Fenix 5 won't detect Garmim Premium Heart Rate Monitor (no sensors found)

Former Member over 7 years ago

I've done everything suggested about fifty times. Wet the band, repositioned it, run the update on Garmin Express (I think it was already up to date anyway - v.8.0.0), soaked the band, went for a jog, tried outside, inside, in the basement.

My watch just refuses to detect the Premium Heart Rate Monitor.

I had just purchased the heart rate monitor, so I took it back to the shop. Annoyingly, they didn't replace it, instead they rang Garmin support, and the advice Garmin gave the shopkeeper was, "that is a common problem, just tell him to keep trying until it works". Seriously?

Do I have to do this "until it works" every time I want to use it, or just to pair in initially? Even if it did connect finally, how could I have any confidence in this?

Does anyone else have these problems?

0 Garmin-Heath over 7 years ago

Gronk_the_Mighty Maybe there was a bit of confusion during the conversation.

The Heart Rate Monitor needs to pick up a Heart Rate to turn on to pair. This is the reason that troubleshooting steps in articles like Heart Rate Monitor Pairing Issues provide tips on how to wear the Heart Rate Monitor. Since every body is different, you will need to try moving the body around on your body to see if any location makes a difference. Also, it needs to be touching your skin and will not work if it is worn over clothing.
Once the basic things are covered, then you might want to try a basic warm-up activity beforehand to get your Heart Rate to raise. This is due to the fact that some people have very low resting Heart Rates.

If those steps do not work for you, let someone in your household try it. This would be the true test, if the Heart Rate Monitor does pick up on them, then we need to go back to the basics and see what placement will work for you. If it doesn’t pick up in that case, then reach out to us through our Product Support channels (phone, email, or chat) so that we can work with you directly.

0 Dr Phil over 7 years ago

This is you just trying to pair the strap before initial use right? Because that has to be done first. Usually, unless there is a problem with the strap or the device, it’s a seamless process. You might want to check there’s nothing inside the battery case of the monitor, like an insulating film.

0 outlaw24 over 7 years ago

I have had similar issues with a speed/cadence sensor before. What works for me is to briefly "short" the battery connectors and then reinstall the battery and try again. I never tried it with a heart rate sensor but it is worth a try. You can do it by briefly installing the battery "backwards' and then removing it and installing it normally. I found this link with similar success.

http://www.koelnerwasser.de/?p=325

0 mcalista over 7 years ago

Perhaps try a new battery. (Apologies if you have already tried this, but it is not mentioned in your post).

0 AntonisSp over 7 years ago

The premium heart rate is an old model. Even if purchased new, I wouldn't presume it to still have a working battery.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

Thanks guys. I ended up just taking it back a second time and they gave me a new one which works fine. It was simply broken the whole time. I don't know what the problem was, but the new one works perfectly.

The only "dissapointing" thing so far with it is it seems that the wrist-sensor was pretty damn accurate all along. I don't get any real noticeable difference over my runs so it seems to be unecessary. I'll keep using it anyway. At-least for a while.

0 jose.cboliveira over 7 years ago

The only "dissapointing" thing so far with it is it seems that the wrist-sensor was pretty damn accurate all along. I don't get any real noticeable difference over my runs so it seems to be unecessary.

You need a chest strap for lactate threshold. Personally it's one of the best parameters from the Fenix.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

Oh cool ... thanks for the tip! :) Now I'm happy I bought it.