ErgData cannot connect to my bluetooth heartrate monitor

[mariannemeulen]

I am using ErgData on my Android.
When I try to connect to my Bluetooth heartrate monitor, it keeps searching. Sometimes it briefly shows my heartrate belt in the list, but it quickly disappears.

I have tested my heartrate belt works with my phone and it works fine.
(installed the app Elite HRV and it connects just fine).
Belt I have: Suunto Smart sensor

Any advise?

[Aks]

I've been dealing with this issue for 6 months. I thought it was my phone (iPhone) so I upgraded. Still had issues.

Then I started thinking about the times it did work (mainly when I got the new phone, but didn't register it with the carrier)

What seems to be working for me is putting the phone in airplane mode and then making sure bluetooth is enabled. I think the issue has something to do with my carrier(?)... maybe too much interference where my rower is. It's fine with wifi and bluetooth enabled.

I would love to know if this works for you.

[Mat]

There is only one way for me to get my heart rate belt Polar H7, my PM5 with Software v25 and my iPhone iOS 11 together:

1. Turn Bluetooth on iPhone off but WLAN on.
2. Wear heart rate belt.
3. Awake PM5 and pair with heart rate belt.
4. Turn wireless connection on PM5 on.
5. Start ErgData but be sure that Bluetooth is still turned off. There must be a warning in ErgData to turn Bluetooth on. Press ok.
6. When everything else has been made the last thing to do is: Turn Bluetooth on iPhone on. It immediately connects to the PM5 now.
7. Choose your workout but before you start wait till your heart rate is shown: It might take a few seconds (15 to 30).

I never pair the heart rate belt or the PM5 to the iPhone in the Blue tooth menu of my phone. I only pair the belt with my PM5 not to my iPhone.

Mat

[Aks]

Thanks

I am still having issues. The only time I haven't was when I was using a new phone that hadn't been registered with my carrier. Everything was flawless. So for me, that means there is interference somewhere. I am using a garmin strap. I'm so tired of stopping and starting I might just go back to RowPro. I am not sure this is a C2 issue, but one of modern-day connection. Too many devices.

Like, my yoga studio has to ask everyone to leave their phones in their cars because even if they are in the building and not in the actual studio, the music system glitches constantly. This wasn't a problem a year ago.

[gregsmith01748]

Hi,

Connecting Heart Rate Monitors for rowing is a real pain in the butt because there are so many different standards, products and options. And, frankly, none of them are robust or easy to use.

It helps to start by having one that always works. Here's my most reliable procedure. I am using a PM5, a Polar OH1 heart rate monitor (BLE), and an IphoneX.

1. Turn off bluetooth on my phone
2. Turn on my HR monitor
3. On the PM5, navigate the menus to connect the HR Monitor to the PM5. Sometimes it takes a few seconds to show up
4. Turn on bluetooth in my phone
5. On the PM5, navigate the menus to Enable Wireless connection
6. On the phone, launch painsled (or ergdata, if you prefer)

So, why do these steps matter.

- If I don't turn off bluetooth on my phone, sometimes the HRM will pair with the phone instead of the PM5. That means that the belt won't show up on the screen as a choice
- Then Bluetooth needs to be turned back on because the PM5 uses it to link to the phone.
- I don't think it matter much whether you launch the app and then enable wireless connection.

Now let's talk about options.
- You can, if you prefer, hook your heart rate monitor to the phone instead of the PM5, but then you don't get to see your HR on the PM display.
- If you have an ANT+ HRM, you can hook that up to the PM5. I used to do this with a Tickr HRM and actually used it so that the HRM was connected by BLE to my phone and by ANT+ to the PM5, but I found it to be very unstable and unreliable.
- If you have a PM3 or a PM4, you can connect it to your phone using a USB cable and use ergdata (or painsled). In this case, you will want to hook your BLE HRM to you phone. If you have ANT+, you can hook it to the PM4 directly. If you happen to have a Polar HRM and the polar receiver on your PM3, you can still use that hookup with ergdata or painsled.

Next, let's talk about unreliability. There is a bunch of causes.
- Out of date PM firmware. This one always bites me at crossfit boxes and fitness centers.
- PM5 problems.
---> Early PM5s had a issue where the battery compartment back cover did not hold the batteries securely in place. Sometimes the vibration in use would cause intermittent connections to the batteries and the PM5 would wig out. If you contact C2, they will ask you what rev cover you have and if it's the old one, they will send a new one.
---> Other HW issues. I have had issues with 2 different PM5s that were ultimately tracked down to faulty hardware and they were replaced. These were problems where the PM would throw an error code during a workout and hang up.
- The huge variety of HRMs. There is no way that every HRM vendor can test their products with every phone and piece of fitness equipment. There is no way that Concept2 can test the PM5 with every HRM. Paying a bit more to stick with a big name monitor is probably a good idea. I've had good luck with the Polar H7 and the OH1. I've had more problems with the Tickr, but that might be coincidence.
- HRM batteries. Although HRM batteries should last a long time, sometimes they don't. I have checked on my phone and randomly seen my HRM connected hours after my workout was over. One of the nicest thing about the OH1 is that the battery is rechargeable so I am never in doubt about whether it is running out of juice.

Sorry for the novel. I've got a lot of scars from trying to do this stuff.

[Aks]

Thanks!

I am using a garmin strap which only connects via ANT. The folks at C2 sent me a souped up PM5 and every time something crashes, I am supposed to look at the lights on the back of the PM5 (there are 2!) and record a little diagnostic program.

I don't mind doing it, but it got kind of annoying... sometimes everything freezes one minute into a session, other times at 7, 12 or 20 minutes. It got depressing.

I got a new iPhone 8 (wish I had sprung for the x, but not because of the erg). I have tried a gazillion combinations of airplane mode and only bluetooth. Bluetooth off. No bluetooth headphones. No other stuff in the house... it varies and sometimes was successful sometimes not. I am still using the souped up PM5 but will swap that out for my original this weekend.

I think there are a lot of other interferences in my area. I gave up because it was bugging me. While I can row without the HRM, I am more successful with it as I tend to burn out.

So back to RowPro (which sometimes hangs and that makes me feel doomed!)