2015 for 'mild' SA. Things may have changed, I might need another sleep test, but right now I am just swamped with the expense of ER visits, follow ups, cardio and pulmonary tests yadda yadda yat.

I'd just like to try the machine again and see if it makes a difference in my sleep and how I feel during the day. If so, I'll most likely call the Sleep Center dudes.

tl;dr: Can I hack this machine so it runs without it ratting me out to anyone?
posted by BlueHorse to Computers & Internet (14 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Turn on Airplane Mode in My Options on the AirSense. It will still collect data and store it internally but it won’t transmit.
posted by ellenaim at 3:35 PM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


Under the "My Options" menu, there should be an airplane mode that you can toggle on and off.
posted by zombiedance at 3:38 PM on March 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Easy option: put it on Airplane mode.

More complicated option: all of this.
posted by Stacey at 3:38 PM on March 23, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: If for some reason you decide to upgrade to a different machine, you can donate your old one.
posted by gottabefunky at 4:13 PM on March 23, 2023


If you use airplane mode, the machine will still collect the data, and you can take the it with you to the doctor if you want to get that information to them.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 4:54 PM on March 23, 2023


Yes on the airplane mode. Mine, at least, uses cellular to connect to my doctor's server, not wifi, but yours may be different. To collect data internally, you probably need an SD card (it goes into a slot near the filters, at least on the ResMed AirSense 10 not For Her. If you want, there is free software called OSCAR that you can load your data into to see what's happening.

The 10 might not be the newest, but I got mine just about a year and a half ago and it works fine. No need to upgrade, for sure.
posted by lhauser at 5:28 PM on March 23, 2023


Best answer: My ResMed 10 machine had an old 3G cell modem in it, and that network was shut down 11 months ago. It's not talking to anyone any more.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:58 PM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks to all who responded!
I'm going to try it out tonight in airplane mode. I'm a little hesitant to try Stacey's suggestion because of having to open the case, but it's still another option, even if seemingly drastic. If I give up on this, I will certainly look into gottabefunky's idea of recycling.

There are slots for a SD card, and it seems like there is the option to mail the card to the doctor for review, rather than using wireless transmitting.

I am rereading the user manual. Am I understanding that I can buy a card while leaving the machine in airplane mode, and it will record?
posted by BlueHorse at 7:56 PM on March 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: You definitely don’t have to buy supplies from whatever company. I get mine now on Amazon.
posted by Miko at 10:28 PM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Huh. Stacey's option is a lot less complicated than I thought it would be. You don't even get to cut anything, let alone break out a soldering iron.
posted by gible at 12:52 AM on March 24, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Confirming our ResMeds record to SD cards while in airplane mode. You don't even need a doctor to see the results - you can read the data using free apps (make sure to lock the write tab on the card before putting it in your computer, and to unlock it before putting back int he CPAP). You can also change the settings yourself using the 'clinical' menu: hold the Home button and push in the big dial button at the same time for a few seconds.
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 1:18 AM on March 24, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Tons of data on the card, and you can use any cheap SD card you've got.

There is a free program for interpreting the data, too -- called Oskar, I believe. The folks in the r/CPAP subreddit will talk to you about your charts, as will a couple other online communities.
posted by wenestvedt at 4:21 AM on March 24, 2023


Definitely start with all new supplies though! Hoses should be changed every 12 months, masks every 3 months, and filters and water tanks replaced every 6 months, cleaned every two weeks. Always use distilled water too. You don't want an infection from something sitting and brewing while you weren't using it.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:39 AM on March 24, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: My autoset 10 records to its SD card regardless of the connection to the cell network. Mine still shows connection, so it must have an upgraded modem or something, compared to wenestvedt's.

The program for analyzing your data at home is OSCAR
posted by ArgentCorvid at 10:18 AM on March 24, 2023 [1 favorite]


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