EVERY time there is a Zwift software update (usually update Zwift on laptop and Companion on tablet), on my first ride after the update, I get to within a few KM of the finish line and my bluetooth magically disconnects. Everytime. This is not a battery issue, and I make sure to reboot after each Zwift update before the first ride. This is extremely frustrating. I lose any momentum I had and it usually takes 3 or 4 minutes of “turning Companion off and back on again” before the bluetooth connects and I can get going again.
Can’t say why you’re getting these disconnects but I have to ask; why are you bridging via the Companion app in the first place, rather than connecting direct to the laptop? It’s not an excuse and you should be able to use whatever configuration you like, but as you’re finding out, it’s another layer of potential failure and one that you don’t need.
Hi Dave. When I first tried to run everything through the laptop (Zwift + bluetooth devices) it didn’t work well. This despite the fact that it is a fairly new Dell, i7, with lots of RAM. It had a lot of connection issues. I’m not sure if it was strictly the laptop’s bluetooth or if the Zwift app was “taking too much juice”, or something else).
It ran MUCH better as soon as I ran bluetooth through the Companion app on the separate tablet.
I also can’t say whether the “update issue” is the laptop or the tablet (or something else). It just happens everytime on the first ride after a Zwift update. It almost looks like my ride times out in order for Zwift to do more updates. But after the frustration of reconnecting bluetooth devices (HRM, cadence, speed on a non-smart trainer) things work again and I won’t have this same issue until the next update.
If I can time the updates I may try an experiment where I don’t do a ride right away but rather wait a day after update and reboot…
The ANT+ and Bluetooth config files regularly change when Zwift rolls out a new version of the game, so I suspect that’s the reason for your issues that coincide with updates.
Given you’re on PC I’d suggest you get an ANT+ dongle and USB extension cable, and simply pair your devices directly to the laptop through that. Even if you were able to connect directly to the laptop over native Bluetooth, it’s still another thing to potentially go wrong because Windows updates occasionally mess with it. Your initial problems were likely due to interference from the laptop itself, that’s one of the reasons an extension cable is a good idea. Going via the Companion app should be the last resort IMO, since it also adds in having to keep your phone/tablet charged on top of hoping that any device updates don’t affect it.
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