EDGE 840 and BT devices, specifically TRACKR HR monitor

Martin

I've recently purchased a Wahoo TRACKR HR monitor, and like my 5 year old TICKR before it, I just tried to use it with bluetooth for giggles. 

Garmin just can't work with bluetooth. Even Garmin's own Speed and Cadence sensor kit, if one connects with bluetooth, its a hit and miss affair that it will even connect after it pairs.

Now the odd thing is with my new TRACKR, is that it eventually connects to the sensor via bluetooth, and shows connected under the Sensor list, but it doesn't display my heart rate.

If I remove the device, and re-pair it, which takes very long itself, it will show my heart rate. Switch the EDGE device off and back on again, it either won't connect to the HR monitor, and if or when it does connect, it won't show an actual heart rate. 

Bluetooth was flaky on my EDGE 530. And it's flaky on my EDGE 840. How is this still a thing in 2025/2026? 

ANT+ connection for the HR monitor works fine on the EDGE, and bluetooth works fine with the TRACKR on my phone, Apple Watch, and whatever other devices I connect with it via bluetooth. 

  • 0

    FWIW, I have a Wahoo TICKR HR monitor that is BT only and it has always worked fine with my Edge 540.  I have had quite a few Wahoo HR monitors die in very strange ways but they've been good enough to replace them.  It's usually the strap that fails but I have had at least one failure that was not the strap.  It seems they are sensitive to low battery power or even poor battery connection (like from the batteries with the coating).  I've had my current TICKR for over 2 years now and it's been totally trouble free through at least a dozen battery replacements.  Maybe the problem is with your HR monitor.  Have you tried a different HRM?  It's easy enough to connect someone else's HRM for a test when you ride together...

  • 0

    the 840 with BT sensors are working fine, i am using a PolarH10 via BT, flawless. probably your Trackr is not good (why didnt you buy Polar, that is the best HR sensor imho...)

  • 0 in reply to Luko79

    Thanks for the flawless diagnosis. LOL.

    We don't have polar available where I live here. It's that simple. 

    The Trackr is fine. Every other bluetooth device that connects to it, connects just fine. Apple Watch, Garmin Forerunner, Garmin Ege 830, etc. The common denominator is the EDGE 840. Not the Trackr. 

    With Garmin's latest EDGE 840, it's now also broken my Varia connectivity intermittently. Varia works just fine with the EDGE 830. 

  • 0 in reply to 4617337

    I had a Gen 1 TICKR for probably 4 or 5 years now, and that worked fine although I used that only with ANT+, but I gave that HR monitor to my wife. 

    My Trackr is brand new. Works just fine with any other device that connects to it via BT. Works perfectly over Ant+ on the EDGE 840, except with BT connection it reports battery level since Wahoo decided to go with a stupid rechargeable battery.