Q: Can I connect the M7 to other apps and HRMs?
Yes! The M7 is compatible with any mobile app using Bluetooth and any HRM watch that uses ANT+ and/or Bluetooth, such as Garmin.
To pair the M7 to other devices using ANT+, please see the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the ANT+ compatible device you are trying to connect to.
IMPORTANT: Garmin and some other 3rd party devices allow a device to be paired through either Bluetooth or ANT+.
If you pair the M7 to another device using Bluetooth, then the Morpheus app may not be able to find the M7 when you try to sync the workout later because it can remain connected to the other device. If you must connect the M7 to something via Bluetooth, you will need to ensure that you disconnect it when finished. If it remains connected via Bluetooth (to an Apple Watch for example) you will not be able to connect it to the Morpheus app.
An easy way to make sure you are pairing via ANT+ is that it will only display the 5-digit M7 ID as seen in the images above.
It will NOT show the device name M7 – before the ID.
If you see “M7 – ” before the 5-digit ID, do not pair as this means you are about to use a Bluetooth connection.
Q: How do I use the internal memory of the M7?
The M7 has about 10 hours of internal memory will record every workout that you do. It will record workouts whether you are using the Morpheus app for real time training or whether you are not.
It will start recording the moment that you snap the transmitter onto the strap and it picks up your heart rate.
It will stop recording when you fully disconnect the transmitter from the strap.
It will only record a workout if the duration is greater than 5 minutes.
The intention of the internal memory is to allow you to workout while NOT using the Morpheus app on your phone to record the workout in real time and then SYNC that workout to the Morpheus app after it has been completed.
For more information, please see the “Syncing your M7 workouts” section at the bottom of the article here.
Q: Why doesn’t Morpheus see the M7 when I try to connect to it?
If you’re not seeing the M7 show up in your Bluetooth devices list when trying to connect to it, this generally happens for four common reasons:
- The M7 is not in the correct place across your chest and/or needs more skin contact.
- The M7 is paired directly to your phone or to another app (or someone else nearby you has it paired to their phone or device).
- It is not powered on
- The battery is dead and needs to be recharged.
Start by making sure you are wearing the band directly on your skin, over the bottom of your sternum. Ensuring the electrodes are moist will help create better skin contact.
You can also unsnap the M7 sensor and then snap it back in. It beeps once when it powers on and 3 times when it powers off.
The LED on the front of the sensor also flashes white when it powers on, then blue when it finds your heart rate.
Open Bluetooth settings in your phone or device and make sure it’s not paired directly to the phone.
Also, check to see if you have any other apps open that might have automatically paired to it.
If you have verified all of the above, try charging your M7 battery. The M7 can last up to 200 hours of use from a full charge.
Q: Why am I losing connection during my workout?
If the M7 loses connection to your phone or other device, it’s most often because either the strap is losing skin contact or your device is out of range.
Tighten the strap to ensure that it will not move around during your workout. Add water or electrode gel to the rubber-covered electrode area of the strap to improve connectivity.
Make sure that your phone or other Bluetooth device is within ~30ft (~9m) of the M7. It can begin to lose connection if this range is exceeded or if there are objects in the way of the signal.
If you have owned the strap for a while and used it a lot, the electrodes can begin to wear out and you may need a new strap. Skip to the “Normal wear and tear” section below for more info.
Also, any of the reasons below in the “heart rate inaccurate” section could also be reasons for disconnections.
Q: Why do my heart rates seem inaccurate at times?
Placement – The M7 should be placed directly underneath the pectoral muscles with the sensor over the bottom of the sternum. It’s also recommended to put the chest strap on before snapping the sensor into place prior to each workout.
If your activity prevents you from wearing the sensor on your sternum, it can be placed on your back instead of front. However, make sure it is not directly on the spine, and you may need to flip the sensor upside down.
Skin Contact – To get the most accurate heart rate reading during all types of training, the M7 strap needs good skin contact. It’s important to make sure the strap is tightened to fit snugly.
If the strap is too loose, it may move around when you’re training and lose skin contact. If you get into a deadlift or bent-over row position and can feel the strap coming away from your skin, it’s not tight enough. If you tighten it all the way and you need a smaller strap, contact us at support@trainwithmorpheus.com for assistance.
Depending on your activity, you may choose to use waterproof tape to keep good skin contact throughout your workout.
Moisture Pt 1 – Before training, you should always add either water or electrode gel to the rubber sections that cover the electrodes of the chest strap.
Electrode gel will provide the best contact possible, but water works well for most people. Put the strap on your body first, and then snap the transmitter onto it when you’re ready to train.
Moisture Pt 2 – If the environment you train in is cool and dry and/or you wear moisture-wicking training shirts, you’re less likely to have moist contact with the chest strap.
This means you may often get incorrect or sporadic readings. So adding moisture to the electrodes of the strap becomes even more important to ensure the best connectivity and highest level of accuracy during training.
Dirty heart rate strap – Heart rate monitor straps need to be free of non-conductive residues to sense the electrical activity of our heart and send that info from the strap to the transmitter. If the electrode area of the strap and the connection ports that the transmitter snaps onto get too dirty, then they need to be cleaned.
See the full details in the question about cleaning below.
Normal wear and tear – The M7 strap is made from nylon, spandex, and rubber, which eventually wear out over time.
Routine wear-and-tear isn’t always visible, since the electrodes are covered by rubber strips and may lose effectiveness below the surface.
If the electrodes are not working properly, they cannot accurately measure your heart’s electrical signal.
If you are following the steps above to get accurate and consistent readings, and then the readings become inaccurate and/or you start to experience disconnections, it may be time for a new strap.
We recommend replacing the strap (not the sensor) at least once per year, depending on your use.
Replacement chest straps are inexpensive and often universal, working with various brands of snap-on transmitters that can be found online.
If you want an extra strap or a replacement strap you can purchase directly at one of the links below.
Size XS-S Strap for M7:
https://eza.infusionsoft.com/app/orderForms/m7-replacement-strap-small
Wearable size (XS-S): 20″ to 28″ (51 to 71 cm) with max stretch to fit 38″ (97cm)
Size M-XXL (standard size) Strap for M7:
https://eza.infusionsoft.com/app/orderForms/M7-strap-regular
Wearable size (M-XXL): 24” to 36” (61 to 92 cm) with max stretch to fit 60″ (153cm)
Q: Can I wash the heart rate strap?
Yes. And please do. No need to be the extra stinky person at the gym.
It’s important to clean residue from sweat off of your heart rate strap.
Heart rate monitor straps need to be free of non-conductive residues to sense the electrical activity of our heart and send that info from the strap to the transmitter. If the electrode area of the strap and the connection ports that the transmitter snaps onto get too dirty, then they need to be cleaned.
A simple rinse under warm water and a gentle pat/wipe dry with a towel is usually enough. And then hang it or set it somewhere to finish drying by air. Also, wiping off the pins on the back of the transmitter is a good idea.
Every so often (maybe once per month or more if needed) we recommend a deeper cleaning of the strap.
Ideally, do NOT put the M7 heart rate strap in a washing machine or a drying machine. It could get damaged and it’s not worth the risk. If you must wash it this way, do so with a load of laundry so that it does not clank against the edges of the machine during the wash. Wash with cold or warm water using a gentle wash cycle method. Also, be sure that it is clasped together.
Below is a protocol that works really well without using a washing machine.
Fill a bowl with warm water and some dish soap (like Dawn) or laundry soap. Place the chest strap in it and let it sit for a few hours or overnight.
*For dish and laundry detergent: they don’t have any moisturizing additives that leave non-conductive deposits behind. The whole point of washing is to get rid of the non-conducting oils. Some hand soaps have moisturizers in them which makes them not a good choice for this job.
The “crud” that builds up on the electrodes and makes them non-conductive is a mix of greasy skin materials. Sweat is bad for your heart rate monitor strap when it remains on the strap for long periods of time because sweat includes oils and salts. That combination loves to stick to smooth, rubbery surfaces like the electrode pads on the skin side of the strap. This is a primary factor that you may stop getting accurate readings consistently. Dish and laundry detergents will wash the oily crud away.
After you remove the strap from the water, rinse off all the soap/detergent.
With a q-tip, swab out the ports on the chest strap where the pins on the transmitter snap in. Ideally this will leave your strap looking like the top one (brand new) or middle one (6 months of use at 6 days per week) in the picture below. The bottom strap is from someone who used it for a month and never unsnapped the transmitter from the strap. Notice all the crud and discoloration inside the ports.
Gently pat the whole strap dry with a towel and then hang it or set it somewhere to finish drying by air.
Q: How often do I need to charge my M7?
When the M7 is fully charged, it can get up to 200 hours of active battery life. This means that you do not need to charge it very often.
If the M7 has 10% or less battery life remaining, when you snap it onto the strap, instead of blinking white while it searches for your heart rate and then blue when it finds your heart rate, it will blink red.
The circle LED light will turn solid green when charging is complete.
IMPORTANT:
– Use ONLY the USB-A to USB-C cable that comes in the box or one like it.
– DO NOT use a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge the M7.
– Make sure to use a standard USB 5V power adapter to charge the M7.
– The use of non-standard, higher power chargers or cables, like those that are designed for charging phones and tablets, may damage the M7.
Do not overcharge your M7 as that can cause damage to the battery.
Do not charge the M7 overnight.
When you connect the M7 to the app for the recovery test or for training, you will see its remaining battery life in the upper left corner of the app. There is no need to charge the device when you’re above 50% battery life.
Q: My M7 Transmitter beeps continuously, even when I remove it from the strap and am not using it. What can I do to prevent this?
If you completely remove your M7 transmitter from the strap (as we recommend when it’s not being used) and it beeps 3 times and 1 time repeatedly, it means that the metal pins on the back of it are in contact with something that is generating an electronic signal that it believes is a heart rate, but it’s obviously not real heart rate, which is why it powers off soon after being powered on by whatever it is in contact with. This power on and power off beep cycling can happen continuously until it is moved to a different location.
This can easily be fixed by changing how/where your M7 transmitter is stored when you’re not using it.
Make sure the pins on the back of the transmitter are not touching anything conductive. You can also cover the pins with a piece of tape or store the sensor in a bag by itself where it cannot come in contact with anything conductive.
This is not something that is specific to the M7 – all heart rate monitor electrical sensors do this; it’s just that the M7 beeps to let you know it’s powered on or powered off, while most others do not beep.
Q: Can I use the M7 while swimming or other water activities?
- Make the strap very tight
- Wear a tight swim top or wetsuit material top to keep the water out as much as possible
- If swimming facedown you can actually flip the middle transmitter piece upside down and then turn the whole thing so that it’s on your back instead of your front…maybe help keep water from flowing between the skin and the strap.
Other tips and tricks to get the most out of your M7 heart rate monitor
- Do not leave your M7 transmitter connected to the strap when you aren’t using it. Fully disconnect it from the strap and store in a cool, dry place.
- The M7 is waterproof. But electrical sensor heart rate monitor chest straps do not work very well (if at all) while submerged in water. You can try to use it while swimming or other water activities but we cannot guarantee you that it will work.
- Do not overcharge your M7. Overcharging lithium batteries can lead to damage. Do not charge it overnight. If the battery is fully discharged, it can recharge to full battery life in 30 minutes or less. The M7 can get up to 200 hours of active use on a full charge.
- The M7 has 10 hours of internal memory. This means you can train with it without being connected to the Morpheus app in real time, then sync the workout to the app afterward. We recommend using the app for real-time training whenever possible, but this syncing process provides a great option for recording your workout when you are unable to use the app. Learn more here.
If you want an extra strap or a replacement strap you can purchase directly at one of the links below.
Size XS-S Strap for M7:
https://eza.infusionsoft.com/app/orderForms/m7-replacement-strap-small
Wearable size (XS-S): 20″ to 28″ (51 to 71 cm) with max stretch to fit 38″ (97cm)
Size M-XXL (standard size) Strap for M7:
https://eza.infusionsoft.com/app/orderForms/M7-strap-regular
Wearable size (M-XXL): 24” to 36” (61 to 92 cm) with max stretch to fit 60″ (153cm)
Reach out to us at support for assistance or if you have any questions about heart rate straps.
Q: I still have a problem or question – how do I get more help?
If you need additional help with your M7, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending us a support ticket from the Morpheus app, or by clicking here to submit a support ticket.
We answer all support tickets and email within 24 hours Monday – Friday and are happy to help make sure you’re getting the most out of your M7.