How to Update Your Concept2 Performance Monitor

The Concept2 performance monitor plays an important part in your training. It provides you with stroke-by-stroke data. The data shows your split, stroke rate, and final time for each piece you complete in a session. Whether it’s a 500-meter time trial or a longer interval workout, the performance monitor is a great tool because it provides you with a lot of information. Information that can be used to set new goals for your next training session and to help you get better every time you get on the erg.

Why You Would Want to Update Your Monitor

Having the most up to date firmware makes a bigger difference than most people realize. For example, now for the first time ever, you can program your PM5 performance monitor for interval workouts using calories. In other words, you can set the monitor to 50 calorie intervals and it will count the calories down versus previous versions where it only counts up for a desired amount of calories, but no defined intervals. If you don’t have the most up to date firmware you won’t be able to utilize this training, while someone else is. 

Another reason you might want to update your monitor would be if you have a monitor that just seems to be a little out of whack. Maybe it jumps around when tracking your performance or it throws you some odd error messages.

Concept2 made updating the performance monitor very easy.

The things you’ll need are:

• A computer

• The free Concept2 utility software

• A USB-A to USB-B cable

How to Update Your Performance Monitor

The Steps to upgrade your monitor are as follows:

1. Before upgrading you’ll need to review the Concept2 utility system requirements and also check your current firmware version. To check your firmware version power up the screen. From the main menu select More Options > Utilities > Product ID. The version number will be listed as “PM firmware version” at the top of the product ID window.

2. After you know your current version, download and install the Concept2 utility from the Concept2 website. For optimal usage, we recommend that you upgrade to the latest firmware version for all PM3/4/5 models.

3. Now that you have the firmware update on your computer, you will need a USB-A to USB-B cable to get the update from your computer to your monitor. This is basically the same USB cable your printer might use. Plug the USB-A end into your laptop and the USB-B end into your performance monitor. On the PM5, this will be on the back of the monitor. On other models, it is on the bottom of the monitor. Also, you can do this by bringing your computer over to your monitor or by taking off your monitor and taking it to your computer.

4. Once your computer is connected to your monitor, the performance monitor will ask you a couple of questions. Follow these accordingly to accept the update and you should be good to go.

Having the most up to date performance monitor has several benefits. You can get rid of glitches that may be happening with your current firmware, be sure you have the most precise tracking with the newest firmware, and utilize the latest training capabilities to add to your training. 

For a visual demonstration, watch our video on how to update your C2 firmware.