Please Note:   Polar do not support their software running on the Macintosh Computer.



Update August 2006

New MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops plus the new Mac Mini and the new iMac computers:-  come with an Intel core processor.


PLEASE NOTE.
The following information is preliminary testing done by Pursuit Performance.

Polar do not support their software on any other hardware platform other than the IBM based PC running Windows 98SE to Windows XP SP2 operating system.

The following information may be helpful for end users who have an Intel based Macintosh hardware. It is not supported by Polar Electro Oy nor by Pursuit Performance.

The MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops plus the new Mac Mini and the new iMac computers have the capability of converting to the IBM based PC platform via two methods . . .

Option # 1: For the budget conscious

Using software called "Boot Camp" which can be downloaded for free from the Apple website.

After installing "Boot Camp", the computer is to be shut down and then rebooted in a PC environment and Microsoft Windows XP is to be installed on a seperate partition. After re-booting into Windows XP, install the Polar PPP4 software. Then load the IRwave USB driver (as the driver is supplied on a 3.5" cd, it needs to be copied onto a 5.25" CD as the Mac has a slot drive). Plug in the IRwave USB adapter (the driver is automatically installed) and configure the PPP4 software for an IrDa interface.

Note. We have not been able to use the inbuilt infrared port in the MacBook but have been successful using the IRwave USB2.0 adapter.

File transfers via infrared can then be performed in the same manner as done on an IBM PC platform.

Option # 2: For ultimate convenience

Using software called "Parallel" which costs approx. AUD $99. This program can be placed in the program dock (similar to any other Mac program) and opened at any time while working within a Mac environment. The user can toggle between the two platforms when necessary.

Installation of the Polar Software

When the computer is in a PC operating environment, the user will need to install the relevant software i.e. the IRwave USB driver, Weblink or PPP4 software.

Transferring data via Infrared

This cannot be performed through the mac's internal infrared - it is not functional with the Polar software and current Polar infrared equipped hrm units. The Polar supplied IRwave USB2.0 infrared device will be required.

Install the Windows version of the USB2.0 IRwave driver and plug in the IRwave device.

Note. The USB2.0 IRwave Windows driver is supplied on a small 3.5 CD which will not load in the mac's slot CD drive. The drivers will need to be burnt onto a normal CD or downloaded from the internet.

Ensure the status bar can be viewed at the bottom of screen in the PC environment. Double click on the "USB Device Controls" icon to ensure the computer is recognizing the IRwave device. This may take up to 15 seconds as the computer is searching for a device through two different platforms. If the computer is not recognizing the device, then take it out and plug it back in.



Once again this is not supported by Polar so support on this procedure is unavailable. However, as more information becomes available through end user feedback, more details will be posted here. Any feedback is welcome if you have been successful in running Polar software on the latest "Intel processor" based Macintosh computers.

"Intel" based Macintosh Feedback:  please submit your feeback here »

Earlier (non Intel processor) Macintosh computers

The Polar Precision Performance SW, included in the Polar S-series Toolkit CD-ROM, can be run on Macintosh computers through the use of Windows emulating software, such as Virtual PC.



However, the data transmission from a heart rate monitor to the software is problematic.

The problem is with hardware i.e. Windows emulating software does not support external devices well enough to make them work. Although Virtual PC or other Windows emulating software can run Windows programs there are a lot of problems in handling external devices like Polar IR Interface. Only normal functionality for mouse, keyboard and printer is available. That makes it impossible to transfer exercises from HR monitor to PPP SW .

With iMac there is also a specific problem in terms of a missing serial port. Although there are several USB to serial adapters in the market, it is difficult to make them to work due to bad support for external devices with Windows emulator software. The same reason makes it impossible to use Polar IR Interface for USB port on Macintosh computers.

The internal interface in Macintosh computers uses IrDA protocol in communication. Polar S610/S710/S810 monitor have its own protocol that is not compatible with IrDA i.e. Mac computer's internal infrared port can not be used with Polar S610/S710/S810 HR monitors. Although emulating software emulates Win95 it is not possible to switch IrDA to so called direct IR in Macs that is needed in using computer's internal infrared with Win95.

Several USB to serial adapters are available on the market. With the help of these adapters, the data transmission has been successful via Polar IR Interface for serial port on certain computer configurations.

Although the Polar Precision Performance SW in the CD-ROM is not compatible directly with Macs, the Show Me Demos, Polar Booklets and the links to the company web site, also featured on the Toolkit, can be run without Windows emulating software.

In summary,

It is possible to run Polar Precision Performance SW in Mac computers through Windows emulating software, but because of the bad support for external devices with emulating software, it is not possible to transfer exercises through infrared communication.

For more information, check the Polar Forum opposite and search for Mac postings or download the fact sheet below.

Please find attached instructions provided by an end user on how to configure a Mac to work with PPP software.



Please note that this is not supported by Polar so support on this procedure is unavailable.

Download a Fact Sheet »