Just hoping for the collective wisdom as I know there are quite a few WaterRower users on here.
I’ve had my rower for about 18 months and enjoy it very much. It has the the factory standard S4 mkII rowing computer, which has been adequate but I now want to ramp up the data. As an initial step, I bought the WR bluetooth ComModule, which talks to the WR app on my phone.
I now want to add heart rate monitoring, and would like to know what good options I have. It seems to me like I need to purchase the internal ANT+ receiver chip for the S4 computer, which is where my questions begin….
1. Is it actually correct that I need the ANT+ module, or does the ComModule pick up HR monitors?
2. Is the internal ANT+ module the best hardware option? Are there alternatives?
3. Is HR receiving hardware required at all, or can the WR app (or 3rd party apps) simultaneously draw in the rowing data from the ComModule and the HR data from an HR monitor?
4. Is there anything I’m not considering here that I should be?
To conclude, I’m also aware of the SmartRow option but not persuaded I need that.
Many thanks in advance,
J
Oh and a follow-on question on HR monitors themselves, it being about 20yrs since I used one….
Are those clunky chest straps still the only ones that work well, or has wrist strap technology got to where it needs to be?
Happy to hear recommendations, only needed for the indoor rower….
Thanks again.
Have you searched the other threads on water rowers?
Some of the discuss hr monitors ans the possible use of the ‘smart row’ addition.
I use Coxswain, a free app by a German developer (Android only). Works very nice and you can store your whole history (in your own cloud of you like). Just get a USB cable to connect the WR's native unit with a tablet on which you run Coxswain. A Polar OH1 optical heart sensor around your arm completes the package.
PM me if you want the details.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
I did but haven’t found answers to my questions unfortunately. I know search isn’t always the best particularly on the phone and if you had a link to the particular discussion you were thinking of that would be most appreciated. Thank you.Originally Posted by Captain Morgan
Last edited by JGJG; 4th August 2021 at 22:44.
Very useful; unfortunately I’m wanting to use it on an iThing - or Windows thing at a push - rather than Android thing, but that is precisely the sort of dual-source solution I was thinking might exist. I’ll see if Google knows anything about a non-Android equivalent app/programme, many thanks R.
I had a longer post written but had a browser crash.
Search for smartrow and you find the threads, nothing much has changed, known options it’s buy a cheap android device and coxswain as Raffe suggests or the smartrow upgrade that works with any Bluetooth hrm.
There is this link that indicates the waterrower connect app should pair with a hrm but as ever with waterrower products information is scant, I’d suggest either contacting them or trying a Bluetooth hrm and seeing what happens
https://www.nohrd.com/uk/apps-nohrd/waterrower-connect/
There also looks to be a pi project that will export data to the garmin platform if that is of interest
https://forums.garmin.com/developer/...fragment-702=7
Yep, you can buy a half decent Lenovo Android tablet for little more than £100.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
I use SmartRow which is sad at first as the s4 settings are far too generous. Not sure it’s worth the extra.
Currently use Apple Watch which is great, have used wahoo tickr wrist band previously which worked really well.
I pay more attention to heart rate than the split, so potentially maybe just having a hrm that’s compatible with your likely solution would be a good start, but then I don’t do really anything with the extra data SmartRow gives me
Many thanks for this.
Buying a cheap Android device to act as a single-use item in this way seems a bit overkill for me personally... I have too many gizmos as it is, so am hoping to avoid that route. But your link to the roadmap is not something I was aware of and was great to hear - I then unearthed the update logs for the iOS Connect app that confirmed HR support, and verified this as you suggested with the good people at WR directly on the phone this afternoon. So I really appreciate your help and perspective here!
Armed with that information, I took Raffe's suggestion and ordered a
(well, the Verity Sense as the current model is called), and I am now hoping that by early next week I will be all systems go.
I'll report back at that stage, but for now (in case anyone else is wondering) it looks like the answers to my questions are as follows:
The ANT+ module is not required, and the ComModule picks up third-party bluetooth HR monitors (source: WR employee on the phone today)
The WR employee advised that the third-party bluetooth HR monitor talks to the ComModule, which collates all the data and sends to the WR Connect app
Lots of great alternative options as set out in the responses above. It certainly seems that Coxswain is a no-brainer for Android users, or those who would be happy to add an Android device.
Thanks again all :)
Just thought I’d confirm that the Polar Verity Sense I got works perfectly in combination with the S4 monitor to feed in to the WR Connect app (though I believe the data is blended in the app, not in the S4). Very happy with the results (so far). Many thanks for all the helpful comments above 👍
Follow up question: Raffe’s suggestion of the Polar armband was great, as I don’t like chest straps.
I get that the wrist is not a reliable read-point, but I’m intrigued by the Polar website, that says “you can detach the sensor from its armband and holder and wear it anywhere under tight-fitting clothing”
So: has anyone found an accurate, reliable read site other than the armband? Does it work well tucked under the hem or waistband of compression shorts, for example?
I’m glad it worked, it would be interesting to see your thoughts and some screen shots after you’ve used it a while longer.
I have a v1 monitor 4 on mine and have been weighing up a monitor upgrade and Bluetooth module vs the SmartRow or just continue to use my garmin and enter distance manually
I use a Garmin Forerunner 245 wrist watch to monitor my heart rate when I'm rowing, which connects to my machine using ANT+. It seems accurate enough to me, I used to use a chest monitor but it was very unreliable, I'm not sure if it wasn't a good monitor or the protocol it used was flaky.
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