Read MN testers feedback on the Nokia Smart Temporal Thermometer - NON Testers - chance to win! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We were asked by the team at Nokia to find 25 MNers to try their Smart Temporal Thermometer and report back for Mumsnet. Read on to see what they think!

Non testers - for a chance to win your very own Nokia Smart Temporal Thermometer (RRP £90), please share on this thread your best tips for reducing high temperatures in your small children - what works best at making them feel better quickest? Add your comment and you will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win one.

What is the Nokia Smart Temporal Thermometer (RRP £90)?

"The smartest way to take care of the whole family
A temporal thermometer that accurately and easily measures temperature with automatic sync with the Nokia Thermo app.

Now a fast, effortless gesture yields accurate results and provides an automatic sync with the dedicated app. In app, you can track temperature readings, get reminders, and input related symptoms and medications for fever management advice right on your smartphone.

High Accuracy & Ultra-fast measurement
Thermo measures from the temporal artery considered an ideal place to detect temperature changes, as the blood that circulates there comes from the core of the body.
As Thermo sweeps across the forehead, 16 infrared sensors take over 4,000 measurements in a few seconds to find the hottest point.

Sanitary – non-invasive
Unlike traditional methods, Thermo avoids any contact with saliva, earwax or other body fluids — making it an extremely sanitary way to take one’s temperature.
Lights-off measurement allows a child to sleep while keeping tabs of fever.

Instant colour-coded feedback
Readings appear illuminated on the device along with a colour-coded LED indicator to tell you if the temperature is normal, elevated or high.

In-app fever management
The Thermo app allows to track the temperature of up to 8 users.
In addition to tracking temperature and symptoms, users can enter comments, medications, and even photos in any user profile. This helps to see if the treatment is effective and allows to have a complete history to share with a doctor."

More info here

Testers - please share your feedback by answering the following questions on this thread.
~ How did you experience the installation / unboxing of your product and app download?
~ What do you like best about your Nokia Thermo? (design, functionality, connectivity, etc.)
~ How easy is it to bring your Nokia Thermo on the go?
~ In what circumstances did you use your Nokia thermo? (at night, for baby, for yourself? Etc.)
~ How useful is the lights-off measurement of the Nokia thermo?
~ How do you like the in-App health overview for each of your family members?
~ Was in-app fever management with comments, medication and photos helpful to you?
~ Have you used a connected thermometer before? Which one and how did you find it?
~ What is your experience of a connected temporal thermometer in comparison to traditional methods?
~ Would you recommend Nokia Thermo?

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T and Cs apply

Non tester - paracetamol/ibuprofen are the most effective ways to bring down a high temperature in a small child. Undressing but covering in a cellular type blanket (avoid them being too cold as shivering will make it worse). Also mummy snuggles and films make my babies feel better!

non tester With my boys I have always tried a cool damp cloth on the forehead and lots of mummy/daddy cuddles. I don't strip them down unless the temp is really high as that can make them cool down too quickly. If the temp doesnt come down with a cool damp cloth I would then give Calpol. I try my best not to over administer medicines as I know over doing it can cause more harm than good.

Non tester

• if the temperature is high enough, administer paracetamol or ibuprofen
• remove outer layers of clothing or swap fluffy nightwear for cotton
• offer plenty of fluids or chilled food such as a lolly or yoghurt to cool the body down from the inside.
• place a damp flannel on the forehead or neck
• keep out of the sun in a cool place or indoors with the heating down
• plenty of rest

Unboxing was easy and straight forward, nicely packed and not to much fiddling.
Installing the app was easy too, a little bit of a pain to set up, it wants height and weight of all family members.
I Like the design best, it looks really smart and modern, easy to hold.
Fits nicely in the inside zip of my handbag, took it to Istanbul and back. Very portable.
I tried it on all the family throughout the day, I even tried it in the night on my 6 year old while she slept.
'Lights off' is very useful if you don't want to disturb a sleeping child.
The InApp health was interesting however I don't think it is always relevant and sometimes you just want to simply take a temperature.
We was all lucky to not be ill at the time I was reviewing this, I think the photos and info is ok but not anything that you can't find on google, and you need internet connection to use this feature.
This is the only time I've used a connected thermometer before.
I'm not confident about the reading this gives inline with an in ear thermometer. I tried this along side not only my small braun in ear but also the advanced in ear used at work (NHS) Each time the reading was between 0.3 and 0.8 degrees in difference. Also if you wave it in a slightly different position you also get a big difference in the result. On a positve note because it doesn't have any skin contact it is very hygienic and cost effective when it comes to replacement parts.
Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend the Nokia Thermo, I can't trust the reading it gives without actual skin contact, I can't help but think that other various factors like air temperature or the direction you move it might give a different result.
It's twice the cost of an in ear thermometer and triple the cost of an underarm one.
I don't think you need an app to record your results. The simple red or green light or high or low indicator is more than enough.
Lastly if my child was ill enough for me to need to take a temperature during the night

tester
~ How did you experience the installation / unboxing of your product and app download?
Firstly, it is a nice box and does look good but there is a lot of packaging for the size of the actual thermometer. I also found it a bit disappointing that you can't use it as soon as you open the box as you have to download the app and sync it before it will take a reading. The app is easy to download, but it wanted location services on and it does need at least 1 user account set up which needs name, date of birth, height and weight which just all seems a bit much for a thermometer.

~ What do you like best about your Nokia Thermo? (design, functionality, connectivity, etc.)
It does look quite nice.

~ How easy is it to bring your Nokia Thermo on the go?
Fairly easy I guess - it's not too big so would fit in a bag. Bigger than a normal, basic thermometer though. I can't imagine why I would be taking it anywhere though.

~ In what circumstances did you use your Nokia thermo? (at night, for baby, for yourself? Etc.)
I tried it on everyone in the house at various times - we took a lot of readings for testing purposes! I didn't find it totally accurate; once I set it up, I took my temperature 5 times in a row and each time, I was slightly different (35.9-36.8 °C) I also found it difficult to use on my 3yr old as he wanted to look at it so it was hard to get it on his forehead for long enough to get a reading while he was trying to look up. He ended up not liking it and I can't get it near him now.

~ How useful is the lights-off measurement of the Nokia thermo?
It is very clear in the dark so would be useful and as it doesn't beep, wouldn't disturb anyone.

~ How do you like the in-App health overview for each of your family members?
I didn't like the app at all; it does need quite a bit of info for each member you want to add which I didn't really find necessary and unless you have a few people ill at the same time regularly, I don't think there's much you need to manage on it.

~ Was in-app fever management with comments, medication and photos helpful to you?
Not really, as I said, I didn't like the app and I really can't imagine having anyone so sick that I needed to keep a record of their medication and if I did, I would find it easier to just write it on the medicine packaging rather than switching on my tablet to put it on an app.

~ Have you used a connected thermometer before? Which one and how did you find it?
No I haven't.

~ What is your experience of a connected temporal thermometer in comparison to traditional methods?
Honestly, I've never used thermometers before; I've never really found it necessary. I don't like the idea that you need an app to use it - I would expect for the price, to be able to switch it on and get a reading straight away.

~ Would you recommend Nokia Thermo?
No, sorry to say I wouldn't; for all the reasons I've mentioned. It is very expensive, you need an app (with the various requirements of that) and I didn't find it completely accurate.

Thank you for picking me to test this, I appreciate it.

(HIT POST ON MY PHONE TOO SOON)
Lastly if my child was ill enough for me to have to take a temperature during the night then disturbing their sleep would be the least of my worries.
TESTER:
Pictures attached show my 8 year olds readings on both thermometers taken within seconds of each other.

How did you experience the installation / unboxing of your product and app download?
The box was nice and the product was well packaged, but thinking of the environment, I'm sure it would be possible to box it in less packaging.

~ What do you like best about your Nokia Thermo? (design, functionality, connectivity, etc.
The design is good. It's easy to hold and feels robust. It's also a nice size and is a good weight.

~ How easy is it to bring your Nokia Thermo on the go?
It would fit in the pocket of my handbag, but I don't think I ever would take it out with me. If my child is ill I would be home with them, and I don't keep a regular thermometer with me!

~ In what circumstances did you use your Nokia thermo? (at night, for baby, for yourself? Etc.)
Until yesterday we had all been well, so I used it just to test it...but in the last 24 hours we have tried it out while my daughter has been sleeping too. I've used it on myself, children (4 and 7) and husband.

~ How useful is the lights-off measurement of the Nokia thermo?
It's a good feature and does save any waking, but i wouldn't buy it just for this feature. When my daughters are ill they would generally sleep through anyway, and if they aren't sleeping well because they are ill then it would only be another on a long list of reasons they are awake.

~ How do you like the in-App health overview for each of your family members?
I don't like it. I realised while trialling this that I don't actually like the connectivity of this product. I'm probably technology but can't help thinking that putting this wireless device near my child's head while they are ill, who knows long term if this wireless connectivity could do damage. It's actually a bit unnecessary, I take the temperature, I find out if she needs medicine and I give it or don't...I don't need that tracked. I can imagine it is good for a nervous first time parent to keep constant track, especially if sleep deprived so can track when temperature was taken and can note times medicated too (a pad of paper also does this!). I also wonder if this will make nervous parents even more reliant on technology where they needn't be.

~ Was in-app fever management with comments, medication and photos helpful to you?
No, completely unnecessary

~ Have you used a connected thermometer before? Which one and how did you find it?
No

~ What is your experience of a connected temporal thermometer in comparison to traditional methods?
I just have a cheap ear thermometer and the readings were slightly different, not enough to be concerning, and I'm not sure which device isn't 100% correct, but there is certainly some variation, it could perhaps be as the temperature is taken without skin contact, so maybe it is reading the room temperature too.

~ Would you recommend Nokia Thermo?
No. It's expensive. A lot of the features fix a problem that doesn't exist. And I'm not sure how accurate the reading is.

non-tester - remove any thick clothing; but not everything; ibuprofen, and plenty of fluids to drink (ideally water)

Non-Tester - Paracetamol & very light cotton sheet over them when poorly with a high temperature.

Tester Feedback.

~ How did you experience the installation / unboxing of your product and app download?

The Nokia Thermo came in very easy to open packaging with the battery already installed so you literally just have to take it out and download the app and it's ready to go. It's worth noting if you search for "Thermo" you don't get it, so you need to search specifically for "Nokia Thermo". I downloaded the App (iOS) and set it up for each family member in about 10 minutes.

~ What do you like best about your Nokia Thermo? (design, functionality, connectivity, etc.)

The ease and speed of using it for all the family and having the temperature charted in the App is the best for me, but I do really like the design and the LED display system.

~ How easy is it to bring your Nokia Thermo on the go?

Very easy if you needed to. It is bigger than a regular thermometer but it's still small enough to fit into a handbag or baby bag no problem.

~ In what circumstances did you use your Nokia thermo? (at night, for baby, for yourself? Etc.)

This actually came at a very good time as my infant son had a stomach virus this week and his temperature did go up a bit higher than usual. I used it to read out the numbers at the doctors. I also check my temperature daily as I have an autoimmune so a thermometer is something I use more often than most.

~ How useful is the lights-off measurement of the Nokia thermo?

Not waking a child up to take a temperature measurement is a huge bonus in my eyes. Last thing you want to do is interrupt their sleep if you don't have to. I like the fact it doesn't make a noise as well as the thermometer I previously used had no way to turn off the beep.

~ How do you like the in-App health overview for each of your family members?

Being able to track multiple family members is really useful but I'm not sure why it needed an exact date of birth (age brackets should suffice) or height / weight to register someone. This could be simplified in my opinion as all it needs is a name and whether an adult or child. The other aspects could be optional. Height and weight has no bearing on temperature and I was uncomfortable handing over this data for no reason.

~ Was in-app fever management with comments, medication and photos helpful to you?

I did input when I gave him paracetamol just to use the feature but on the whole I can't imagine I would get much use out of this. Perhaps those with serious health conditions or on large amounts of medication might find this more useful.

~ Have you used a connected thermometer before? Which one and how did you find it?

Previously I used an ear thermometer but it did not have any connectivity, just gave you the current reading.

~ What is your experience of a connected temporal thermometer in comparison to traditional methods?

As someone who likes data and tracking things I really liked the way it synced with the App and now I've got that data available to me for as long as I want it. I definitely found it easier to use, as my son hates the in-ear thermometer but didn't seem phased by this one.

~ Would you recommend Nokia Thermo?

Maybe. It is quite expensive, so that has to be considered. For anyone with a large family, an ongoing health condition or who has a child that really struggles with an ear thermometer then I would recommend this being worth the extra cost. For those who really like to keep track and chart data, I would recommend it as well.

After three bouts of tonsillitis in our home over the last three weeks- top tips are ibuprofen or paracetamol and removing clothing. DH likes to cool the DC with a flannel but I think it can cause distress and therefore increase the temperature as if they are quite young they don't like it and cry.

~ How did you experience the installation / unboxing of your product and app download?
The app was easy to download, however I don't like the fact that the thermometer won't work at all until it is connected to the app. If you had bought it because your child was unwell you would want to use it straight away then download the app later.

~ What do you like best about your Nokia Thermo? (design, functionality, connectivity, etc.)
I liked the design. It's very easy to use, my 5 year old likes to use it on herself!

~ How easy is it to bring your Nokia Thermo on the go?
It is small so easy to carry.

~ In what circumstances did you use your Nokia thermo? (at night, for baby, for yourself? Etc.)
I used it on myself and my 5 year old. I did not need to use it at night but think it would work well as it can be used without touching the skin so hopefully would not wake up a child.

~ How useful is the lights-off measurement of the Nokia thermo?
Makes it easier to use at night without waking a sleeping child

~ How do you like the in-App health overview for each of your family members?
Did not find this helpful. Also found it strange that when inputting details for each person height was in metric but weight in imperial!

~ Was in-app fever management with comments, medication and photos helpful to you?
Being able to add medication may be useful if your child is requiring multiple medications (or you have more than one child unwell), would make it easier to keep track.

~ Have you used a connected thermometer before? Which one and how did you find it?
Never used one before

~ What is your experience of a connected temporal thermometer in comparison to traditional methods?
I like the temporal aspect of the thermometer, think this would be especially useful for babies and small children where a tympanic thermometer doesn't work so well. Personally I didn't find the app particularly necessary, but if you had a situation where you had to monitor temperature closely (for example an immunocompromised child or even if monitoring ovulation when trying to conceive) then it could be very useful.

~ Would you recommend Nokia Thermo?
Not for general use, it is very expensive for a thermometer. However for anyone who needed to regularly monitor and record temperatures I think it could be worth the money.

I would give my son a cool drink or strip of his top clothes to cool him down quicker if he had a very high temperature.

Non tester- give plenty of fluids, have winndow open a lil bit. If paracetamol doesn’t bring down temp also give ibuprofen. Dress DC in all cotton & use a cool flannel to wipe face

A cool towel on forehead, a warm drink of lemon and honey, a glass of water and some soothing music.

Non tester

Paracetamol to lower a high temp, less clothing and lighter bedding, lots of fluids and the fan on. A cold compress too if needed.

Non tester.
Plenty to drink. A cool flannel on the forehead. Paracetamol. Cool, loose clothing. Lots and lots of love.

How did you experience the installation / unboxing of your product and app download?
Great packaging but was quite disappointed that I couldn’t use it straight away. App download was fiddly and time taking but simple enough.
~ What do you like best about your Nokia Thermo? (design, functionality, connectivity, etc.)
The design is great and I have found th connectivity to be good too
~ How easy is it to bring your Nokia Thermo on the go?
It is easy to carry.
~ In what circumstances did you use your Nokia thermo? (at night, for baby, for yourself? Etc.)
My little one has been unwell and I tried to use it to track her fever but the readings varied so much that I had to use the ear thermometer too.
~ How useful is the lights-off measurement of the Nokia thermo?
Not particularly useful to us
~ How do you like the in-App health overview for each of your family members?
It is ok
~ Was in-app fever management with comments, medication and photos helpful to you?
Not particularly
~ Have you used a connected thermometer before? Which one and how did you find it?
No
~ What is your experience of a connected temporal thermometer in comparison to traditional methods?
~ Would you recommend Nokia Thermo?
I really like the concept of this product but feel that a little bit more Work needs to be done to get the readings better. I wouldn’t mind the skin touch method.

Non tester-

paracetamol has generally worked very quickly to bring a temp down in this house when someone is unwell.

Non a Tester
Take jumper and socks off to reduce heat use a cool flannel on head and give calpol asap

Non Tester:-
Calpol and a cuddle is king

Lots to drink, calpol and cotton clothing (non tester)

A cuddle and Ribena

Tester. Thank you. I was very pleased to be selected for this product test.

How did you experience the installation / unboxing of your product and app download?

Unboxing was very straightforward. I was irked to have to install the app before I could use the product. I received the product very quickly, before the email advising us where to find the app. I presume this is because the app isn't obvious to find. It didn't show up on an internet search, and I had to download another Nokia app to find it.

I was baffled as to why I had to insert the weight and height of all users to add them on. I think this should be optional. I took perverse pleasure in entering DH and I as four feet tall and twenty stone. Low level rebellion.

~ What do you like best about your Nokia Thermo? (design, functionality, connectivity, etc.)

This is a fab device. It's small, nifty, and you waft it near a grumpy toddler and get a reading. Bliss.

~ How easy is it to bring your Nokia Thermo on the go?
Very. It's compact and robust.

~ In what circumstances did you use your Nokia thermo? (at night, for baby, for yourself? Etc.)
I used it on my poorly miserable toddler, then happily zapped all the children.

~ How useful is the lights-off measurement of the Nokia thermo?
Good idea, but I didn't find this as useful. It's moderately impossible to assess a poorly child in the dark, and the thermometer isn't so light it's disturbing the child further.

~ How do you like the in-App health overview for each of your family members?
Good idea, and I like the gimmick, but I didn't need it personally

~ Was in-app fever management with comments, medication and photos helpful to you?
I was surprised about the different temperature "normals" for different ages. Again I didn't personally need the photos etc, but can see it has a role.

~ Have you used a connected thermometer before? Which one and how did you find it?
No
~ What is your experience of a connected temporal thermometer in comparison to traditional methods?
I loved the ease of use of this so much it's hard to separate that from the other aspects. One good thing about the connected aspect is I can zap more than one child, and am not then distracted trying to remember the temperature ten minutes later.

~ Would you recommend Nokia Thermo?
Yes.

non-tester

Cool drinks, i get mr frosty out to take their minds off feeling poorly and they enjoy the cold drinks :)