Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I ordered this USB to IrDA for communication between my Polar RS800sd and my Windows XP SP2 computer. It works great and I have had no problems transfering data. This product is an excellent alternative to Polar's expensive USB to IrDA. Note that IrDA was super seeded by bluetooth etc, so these adapters for IrDA have become hard to find. That is why Polar can charge such a high price.
The official website of Cables Unlimited can be found by searching "Cables Unlimited". You can then search "USB IrDA" on their site to see all the technical information. Note the driver is also available on the web, so if you lose the disk you are still in business. Summary of the main features:
- Supports IrDA data rates to 4Mbps
- No power adapter. Runs off USB bus
- Compatible with IrDA 1.3, USB 1.1
- Plug and Play compatible
- Transmit distances to 1 meter
- 30 degree max transmit angle
- Comes with an additional short USB cable
I would recommend this product. I am not sure if the cheaper options on Amazon are any good, as some people have said they are a bit temperamental. Do these cheaper models work with Polars? Maybe someone could post a comment on this review if they have a cheaper option that works with Polar products.
This one has worked fine so far. It is true that the manual has poor English, but Windows can walk you through the installation with the usual Plug and Play installation. There is no need to worry about that aspect. Also, you should always plug the adapter into the _same_ USB port every time you use the adapter, this will prevent you having to falsely "reinstall" the driver. This is a Windows idiosyncrasy and has nothing to do with the IrDA adapter.
Another reviewer said he was having trouble getting the Polar to be found by the IrDA. You need to position the Polar very close, a few centimeters, to the IrDA to get a good signal. IrDA is not like using a normal wireless Internet signal or a wireless mouse etc, you MUST BE VERY CLOSE and have a CLEAR LINE OF SIGHT to transmit properly. IrDA is unreliable even at the best of times. You may also have to sheild the sensors from objects that emit infrared light like bulbs etc. So put your Polar watch a few centimeters from the IrDA and make sure the transmitters on the polar watch (the small holes or whatever you have) face the IrDA plugged into the USB port. You may have to hold it there or get something to put the watch on that is the same height as the IrDA.
Also for people having troubleshooting issues here are my settings: In your Polar software (I have Polar Protrainer 5) verify the following settings:
Options -> Preferences -> Hardware -> IR Communication port -> This should be set to "IrDA"
Options -> Preferences -> Hardware -> Mobile Connection -> Make sure this is unchecked
Then from the same window:
IR Communication port -> Options -> Make sure the first four boxes are checked.
Let me also supply you with the USB-IrDA driver settings that work for me. In short everything is set to DEFAULT. I am using Driver Version 1.3.0.0 from the CD that was supplied. To see the settings follow:
Start->Control Panel->Wireless Link->Hardware->Properties->Advanced
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DebugLevel: None [Default]
Extended Mode: On [Default]
Extra BOFs: 00 [Default]
Infrared Transceiver Type: Vishay TFD [Default]
Min. Turn-Around Time: 1.0mS [Default]
PowerDown: Disable [Default]
ReadDepth: 20 [Default]
ReadThreshold: 05 [Default]
Receive Sensitivity: Enable[ Default]
Receive Window Size: 04 [Default]
ReceiveMode: Fast [Default]
Send Window Size: 01 [Default]
SIR Turbo: Off [Default]
SIRTweak: Enable [Default]
Speed Enable: 4000000 [Default]
Time to Wait: 700 [Default]
Turbo Mode: On [Default]
Write Depth: 20 [Default]
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I hope these posts are of assistance to anyone having problems connecting to their Polar.
I'll just add, if I had more money to spare I would have gone with a more expensive version, but I decided to buy the best HRM possible and make do with a less expensive IrDA adapter for the time being. If money is no object, you might want to consider an adapter with better support.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Cables Unlimited USB1510 USB Acc, USB To Irda Adapter
Cables Unlimited Unlimited USB to IRDA Adapter USB1510 Cable Adapters
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