Polar - SK has another techie question

[SadieKate]

I've got a theme going. Might has well ask guestion #3.

Anyone ever successfully sync'd their Polar with the IR device plugged into a USB hub? I've tried two different hubs with no luck and it seems pretty lame to have to unplug other necessary items for every sync.

[bikerz]

Are you using the latest USB driver from Polar?

My Polar USB sync device is very finicky, even plugged directly into the laptop. It may be it won't work reliably with a hub, even with the latest drivers.

You know, I had an issue synching my Garmin to my laptop, and when I called them, they said try synching to the USB ports in the back of the laptop, rather than the side, and, hey presto, it worked perfectly. The Garmin guy told me that sometimes the ports on the side go through a different bus than the ports on the back, and the Garmin really needs a more reliable and steady power and data signal. Or something like that. Maybe the Polar is the same way, an dis just not getting a good enough power or data signal through the hub.

[jobob]

You might have the option of a "powered" USB port vs an "unpowered" - that might be where the differnce lies.

I could go ask Bottle Opener if you need more clarification ...

[SadieKate]

Well, the latest hub is a powered hub but I don't know about the driver. I'll probably have to wait until April 16th + 5 shipping days when I can load everything all over again. :rolleyes:

I know that I was having issues with my Forerunner 305 loading but it could have been one of three things: the doofas operator not knowing how to switch devices in GTC properly, using a side USB port as you said, or just needing to re-load the SW. The last time I tried I used the powered hub and it worked like a charm but I had just reloaded the software. And for once, all the SW updates also ran like a charm.

[NoNo]

I had some issues getting my computer to recognize my Polar device (CS400) the first few times. Of course, I refused to pay the rediculous price for the "official" Polar IrDA adapter and got some no-name one off eBay. Once I figured out which driver to install (I had a choice of 4) I put the settings on my Polar Trainer software to USB thinking "I'm using a USB adapter, that must be what I should set it to." But no, that didn't work, so I set it to IrDA and finally it worked. It was also very fussy about exactly where I placed my Polar computer in relation to the sensor. But as I learn the little intricacies, it seems to be going a lot smoother now.

[SadieKate]

I should probably clarify. I have absolutely no problems connecting the Polar if I use a USB port on the laptop. It is only when I use a USB hub that the connection doesn't work. The IrDA actually works very well for me.

[SadieKate]

Yup, I've got the latest software --
Update file for Polar Precision Performance SW
Version:4.03.050, Date: December 20, 2007

And we have to assume I have all the right drivers because it works fine without the hub and Polar's site says:
Polar IR interface USB limited drivers for Windows XP
Install these drivers ONLY if you get a blue screen/if your computer crashes when unplugging Polar IR USB interface from the USB port on Windows XP.

[SadieKate]

I actually found an article in Polar's website. The site from Finland times out and the graphics on the US site don't load.
http://www.polarusa.com/service_repair/faq_con2.asp?ID=13

The pages on the USB drivers from both sites time out and the link to customer service doesn't work. Can you tell how fabulous I think Polar is?

However, the device manager shows that the interface is fine when not attached to the hub.

[skibum]

I've got mine running through a hub. The only problem that I see, and this happens whether it's plugged into a hub or not, is that sometimes I'm trying to upload and it doesn't work. If I close the Polar SW, unplug the device, plug it back in, and then try again, it works. I don't have the latest SW so I may just need to do an update to get that one fixed.