Fenix 5 and Polar H7

Former Member over 7 years ago

I have searched everywhere but I can't seem to find any answers on pairing a Polar H7 with the Fenix 5 Sapphire.
I find many people speculating but nothing concrete, so I do apologise if this was answered somewhere that I was unable to find.

I have a Fenix 5 Sapphire but can't pair my Polar H7 HRM.
It just states "No Sensors Found".
I tested the H7 on my phone and it works correctly (I uninstalled it again to ensure bluetooth only connects to 1 device).
I also have an issue where I connected Runscribe Pro (not new one) and it found both sensors and subsequently decided it can't pick up either one, even with trying to pair them.

This makes me believe the issue is with the BLE as my Garmin Footpod works fine.

Can someone please shed some light on the subject as I really don't want to buy a new HRM as that's partly why I got the F5 as it "supposedly" can connect to H7.

I have software version 6.00 on the watch and 4.1.3.3 on the iOs app.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

0 openbox9 over 7 years ago

I bought a Garmin HRM-Run because I couldn't get my H7 to connect.

0 MrProper over 7 years ago

I use a H7 with my 5X without problems.
Try to switch off BT at your phone, when you try to pair the 5 and H7.
I read somewhere that you can reset the H7 if there are problems. But I never tried.
But with another H7 I could pair, but got no data. Did not follow up it, because the other one worked.

0 bellostom over 7 years ago

Try resetting the H7 (google for the instructions), remove the sensor from Fenix and try reconnecting. This is what I did when I was getting disconnects when I bought the F5

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

Works like a charm here (Fenix 5S, 6.0). I had to unpair my H7 from the phone first (through Polar Beat) because that was preventing the Fenix from pairing with the H7.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

Thanks everyone.

I tried resetting already with no luck.
My last resort would be to remove the device from any and all bluetooth connections, turn off all bluetooth devices and hope for the best.
But at this stage it seems I will have to go the route of "openbox9" and buy a compatible device.
From what I have seen though is that the Garmin HRM's don't last as long s the Polars due to the silicone coming loose from the strap itself.
My H7 has lasted me for the last 4 years, so could also be that i is an older gen and can't sync...

What does bother me is the fact that none of my bluetooth devices pick up after I paired the runscribe sensors.

0 carl.andersson over 7 years ago

There are two different versions of the Polar H7 (and apparently no way to tell the difference).
One of the versions works with the Garmin watches and the other one doesn't.
There was a thread somewhere about this fact. I have one of the H7s that won't work - I can at least get it to pair with my watch but it sends no HR data.

You will have to go the same route as Openbox9. On the plus side getting an Ant+ compatible HR monitor will mean less interference with any other BT devices (like the RS pods) that you want to use.

0 Singinghound over 7 years ago

Morning. I found that my 2 year old H7 has worked ok with my new Fenix 5... once I reset the Polar, paired it to the Fenix, then switched the Fenix off and on. All ok for the past week, when training.

However, this morning, during a CrossFit session, I removed the Fenix, and put it in my shorts pocket, as I was working on kettlebells, and wanted to protect my Fenix from damage. Pretty much immediately, I lost connection.

Is it pretty much a given that Fenix won't play reliably with the H7?

If that is the case, then can anyone recommend an external HRM that works completely reliably, whether the Fenix is worn, or in a pocket?

Thanks for your advice!

0 openbox9 over 7 years ago

My HRM-Run has been solid both when I wear my Fenix and when I mount it on my bike stem. It gives you additional running metrics if you like to look at numbers and graphs.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

So just to give everyone an update:
Last night I installed Software 7.00 on my watch and for some reason the update was pushed to the watch. from my phone, but I had to manually go to settings and update from there.
So once again it made me think the watch isn't reacting in a normal way.
After the update and restart I thought let me check the pairing again and all of a sudden my H7 sensor picks up, pairs and gives me good data.
So now I actually know what my lactate threshold is :) which is partly why I bought the watch in the first place.

Anyway this leads me to think one of two things:
1. Software 7.00 fixed a whole bunch of connectivity issues
2. Watch needed a reboot for it to pick up senors.

I am leaning towards a combination of the two.

So for any one who is having connectivity issues on BLE I would suggest restarting the watch and trying software 7.00 as part of their fault finding.

So if there is anyone out there who also has issues with H7 please let me know if restart and or updating to 7.00 worked for you.

0 Andrej79 over 7 years ago

Hi.
I have a Polar H7 strap from previous Polar M400 watch and it works flawless on Fenix 5.
But i`m into buying a new HRM strap and I read lots of bad things about Garmin HRM-Tri, like it`s made of bad materials which will last only around 6 months or a year at most. So I was thinking of buying a Polar H10 strap, it is cheaper and it does everything that Garmin HRM-Tri does and you can change only the strap when needed, because sensor is removable.
But here is the question: does it transfer running dynamics to Fenix 5, or does it only transfer heart rate???
Thanks for the answer in advance to Polar H10 owners or anybody else with reliable info.