Does anyone use the RS800cx with S3 stride sensor and get consistent data/performance??
I have not had it (the stride sensor) working consistently for more than any one month. After my 3rd call in as many months to Polar customer service - I’ve got to send it back again and will be without it for the next 10 days.
I was hoping to rely on it for my IM pacing in a few weeks but seeing how unpredictable it is, now I’m considering getting rid of it and trying out the new Garmin before it’s to late.
Has anyone had a similar experience with the sensor and had a successful outcome? Did you have a faulty one and then get a new one that worked as promised?
How big is the garmin in comparison to older models / or the RS800cx?
My S3 stride sensor (paired with RS800) has yet to consistently work for more than a few weeks at a time. It works fine, and then one day it’ll just die (“sensor can’t be found”). I’ve tried the normal set of troubleshooting, and have even replaced the full kit (watch & sensor) twice, but still no luck. I’ve also replaced the battery numerous times. I’ve seen similar/related posts on the forum, but have yet to find the solution.
I wanted to buy the CS 600, but don’t want to keep investing in the polar line if the products are this inconsistent.
Any thoughts? Has anyone else had this problem and resolved it?
I have found the S3 to be very consistent, unfortunately, I cannot get the battery to last for more than an hour or so. Used the S725 for years with the footpod and it worked perfectly, but seems like too many issues were introduced with this new iteration.
FWIW, I also use the CS600 on both my bikes (with the “power meter”) and while I have no idea if it is accurate, it does seem consistent enough for analysis purposes. You certainly don’t get the convenient features such as 5 second normalized power or anything, but for ~$300, it can be an effective power training solution. Only downside there is the limited amount of memory for data recording (~3 hours). This was corrected in the CS600x, but you still have to pay close to retail on those it seems.
After almost a year of trying to get it to work and at least 3 back and forth to Polar customer support (who were helpful) it never worked as intended.
I was just glad I bought the unit at REI - took it back no questions asked and I got the Garmin instead… so much better…
I will do my best with a few of your issues from numerous posts. IF the battery lasts an hour, please call Polar and get customer service, it is clearly draining the battery, I get about 30-40 hours or months of running from mine. Can you define “consistently problems” which more than one of you stated?? Are you moving the S3 from one shoe to another? I have the RS800cx and I am training in Zoots, Pearl Izumi’s and Adidas, all three have a differnet calibration factor. As someone stated, do not crush the little gold tabs in the pod when changing the battery. The sides of the battery are LIVE or active, these gold tabs are meant to touch the sides of the battery. Once you all define consistently problems we can go in a direction for positive results.
I have to correct myself, I actually use two S3 pods for my current training shoes which I rotate in no particular order. My battery life is still probably nearing 30 hours, I have not changed a battery in months
My first S3 sensor had the battery draining problem, and that was a mess. It would work fine for a couple of runs, then shut down, then perhaps it would come back on for a few miles. Other times it would just give lousy data for a while. The symptoms were not exactly what I would have expected from a dead battery, but apparently that was the problem. I sent it back to Polar and they had a new pod out to me very quickly. Since then I’ve had no problems. I’d say it takes me 2-3 runs to get the calibration factor dialed in when I change shoes, but after that I’m consistently within 1-2% on distance when compared to mapping software and/or friends’ GPSs. That accuracy spans a wide range of paces (6:00-14:00 min/mile) and terrains (track workouts to quite rugged trail runs), and I never have to worry about finding or maintaining satellite signal, so I love it.
In the for what it’s worth category, the footpod really shines on the trail runs. The accuracy of the GPS is something like +/- 3m per reading, I think, which averages out OK on a “normal” road run. But on trails with lots of switchbacks, the location accuracy along with the timing of the readings can have a very large effect on the reported distance…and that’s not factoring in the problem of losing signal in dense trees…I’ve seen Garmins give distance readings that differed by over 10% on the same run through the woods. In my experience, the S3 is far more consistent, even with scrambling over downed trees and mincing strides around rocks and such.
How long should the AAA battery in the S1 Footpod last?
For a while it seemed like I wouldn’t get 6 hours out of one. I thought it might be the Sam’s Club Energizer batteries that I was using, so I bought some heavy duty ProCell (Duracell) batteries, and I get about 13-15 hours out of those.
Thanks for following up. Here is a bit more detail regarding the issues i’ve encountered:
The S3 will work fine for 1, 2, sometimes 3 weeks at a time, but will then stop working. I get the message “sensor can’t be found”. I then try the normal troubleshooting tips of disabling, re-enabling, and re-teaching the sensor. I’ve also tried reseating the battery, including adjusting the gold tabs which often get bent. I’d say 1 out of 5 times these steps work. The rest of the times I am out of luck. So, i move on without it.
I usually leave it on my shoe regardless, and will have it start working at some point later (1-2 week +), or I will re-fiddle with it, and again sometime it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Based on the other forum posts, I would think the battery is just dying sooner than I expect, but I have experienced these same issues with a brand new battery.
Not to mention, I have been stuck during a key run or coming out of T2 only to realize the S3 wasn’t up for the task that day…which is frustrating.
On the flip-side, when it works, it is great (which is why it is frustrating when it doesn’t).
I think it should be sent in, check your PM for details. I actually ran yesterday and my S3 acted up. Do you ever check on the software, edit product settings??? This will sow you the battery life in all devices, RS800, wear link, S3 etc