Thanks for the comparison. In past years, I’ve done some very long distance riding and so the battery part also plays in to equation. There’s also the fragility of a phone and the fact that it’s nice to get away from them.
On the other hand, I’m loving Xert, having just started using in January. It will be hard to just go out and ride, now. And so the functionality of the workout player outdoors is pretty key.
My ideal would be to have the connect IQ app expanded but it seems Xert is putting energy into android. That’s okay, can’t do everything and I’m sure it’s way easier to work with. I would even be happy if the workout player could function as a data field. I.e. I could scroll to other screens while running a workout.
Should have said no ANT+ unless your phone supports it.
None of my phones (Pixel 2, Palm, or KingKong Mini 2) have ANT+.
BLE works fine for me and I find it more reliable than ANT+.
If I plug my old ANT+ dongle into any of the phones, I can connect EBC with that protocol. However, there’s no need unless your sensors don’t support Bluetooth. In that case you need an Android phone with built in ANT+ (some Samsung models and other brands) or an ANT+ dongle (will be awkward to use outdoors).
Most phones have Ant+, hardware-wise. But they disabled it, firmware and software, since Android 9.x. With my phone I was using native Ant+ with Android 8.x. Since it was updated to 9.x and then 10.x, Ant+ is disabled.
Still, I will buy a USB OTG adapter and use my Ant+ dongle this year. Ant+ is the easiest way to use several apps simultaneously.
I have been using “Xert EBC” on my smartphone for several days and it looks pretty good.
I have an inquiry or a suggestion:
is there a chance that it will be possible to set the “MPA EXPECTED” value from a given workout and block / section in the configurable fields on the screens (indoor section)?
Such a field (it cannot be edited in this regard) is in the old version of the application (for Android) and above this field there is a field with the current “MPA” level.
I think that such a field with “REQUIRED/EXPECTED MPA” in the new version would be good, it just motivates me and I know in real time whether I am doing the work at the intended and required level.
Of course, I know that you can configure data fields, but there are just a few values/data from the old application (e.g. TTE, TTR, MPA expected, VI, Work kJ, StrainRate etc.)
Does that mean this list isn’t accurate if the phone is upgraded to Android 9.x or higher? Directory - THIS IS ANT
Or is disabling ANT+ determined on a per model basis?
My guess is most if not all the small Android phones on Aliexpress won’t have ANT+ enabled even if the chip is onboard.
As you mention an ANT+ dongle is the solution for users who want several apps connected simultaneously. For example, Fulgaz on your Windows laptop with ANT+ dongle, Xert EBC on your phone. Or Apple TV users can add the ANT+ dongle to their phone.
Outdoors BLE-only should be fine unless you have an old sensor that only broadcasts on ANT+.
It is not true that Android 9 and newer have ANT+ modules completely blocked.
ANT + worked on Andoid 9/10 without a problem, so in “HTC 12+” “HTC11”, “HTC10”, “HTCOne m9” and on Android10 in “OnePlus 8Pro”.
Unfortunately, after updating to Android11, the ANT+ driver does not work: /
I reported it to the author’s support but he didn’t make any reference to it.
In A11 under “OnePlus 8Pro” the problem is that “ANT+” cannot be granted - but there is a module displayed in the manager.
I connected the power meter and heart rate sensors via bluetooth to the KKM2 and via ANT+ to the Garmin 520+, Xert EBC works well (excluding the already known problem of total ascent).
It would be really nice if the Varia 510 could also be connected, I will keep using Garmin 520+ (I don’t want to spend 100 euros for the display unit) and so I have to say good bye to the “all in one” idea.
The problem with BT, is that it’s only “1 channel” connection, so once one app is connected to the device, you can’t manage the device from another app.
For ex., if I need to use RideWithGPS to get navigation directions - RWGPS is exclusively BT compatible, so after I connect my sensors to it, Xert won’t have access to them.
With Ant+, I can use my sensors with different apps. BTW, all my sensors have both BT and Ant+. So with Ant+ enabled, RWGPS can use BT, and Xert will receive the data from the Ant+ protocol.
PS: today I tried a USB OTG plug on my phone, and I can confirm, Xert EBC is fine with Ant+ Ugly trick: I plugged a male USB C <-> female USB micro, then a male USB micro <-> female USB 2 then the Ant+ plug. Something I would not play with, while riding outdoors !
That’s the way I’ve been using it, last year. But it’s annoying to change the parameters on both apps depending on what’s the plan of the day ! And as I said, I was also using GhostRacer (and Wahoo Fitness occasionally), so there was always the need for reliable connections between the apps and sensors.
WOT ??? Holly molly, I just ordered a 510 !!! Is there a solution to solve that ? Or should I cancel my order before they send it (AliExpress, some delay…) ?
If you switch to a different app whilst doing a workout and then switch back to Xert EBC, the red power trace line disappears and only starts drawing again from when you switched back into the app.
This is on Android 10 (Emui 10.0.0) on a Huawei P20 Pro, Xert EBC version 4.0.0.78 (204)
Before I go ahead and buy a King Kong Mini 2 I need to know how i hide the map that shows on the outdoor ride settings if the Xert EBC app. On a 4" display it’s taking up half of the screen when my ageing eyes need data fields on the full screen height.
Just finished a workout using Xert EBC and for some reason it started all over again at the beginning. I didn’t touch the screen at all. It just began again. Tapping back a few times my original workout showed and saved fine.
If you load a workout for an Outdoor ride you will have 3 pages to swipe on the top half the last of which is the map which expands to full screen as needed.
Would the first page shown with the rainbow gauge make you happy or were you thinking of something else?
I suppose they could add an option for data fields for those who don’t want a map as the default on outdoor free rides. I think most people will want the map though especially when routes are added.
Are you testing with 4" screen phone now?
I find both the KKM2 (4") and smaller Palm screen (3.3") easy to read especially on an out front mount. The tiny target watts box on the bar chart is troublesome, but I think they are working on that.
Ugly trick: I plugged a male USB C <-> female USB micro, then a male USB micro <-> female USB 2 then the Ant+ plug. Something I would not play with, while riding outdoors !
