Related
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

9.33/9.36 has ruined heart rate monitoring!

Michael
over 1 year ago

Hi!

After upgrading my my fenix 7 to 9.33 I have noticed a few odd things about the heart rate that's displayed/recorded on my watch. Here's what I noticed:

First run with the new Firmware: My old H7 chest strap sensor, which worked fine before, showed sudden drops in HR of about 30 bpm while running at a constant pace. (H7 has a fresh battery.)

I thought was just the chest strap, but then I noticed sudden mayor changes in HR with the integrated HR sensor as well, when I was just at home. Within 2 seconds it jumped or dropped by about 20 bpm.

Also, when I stand up after sitting for a while, my heart rate does not change at all on the watch. It keeps showing mid to high 40s. However I can clearly feel that it's way off for about 15 to 20s and then it starts "catching up". > Again I big jump in HR on the watch. I tested this multiple times by comparing it to the data from my H7 + old watch where it behaved as expected – a gradual increase in HR.

I also restarted the watch which didn't help and I made sure I was wearing it correctly. (I wore it the same way before upgrading the firmware.)

Before the upgrade it felt very reliable and now I don't know what to think. Has anybody else noticed something similar? Any suggestions on what to do now?

Thanks,

Michael

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    My WHR is also incorrect since 9.33. I've updated to 9.36 and also tried the alpha 10.33 version. WHR remains incorrect during running activities. Showing increased HR while running easy pace, and sometimes after 5 or 10 min, it will return to normal. I've got a case open at Garmin support. 

    In the meantime, I've downgraded to 8.37 to see if WHR was normal again, but the strange thing is that the behavior is still the same as with 9.33 or higher: not good!

    Anyone else try to downgrade to see if WHR was going back to normal again?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Svenh77

    Interesting! Ever since upgrading to 9.36 my HR is also higher at easy pace. About +10 bpm of what I had before. But I wasn't sure if it was the update, or if I just had a couple of bad days or had overdone it a little.

    Another oddity from today's run:

    This section caught my attention during the run. I was slightly increasing the pace but F7 showed my HR going down. Eventually, it shot up at the end. Rolling eyes (There's nothing special about the route. It's ever so slightly uphill, that's it.)

    Were you able to reproduce any of the issues in this thread on Garmin's side? Has there been done any testing? What's the status of this? I'd love to get an update of any sorts. Thank you!

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Michael

    Yes, exactly this!

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Garmin - Chris

    How do I see whether a run was made with what firmware? Or do I have to guess by date? 

    What I'm quite sure about is, that my RHR shot up by up to 20% since I upgraded to 9.36 (and seems) HRV dropped accordingly.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to deleted
    deleted said:
    How do I see whether a run was made with what firmware?

    In Garmin Connect, at every activity, just under the watch image.

    deleted said:
    What I'm quite sure about is, that my RHR shot up by up to 20%

    RHR is measured during the sleep, and during the deep rest, so make sure you wear the watch also when not active. Best 24/24

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Still having the issue 9.36.  Is there an update to fix the BS heart rate?

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Bike riding should be 165, reading 90

    60 beats shown fast walking actual 95

    if I stop and hold completely still it will start to read closer to accurate but still far off on the higher BPM

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 8423026
    8423026 said:

    Bike riding should be 165, reading 90

    Factors like flexed wrists that occur during cycling can affect the accuracy of the wrist heart rate, Check also the fit.

    8423026 said:
    60 beats shown fast walking actual 95

    Did you have an activity selected or just walking? The watch samples at a lower rate when not in an activity.

    Read these support articles

    https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=xQwjQjzUew4BF1GYcusE59

    https://ph.garmin.com/minisite/garmin-technology/wearable-science/heart-rate/

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    I have the same problem with software 9.36 when monitoring bike activity, at first it detects exact bpm and then it drops from 140-150 bpm to 90 bpm. I tried to reposition the watch but it doesn't fix.
    I bought it in May for a few months now that I monitor different types of activities 4-5 times a week. So it's not a problem of position on the wrist or vibration with the bike.

    Before the latest 9.33 / 9.36 software I didn't have this problem, the watch is positioned and tight as ever.