MedRadio, Neurostimulators, and Wireless

 MedRadio, Neurostimulators, and Wireless

Communication

Authors: Richard Jan Azim Svanberg and ChatGPT

Date: September 26, 2026

Full conversation - questions and answers in chronological order

Richard

Is it possible to communicate wirelessly with a neurostimulator?

ChatGPT

Yes. Many modern neurostimulators can communicate wirelessly, although the exact technology

depends on the model.

For example, some systems use Bluetooth Low Energy at 2.4 GHz, while others use a short-range

inductive RF link. Boston Scientific, for example, specifies BLE in the 2.402-2.480 GHz band for

certain systems and also has systems using inductive telemetry around 119-131 kHz.

(bostonscientific.com) Medtronic also uses dedicated communication/telemetry modules to program its

neurostimulators. (medtronic.com)

The principle can be simplified as follows:

Neurostimulator (implant) ■ wireless telemetry ■ external programmer/communicator ■

computer or mobile device

However, this does not automatically mean that the implant can connect directly to any

Bluetooth, MICS/MedRadio, or Wi-Fi device. Commercial systems normally use authentication,

encryption, and the manufacturer's own programmer. (bostonscientific.com)

If you are thinking about your earlier concept with neurostimulator + ZL70323 MiniSIM/MICS +

external electronics, I can also explain how such a wireless architecture could be structured in

principle, and the difference between Bluetooth, MICS/MedRadio, and inductive telemetry.

Richard

How long can a MedRadio connection distance be?

ChatGPT

meters.

Yes, but MedRadio/MICS is normally a short-range link, not something designed for hundreds of

For 402-405 MHz MICS/MedRadio, extremely low transmit power is used. The FCC, for example,

specifies a limit of 25 µW EIRP for certain MedRadio transmitters in the 402-405 MHz band.

(docs.fcc.gov)

In practice, typical distances are approximately:

- Implant → external programmer near the body: often about 0.1-2 meters

- With good antennas and favorable conditions, the link in some designs can reach a few meters

- Direct ranges of tens or hundreds of meters from the implant are not what MICS/MedRadio isintended for.

Your ZL70323 is specifically a low-power MICS-band transceiver for implant applications.

(microchip.com)

The usual way to obtain long range is therefore:

ZL70323 in the body → 402-405 MHz → external device near the person →

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/4G/5G → Internet/PC

So, for example, the MedRadio link itself may be 1-2 m, while communication can then continue over

the Internet over practically any distance. The few-meter limitation therefore applies to the first implant

↔ MedRadio base station section, not to the entire communication chain.

Richard

Can satellite links, the Internet, routers, and mobile antennas be used to extend it over long

distances?

ChatGPT

Yes - if by router you mean a network router or gateway, the communication can in principle be

extended over very long distances. However, the MedRadio/MICS link itself remains short-range.

Instead, an external gateway receives the MedRadio signal close to the body and then forwards the

information over another network.

For example:

Neurostimulator / implant

→ MedRadio 402-405 MHz

→ external base station/programmer near the body

→ Bluetooth / Wi-Fi / Ethernet / mobile network (4G/5G)

→ Internet

→ possibly a satellite link

→ remote server or authorized medical terminal.

The FCC MedRadio rules describe this basic principle: information from an implant can be

retransmitted wirelessly, but the onward link should use a different radio system outside the

MedRadio band. (docs.fcc.gov)

So you would not normally create:

implant → MICS → MICS repeater → MICS repeater → satellite

to form a long 402-405 MHz chain. Instead, you could use:

implant → MICS → gateway → Internet/4G/5G/satellite → any geographic destination.

Microchip also describes the ZL70323 MiniSIM and ZL70123 Base Station Module as radio modules

for communication between implantable medical devices and external control equipment.

(microchip.com)This means that once the signal has reached the external gateway, the information can in principle be

transported worldwide via the Internet or satellite. The few-meter limitation therefore applies to the

first implant ↔ MedRadio base station section, not to the entire communication chain.

Richard

Make a PDF of this.

ChatGPT

Done. I created the PDF as a clear one-page technical overview.

Download PDF - MedRadio and long-distance communication

Richard

No, the whole page exactly as it is, with all questions and answers. In PDF.

Richard

Add my name and ChatGPT as authors and today's date.

ChatGPT

Done. I added:

Authors: Richard Jan Azim Svanberg and ChatGPT

Date: September 26, 2026

and kept the full conversation with the questions and answers in order.

Richard

Make an English version.