Polar 720i HRM - connecting to PC

Moovie · May 2007

I have an S720i Polar HRM and have been trying to connect this to my Laptop - IBM T40 running XP - but having no joy.
The IRDA on the laptop will recognise other IR devices e.g. Phone, but not the Polar HRM.
Anyone got any experience of using one of these with a built-in IRDA Port and can give some tips on how to get these two talking (I am hoping to avoid having to buy a Polar USB-IR dongle!)

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2005 Ridgeback World Horizon Touring
???? Ridgeback MBR

Unknown · May 2007

Hi
My Toshiba Satelitte irda port recognises my polar 720 fine. I am assuming you have gone into the options screen of the software and changed it to irda?
Other than the software idea I don't know what else there is, sorry!

If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuits.....you'll get fat!

liversedge · May 2007

I gave up on the irda port on my laptop - I could never get it to work, even after updating device drivers and trying lots of different settings.

OTOH, the polar usb IR port just about works (once you install the right usb-serial driver, which was easier said than done). It also works on windows vista.

I wish polar would just bite the bullet and go usb, it would be so much easier. IR just sucks.

[edited for typo]
--
Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com

top_bhoy · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by liversedge

I gave up on the irda port on my laptop - I could never get it to work, even after updating device drivers and trying lots of different settings.

OTOH, the polar usb IR port just about works (once you install the right usb-serial driver, which was easier said than done). It also works on windows vista.

I wish polar would just bite the bullet and go usb, it would be so much easier. IR just sucks.

[edited for typo]
--
Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It must surely work fine and well for most people - or is Polars head so stuck up their own backside that they are oblivious to an obvious deficiency in their products.

This is my new bike:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/ ... ure001.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/ ... ure002.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/ ... ure003.jpg

TOTOISHEAVIERTHANME · May 2007

My 720 works fine with my laptop but I had to get my 14 yr old son to get it working! I believe you can use a device that plugs in to your USB port that costs about a fiver from a computer shop instead of the Polar device that I think costs about 4 times that amount.

On a more serious note, I think it helps if you download the upgraded software from the Polar website.

Keep persevering, it's well worth it.

Take the long way home

nmcgann · May 2007

I took the easy way out and got the polar interface. I'd like to know why it takes so long to connect though - it must be 25sec until the "connecting to wrist unit" box pops up after clicking the "connection" icon.

Neil

Moovie · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by TOTOISHEAVIERTHANME

My 720 works fine with my laptop but I had to get my 14 yr old son to get it working! I believe you can use a device that plugs in to your USB port that costs about a fiver from a computer shop instead of the Polar device that I think costs about 4 times that amount.

On a more serious note, I think it helps if you download the upgraded software from the Polar website.

Keep persevering, it's well worth it.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Thanks for the replies, guys (not that they helped at all [:(!] - just kidding [:o)])
I tried upgrading s/w - went from a x.x.040 to a x.x.047 - no joy but worth trying.
S/W is set to IRDA, but just doesn't want to say hello to the watch. Think I am going to have to bit the bullet and buy the Polar IR dongle as I have run out of ideas - and buying an add-on is always the best way to get the bit that wouldn't work before working!!
Googling around about this seems to suggest a generic IR plugin will not work - Be nice if they used bluetooth instead of this unreliable IR i/f anyway [:(]

Cheers All,

Moovie

________________________________________________________________________
2006 Ridgeback World Horizon Touring
???? Ridgeback MBR

barnesd · June 2007

Moovie

Had similar problem, bought this and it works fine with my 725x

http://tinyurl.com/3doetf

Moovie · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by barnesd

Moovie

Had similar problem, bought this and it works fine with my 725x

http://tinyurl.com/3doetf

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
A much nicer price then the Polar one - Thanks!!
I think I will go for that although ...... I have got it working just this minute!!! [8D] [:D] [:p] [:)] [8] [:o)] [:I]

I checked out the Polar website again just in case I was missing a trick and their "how too" is not great, but .. the laptop in their pictures is an IBM Thinkpad looking just like mine so I reckoned surely it must work, had another go following the text exactly and positioning my watch EXACTLY like their photo and it actually connected!!!
So now I can show Mrs Moovie how fit I am (not!) [xx(]

So anyone who is having trouble - may be worth just a double-take of the Polar FAQ just in case [?] http://support.polar.fi/PKBSupport.nsf/ ... enDocument

And again, thanks for the sugestion, barnesd, as although I have this working, I will still need an external one as the IBM is my Work Laptop and I really want to use my own Laptop (which has IR but not IRDA - Bl***y HP!)

________________________________________________________________________
2006 Ridgeback World Horizon Touring
???? Ridgeback MBR

barnesd · June 2007

good work!!!!!

Polar 720i HRM - connecting to PC

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