Polar Devices

sorrow123

So an update on Polar devices and Android and MFP, they have mislead customers, the device will not sync with MFP at all while under Android, but under iOS it may work. Long discussion with a manger and was told it "may" happen mid-year, but no firm date, same statement as last year.

They failed to deliver when they said it worked in February, best advice I can give to others is DO NOT BUY a polar product at this time, consider buying a FitBit Surge or FitBit Charge HR for the heart rate functionality, the prices are about the same, and they function correctly with MFP and Android. The down side to the Fitbit is that during intense exercise the HR functionality is flaky due to the sweat on the wrist and arm, the Polar H7 that comes with the M400 is a great HRM and works very well under intense exercise conditions.

A side note about the Fitbit devices and Polar devices While wearing both the H7 and Fitbit Charge NON HR and comparing the calories burnt during an elliptical session, they were almost identical in the rate of calories burnt, for the session and there was no heart rate monitoring with the Fitbit Charge.

betuel75

I have the Charge HR and use the Polar H7. I dont find the fitbit Charge HR accurate but the Polar H7 i do. I just log the exercise manually to MFP and change the calories burned according to what the Polar Beat app says ive burned. When i mountain bike ride the Charge HR will not stay in place on my wrist and wont give accurate numbers. Also Polar Beat app uses GPS and maps my rides which i like. It also shows my my heart rate at every point of the ride so i know what my HR was going up a certain hill, etc.

sorrow123

Overall the Polar devices are planned for serious activity and should work better, and do . The Fitbit products less robust, but they at least connect to MFP correctly. I wish Polar would step up and correct this problem and make it work

LisaAG5

It's never a deal breaker if a product syncs with MFP or not. It's simple enough to manually enter what I need to enter whether it be a 27 mile road bike ride, 10 mile run, or crossfit. Polar makes exceptional products that are superior to Fitbit and many others. If you're serious about a lifestyle change, these products aren't simply glorified pedometers that eventually you have no use for as you progress with your exercise routines. I found the Fitbit limited in its abilities to keep up with my need for more in depth statistics. Of course everyone has different wants/needs/demands for a product. While Polar has not delivered on its "promise" for us Android customers, their products standalone strength beats many. Sad too, that their PolarFlow is Beta as it should be but perhaps that's just them being honest. Some don't admit to be in Beta and they are even more lacking in product support and in-depth information regarding your workout. Wrist worn "heart rate monitors" are not true heart rate monitors and technically take your pulse. While related to your heart rate, it truly is not as accurate as the chest worn H7. I've tried them all for a month at a time and Polar is the best, so far. Currently, I have and prefer the M400 (with the H7) especially since it uses GPS and I bike ride regularly and run. I, too, spoke with several reps at Polar and the latest update is that many of the updates, including PolarFlow supporting Android and syncing with MFP AND smartphone notifications on the M400 and V800 will happen in Q3. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. However, with this latest update posted on their site (they didn't realize how rapidly their user base would get so they have had to update their hosting and data infrastructure.) That takes time. Here's the post:


We know you've been anxiously waiting for the upcoming updates which we have given you a sneak peak earlier. However, as you know we faced some unexpected challenges after the New Year’s which, to be honest, gave us the chills too. Now the situation is that the growing user base requires us to upgrade our hosting and data infrastructure. This upgrade also helps to improve the stability of our services. Unfortunately, this change and the earlier faced challenges will have an effect on some of the schedules we have provided earlier. For instance, the Training Programs for runners will need to be postponed – sorry to say. The target is to have the Programs to your use during Q3.

CHEERS! Like everything else, everyone has different preferences. My husband prefers his Iphone and I prefer my Samsung Galaxy S! House divided! ;-)

tekkiechikk

sorrow123 wrote: »

Overall the Polar devices are planned for serious activity and should work better, and do . The Fitbit products less robust, but they at least connect to MFP correctly. I wish Polar would step up and correct this problem and make it work

I knew this before I bought my FT7 and did, anyway, since I wasn't willing to sacrifice accuracy for convenience. From the research I did (and which you did, too, apparently) Polar products do what they promise and do it well. Like Lisa said, not being able to synch wasn't a deal breaker for me, either.

esjones12

tekkiechikk wrote: »

I knew this before I bought my FT7 and did, anyway, since I wasn't willing to sacrifice accuracy for convenience. From the research I did (and which you did, too, apparently) Polar products do what they promise and do it well. Like Lisa said, not being able to synch wasn't a deal breaker for me, either.

Ditto. I freaking love my FT7. I enter my calories manually...not a big deal.

chriscruz83

betuel75 wrote: »

I have the Charge HR and use the Polar H7. I dont find the fitbit Charge HR accurate but the Polar H7 i do. I just log the exercise manually to MFP and change the calories burned according to what the Polar Beat app says ive burned.

Word!!

Polar rocks.

cmbauer99

I know how frustrating it is when you have Android, part of the reason I switched because I love the Polar products so much. Now my H7 with my Polar M400 sync with my iPhone 6 which intergrates direct with MFP. Never been easier. I loved android but apple has this all figured out. Android is too fragemented

GuyIncognito123

One of the selling points for me buying my Polar FT4 was that I didn't have to rely on a mobile device to read the information (I refuse to own a cellular phone). I manually enter my numbers into MFP to track it - only takes a second. I know it doesn't add much, but if it did sync with MFP or any other website I wouldn't have bought it.