using wrist hrm only during activiites

Former Member over 8 years ago

Hello,

Just got my F5 coming from F2.

One question regarding wrist heart rate monitor, I see two status options Auto or Off. In Auto it is always turned on. In Off never. Is there an option to configure it to turn on only during activities automatically?

I am interested only on monitoring my HR during activities and if I can save some battery is better.

Regards

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

I've often wondered what the auto option is for - your suggestions makes sense.

0 Crispin_Ellisdon over 8 years ago

Auto basically means that whilst WHR is always on by default, it will automatically switch to a saved paired external HR strap for activities and other HR specifics like the HRV Stress app.

0 Dr Phil over 8 years ago

The auto option is there so that when an external HR is connected, that will be used instead. Although some might disagree, there is little battery usage in normal use, and not much to be gained by having the WHR only used for activities. If it bothers you much, you can always turn it off when not undertaking an activity.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

The auto option is there so that when an external HR is connected, that will be used instead. Although some might disagree, there is little battery usage in normal use, and not much to be gained by having the WHR only used for activities. If it bothers you much, you can always turn it off when not undertaking an activity.

And that is what I do but prefer not having to do and not having to remember to do so.

At least I would ask to have the option to turning on/off it in the favorites or controls menu.

0 mcalista over 8 years ago

The wrist OHR samples less frequently and draws less power in 24/7 mode, than it does during an activity. Battery life in watch mode is about 2 weeks = 7% per day. (and that includes normal backlight, ABC, activity tracking, etc) so the power drain is pretty small.

You are right though - turning wrist OHR back on each time is a hassle, and you should be able to have it set to come on for activities only. This should be a fairly simple coding change.

One thought - if you are prepared to have 24/7 OHR off, then I assume you aren't interested in sleep tracking. If you take the watch off each night (and place it with the OHR sensor facing upwards) the LED's shut down after a few seconds, so you would get 1/3 of the potential energy savings that way.