PM5 and FitBit Charge HR

[skdoo800]

Hello -

Has anyone had luck attaching FitBit Charge HR with PM5 (firmware V17)?

On PM5, pressing 'More Options' and 'Connect Heart Rate' with FitBit in range, the display reads 'No Belts Found'.

FitBit is connecting to iPhone 6 without issue.

In the event FitBit is not an option, suggestions for a watch based HRM which will work with PM5 are welcome (trying to avoid chest belt solution).

Thanks in advance,

Mitch

[olela]

In the event FitBit is not an option, suggestions for a watch based HRM which will work with PM5 are welcome (trying to avoid chest belt solution).

I use the Mio Link, and it works perfect with my PM5:)

[Coninxd]

It takes a few seconds before it shows up on the PM5, so be patient.

Scosche Rythm+ works as well, It does BT and ANT+. I even managed to link it via ANT+ to the PM5 and via BT to my Nexus 5 simultaniously.
I did have a few issues with the PM (running beta software). Once it was stuck on the main menu, had to pull the batteries to reset it, and had some errors. Not sure if that's due to the use of the Scosche specifically or just the Beta software in general.

[ortega]

I have used Scosche Rhythm+ on the PM5, with no problems.
Using USB, it auto connects and is visible on screen.

[skdoo800]

Thanks to all for the replies -

May have to debug the Bluetooth stack on the laptop to see what FitBit is spewing out.

Have found my wallet is lighter after the Concept showed up at the house!

[RJLynn67]

Did anyone get anywhere with attaching the Fitbit Charge HR to the PM5?

I am having the same issues as stated above. I am only a day into the Fitbit so if I cannot get it to connect I will take it back and get something that will.

I would like a wristband activity tracker that will work as the HR monitor for rowing with the PM5, Rowpro and the erg ap.

Any suggestions?

[ChuckEckert]

Same question, but wanted to focus on what user "Coninxd" said,

It takes a few seconds before it shows up on the PM5, so be patient.

Do you mean fitbit or something else?

Cheers,

[RJLynn67]

I could never get the Fitbit to show up on the PM5. I am not sure if it has a mode to broadcast the HR for other devices to read.

I ended up taking it back and getting the new Garmin Vivosmart HR. It is a much better tracker in my opinion as it is waterproof has more alerts and what seems to be a better HR sensor.

Not to mention it connects with the PM5! Now it still struggles with accurate readings during the rows. I am beginning to this this is with all wrist based sensors. I am playing around with a different tighnesses and positions on my arm and I am getting better results but not perfect yet,

I still see a chest strap in the future for rowing. However this one is a solid wrist based monitor/tracker/borderline smartwatch.

[ChuckEckert]

Appreciate the quick, and informative response!

[RJLynn67]

I have been playing around with making it tighter and moving it further up my arm away from my wrist. At a close to uncomfortable tightness and a little over two of my fat fingers up from my wrist bone is actually yielding a pretty good response. It stayed seemingly accurate through my entire row this morning.

[ali12345]

What model vivosmart did you get? Do you know if the vivofit would work too?
My chest strap doesn't connect with the pm5 so I'd like to try a wrist one rather than buy a new chest strap.
Would love to see my heart rate in my data.

[RJLynn67]

it is the Garmin Vivosmart HR. It is still sporadic with how well it interfaces with the rower.

[ali12345]

That's a shame - think I might leave it if it isn't reliable

[s2kohio]

I have been playing around with making it tighter and moving it further up my arm away from my wrist. At a close to uncomfortable tightness and a little over two of my fat fingers up from my wrist bone is actually yielding a pretty good response. It stayed seemingly accurate through my entire row this morning.

I use the polar H7 with the PM5. I wanted more stats regarding HR workout so I began using the H7 with the Polar Beat App. I was unhappy that the H7 could only be sync'd to one app at a time so it was either the PM5 or the Polar Beat - for HR monitoring. The Polar Beat is by far more robust.

So I decided to test the Polar Beat with the H7 chest strap against the activity wristbands.

I tried the Basis Peak - terrible device (surprising with all the good reviews), but once I got it and checked out the user forums I saw that their issues mirrored mine - inconsistent connectivity, inconsistent, steps, HR not registering, etc. I returned it. It was worthless for tracking anything to do with rowing.

I tried the Polar A360 since the reviews were great and the Polar Beat and Polar Flow apps work very nicely. Bottom line, it undercounts steps, it is hit or miss with wrist movement to show the time and most importantly it is about 20+ beats off (low) from what the H7 was showing. It did track HR while rowing, but not accurate at all. The strap that I got (medium) really was not a great size and I found it uncomfortable. My wrist is 7 1/8" circumference and the medium size strap was OK for my wrist, but I hated the band - it has 2 metal prongs that fit into the band. Bottom line - it's in the box to be returned.

This weekend I bought the Fitbit Charge HR. I put on the H7 chest strap and got the Polar Beat App ready to go. I put the Fitbit charge HR between my wrist and elbow - about halfway up my forearm - and set the FB HR to Heart rate ON. I then started a 30 minute interval row - the one on the PM5 Custom Row menu - 2000 meter with the 3 min rest interval. As soon as the rest interval started I compared the FB HR to the H7 Polar Beat heart rate and it was spot on. I was not able to check the HR on the Fitbit while rowing because I couldn't push the side button to light up the screen. At al times checked, the Charge HR was as consistent and identical as the H7 in its readings. I was pretty surprised. Even checking the graph on the Fitbit desktop application against the Polar Flow graph - the readings were consistent. I was surprised since the H7 is the 'gold standard' in heart rate monitoring.

The Basis and the Polar A360 were both failures for HR (and other things as well). After my testing over the past 4 weeks of many varieties of wrist activity monitors I'm keeping the Charge HR and just strap it halfway up my forearm for its HR usefulness. The battery on the HR needed to be charged after 20 hrs of use as the battery showed it was 50% depleted.

For step counting, I'm not sure that the charge HR is as spot on as my Fitbit One that I have been using since March 2013. I think the Charge HR over counts steps. However, since I started rowing in August 2015, I'm not that obsessed with steps as I am with meters, times, and heart beats/minute.

By the way, I have the large band on the charge HR, which lucky for me fits the middle of my forearm on the last 'notch'.

Just my 2 cents.

[s2kohio]

The PM5 does not recognize the Fitbit Charge HR. It's too bad and I wonder why it doesn't since the HR is Bluetooth 4.0 compatible (or so it says). Maybe Fitbit wants it to remain a proprietary device to keep it from being intergraded into something somewhat more robust than it is.