To accurately measure Heart Rate Variability, your heart rate monitor of choice must:
- Capture and transmit accurate R-R Intervals (also called Inter-beat Intervals or IBIs)
- Transmit the unaltered R-R intervals via Bluetooth 4.0 or ANT+.
- What are R-R Intervals?
Compatible Heart Rate Monitors
The Full App Heart Monitor+ HRV is compatible with any heart rate monitor that accurately measures R-R intervals and has Bluetooth 4.0 or ANT+
The following HR monitors have proven to work well with the Heart Monitor+ HRV app:
- Polar H10 (BLE / ANT+)
- Polar H7 (BLE)
- Wahoo TICKR (BLE) Only Bluetooth BLE is HRV accurate, ANT+ is just HR accurate
- BlueLeza HRM Blue – (BLE / ANT+) Only available in Europe
- 4iiii Viiiiva (BLE / ANT+)
- Zephyr HxM (make sure it’s Bluetooth 4.0, not 2.0!)
- Cardiosport TP3 (BLE / ANT+)
- Suunto Smart Belt (ANT+)
- Garmin Premium (ANT+)
- Garmin HRM TRI (BLUE) (ANT+)
- Garmin HRM-RUN (RED) (ANT+)
- Garmin HRM-RUN (BLACK) (ANT+)
- Garmin HRM-Dual (BLE / ANT+)
- Garmin HRM-PRO (BLE/ANT+)
The Heart Monitor (DATAFIELD) is ONLY ANT+. Bluetooth (BLE) only HRMs will not work. Requires ANT+.
- Heart Monitor (DATAFIELD) -> Requires ANT+
- Heart Monitor (DATAFIELD) will not work with single radio Bluetooth(BLE)
Not Compatible Heart Rate Monitors
The following monitors do not transmit accurate R-R intervals, thus are not able to be used for measuring HRV. However, in most cases, they are fine for measuring basic heart rate.
- Garmin HRM SWIM (BLUE) (ANT+)
- Wahoo BLUEHR*
- Wahoo TICKR FIT Heart Rate Armband*
- Polar OH1 Armband*
- Vernier Go Wireless Heart Rate*
- Geonaute*
- MyZone MZ-3*
- UnderArmour UA Heart Rate*
- LifeBEAM hats
- TomTom BLE HRM*
- Mio ALPHA
- Scosche RHYTHM+*
- Lezyne HRM
- Most cheap chest straps sold on Alibaba
- Knock off brand monitors
*Confirmed by the manufacturer
The following HR monitors are not open to 3rd-party platforms and therefore are not compatible for use with Heart Monitor+ HRV.
- Whoop wrist device
- iThlete Finger Sensor
- Heartmath devices
- Oura ring
- Motiv ring
About PPG (Photoplethysmogram) and Pulse Oximetry Devices
True Heart Rate Variability calculations require accurate measurement of the time between each heartbeat. Unfortunately, most wrist bands and watches that use LED/Pulse Oximetry type sensors are not accurate enough yet to capture the exact R-wave peak. Technology has advanced to where these devices can accurately measure basic heart rate now, but that is because heart rate is not sensitive to the tiny changes the way that HRV is.
As an example: If your heart rate is 60 beats per minute, your heart could be beating once per second. In this case, if you were measuring the time between each beat in seconds, it would be 1s, 1s, 1s, 1s, 1s. OR… Your heart could be alternating speeds – something like: 1.17, 0.97, 0.83, 1.03. Either way, your basic heart rate could still be 60 beats per minute. But your heart rate variability would be significantly different in these two scenarios.
Many devices are not built to measure HRV, so they simply smooth out, or average, the R-R intervals to make it easier to report basic heart rate.
Your device not listed here?
Due to the large number of devices on the market, we are unable to test them all for accuracy and compatibility.
If you are not sure about the above information, your device’s manufacturer should easily be able to tell you if their device meets the criteria for compatibility. If they can’t, then we would recommend not doing business with them. Look for the contact form on your device manufacturer’s website. Here is how to find out if your device is compatible:
Send a message to your heart rate monitor’s manufacturer asking, “Does this heart rate monitor capture accurate RR intervals? If so, does it alter or smooth the R-R intervals in any way? Also, does it have Bluetooth 4.0 capability?” – make sure to tell them what heart rate monitor you have.
Unfortunately the fit files have no RR data to download. Can this be switched on?
At this time this option is not availible to CIQ applications, however I have contacted Garmin for to add new functionality to the SDK.
Add HRV Type to FIT Contributor Class
I suggest to comment on this post, in support of the functionality
Hi, yes
First see if the HRM is listed here: https://www.fbbbrown.com/garmin-connect-iq/help-faq/hrm-requirements/
Also, test the HRM with the Trial version.
For HeartMonitor (datafield), an external ANT+ Chest HRM strap is required for All CIQ versions.
Make sure to Disconnect the ANT+ Chest HRM from your device, from device Settings>Sensors>HRM. Set the HRM status to OFF.
The HeartMonitor datafield app will make the ANT connection to the Chest HRM, since it needs all the information provided by the HRM.
For HeartMonitor+ HRV (full Application), an external ANT+ Chest HRM strap is required for devices less than CIQ 3.0. Only IQ 3.0+ watches support the advanced optical sensor. Only IQ 3.0 devices, support directly connected ANT+ and BLE external HRM’s.
If CIQ is less than 3.0, Make sure to Disconnect the ANT+ Chest HRM from your device, from device Settings>Sensors>HRM. Set the HRM status to OFF.
The HeartMonitor+HRV app will make the ANT connection to the Chest HRM, since it needs all the information provided by the HRM.
Hi Gary,
The Optical Sensor support is available on CIQ version 3.0 or higher. The FR935 is a CIQ 3.0 device and the CIQ Version can be found in the Watch Main Menu >Settings> System> About> SW Versions.
For HeartMonitor (datafield), an external ANT+ Chest HRM strap is required for All CIQ versions.
Make sure to Disconnect the ANT+ Chest HRM from your device, from device Settings>Sensors>HRM. Set the HRM status to OFF.
The HeartMonitor datafield app will make the ANT connection to the Chest HRM, since it needs all the information provided by the HRM.
For HeartMonitor+ HRV (full Application), an external ANT+ Chest HRM strap is required for devices less than CIQ 3.0. Only IQ 3.0+ watches support the advanced optical sensor. Only IQ 3.0 devices, support directly connected ANT+ and BLE external HRM’s.
If CIQ is less than 3.0, Make sure to Disconnect the ANT+ Chest HRM from your device, from device Settings>Sensors>HRM. Set the HRM status to OFF.
The HeartMonitor+HRV app will make the ANT connection to the Chest HRM, since it needs all the information provided by the HRM.
For best results: Set data recording to every second, this helps the entire system including GPS. Main menu>settings>system>data recording> set to every second
Please note, Using the optical sensor measures pulse waves which is different the Chest HRM that measures the electrical pulse generated at the R wave. Both can generate HRV, but the Chest HRM is inherently more accurate, due the how fast electric pulse can travel. Blood pulses travels through arteries and veins which can be altered by other things: age, vein health and hydration, to name a few.
hi there i cannot get the app to take a simple 1 min morning HR/HRV reading. All it gives me is the HR reading. I have the Premium Garmin Chest Strap and the Garmin 920XT Watch.
Hi Lynn,
Thanks you for commenting.
The Forerunner 920xt is a CIQ 1.0 device, and does not have access to the RR-Interval value (introduced in CIQ 3.0). Therefore you will need to Disconnect the ANT+ Chest HRM from your watch. For HeartMonitor+ HRV (full Application), an external ANT+ Chest HRM strap is required for devices less than CIQ 3.0 or Edge. Only IQ 3.0+ watches support the advanced optical sensor. Only IQ 3.0 devices, support directly connected ANT+ and BLE external HRM’s.
If CIQ is less than 3.0 or Edge Computer, Make sure to Disconnect the ANT+ Chest HRM from your device, from device >Main Menu>Settings>Sensors>HRM. Set the HRM status to OFF.
The HeartMonitor+HRV app will make a DirecT Connection to the Chest HRM, since it needs all the information provided by the HRM.
For best results: Set data recording to every second, this helps the entire system including GPS. Watch Main Menu>settings>system>data recording> set to every second
More Help:
https://www.fbbbrown.com/garmin-connect-iq/help-faq/app-help/
Thanks,
Brian.