Mio LINK Heart Rate Wristband

[Helene2013]

Anyone tried that Heart rate monitor?
http://www.mioglobal.com/Mio-LINK-Heart-Rate-Band-Grey/product.aspx?productid=14&deptid=1&lang=EN-US

Comments?

[rebeccaC]

I like the idea of optical sensors and it can be an easier continuous HRM to use than a chest strap. It will probably replace the chest strap in the future for accurately tracking zones. The interactive virtual training is interesting too. I would wait for Mio software upgrades so any problems will have been addressed with the new one. Having both ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart in the new one is nice too. PLUS a woman entrepreneur started the company!!!!

I have a friend who bought the first one from the kickstarter campaign and she likes it, says it's easy to use but she also had occasional problems with using a chest strap. She has mentioned you need to find the best area to wear it. This new one seems even better in both size, functionally and is half the price of the original Alpha. Mio is licensing their optical sensor technology so there are a few other choices too and there will be even more in the near future. All that said if a chest strap HRM works well with no problems for someone then I’d stay with it until you need to replace it and then think about what you need from a HRM.

[OakLeaf]

One thing to be aware of is that optical sensors can't sense the R-R interval. So if all you're going for is BPM then it might be okay, but if you're going to use it with some of the more sophisticated algorithms for training load, recovery status, VO2 Max, etc., you still need a chest strap.

[Catrin]

I would like to see them getting away from the need for a wrist strap - it becomes problematical if you are in a sport that requires the use of forearm guards. Personally I would prefer a chest strap that could then connect with an electronic devise. There is a company that makes something like this, but they are so small they only have a very narrow range of sizes meant for A-B cup women.

Sorry for a partial hi-jack Helene, I would be curious to find out what you think of this if you get it. Wondering how adjustable it is and if it could possibly fit the ankle....hmmmm

[OakLeaf]

if it could possibly fit the ankle....hmmmm

Are there any arteries that close to the surface in the ankles?


Personally I would prefer a chest strap that could then connect with an electronic devise. There is a company that makes something like this, but they are so small

Are you sure the Polar strap (http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/accessories/Polar_WearLink_transmitter_with_Bluetooth) wouldn't fit you? It's just a strap, not a bra. They only sell the module with the larger strap at this point, but if that's too big for you, there's an accessory small strap (http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/accessories/Soft_strap) ($22 in black only)

[Catrin]

Are there any arteries that close to the surface in the ankles?



Are you sure the Polar strap (http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/accessories/Polar_WearLink_transmitter_with_Bluetooth) wouldn't fit you? It's just a strap, not a bra. They only sell the module with the larger strap at this point, but if that's too big for you, there's an accessory small strap (http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/accessories/Soft_strap) ($22 in black only)

I didn't know about this, thank you! My HRM watch is also on it's last legs, and this is certainly a less expensive replacement. Though not THAT much less, it is less, thank you again!

[Helene2013]

Catrin,
I have no plan buying this just yet. I was just curious if someone had this as I thought it was another neat gadget.

I wear my strap with the Kinetic for basement training.

On the road I rarely put it on. I know when I push enough. Trust me. hahahah But when I will go for my 135km ride in 2 weeks, I will want to wear my polar (the other one I have) as I will be pushing a lot with groups I'll meet along the way. So it will be necessary to monitor more closely than when riding with only hubby.

[OakLeaf]

this is certainly a less expensive replacement!

I have no idea what apps might be compatible or how much they might cost.

The other thing I forgot is that the Polar strap requires the latest Bluetooth (BTLE aka Bluetooth Smart), which only the latest phones have. As far as I know, all BT fitness gadgets need that, for power/battery reasons.

[Catrin]

I have no idea what apps might be compatible or how much they might cost.

The other thing I forgot is that the Polar strap requires the latest Bluetooth (BTLE aka Bluetooth Smart), which only the latest phones have. As far as I know, all BT fitness gadgets need that, for power/battery reasons.

The apps cost next to nothing, I already have two of them. I've the Samsung Galaxy Note II phone, I will check to see if it is current enough to have BTLE, it is a year old so it may not. Right now I am solving the problem by hooking my watch over the hem of my fitness capris. It works as long as I don't need to move around too much - and while KB lifting is a whole body activity, there isn't much walking around :-) The watch itself is physically beat up pretty badly however from when I just tried to wear my guards over it. Not good for my wrist OR watch. I stopped that when I started adding volume.

[OakLeaf]

I just happened to run across this Zephyr (http://zephyranywhere.com/products/hxm-bluetooth-heart-rate-monitor/) HR strap that's compatible with earlier versions of Bluetooth. You know what I know now.


ETA: here is a Beets (http://www.beetsblu.com/devices/) strap that specifically lists the Note II in their compatibility chart.


I'm just looking for a replacement strap that doesn't cut me to pieces or disintegrate inside of six months. Wish the manufacturers still used the old design. Or that I wasn't so addicted to the new features that I won't just go back to my old strap. :rolleyes:

[Catrin]

I just happened to run across this Zephyr (http://zephyranywhere.com/products/hxm-bluetooth-heart-rate-monitor/) HR strap that's compatible with earlier versions of Bluetooth. You know what I know now.


ETA: here is a Beets (http://www.beetsblu.com/devices/) strap that specifically lists the Note II in their compatibility chart.


I'm just looking for a replacement strap that doesn't cut me to pieces or disintegrate inside of six months. Wish the manufacturers still used the old design. Or that I wasn't so addicted to the new features that I won't just go back to my old strap. :rolleyes:

Very cool, thanks for the two links! There is something going on with my current Polar Watch and straps that I can't figure out. Hopefully I can nurse it along for a few more months while I make up my mind and save up for the replacement. The 33 foot rage of the Beet HRM is attractive - and the price isn't bad!

[Catrin]

Also found the "Wahoo TICKR (http://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-TICKR-Monitor-iPhone-Android/dp/B00INQVYZ8/ref=dp_ob_title_sports)" for Android and iPhone. This is all I know about it, outside that it allows both BT4 and ANT+ connectivity and Android 4.3 (and the iOS). I think it might actually work on my phone, I will check into it further. It does appear to have more positive reviews than the Beets.

[Aromig]

I had a wahoo Bluetooth strap (but not he TICKR -- I can't remember the name, I don't think it had the ANT+). I used it quite a bit with my iphone. I was disappointed in the "history" feature of the Wahoo App (during my workout, it told me how many minutes I was in each zone, but when I'd go back and look at prior workouts, it only told me average and max HR, and calories but no time within each zone). I bought it with a gift certificate in June of 2013, and had to replace the battery twice. The second time in March of 2014 it stopped working entirely. I made a warranty claim since it was less than a year old, but they wouldn't honor it since I hadn't kept my receipt and couldn't prove when I purchased it (although I knew darn well from my workout logs). I liked it when it worked. Hopefully the TICKR is more robust. When mine stopped working, they told me you have to fiddle with a tiny little metal piece when replacing the battery, it gets bent down and is frequently a source of problems. Duh, if its a source of problems come up with a better design.

[Helene2013]

I received tonight the Mio Alpha heart monitor watch. It does not require the heart strap. Yeah (that was always my issue of making it work perfectly)
http://www.mioglobal.com/Shop/Mio-ALPHA/Product.aspx?ProductID=1&DeptID=1

I tried it quickly tonight and so far the data coming out of the watch are the same as when taken manually by me.

Easy to read the numbers during the day, only 2 buttons to use. It is bluetooth so I can connect to my iphone, etc.

You won't be able to read it at night (no light) but with your phone or other bluetooth app you'd be fine.

So far I like it. Will be using it more on cycling and running. More to come when I get to work more with it.

[FahrRad]

Thanks for this post. I should probably just wait for the review you promised, but the following things are of interest to me; maybe you can include them:

Are you wearing it all the time, or just for exercising?

Does it beep or make noise? (Is it possible to turn this off?)

Are you using it together with an app? Which one? Does it work well, or is there a delay or gaps in the data transfer?

Have you had any experience with water? (Swimming!?)

How often do you have to recharge it?

Is the only difference between the "alpha" and the "link" the display? Why did you choose the alpha?

Thank you for sharing your experience...the possibility for accurate monitoring without a chest strap is really exciting!

[Helene2013]

I can answer some of it now. The rest will be from more experience with it.

Are you wearing it all the time, or just for exercising? I will be wearing it to exercise only. But one could wear it non-stop as a regular watch or to have their heart rate monitored all the time (that is until the batterie needs recharging).

Does it beep or make noise? (Is it possible to turn this off?) If you set it on exercise, it can notify you by beeping once when you are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. A double-beep indicates your heart rate is 10 BPM or more outside the target zone. But for the beep to work, you need to set the timer at "on". At least this seems to be what I experienced so far. If the timer (chrono) is not on, you will see lights flashing indicating what level you are exercising into.

Are you using it together with an app? Which one? Does it work well, or is there a delay or gaps in the data transfer? Not yet, info to come but it will be with either an iphone or ipad.

Have you had any experience with water? (Swimming!?) - I'm not going to use it in water so won't be able to help.

How often do you have to recharge it? I don't know yet. More to come. But the user's manual says in exercise mode it should be good from 8-10 hours. Don't know how long charging takes either. Nothing says in manual (I think). So I'll check that. Yesterday for the 1st full charge on usb plug it took about 1.5h.

Is the only difference between the "alpha" and the "link" the display? Why did you choose the alpha? There are a few differences but I chose the Alpha because I wanted to see data on the display. Not just a colour coded blinker. Will also be useful when doing other activities that will not be "hooked" to a phone or tablet. So I can run without having to look at a phone. But it does suck the life of the batterie quicker than the Mio link.

[OakLeaf]

I don't have one, but from reading DCRainmaker's reviews (highly recommended) and my own experience of radio waves underwater, it's difficult to get any HR signal underwater, but an optical wrist sensor paired to a watch on the SAME wrist is your best best. The signal breaks up underwater in a very short distance. Others have had success with a chest strap and a watch worn in their bra. If you don't need HR in realtime but use it only for debriefing, then I'm pretty sure some sensors will store the data for later upload, but I can't tell you which.

[FahrRad]

Thank you for the quick response!

And thank you also for the reference to DCRainmaker--those are excellent reviews!

[Helene2013]

So far I LOVE it. Should have bought it last year instead of fighting with a body band.

Accuracy seems good. I was able to map it to my Kinetic Inride app right away.
I don't use the beeping as I read straight from the app.
Recharged it once so far and batterie is still showing full after about 3hrs of training.

One of my best sport purchases (beside my Amira bike) ever!

[FahrRad]

Hi,

I just realized my reply didn't post.

I wanted to thank you for such a quick response to my questions, and for the reference to DCRainmaker. There are some excellent reviews on that site!

OT: I've had several replies just disappear after tapping the send button. I access the forum via tapatalk; is this a known issue?

[FahrRad]

Hi,

I just realized my reply never posted...

(OT: this has happened several times using tapatalk, it says "sent," but the post never appears--is this a known issue?)

I wanted to thank you for responding so quickly and for addressing each of my questions.

And thank you for the reference to DCRainmaker as well--what a great resource!

[nscrbug]

I'd be interested in any hands-on experience and/or feedback about the Mio FUSE. I've researched the entire Mio product line extensively, and I'm leaning towards the Fuse model simply because it offers a display but in the thinner wristband style (not a watch-style like the Alpha, which I really don't want). I already know that it will connect to my Garmin Edge 500, so that is a nice feature. Although I have the Garmin HR strap that came with my 500 bundle, I've never been a fan of it. It feels bulky and uncomfortable where it sits underneath my bra band. The optical wrist sensor appeals to me much more, but I've also read/heard that accuracy can be an issue if the wristband is not positioned very snug against the wrist for the sensors to get a good reading. Another thing I read was that the top of the wrist is really not an ideal location for the sensors to get a reading...the underside of the wrist would be a much better spot. Anyone have any insight to these claims? Thanks!

[Helene2013]

Update on the Mio Alpha!

Liked it so much and hubby kept borrowing mine when going to his spinning classes that I just ordered their Alpha 2 upgrade. Will find out if I like it as much.

My only "cons" from the Alpha watch was that it did not have a back light (the Alpha 2 has one now) and if by mistake I pressed the button to stop a workout and restarted it, I'd lose all my data as it kept track of only the current one. The alpha 2 corrected it. The new stuff added to the new watch is just added value to me, for the same price I paid the previous version.

This is what they say for the new version:

EKG-accurate heart rate taken at wrist, with no chest strap required
Configurable heart rate zones with colored LED light to indicate current zone
Bluetooth Smart (4.0) connectivity to all your favorite iPhone and Android fitness apps
NEW! Accelerometer-based pace, speed, distance and calories
NEW! Customizable display with easy-to-activate backlight
NEW! Memory holds up to 25 hours of workout data
NEW! Automatic wireless syncing to Mio GO app
NEW! Countdown, chronograph, and repeat timers
Water resistant to 30m