Ottai CGM

Ottai is a self-funded continuous glucose monitor sold online by its manufacturer rather than through an Australian diabetes distributor. The sensor and the transmitter are a single disposable unit, applied to the back of the upper arm and worn for up to 14 days. It is factory calibrated, warms up in about 30 minutes, and sends a glucose reading every five minutes over Bluetooth to the Ottai app. There is no separate reader, so a compatible phone is needed.

It is labelled for adults aged 18 and over. It has high and low glucose alerts and an alert for a rapid rise or fall, but no urgent low alarm and no predictive low alarm of the kind the NDSS-subsidised sensors offer. It does not work with any insulin pump or automated insulin delivery system approved in Australia.

Two things are worth knowing before you buy one. It is not subsidised through the NDSS, so you pay the full cost yourself. And no accuracy study has been published in a peer-reviewed journal or a public trial registry, so there is no independent performance data to set beside the sensors that are on the NDSS chart. Australian diabetes organisations published minimum performance standards for continuous glucose monitoring in April 2026 and ask manufacturers to publish their results; that has not happened for this sensor.

It is listed here because people ask us about it. If you are eligible for NDSS-subsidised CGM, that is almost always the better place to start. If you are already using an Ottai sensor, bring your phone to your appointment and one of our credentialled diabetes educators will go through your readings with you, including when a reading is worth confirming with a finger prick.

• 14-day wear, matching the longest of the self-funded sensors on this page
• 30-minute warm-up, among the shortest available in Australia
• All-in-one sensor and applicator, with no separate transmitter to charge or replace
• Factory calibrated, so no routine finger-prick calibration
• A reading every five minutes to the Ottai phone app, with high and low glucose alerts
• Usually one of the cheaper sensors to buy outright, although the advertised price moves a great deal

• Not subsidised through the NDSS. It does not appear on the NDSS CGM device summary and compatibility chart, version 21, 1 October 2026
• Does not work with any insulin pump or automated insulin delivery system approved in Australia
• No accuracy study has been published in a peer-reviewed journal or a public trial registry, so there is no independent performance data to compare with the other sensors on this page. Australian diabetes organisations ask CGM manufacturers to publish exactly this
• Labelled for adults aged 18 and over
• No urgent low alarm and no predictive low alarm. There is an alert for a rapid rise or fall, but it is checked periodically rather than continuously
• No IP rating is published. The manual gives a limit of 1.5 m depth and 30 minutes in water
• Worn on the back of the upper arm only
• Bought online and shipped from overseas, so a failed sensor, a warranty claim and product support all go back to the manufacturer rather than to an Australian distributor with a local clinical team

Ottai is not subsidised through the NDSS. It does not appear on the NDSS CGM device summary and compatibility chart (version 21, 1 October 2026) or on the NDSS continuous glucose monitoring products page, so the full cost is paid privately.

If you live with type 1 diabetes, or you are under 21 with a condition very similar to type 1 and you need insulin, you are likely to be eligible for a fully subsidised sensor through the NDSS CGM Access Program. For most people in that group an NDSS sensor costs less and comes with published performance data, so it is worth checking your eligibility before buying any self-funded sensor. Our credentialled diabetes educators can certify NDSS access.