Replacing the Polar Infrared Interface USB Because It Doesn't Work with My Mac
The Polar Infrared Interface USB commonly
used with PCs running Windows XP doesn't
work on a Mac [ Photo: Dave Aiello on Flickr ]
The Polar Infrared Interface USB that many people got with their Polar S-Series heart rate monitors is a USB 1.1 device. I've been trying to use it without success on my MacBook Pro with Polar Precision Performance Software 4 running under Windows XP on VMware Fusion.
According to a number of articles that I've read, the only way to reliably get the Polar Infrared Interface USB to connect with a Polar heart rate monitor using Mac hardware is to boot into Windows XP directly from Boot Camp. No configuration of Windows XP under VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop 3.0 seems to work properly.
A number of people on the Polar user support forums have reported success when using the Polar IrDA USB 2.0 Adapter with PPP4 under Windows XP with either VMware Fusion or Parallels.
The biggest problem with the Polar IrDA USB 2.0 Adapter is its expense. In my opinion, a lot of Polar accessory products that aren't proprietary are similar to Apple-branded products; They are very nice looking and well-supported by the manufacturer, but not economical. Some purchasers of the Polar IrDA USB 2.0 Adapter agree that it's nice looking, but think documentation is very sparse.
A far less expensive IrDA-USB adapter that some people claim to have gotten working is the Cables Unlimited USB1510.
I'm renewing my effort to turn off my old desktop PC once and for all, so I will be purchasing an IrDA-to-USB adapter for use with my Mac. As soon as I get one, I'll report on how well it works and the experience of getting it running.
Comments
Hey,
there are a few mistakes in your article. The name of the interface is not Polar N2915 IrDA. The right name is Polar Infrared Interface USB and this interface is not IrDA compilant. Also it's a USB 1.1 device.
Posted by: LukeNRG | May 29, 2008 6:16 AM
Thanks for your comments, LukeNRG. I updated the article.
Your blog (http://www.pietschandfriends.de/weblog/) has a lot of great information. I wish I spoke German because it would make following it easier for me. I'll have to use a translation tool to read it.
Posted by: Dave Aiello
|
May 31, 2008 4:48 AM
Thanks for the article...pointed me in the right direction.
Posted by: Wes | August 1, 2008 9:47 AM