Question
Are wireless accessories available for wearers of bone-anchored hearing systems?
Answer
There is no question that when we talk to end users of bone-anchored products, the first question they ask is if we have wireless connectivity, and this includes both those with conductive hearing losses, as well as those with single sided deafness (SSD). Ponto Plus from Oticon Medical is built on the latest Inium signal-processing platform, and includes wireless capabilities using a streamer that works exclusively with Ponto products.
Wearers can stream their cellphone directly to their Ponto Plus. The streamer is also compatible with all the ConnectLine items, including ConnectLine TV, ConnectLine Phone for the landline, and the ConnectLine Microphone.
In addition to hearing on the telephone, hearing in noise is another critical issue for people with hearing loss, including those who use bone-anchored solutions and there are many options with the ConnectLine products. For those who are using FM systems, the streamer has a direct audio input port that the FM receiver plugs in to. For children in a school system, they can use the streamer as the host or connection point for their FM system.
In addition, the ConnectLine Microphone is a great low-cost alternative to a traditional FM system for patients who do not want to use an FM system. The ConnectLine Microphone is a small discreet clip-on microphone that enables the individual to hear their companion’s voice streamed to their bone-anchored device.
For telecoil use with the Ponto Plus, the telecoil is built into the streamer. The streamer then sends the telecoil signal wirelessly to the Ponto device. This allows the user access to telecoil signals, without having a telecoil antenna attached to the processor itself.
Thank you for your question. For more information about wireless connectivity with Ponto Plus, please visit www.oticonmedical.com or the Oticon Medical Expo Page on AudiologyOnline.
