Which CGM Is Best for Remote Monitoring?

Last Updated: 3 November 2026

Table of Contents

• What Remote Monitoring Actually Requires From a CGM
• CGM Data Sharing With Family and Carers
  • How the use case changes what you need
  • Consent, control and revocation
  • Notification settings that do not burn people out
  • Privacy and data access
• Real-Time Glucose Alerts That Actually Reach You
• Troubleshooting CGM Connection Problems
  • Platform differences worth knowing
  • When the problem is the sensor, not the phone
  • Setting realistic expectations for remote monitoring
• CGM Data for Healthcare Professionals
• Sensor Size, Wear Time and Everyday Wear
• Access, Eligibility and Ongoing Cost
• Choosing Your Sibionics GS3-R Pack
• Frequently Asked Questions

What Remote Monitoring Actually Requires From a CGM

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a wearable sensor that measures glucose in interstitial fluid just beneath the skin and sends readings to a phone app, usually every few minutes (the NHS). For CGM remote monitoring, the device must do three things well: transmit in real time, alert reliably, and share data with people who are not in the room. (Source: guidance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA))

That third requirement is where most buying decisions go wrong. A device can be accurate and comfortable and still be a poor choice for remote monitoring if its sharing features are thin.

We supply the Sibionics GS3-R at Air Liquide Healthcare, and we offer guidance to help families and carers set up sharing. Below, we break down what actually matters, where connections fail, and how to choose a pack that fits how you live.

Quick picks:

• Best overall for most households: Sibionics GS3-R single sensor, £48.00, for a first trial
• Best for ongoing use: Sibionics GS3-R three-sensor pack, £120.00, covering up to 42 days
• Best middle ground: Sibionics GS3-R two-sensor pack, £85.00

CGM Data Sharing With Family and Carers

CGM data sharing is the feature that lets a parent, partner or carer see your glucose readings on their own phone, in real time, without being beside you.

The practical setup is straightforward. The person wearing the sensor installs the app, pairs the sensor over Bluetooth, and then invites followers through the app's sharing function. Each follower installs the same app on their own phone and accepts the invitation.

Diagram illustrating the process of sharing real-time glucose data from a child's sensor to a parent's smartphone.

How the use case changes what you need

The right sharing setup depends on who is watching and why. A few common patterns:

• Parents of young children. Overnight coverage is the priority. The parent who is not on duty needs low alerts that will wake them, and the parent on duty needs to be able to hand over without losing visibility. Set the low threshold together and agree who responds to a 3am alert.
• Partners of adults with type 1 diabetes. The wearer often wants independence during the day and backup overnight. A common arrangement is full sharing with alerts muted during working hours and unmuted from bedtime.
• Carers supporting someone who lives alone. The carer may be the only follower, so missed readings matter more. Check the follower's app daily rather than relying on alerts alone, because a silent phone can look identical to a stable glucose level.
• Teenagers and young adults. Sharing can feel like surveillance. Agree what the follower may comment on and what they may not, and review the arrangement at a set interval rather than leaving it open-ended.

Consent, control and revocation

The wearer decides who follows and can remove access at any time. That control is the foundation of a workable arrangement, and it is worth being explicit about it before anyone is invited.

• Invite deliberately. Share only with people who need the data, and use the app's follower list to review who currently has access at least monthly.
• Revoke cleanly. Removing a follower in the app stops new readings reaching their phone, but it does not recall data they have already seen or screenshots they have taken. Treat sharing as an ongoing relationship, not a one-off setting.
• Agree house rules up front. This matters most with teenagers, who may find constant visibility intrusive, and with extended family who mean well but may over-react to a single high reading.

Notification settings that do not burn people out

Followers usually choose which alerts they receive. A carer who gets every high alert at 3am will burn out within a week, and a burnt-out carer stops checking. Set thresholds together, and consider giving the follower a narrower alert set than the wearer, for example, low alerts only overnight and no high alerts unless glucose stays elevated for an extended period.

What most guides miss is the emotional side. Sharing readings changes family dynamics. A parent watching a child's numbers overnight may sleep better, or may check the app every twenty minutes. Set expectations before you invite anyone, and agree in advance what a follower should do when an alert fires, call, text, or wait.

Privacy and data access

Glucose data is sensitive health information. Before granting access, consider who else can see the follower's phone, whether the follower's account is secured with a passcode, and whether the wearer is comfortable with the data being visible on a device they do not control. Review follower lists periodically, and remove access when a caring arrangement ends, for example, when a child moves to university or a temporary carer finishes.

Real-Time Glucose Alerts That Actually Reach You

Real-time glucose alerts are threshold notifications that fire when your glucose rises above or falls below limits you set.

A common mistake is assuming alerts are on by default. They are not. You choose the high and low thresholds, and you choose whether they sound, vibrate or appear silently.

Discuss suitable low alert thresholds with your diabetes team, as the right level depends on your individual circumstances.

For detailed setup and troubleshooting steps, see our guide to reliable real-time glucose alerts, which walks through phone permissions, battery settings and alert testing.

Watch out: phone battery optimisation settings are the single most common reason alerts go silent. Many Android phones restrict background apps to save power, which can stop the app from waking you.

Troubleshooting CGM Connection Problems

Troubleshooting CGM connection problems starts with the signal chain: sensor to phone over Bluetooth, then phone to the internet for sharing. A break at either point stops remote monitoring, and the fix is different depending on where the break is.

Work through these in order:

1. Check Bluetooth range. Bluetooth range is limited, and walls and bodies can weaken the link. Walls and bodies weaken it. Keep the phone in the same room overnight, and avoid leaving it in a pocket on the far side of a wall from the sensor.
2. Confirm the app is running in the background. Closing the app stops data transfer on many phones. On Android, check that the app is not being swept up by battery optimisation; on iOS, check that background app refresh is enabled for the CGM app.
3. Restart Bluetooth, then the phone. This clears most pairing glitches. If the sensor still does not reconnect, check the app's sensor status screen before assuming the sensor has failed.
4. Check the follower's connection. If your own app shows readings but the carer's does not, the problem is the internet link, not the sensor. Ask the follower to check their own Wi-Fi or mobile data, and confirm they are signed in to the same account.
5. Look for a data delay. A short lag of a few minutes between the sensor and the follower's screen is normal. A delay that grows over hours usually points to a background-app or connectivity problem rather than the sensor itself.

Watch out: phone battery optimisation settings are the single most common reason alerts go silent. Many Android phones restrict background apps to save power, which can stop the app from waking you. Exempt the CGM app from battery optimisation, and check the setting again after any phone update, because updates can reset it.

Platform differences worth knowing

Android and iOS handle background apps differently, and the same CGM app can behave differently on each. On Android, the battery optimisation and autostart settings are the usual culprits; on iOS, low power mode and background app refresh are the ones to check. If a household has one Android phone and one iPhone, expect to troubleshoot them separately rather than assuming a fix on one will work on the other.

When the problem is the sensor, not the phone

If readings stop entirely for an extended period, and the phone and app settings are correct, the sensor may have failed. Do a finger-prick blood glucose test if you think a reading is wrong or does not match how you feel, and follow the instructions for use. Do not rely on a sensor that has stopped transmitting to make treatment decisions.

Sibionics GS3-R Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) →

Setting realistic expectations for remote monitoring

CGM remote monitoring depends on the wearer's phone being charged, in range and connected to the internet. It is not a guaranteed alarm system. A phone that runs out of battery overnight, or a wearer who leaves it in another room, will break the chain regardless of how good the sensor is. Build a charging routine, for example, charging the phone in the same room where the wearer sleeps, and agree with followers what they should do if readings stop unexpectedly.

CGM Data for Healthcare Professionals

CGM data for healthcare professionals works best when it is exported as a report rather than screenshotted. Most CGM apps generate a standard summary covering time in range, average glucose and patterns across the wear period.

Bring that report to appointments. It shows your clinician far more than a single finger-prick reading, because it captures overnight trends and post-meal spikes that a spot check misses.

A few practical points:

• Ask what format your clinic prefers. Some diabetes teams have a preferred report style.
• Note the dates. A report covering two weeks tells a clearer story than a fragmented set of screenshots.
• Flag anything unusual. If you changed insulin doses or had illness during the period, say so, because it changes how the data should be read.

Remote monitoring does not replace clinical review. It gives your care team better information to work with. Decisions about treatment, including insulin adjustment, remain with your clinician.

Sensor Size, Wear Time and Everyday Wear

Sensor size and wear time decide whether a CGM fits your routine or becomes a daily irritation. The Sibionics GS3-R uses an ultra-thin sensor at 2.9mm and provides up to 14 days of continuous monitoring per sensor.

Comfort matters most for children and for anyone who sleeps restlessly, so the thinness of the sensor is worth considering.

Water resistance is the other everyday question. The GS3-R carries an IP38 rating, which covers showers and short swims. It is not designed for prolonged submersion, so treat it as suitable for a quick dip rather than a long session in the water.

Placement can affect readings as well as comfort. Follow the instructions for use on site selection, and rotate sites between sensors to let skin recover.

Access, Eligibility and Ongoing Cost

NHS access to CGM depends on your clinical circumstances, and eligibility criteria are set nationally and applied locally. We cannot tell you whether you personally qualify, and you should check with your diabetes team or GP.

Eligibility for CGM depends on clinical criteria, which differ between people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Our guide to whether the NHS covers continuous glucose monitors sets out how eligibility is assessed and what to ask your clinician.

If you are buying privately, budget per sensor rather than per month, because wear time varies. The GS3-R is £48.00 for a single sensor, £85.00 for two and £120.00 for three.

Cost per day assumes full wear time and does not include the cost of a reader or phone.

Choosing Your Sibionics GS3-R Pack

Choosing a pack comes down to how long you want to commit for.

Move to the three-sensor pack once you know the system works for you. The single-sensor product page has the full specification if you want to read the detail first.

Best for: families setting up remote monitoring who want a lower daily cost over six weeks. Skip if: you are still trialling CGM and not yet sure about the app or sensor comfort.

If you have a question about ordering, delivery or eligibility before you buy, you can contact our team directly.

Remote monitoring depends on the whole chain holding: a sensor that stays put, a phone that keeps the connection, and a sharing setup that the people watching actually understand.

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