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Does anyone now the cheapest compatible heart rate monitor.
I would like to know this as well.
The Garmin HRM strap works fine (I just tried it). Not that they're that cheap but if you're a cyclist like me you probably already have one (or more).
Part Number: 010-10997-00 on Garmin's web site.
Has anyone else used a heart rate monitor with the Note 3? (or a fitness tracker/smart watch) If so, which ones? I would really love to get something like that! I can't find hardly any information on Samsung's S-band either, at least not from their site.
This is compatible and cheap. Opt for the "regular strap" for the cheaper version although I'd recommend getting the premium one for comfort.
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Premium-Heart-Monitor-Strap/dp/B0029M3NSS
Just got my Wahoo heart rate monitor and speed and cadence sensor for my bike.
All connect absolutely fine as they're Ant+ (knew they would)
Although they state for iPhone (stupid statement as it works on Ant+ not IOS).
best few $ I ever spent.
What apps do you guys use to track with? I've been using run keeper and have a garmin HRM and don't see a setting for it so i'm guessing this app does not support Ant+ sends me off to a blue tooth HRM.
doesn't the galaxy note 3 have Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+?
This is where I'm confused on the purchase of a HRM, I don't know whether to get a BLE or ANT+ strap? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
I have a Polar H7 which supports Bluetooth Smart. I use it with Sportstracker app. I went with Bluetooth Smart over Ant+ because more devices and apps are moving that way.
Endomondo is adding Bluetooth Smart soon. That's the app I want to use.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Polar Wearlink+.Bluetooth transmitter. Use it with CardioTrainer app.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HM0H14
There is also a very clever app which uses the camera and flashlight at the same time to report your pulse real-time - and it works!
Sent from my Galaxy Note III; Previous owner/hacker of Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus, Droid X, HTC HD2, HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Tilt, HTC 8525, O2 XDA II, O2 XDA.
Zephyr HxM = Sensor+Belt; Sports Tracker Pro = App
I use this combo daily. Absolutely reliable. The Zephyr HxM is the best senor because it has cadence built-in. This allows you to report distance on things like ellipticals and treadmills. The Zephyr HxM comes with a small dock for recharging; no messing with batteries. Sports Tracker Pro reports battery status along with other statistics so you can recharge unit after your workout if you notice it needs recharge. Sports Tracker Pro uploads your workouts to the cloud (if you so chose). This is a really complete package.
Amdathlonuk said:
Just got my Wahoo heart rate monitor and speed and cadence sensor for my bike.
All connect absolutely fine as they're Ant+ (knew they would)
Although they state for iPhone (stupid statement as it works on Ant+ not IOS).
best few $ I ever spent.
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Click to collapse
I too have a Wahoo HRM - works great.
I just picked up a Oregon Scientific SZ999 unit on Clearance for $23. I am trying to see if it will work with my Note 3. Has anyone tried these? It is a BLE (BT 4.0) device.
It shows up on my phone when I scan for it but when I try to communicate with it I get an "Unable to communicate with HRM (Ver0.4)" error.
The manual does say to slightly wet the skin where the pads go and to not have any hair. I just attached this to my chest and am slightly sweaty and have a little hair but nothing major. I figured if I saw it then I should be able to connect to it unless the battery is shot. It was on Clearance which normally means it has been in the box for a while.
So I guess I really want to know is has anyone tried using one of these with their phone?
If it works then I got it for an awesome price. If it doesn't then I have 30 days to return it.
Rodney
Hi. Just wondering if anyone has tested the accuracy of the heart rate monitor during vigorous exercise? I am cautious about this unit, given how poorly the HRM works on the Gear 2 Neo. I have a great fitness watch with an accurate strapless HRM, but I would love to combine the features of a smart watch with a fitness device. The Gear S is the best option at the moment, but I have not seen any valid comparison against a device that is known to be accurate.
Thanks!
I have worn the gear with my polar hrm at the same time. If you sit there and stare at it, sometimes it can look off from the polar. However, when the workout is over and you compare the two, the readings are comparable. Accurate enough for me.
I haven't done enough tests to be 100% sure, but using a blood pressure monitor(it shows heart rate as well) and then the watch right after. The difference was about 2 bpm. So while I can't be sure it is accurate in all scenarios and I only tested once. The results seem to be accurate.
Thanks for the replies. I don't need it to be perfect, so it should be OK. The Gear Neo is useless as a training tool, as it cannot hold the heart rate consistently. If the Gear S only has the occasional spike or drop, it should be OK.
Can the Gear S sync with a bluetooth heartrate monitor?
In my experience Gear 2 works fine, if you don't sweat.
If you want better accuracy, look into two sensor devices like Apple Watch, Fitbit HR, or Mio Alpha (especially MIO).
I would not expect any accuracy improvement, from any single sensor Hear Rate monitor.
I tested it a few times while at doctor appointments. The nurse did a manual reading the old fashioned way and it was always within 5 or less.
Sent from my SM-N915V using XDA Free mobile app
-_-
In order to offload step calculation from Galaxy S5 and add heart rate monitoring to my exercises I thought to buy Samsung Gear Fit. I thought it might help a lot. But after a little research it seems its pedometer and heart rate sensor is far from accurate. However, all those reviews were made when it was first released. It got some updates I think. Now, after those updates what about its accuracy, did Samsung increase its pedometer and heart rate monitor accuracy via updates, or is it still the same?
Also since nearly a month S Health application is very laggy. When I wake up the device it is freezed nearly for 5 secs. Exercise mode rarely functions, just freezes and phone asks to kill it. This way also it consumes much more battery too. So I see it is important to not rely on only one application. Can Gear Fit run fine with other applications like Endomondo? I thought about other devices too, but it seems Gear Fit is the best in its price tag and features.
S-Health is really bad. I use Endomondo and it does more than I could ask for. Yes, best value for money device.
sis651 said:
In order to offload step calculation from Galaxy S5 and add heart rate monitoring to my exercises I thought to buy Samsung Gear Fit. I thought it might help a lot. But after a little research it seems its pedometer and heart rate sensor is far from accurate. However, all those reviews were made when it was first released. It got some updates I think. Now, after those updates what about its accuracy, did Samsung increase its pedometer and heart rate monitor accuracy via updates, or is it still the same?
Also since nearly a month S Health application is very laggy. When I wake up the device it is freezed nearly for 5 secs. Exercise mode rarely functions, just freezes and phone asks to kill it. This way also it consumes much more battery too. So I see it is important to not rely on only one application. Can Gear Fit run fine with other applications like Endomondo? I thought about other devices too, but it seems Gear Fit is the best in its price tag and features.
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It seems so. Just Endomondo seems its not able to use the heart rate sensor. I don't know, maybe I can buy sth. like Garmin Vivosmart and a heart rate monitor band. I'm dubious as I haven't used these devices. In fact do not really need these, but hava some capitalistic urge to buy from these.
What about their pedometer and heart rate accuracy?
After quite some time of using Amazfit 2 as sportstracker mostly for running, I would like to share my experiences and comment on issues I have found. I have bought Amazfit 2 as a cheap replacement for garmin forerunner 220 I have used in the past. My feelings are quite mixed in the end. One of the highlights of amazfit is its build. It is build to last, looks nicely and fells durable in comparison with low to mid class garmin devices. However, there is lot of issues that in my opinion render it unusable for serious sport tracking:
GPS recording - There is discrepancy between mileage showed on watches (and in Amazfit app) vs mileage actually written in GPX file. So when your activity gets uploaded into Strava (or you then export it to Endomondo etc.), there is major difference (up to 2 %) in total mileage and thus also in pace etc. This is critical flaw.
Pace - One of the most important features of running sport tester is its ability to indicate current tempo. However, Amazfit readings fluctuate wildly, so it is really of not much use. For example, when jogging at constant pace, it quickly jumps between 4:00-5:30 min per km. In garmin devices, this get averaged and probably even anticipates hand movement, so you get quite good impression of how fast are you running at the moment. This is another major drawback of amazfit.
Altitude - I have noticed that for running, amazfit uses altitude from GPS only. Therefore, it is very inaccurate and completely useless - serves more like a random number generator. If you use "trail run" acitivity, altitude is measured through barometric sensor only, which is also less accurate. On garmin devices with barometer, altitude is measeured through combination of both sensors and measurements are very accurate (I got this impression after using Strava's correct elevation functionality).
Heart rate - For me, heart rate measurement during activity provides very poor readings. Even though i am having watches tightened fairly strong. For my regular runs at 150-160 bpm (measured through chest strap), typical stratos reading is around 120. Only sporadically, it gets closer to real values for certain period of workout. But in general, it is useless. It works same for my friend who also bought Amazfit for running. It seems to perform better when cycling (maybe because there is not that much hand movement - I dunno). However at this price tag, it is not realistic to expect any kind of accuracy from optical sensor. It is probably something very basic, it can be compared with garmin devices, which provide kind of realistic measurements. Downside of stratos is also the fact that it does not support ANT+ protocol, so most quality chest straps are not supported.
First beat features - These are in theory very nice. However as they are mostly based on HR readings, which are totaly offshot in Amazfit, they are not of much use.
However, this is something you might expect, as amazfit costs fraction of most other comparable devices, that can actually be used as sports tracker. In general, I would say, for a price it is still good buy for a nice looking smartwatch. For usage as sport tester, it has very nice hardware, however lacks proper software, which is probably not going to get changed.
Abandonned my Stratos because steps count are totaly wrong. Works if you start a fitness exercice with continuous walk or run but unusable as daily tracker. Steps are at minimum 2 time below real steps. I have real steps with a Fitbit One wich count only steps and not arm movement. Stratos daily steps also totally wrong compared to : Apple Watch, Gear Watch, Fitbit Watch, Garmin Watch.
Other thing is the current temp. Works sometime but often no data and display only min/max of the forecast for the day so unusable to have a forecast and not current temps. When we have a feature it must works or deleted
Notifications truncated but works on Android phone but ramdomly on IOS phone.
Not ready for prime time, just as prototype for tester.
thanks great review
Poborak said:
After quite some time of using Amazfit 2 as sportstracker mostly for running, I would like to share my experiences and comment on issues I have found. I have bought Amazfit 2 as a cheap replacement for garmin forerunner 220 I have used in the past. My feelings are quite mixed in the end. One of the highlights of amazfit is its build. It is build to last, looks nicely and fells durable in comparison with low to mid class garmin devices. However, there is lot of issues that in my opinion render it unusable for serious sport tracking:
GPS recording - There is discrepancy between mileage showed on watches (and in Amazfit app) vs mileage actually written in GPX file. So when your activity gets uploaded into Strava (or you then export it to Endomondo etc.), there is major difference (up to 2 %) in total mileage and thus also in pace etc. This is critical flaw.
Pace - One of the most important features of running sport tester is its ability to indicate current tempo. However, Amazfit readings fluctuate wildly, so it is really of not much use. For example, when jogging at constant pace, it quickly jumps between 4:00-5:30 min per km. In garmin devices, this get averaged and probably even anticipates hand movement, so you get quite good impression of how fast are you running at the moment. This is another major drawback of amazfit.
Altitude - I have noticed that for running, amazfit uses altitude from GPS only. Therefore, it is very inaccurate and completely useless - serves more like a random number generator. If you use "trail run" acitivity, altitude is measured through barometric sensor only, which is also less accurate. On garmin devices with barometer, altitude is measeured through combination of both sensors and measurements are very accurate (I got this impression after using Strava's correct elevation functionality).
Heart rate - For me, heart rate measurement during activity provides very poor readings. Even though i am having watches tightened fairly strong. For my regular runs at 150-160 bpm (measured through chest strap), typical stratos reading is around 120. Only sporadically, it gets closer to real values for certain period of workout. But in general, it is useless. It works same for my friend who also bought Amazfit for running. It seems to perform better when cycling (maybe because there is not that much hand movement - I dunno). However at this price tag, it is not realistic to expect any kind of accuracy from optical sensor. It is probably something very basic, it can be compared with garmin devices, which provide kind of realistic measurements. Downside of stratos is also the fact that it does not support ANT+ protocol, so most quality chest straps are not supported.
First beat features - These are in theory very nice. However as they are mostly based on HR readings, which are totaly offshot in Amazfit, they are not of much use.
However, this is something you might expect, as amazfit costs fraction of most other comparable devices, that can actually be used as sports tracker. In general, I would say, for a price it is still good buy for a nice looking smartwatch. For usage as sport tester, it has very nice hardware, however lacks proper software, which is probably not going to get changed.
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Its great to have a review from sport tracker point of view . After watching many youtube reviews I was in impression that this watch is a steal but now I think they have compromised on GPS , Optical heart sensor and software . I think now I will stick to my TomTom Spark as its fairly accurate in both department and wait for AmazeFit 3. Thanks for the great review :good:
I love my Stratos 2S...
I am not a professional athlete and for my use it is more than ideal! A great price for what it offers, without mentioning the battery life.
Guto ViP said:
I love my Stratos 2S...
I am not a professional athlete and for my use it is more than ideal! A great price for what it offers, without mentioning the battery life.
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These are my thoughts exactly. I recently ordered the Stratos and saw this thread thinking "Oh no, should I cancel my order?" but reading the details, the concerns raised by OP are likely not of concern for anyone that is not particularly "serious" about their athletics. In other-words, it's exactly what it looks like - an lower cost alternative to professional sports tracking devices. 2% inaccuracies in the distance traveled is actually ideal for my purposes - I may run about 5 miles at a time, so if it indicates I ran 4.9 or 5.1 miles (~2% is 0.1 miles), I would have no problems there since I likely set my stop point based on Google maps to begin with!
All the other metrics such as altitude, pace, and HR, I would treat as relative to my initial readings. Eg, if I started a run at 100 ft elevation and 70BPM, I would simply look at how much of a difference from that I varied and only care if I saw absurdly huge variances.
I appreciate the insights, and the details provided by OP, but I think it actually sends a different message to some users - instead of saying "it's quite useless", it's really just quite useless for OP and serious (or professional) athletic tracking. For every day, average joe/casual users, we're mostly glad to hear there's only a 2% variance.
Thanks for the details analysis! Looking forward to receiving my watch.
Individuals have different expectation. For its price, I will never think it can be as good as Garmin or much more expensive trackers. Serious athletes should never consider this Stratos watch unless you can accept certain flaws for its much lower price tag. It's quite unfair to compare it with those trackers and come with the conclusion that it's useless while many others are happy with it.
I will never think it can be as good as Garmin or much more expensive trackers
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Bingo. There's a reason a Garmin costs 2, 3 times as much. It's not that the Amazfits are bad they just may lack some of the refinement/accuracy of more expensive devices.
On a value-for-money count, they score high.
Poborak said:
After quite some time of using Amazfit 2 [...].
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I agree to all points. I have each experience the same after few weeks and several activities with this watch already performed.
I can only wish that firmware updates will improve most of weaknesses.
I have compared vivoactive 3/gamin fenix 5/polar m430/amazfit stratos and I will keep only the stratos, I explain shortly my decision:
Calories burned in all the day and training in gym (I'm bodybuilder) with a chest strap are the same (+/- 50) than the garmin.
Y use elpitical profile to track the gym activity and problem solved.
Amazing product for this price, the app is very good. 130 Euros VS..... no VS.
cons
nice watches, though i will get rid of tomtom spark 3 cardio, but Stratos showing wrong hr even with hr belt, instead of 48 showing high 70... even with belt the optical diode is still flashing. looks like bugged evo model to me...
Poborak said:
GPS recording - There is discrepancy between mileage showed on watches (and in Amazfit app) vs mileage actually written in GPX file. So when your activity gets uploaded into Strava (or you then export it to Endomondo etc.), there is major difference (up to 2 %) in total mileage and thus also in pace etc. This is critical flaw.
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Click to collapse
For GPS is pretty accurate. I have a track that I use for years now. Ran it with different watches (Vivoactive, Fitbit Ionic, TomTom etc). All of them had different mileage. And the Stratos is in the range of the others. Same for Strava: As far as I know Strava is automaticly correcting the length of the run based on their own algorithms.
I had an Garmin Vivoactive 3 before which costs twice as Stratos and was returned and refunded because of 2 hardware defects. I can only compare my Stratos to the VA3.
Distance: Same on both devices but little difference to Strava (both).
Pace: Same on both devices but Vivoactive 3 is updating move frequently and giving more pace alerts.
Altitude: Good to OK for Stratos, totally off for VA3. Strava corrects it anyway so I do not mind. For accurate altitude one needs to have a Suunto or Polar watch.
Step count: Only fine in walking activities on Stratos. For whole day it is counting much less than VA3. Amazfit should use a different algorithm for all day steps as others do. But I do not care about steps that much and VA3 is also not counting baby stroller steps.
Intensity minutes: The only reliable measurement on the VA3 but not available at Stratos.
Floor count: Garmin VA3 was OK but omitting some. Stratos stopped to count my floors since now the threshold seems to be much higher than 3 m.
Activities: Stratos missing important activity types as cardio or yoga. I am using elliptical for that which has almost same calorie count.
Heart rate sensor: Garmin has one of the best (it not the best) and because Vivoactive 3 is small and light it is the best watch at Garmin for recording. But still one needs to use a chest strap for high intensity activities or intervals. Stratos sensor is really bad but OK for resting heart rate and if one puts it higher on the arm and makes it tight than good enough for running or cycling.
Usage: Garmins VA3 has a crappy touch interface with a lot of annoyances and no mood to fix it. Stratos is more easy to operate but to slow and sometimes buggy.
App: Garmins Connect app is not really an app but just a web view. It holds a lot of data which is sometimes confusing but only works while having an active internet connection. Without internet is is not possible so sync activities to the smartphone nor checking data on the smartphone app. Stratos app is functional without internet but can only sync to Strava.
Verdict: I would be totally happy with the Stratos if the bugs are fixed and it had cardio and yoga activity types. I also like the Firstbeat features like recovery time and training effect. Garmins Vivoactive 3 is doing OK as an expensive activity tracker but has no training features and an annoying user interface and also some bugs like wrong altitude.
battery life with HR belt
guys whats your battery life with HR belt? I get -38% of battery after 2hr run with HR belt + GPS /optical switched off/, no backlight.
any hints?
my tomtom spark 3 runs for 8h15m with gps and HR belt, 7hr when skitouring /sub 0`C temp/
Hr measurements are completely off i take jabbra sport earbud for this and they connect to the stratos so ok
What annoys me the more is the altitude completely off hope they will introduce a manual input for this ... and sometimes it freeze ?
Great review of real runner, thank you!
Jabbra sport earbud
pbxl said:
Hr measurements are completely off i take jabbra sport earbud for this and they connect to the stratos so ok
What annoys me the more is the altitude completely off hope they will introduce a manual input for this ... and sometimes it freeze
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Hi could you share the exact model, would like to get the same earbuds for heart rate measurements.
Thanks
Can anyone recommend the best bluetooth HRM chest strap to pair with an Amazfit smartwatch?
I have the Amazfit Pace, but I am looking for opinions regardless of which Amazfit model you have. Many thanks!
Any HR strap that uses Bluetooth 4.1 or newer should work, from cheap Chinese ones from Ali to Polar ones.
Many thanks Ifom. I would want one of the best ones available, with high accuracy and good comfort etc. If anyone has feedback that would be great.
Decarabias said:
Many thanks Ifom. I would want one of the best ones available, with high accuracy and good comfort etc. If anyone has feedback that would be great.
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https://the5krunner.com/2018/05/03/amazfit-stratos-bluetooth-sensor-pairing-quirks/
Hey,
I'm using the strap linked below. Really good choice for the price, didn't know the brand before looking for best and cheap hr monitor. Really good feel and good accuracy, I practice interval trainings, long runs (>15km), and home workout (paired with my phone). I have the strap since six months and everything's fine, there's new version for similar price if you are interested. hope my feedback can be helpful.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CooSpo-Mon...&qid=1575110347&sprefix=coospo,aps,145&sr=8-4
Many thanks Int976, that's super helpful! I will get that one and report back.
I'm using the Wahoo TICKR
It's reliable and from a reputable brand; and works well with my Stratos
I've been using mine since May 2019 (7 months so far) and battery & accuracy still good.