• by • 2014-02-21 01:02:10 • • 12182 views • 20 comments I just got Merlin@home transmitter for my SJM Anthem programmed as a dual chamber. YOLO friendly suggestion: To make it work without a landline - plug any USB 2.0 adapter into your Merlin paired with your 'n class' wi-Fi router ( that you already use for internet access i.e. 802.11 b/g/n standard ) and you are set. Cost = $35 for life. Here is where SJM took a BAD FALL on their business model: the corp. Can either charge you $16/mo for a cell phone adapter = $1,920 for 10 yrs (avg.
I just got Merlin@home transmitter for my SJM Anthem programmed as a dual. You're right about the off the shelf (Buffalo) router and USB WiFi adapter kit. The transmitter sends data over wifi to the router. The Merlin@Home units likely rely on some hard. Jude Medical launched a wireless USB adaptor for its Merlin@home transmitter for patients with implantable cardiac devices.
Feeling fleeced and violated with 4.5 x markup! I am taking off for EU to work there, Merlin transmitter got a German transformer plug with interchangeable receptacles and I just saved me more than a Geico lizard (apologies to geckos, not SJM amphibians). Might be more to it than that. By - 2014-03-02 12:03:50 Zapper: I just got the Merlin@Home unit a week or so ago too after the battery in my old ICD went ERI (after 6 years) and I got a new one.
I have only VoIP phones and very poor cell coverage at home, so like you I need internet connectivity for the Merlin unit. You're right about the off the shelf (Buffalo) router and USB WiFi adapter kit they're selling for $450. A real rip off, and a kluge besides (and who wants a second router, especially when it's locked down by SJM?).
But I don't think that the Merlin@Home unit will support just any USB WiFi adapter. It probably doesn't have driver support for many adapters (maybe just the Ralink chip set used by the Buffalo adapter they supply?), and then there is the issue of setting up the wireless parameters. You could do that with WPS, but the adapter would need to have a hardware WPS button since there's no way to use a wireless client setup utility. It sounds as though you might already have WiFi working with the Merlin box. If so, which USB wifi adapter did you use?
I have an adapter here with a hardware WPS button that works fine with my Windows PC. But it won't even light up when plugged into the Merlin (and it even has a Ralink chip set, although not the same one used by the Buffalo adapter they are selling).
I'm thinking that there is more going on here than meets the eye. That maybe they have something hard coded in the Merlin box that is specific to the items in their kit.
I got screwed by - 2014-06-24 03:06:44 I bought the broadband kit for $450 so I wouldnt have to pay the monthly cell charge. What a ripoff. I should have read this forum first.
Anyway it works and I can call st judes anytime for tech support. The gal named Dana at integron is an idiot and very rude.
She said you have to plug into router which is wrong!!! You get a transmitter and a router. The transmitter sends data over wifi to the router which plugs into you existing router.
Get a different person if you get Dana. DIY by - 2014-09-17 03:09:43 I'm a computer science graduate and working network administrator and my dad has a Merlin@Home I'm trying to get to work over VOIP. This wifi kit intrigues me. It seems plausible to replicate this with off the shelf hardware but we need to figure out a few things. Have any of you been able to log into the web interface of the provided router? If so, go through the various tabs and check to see what the SSID (name the wifi network is) as well if it has a password or WEP/WPA key set. Check for anything related to WPS.
The Merlin@Home units likely rely on some hard-coded parameters and replicating them with an off the shelf router shouldn't be too difficult. If you can't get in to the web interface on the router or don't know how, there are other ways to try to see what's going on and I can probably help. Shoot me an email me+merlin@aaron.gy. Merlin@home voip by - 2014-10-09 11:10:36 We have Vonage and it has worked flawlessly for 2 1/2 years. 36.00 per month unlimited phone calling. Tried to reduce fees by installing magicjack, then basictalk which is a vonage offshoot. They will not work with the merlin.
In both cases when I hooked back up to Vonage it went through first try. Am now changing to the Vonage 400 hundred minute plan which will be about 19.99 month. It only measures calls out against the 400 minutes. You can receive any amount calling in. Hope this helps.