Magene Heart Rate Sensor Monitor Bluetooth/ANT+

(tested on a Moto 4e Android phone)The Good: For under $15 you can get a chest strap and Bluetooth/ANT+ HR sensor that can connect to some apps for heart rate monitoring.The Bad: Might not connect to your heart monitor of choice even if it handles bluetooth devices. Can be persnickety to set up the initial connection. No user documention at all.Product: It is listed on Amazon as a Magene model MHR10. What I received was a Magene "Mover". The packaging states that the Mover is IP67 waterproof compliant. The chest strap is adjustable and I found it comfortable. (Incidentally, the sensor can snap into a Polar chest strap, but is a bit hard to remove.) The sensor case has a rotating, tabbed battery cover that makes for easy battery replacement (see photo).Accuracy: When measuring my Resting Heart Rate multiple times, the Magene read 57-58 and a blood pressure monitor reported 58-60. Using the traditional wristwatch method, I found the numbers for elevated heart rate also to be reasonable.Bluetooth connectivity: My main goal was to get workout heart rates into a fitness tracking service like MapMyRun or Strava.MapMy app: I could not connect the Magene directly with MapMyRun app at all--the connection always failed. I suspect that only "partner" devices work directly with the app.Strava: Strava recently announced (Fall 2019) that their mobile apps would no longer support direct Bluetooth and ANT+ pairing.A workaround is the Wahoo Fitness app (available through the Google Store). It can push workout data (with heartrate) to either Strava or your MapMy account (via MapMyFitness). (I didn't explore Wahoo's offerings through its website--check those out to see if it meets your needs.)Wahoo Fitness setup, short form:- Open the Wahoo Fitness for the first time after installation.- Ignore the big buttons, and select "Skip" at the bottom.- In the "Connect Apps" screen, select either Strava or MapMyFitness.- Enter your Strava (or your Under Armour MapMy) login credentials, and then give authorization for the app to push data to the service.- Back in the "Connect Apps" screen, select "Next" at the bottom.- The "About You" screen is optional--just select "Next" and on the next screen select "No Thanks".- Now you'll be at the "Start Workout" screen. Now go the bottom left of the screen and select "Pair or link sensors".- Make sure the sensor is snapped into the chest strap and put the strap on, then select "Add new sensor", and then "Quickly pair a new sensor". When a heartrate sensor is shown (mine said "unknown ANT+ ID"), tap on it and then "Save Sensor".- You should be able to go back to the "Start Workout" screen and watch the sensor connect and display heart rate under "Linked Sensors". You can start your workout now with Wahoo Fitness.Completed workouts are pushed up to and are viewable in your selected service. See the pace/heartrate graphs for a recent 5k run taken from MapMyRun (top) and Strava (bottom). (I do run-walk, in case you're wondering about the up-and-down pacing.)Additional suggestions: Rinse the strap (sensor removed) with tap water after workouts so that body salts don't affect heart readings, and unsnap one side of the sensor when not in use to increase battery life. If all you need is real-time heart rate, check out the BLE Heart Rate Monitor (also available through the Google Store).Update: I 've used the Magene for around three weeks now, and I just had to boost the rating to five stars as I now consider it a GREAT BUY. The Magene connects to the monitoring app on my phone each and every time when I begin a run. I also (finally) tested its accuracy at higher heart rates, using a fingertip oxygen-pulse monitor (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HSAG8BE) for confirmation. I compared them at 93 bpm and 137 bpm, and the Magene is spot-on (there's a bit of lag when comparing the two, but always within 1 or 2 bpm--not at all bad).

I've had my monitor since June and it has already stopped working. It worked well until it didn't.

Gave as a present and they gave it back to me. Was not very dependable. Did not keep correct heart rate. I used 2 times and the same thing. Not happy at all. Now I look to return it and its past the return window. Just threw my money away.