@Cyclopaat Are you the same Cyclopaat who’s posting on SF and intervals.icu forum ?
I’ve been using my smartphone for years as a bike computer, the internal battery will last about 5-6 hours with screen always ON, and with an external battery (I have a 20000 mAh one), it stays at 100% by the end of my rides while also powering my old Sony cam (AS200VR). And I can use that battery for 3-4 rides without the need to recharge it.
But the recent problem with (Android) smartphones, is that they (Google ?) have removed the Ant+ management from Android since v9.x, so you can only rely on the BT protocol. Which is a pain if you were using several apps at the same time to connect your sensors. For ex. I’ve been using Xert to do my workouts outdoors, and from time to time I was using RideWithGPS, to discover new roads and have a good navigation. RideWithGPS is only BT compatible, it was no problem as I could still use Xert with the Ant+ protocol. But since Ant+ is not available anymore, I need to chose which app to use beforehand, because you can’t share your BT data between different apps
As the Karoo 2 will still manage Ant+, it’s one of the reasons I pre-ordered it. Hopefully, Xert will be fully compatible with that device. I could also downgrade by smartphone from Android 10+ to Android 8.x, but it’s a bit risky: I already tried several times and never had a fully working phone.
Bluetooth is indeed a pain if you need to connect to more than one app, but I never do.
In your case, you can still connect to Xert and use RideWithGPS for your route. Just without sensors/recording. You can see where you are and where you need to go anyway…
Yes, that’s what I do, but it’s annoying to, then, cancel the ride in RWGPS because it will also be synchronized from Xert. And RWGPS can record the temperature from my Stages powermeter, something that Xert can’t do. And sometimes when I need to maintain my power, but also need to check my route, it’s problematic to have to switch between apps !
@Armando: will check. But then can I still connect the external battery ?
PS: I realize that even with Ant+, I still need to cancel one ride from one side or the other
I have no experience with a CABLE on an outdoor ride, but I would expect there be trouble if you need to carry that in your back pocket, preferably in a case or plastic bag (I sweat like a pig anyway).
It works perfectly indoors, but Ant+ adapters are a lot cheaper.
Not if you’re using an iOS device. Very handy to have around for multiple connections or connecting ANT+ only devices to your iPhone. If you need neither, then you don’t need one.
Who has Ant+ only devices for outdoor rides these days? And even for indoor rides, most trainers have both.
I only got one, because my iPhone was controlling my Neo and the Tacx desktop app only supported BLE, so I couldn’t ride ‘virtually’.
Why Tacx made that stupid BLE only decision is beyond me, but anyway.
The Ant+ protocol being dropped by Android phone makers was equally stupid and there are workarounds - besides the CABLE - but it just is mind boggling how nobody ever seems to be getting it (quite) right.
In general, if the answer is: “Yeah, but buy this, or buy that”, you didn’t get it right.
I know it’s impossible to answer to all demands and wishes of everybody, and your forum, interval.icu’s, the Sufferfest’s, Tacx’s, Wahoo’s and so on, are all full of examples of that.
But something as simple as multi connectivity? They make phones able to operate on a million bands, but BLE/Ant+ is too much…
Then it should be simplified. Like you need way too many different cables and chargers for all your devices. They’re working on that, but I’m not holding my breath.
Unclear what you mean by that.
I have a Pixel 2 phone which launched with Android 9 and auto-upgraded to 10 and now 11. ANT+ works fine with a dongle and ANT apps from the Play Store (ANT Radio Service, ANT USB Service, ANT+ Plugins Service).
ANT+ is what I used with the Xert Player for over a year. However, I stopped using ANT+ when the Xert Player Beta was made available with enhanced BLE support. I haven’t needed the ANT+ dongle since. I just tried it and connected to all sensors by ANT+ then configured as mix and match. Example, Stages power (ANT+), Halcyon trainer (BLE), TICKR HR (ANT+) and Polar cadence (BLE).
I’m not questioning the workarounds and/or justification of the costs - big or small - thereof, but I think it’s stupid that they are needed in the first place.
No, but letting @GoustiFruit know there is a solution to his issue without purchasing a Karoo 2.
I imagine most cyclists training with power or HR already have an ANT+ stick for one reason or another. <$20USD
I work on Bluetooth products for a living.
There is no scientific explanation on why Bluetooth actually works, In my mind it’s a miracle, so be grateful for what we have.
I tried, the dongle Ant+ with a USB3 “OTG” adapter, it didn’t work. I’ve been using Xert for a few years now, with different smartphones over time, they were perfectly working during the Ant+ time. With my latest phone, it was still perfectly working, up to Android 8.x. And since I upgraded it to Android 9.x and Android 10.x, it does not anymore. I think that a few manufacturers still manage to incorporate the Ant+ protocol is some of their devices, but I’m pretty sure that, if Karoo 2 is still based on Android 8.x, it is for a good reason.
Anyway, Bluetooth is still causing more problem that Ant+. For ex., I’ve been testing Sufferfest since a few days (Ant+ dongle on the PC), two days ago I was doing their Half Monty workout and as I was in the beginning of their “ramp” section, I decided to compare the power from my new HT (Elite Direto XR) with the powermeter (Stages) on my bike: I enabled the Bluetooth on my phone, started the Wahoo Fitness app to see the numbers from my PM (vs the numbers on my screen for my HT), and bam! it disconnected my HR monitor, which is an important device to do that specific workout ! I had to restart it all, luckily for me I was only in the first steps of the ramp, otherwise it would have been impossible to re-do that workout on that day.
PS: I won’t continue with Sufferfest. Not enough training on that 14 days trial period (3h/week ???), too many things on the screen (video, comments, touring/historic/geographic data, and you have to focus on your numbers - watts, cadence…), at the same time with music and audio discussion, I can’t focus on everything simultaneously ! I will, again, use Xert. But without BigRingVR, as they don’t provide a Linux version anymore (and I don’t want to dual boot on Windows just for that). I may try Rouvy or Tacx Training on my Android tablet… or I will use Xert by itself (boring for indoors…).
