Fourth Frontier Reviews 329

I have had two, v1 and v2. Both have been at best adequate over the years I have used them to monitor my heart rhythm.

The idea is a good one to be fair and it should work.
The truth is the results are mixed.
I spend more time talking to customer support about dubious recording results than I should for a device of this price band.

It's very buggy, needs a lot of resets and hard resets to function "properly" and honestly as I gather most of its results are software driven that just doesn't work that well., I just don't trust the results now enough to send to my cardiologist, which completely defeats the point. And that's just for rhythm.
I asked a question on breathing rate, namely why, when I control my breathing to slow, even breaths while doing endurance it doesn't record that slow down, I was told it can't. So I'm reality that's just a gimmick and again can't be used as the data isn't a accurate.
I have it 2 stars as it does, while dropping out regularly, function ok as a heart rate monitor and being rechargeable is usefull. Previous comprehensive review an score was 4/5 then dropped to 3/5 following furtther use.
Personally I would not buy again nor recommend after years of use.

I have a cardiac conduction abnormality (Rate-Related Left Bundle Branch Block) and my cardiologist suggested getting an over-the-counter device that would allow me to see my ECG in real time, so I could modify my workouts as needed, evaluate whether medication trials were working, etc. All the other devices I looked at required stopping your workout and holding the device in your hands in order to get a 30-second ecg, which was not going to work for me, or they had cumbersome stick-on patches, etc.. The Frontier X2 uses a simple chest-strap mounted device and allows me to monitor my ECG in real time when I mountain bike (phone mounted to my handlebars) or, for activities where I can't mount/view my phone, to review the ECG recording after the workout is complete. My cardiologist was impressed with the clarity of the ECG recording, and I find it very easy to review the ECG recordings after a workout. I do wish that a couple of small details were different (I wish we could edit the training load goals to be specific to our workout plans, and it would be nice if workouts recorded through "ECG streaming" would report zone minutes, as do workouts recorded by choosing "start activity"), but these are small details and overall the product deserves 5 stars. In addition, I had a question about receiving inaccurate data when I run, and customer support was quick and helpful (it seems that some women will need to wear the chest strap above rather than below the breasts for optimal positioning for ECG recording, especially in higher-motion sports such as running). In short, I am extremely satisfied with my Frontier X2.

I have a family history of heart problems, so when my cardiologist (also a data geek) told me about the X2, I was immediately interested. It was comforting to know that when something felt seriously 'off' in a few workouts, I could send my MD the data and he could tell me if there was a problem. In my case, the data suggested overtraining, not a CV issue. That was a huge help in figuring out how to proceed.

Great communications after posting my problem on the community forum, of bad ECG’s after a year. The development team worked with me to eliminate all known problems, but eventually sent me a new unit, which is working very well now!

Really positive and helpful agent. Started on live chat, but he realised I needed more and phoned me. He then went through updating, and several other stages to make sure my X2 was working correctly. Very patient, and stayed on the line throughout. Answered all my questions clearly and satisfactorily. An excellent proactive person to deal with.

I had a very interesting overview on product and features held by a smart guy of the assistance: Vijay Kumar.
He was so good, I immediatly ordered the product. I'm eager to receive it and use it!

I bought this X2 as an upgrade from my Polar H10 and boy, what an upgrade it is!!! I’m an information loving person, there’s no such thing as too much info, and the X2 absolutely provides the most possible for this type of monitor. I wound up with an FX2, the upgraded version of the X2 that has the magnetic charging plug and counts calories too! You will want this upgraded version if you want hassle free charging with no possibility of damaging the unit with constant plugging and unplugging of a USB Mini so be sure to ask for the FX2 before you buy!!

Bought what I consider to be a very expensive heart rate monitor, only to receive a clearly used item. It had signs of use (grime from prior owner) as well as a charging cable that was not OEM (magnetic connection type thay connects to multiple usb tip types. It acrually had the prior owner's USB tip still in the monitor itself. I did not get the protective plug for the charging port when not charging. After first use, the device basically bricked and will not take a charge.

I can't speak to any follow up, but this is either a shady business practice or really terrible quality control, or possibly both. Be wary of purchasing as other users have reported receiving used items as well with no up front disclaimer.

**Update**

The company did resolve the situation to my satisfaction by offering a full refund of the purchase price. I am still disappointed in the situation, but pleased they were agreeable to a resolution.

I really want to give the X2 a 5* review as there's so much I like about it. It's my third heart rate monitor and, overall, it's by far the best. I love the ECG function and additional data it provides. Although it comes at a price, I think it's probably worth the extra as there's nothing else to really compare it to. It seems well made, it's nicely presented. It connects to my devices without a hitch (I've had others that should but don't) and the after sales support seems good.
The only reason it drops a star is that it can be a bit glitchy. I've had intermittent problems getting it to charge. Sometimes it reports a 'noisy' rhythm (as much as 50% of the workout info can be unusable due to interference) and the app itself can be a bit hit and miss when it tries to sync. Generally it's okay and catches up with itself and I've only ever lost one workout completely.
When it works well (which is most of the time to be fair), it's really, really great and I recommend it but be aware of the glitches.

I have had nothing but a bad experience with this company. I bought a monitor on Jan 9th. When received the box stated that it was used/like new. I contacted support and heard nothing from them for about 5 days and had to follow up. I agreed to keep the device if the warranty would cover it, which they said yes. On second charge of the unit, It took over 9 hours to fully charge (manual states 3 hours). Contacted support, had a video call which was basically me just plugging in the device a few times to which they told me the unit should now be fixed. After the third charge, the unit would no longer connect to 3rd party apps. I must to connect it to their app (which was stated on the device screen). when trying to close the app, it stated that I had to disconnect the device but it was disconnected. I contacted support yet again. I was asked to have a video conference, which I could not, due to my work schedule. I sent them videos of the issue and was told I would hear back in 24 to 48 hours. It's been 5 working days and still no response. Its now May 3. and I have a very expensive faulty device. I have been dealing with this for about 3 months now. I was excited to tey this HR monitor out but it has been nothing but frustrating

I had a charging issue, reported it to FF and within a day got a very helpful response. Reassuring to know that there is always somebody to help you.

I've been using the Fourth Frontier X2 HRM for a little over 18 months, following some concerning heart behaviour during exercise. Recently I was having problems getting reliable data from the strap on occasion, leaving doubts about whether the problem was me or the strap.

Yesterday I took part in a video conference with the support team, including a cardiologist. I'm not sure how long the call lasted - it was a good while - and the team really bent over backwards to sort things out and review my data.

I do have an appointment coming up for a heart health review and the cardiologist very kindly prepared an email with selected heart data to send to my own doctor.

All in all it was an amazing support experience. If I run into further problems the team is keen to help out again. Brilliant!

Customer. Service and support are beyond excellent. I highly recommend the Fourth Froniter Chest strap monitor.
The Fourth Frointer heart rate, heart strain, breaths per minute, and training load chest strap monitor are invaluable to a serious endurance athlete. I am a Certified Metabolic Breath Testing and Data Analysis. The metrics The Fourth Frontier monitor is the next best thing to Metabolic Breath Testing and Analysis in a lab. Below is a breakdown of all the metrics it provides.
Here's a breakdown of how monitoring those metrics provides valuable guidance for exercise and endurance training:

Heart Strain Zones

What it measures: Heart strain goes beyond just your heart rate at a given moment. It incorporates how hard your heart works over time, considering the intensity and duration of your exercise.
Benefits:
Identifying overtraining risk: High heart strain can indicate when you're pushing too hard and need more recovery.
More precise training: Understanding strain lets you tailor workouts to individual needs, as fitness levels impact how much strain a person can handle.

Heart Rate Zones

What it measures is your heart rate as a percentage of your maximum heart rate (HRmax), divided into zones 1-5 based on intensity.
Benefits:
Targeting specific goals: Each zone aligns with different physiological benefits (fat burning, endurance building, speed development, etc.).
Pacing guidance helps you stay in the optimal range during different types of workouts (e.g., long easy runs vs. interval sessions).

Breathing Zones

What it measures is the rate and depth of your breathing, reflecting metabolic shifts during exercise. Lower intensity generally means calmer breathing, while higher intensity makes breathing labored.
Benefits:
Real-time intensity check: Helps reinforce heart rate zones. Difficulty speaking indicates a transition into higher zones.
Aerobic training optimization: Staying in a moderate breathing zone helps target the ideal pace for endurance building.

Training Load

It measures the cumulative stress your body experiences from exercise sessions. It accounts for the intensity, duration, and frequency of your workouts.
Benefits:
Balancing work and rest: Helps you plan training cycles, progressively overload workouts, and ensure enough recovery time.
Preventing injury: Tracking training load can alert you to potential overuse before serious issues occur.
How They Work Together

Monitoring all these metrics creates a comprehensive picture of how your body responds to exercise, enabling:

Smart adjustments: Fine-tuning your training plan based on detailed data rather than just feeling.
Understanding your limits: Accurately identifying your fitness levels and individual thresholds for optimal progression.
Efficiency: Targeting the right zones for specific workouts maximizes the benefits for your endurance training goals.
Sustainable training: Helps you balance intensity and recovery to achieve long-term progress without burning out or risking injuries

The customer support provided by Frontier X2 is truly exceptional. They were incredibly responsive to a technical issue I was experiencing and replaced the device .They handled it with professionalism and efficiency. Highest recommendation.

After my device totally froze, would not startup and would not charge, FF arranged a video chat during which they led me through a series of steps to reset the device. After that it is now charging. I thought it was dead!

Received my Frontier X2 last week, got a chance to test it in four different areas that are of interest to me: Running, rowing, sleeping and breathwork/meditation.

Impressed with the wealth & depth of data it provides and the clean representation of it. Besides the app, appreciate having a web dashboard as well for greater visibility into the graphs. Certainly takes heart rate monitoring to the next level!

Battery life seems good, wore it for 12+ hrs straight and it was more than 50% at the end.

It does stick out a bit so not sure I'd use it for sports that involve chest contact.

I'm not a super serious athlete but have always been a very active person with minimal health issues. Was surprised and discouraged to hear back in January that I have mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation at age 41. Have had cardiac symptoms on and off for years but I suppose I underreacted a little to these. I purchased the Fourth Frontier monitor so I could keep tabs on my fitness and heart strain while I exercised because that has been a regular part of my day, especially since I was diagnosed. My cardiologist was very vague and unhelpful about parameters for safe exercise so I decided to take matters into my own hands a bit. I love so many aspects of the app. It even maps my walks for me without me having to do anything. The heart strain parameter is huge for me. If it starts to tick up, I just lessen the intensity a bit. The ECGs do seem very high quality but I can't recognize much other than PVCs reliably at this point. It felt like a big expense at first but I can say after owning it for a few months, it is a great ally in my health and fitness. I try to listen to my body first but I now feel even more confident as I am receiving real-time feedback from this monitor.

as its giving too many parameters and being Ultra Distance Runner with BP. & Marathon Coach , Mumbai India .
so its great tools for me to monitor my Heart and now i can train better and safest way.

also i suggest my students and track their progress too.

The technology on this device is spot-on. The data is meaningful for any person who wants to see beyond heart rate numbers. The best/accurate sleep tracker as well.

Just note that if your device has a USB as a connector, this will eventually rust. Do your best to keep that sealed, dry and away from any sweat and humidity.

I am updating the review to 5 stars given that the device has worked very well.

Old review -

I have used this device for about 1.5 years every day. I am an athlete and I find this to be a great update from a typical heart rate monitor. I have measured the HRM and compared it to others and it seems to be within 1 beat of the typical Garmin HRM chest strap.  What this device excels is in the ability to capture  high-resolution EKGs data while exercising or sleeping. This can help understand how stress affects your heart.  Sleeping capability is useful to understand recovery.  This is not a small device - it is about 2 x thicker than a typical HRM chest strap, so keep that in mind.  It works for me.

The device provides EKG and you will need to become knowledgeable to understand what is "normal" or you'll need to seek someone that does.  This device is not going to give you advice or recommendations on your EKG.  When it finds not-normal activities it flags them, however, that does not mean that is a problem...it just means that it is not 'typical'.  There are books like "Rapid Interpretation of EKG's by Dr. Dubin that can be helpful. However, even so, different types of exercise can lead to "non-normal" EKG so you may need to research specific situations as an individual.

I have not confirmed that the EKG is reliable.  While it seems to be true-to-form, I have not benchmark it against a medical grade device.  However, one of this new company devices just received approval as a medical grade device, so it does give me confidence that they have the depth of knowledge for accuracy.

Additionally, it has extra measurements that can be useful such as heart strain (millivolts), HRV, and breathing rate.    When recording exercise outside, the app actually shows both Garmin and phone GPS data in its own app.  Not that it is critical, but it is nice to have for a quick view.  It also estimates calories, however, that seems inaccurate - especially when resting.  Its calorie estimates seem repeatable, just not accurate. For outdoor exercise, the calorie count is +10% from Strava (which is also an estimate), thus that seems more credible.  Still, I appreciate the company is trying to provide data and I hope they improve those numbers.

The battery life is very generous and will last 24 hours of continuous recording. However it is best to record specific activities so that they can be grouped and compared rather than one long stream.  Charging is very quick as well.

The Bluetooth performance is excellent.  It has multiple channels and has been very reliable, something I can't say for other Bluetooth devices.

The company customer is responsive.  They do know enough to address the device capabilities. The company is actively addressing bugs with updates to the device firmware, mobile app and website.  Additionally, they do add new features (e.g. calories burned)

It is the best HRM for an athlete that I am aware of. Thus I highly recommend it.

Positives:  
> high-resolution ECG continuous 24 hours and while exercising
> Excellent battery life
> Excellent charging
> HRV
> Strain/stress,  heart mV
> Multi-Bluetooth channels

Negatives:
>the device will only record down to 35 beats per minute, so if you are below that...it will show 35 as the lowest BPM. I hope that they can lower this limit to 25 BPM.

First of all, I really like the Frontier x2 heart rate monitor with ECG. Second, the customer service is excellent. Every encounter I've had with them has resolved the issue and in a short amount of time.