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Garmin HR Run Heart rate monitor strap compatibility with Myzone

My HIIt studio is starting to use myzone. Can I use my Garmin heart rate monitor strap and sync to their myzone system so the trainer can monitor my ‘efforts’ or so I need to purchase a myzone belt?

  • I would also like to know the answer to this!

  • I'm searching for an answer to this exact question. Frankly, the MyZone HRM is not as capable as alternatives. I'll propose my analysis and suggest that MyZone does not now and will not ever support third party devices on their receivers. 

    From what I've read about the MyZone hub, receiver, and app, pairing is accomplished by entering a serial number or device ID from the MyZone HRM. You do not pair with the MyZone receiving devices by putting them in "Pairing Mode" and waiting for the system to pick up your HRM like you might with a Garmin HRM or a Wahoo HRM. 

    Some background on how computers talk to each other: Every device that is on a network has a unique address. For the purpose of this conversation, Bluetooth and ANT+ are networks  (the communication used by most HRM's). When you haven't yet added a device to a network (haven't yet paired the HRM with the Watch/Phone), neither the phone nor the HRM knows the address of the other. This is why pairing mode is needed. When in pairing mode, devices "broadcast" instead of sending to an address so they can "find" the other devices. Once paired, each device will address data specifically to the device to which it needs to go instead of broadcasting.  

    What I can infer from the fact that MyZone receivers don't have a "Pairing Mode", is that MyZone controls the addresses of all devices and does not allow external devices to pair. This would mean that the software on the MyZone boxes literally cannot "Pair" with your Garmin HRM because the only devices that can work with a MyZone reciever are already known to the system and simply assigned to each receiver by entering a known serial number or device ID. 

    The only real reason to do this is to force users to buy the MyZone HRM. I can think of no technical reason why they would do it this way.

  • This is why pairing mode is needed. When in pairing mode, devices "broadcast" instead of sending to an address so they can "find" the other devices. Once paired, each device will address data specifically to the device to which it needs to go instead of broadcasting.

    I'm not sure about BLE, but ANT+ sensors, such as HR monitors, do not have a special pairing mode. They always broadcast, and do not even know it anything on the other side is listening. The pairing process you do on the receiving end is solely for the purpose of knowing which sensor to use when multiple sensors are around.

  • Great point. In this case, I believe the MyZone HRM uses ANT+ to connect to third party receivers. The MyZone receivers probably use ANT+, but with addressing being controlled by the admin interface and device ID, there's no way to pair a third party HRM to a MyZone receiver.