Accu-Chek Connect

The meter I reviewed yesterday seemed a bit dated. So I approached the Accu-Chek Connect with some skepticism. That worry, was proven ill-founded the second I picked up the box. This meter is anything but dated. It includes all the bells and whistles you might want and a few you may not know you want yet. In my quest for a new meter, this is the one I chose and the reasons are as follows.

Accu-Chek Connect

The Accu-Chek Connect is light, small and powerful. For starters, the meter weighs a mere 1.5 ounces that compares to the 6.5 ounce Compact Plus I reviewed yesterday. It is less than half the size of the Compact Plus meter and the Connect is very accurate. In parallel tests (that is two tests on the same lanced spot, the numbers were 99.95% the same. I ran the parallel test 10 times (20 individual test) and only once was the number different on the same lanced spot and that was by one point. No meter I have ever considered has demonstrated greater accuracy.

One of the things I was concerned about: is this meter durable? It is. I intentionally dropped mine three times on a concrete floor and it still worked like a charm. But best of all it has large test strips. The Accu-Chek Connect uses the typical Aviva test strips. If you are in crisis mode the operation of the meter is fairly intuitive. It is easy to get the strips into the meter and the amount of blood used for a successful test (0.6 µL micro liters) is very small. If you use the Aviva meter already you can switch to the Connect meter and not waste supplies. That is a big advantage for those already using the Aviva line of products.

The meter also includes a bolus advisor. I will admit I never tried out this feature and if you have a modern pump you likely will not either. Still I think it is worth setting up in case it is necessary to use a syringe for coverage, your pump stops working and you need the settings, or on the off chance you want to dose off the pump not using the pump calculation.

For a person not using a pump it is a terrific way to calculate dose instructions based on carb intake and current blood sugar. I also see it as a wonderful intermediate step to a pump. Giving those who may want to experiment with what it is like to use pump therapy a chance to test the idea without fully committing.

The initial purchase of the meter is also very affordable. It is priced in most places at $25.00 to $30.00 with a rebate of up to $25.00 in some locations. The meter package also included the FastClix lancing device and if you have not tried this device you are missing out.

The cloud

If a meter without software is like a car without gasoline, then the Accu-Chek Connect is operating on high octane premium fuel. Yes it tests well, but with the addition of a smart phone the meter will send data to your telephone and the software will transmit an email to those you choose to receive your results. Also if you wish you may communicate your results directly with your health care provider. You do this by entering a code the provider may give you and that gives them real time access to both your history with the meter and current results. This cannot be any better for parents or health care providers who might be concerned about children and who manage blood sugar data remotely. The meter communicates with a smartphone using Bluetooth technology which I found easy to connect.

Areas for improvement

While I love the Accu-Chek cloud software, that software does not allow export of data to other applications. Accu-Chek is missing something here and I hope they correct it sooner rather than later. By not exporting data, Accu-Chek is building a closed camp of products which work together. It makes it difficult for people to break out of the Accu-Chek universe and try other things. But by definition anything built to keep devices in keeps devices out. Trust me when I say if people use this meter they will like it and I hope Accu-Chek makes the wall more porous. So the best first improvement that could be made is making a way for users to export data to the TidePool platform.

The Connect software does not include a way to import data from a Dexcom device. Note what I said above about keeping users in and the difficulty of keeping others out. Rumors (all unsubstantiated) suggest that an Accu-Chek pump may be coming that incorporates a Dexcom device and if so I hope this omission may be corrected.

Result of my meter search

No surprise; I really like this meter and I will start using it once the compact plus strips I purchased have been used up (don’t laugh that will take until July). I am excited to get started using it full time. No, I will not use all the features of the new meter. It is unlikely people with a modern pump will. But using this meter puts me on the cutting edge of cool meter technology and after all, that is where I want to be.

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Take away for March 23, 2016

• The Accu-Chek Connect is a wonderful meter
• It provides functionality and versatility
• It is durable
• It is cutting edge cool

Disclosure: Accu-Chek supplied two meters for these tests and 117 test strips. 17 test strips came with the Accu-Chek Compact meter and 100 test strips where supplied for the Accu-Chek Connect. I typically use 3 meters so the decision to use a meter does involve a personal investment.