Ascensia has quietly introduced a new blood glucose meter in Australia. That means there are now five BG meters in Australia that use Contour Next strips. They all have different features!
| Contour Next One |  Described in an earlier article on this site. Uses two CR2032 batteries.
Has Bluetooth and can link to the Contour or xDrip+ apps on your phone. DOES NOT LINK DIRECTLY TO ANY PUMP. The flagship model of these meters, supposedly with slightly-higher accuracy. |
| Contour Next (old version) |  Small. Uses two CR2032 batteries. Has USB port, but no wireless link. |
| Contour Next (connected) |  A re-work of the older Contour Next. Similar shape and UI, but a clearer display.
Has Bluetooth and can link to the Contour app on your phone (or to xDrip+). Uses two CR2032 batteries. Has the “smartLIGHT” in-range colour indicator inherited from the Contour Next One (but here you can set the range boundaries on the meter without needing the phone app). Note this meter has the same strip-illumination function as all the other Contour Next meters (except the above one which doesn’t have Bluetooth either). Before you put the BG strip into the meter, double-tap the OK button to turn the light on. |
| Contour Next Link |  The end-cap comes off to expose a USB connector. Has internal battery which is recharged via USB.
Has 900 MHz radio link to Medtronic Paradigm and Veo pumps. Can act as simple remote control for those pumps. |
| Contour Next Link 2.4 | Just like the Contour Next Link, but instead of the 900 MHz radio has a 2.4 Gz ZigBee radio which can link to the Medtronic 600-series pumps. The only visual difference is the letters “2.4” printed in the name.
DOES NOT HAVE BLUETOOTH and thus won’t link wirelessly to a phone. Incidentally, the USB port on this meter can be connected to an “OTG” USB port on an Android phone and be used to extract live alarm/CGM/dose information from a 600-series pump and link it to a Nightscout database. |
There were also some other (older) Contour Next meters available overseas, but not in Australia.
The Contour Next One and the new Contour Next can both connect to Ascensia’s Contour app. Note that you can have multiple meters linked to the same phone.
All these meters use the Contour Next strips available through NDSS. But as you can see, there are some significant differences in their functions.