Bluetooth dropping - advice?

Bugs and Support
1

Hi - I’m new to the forum but have been using Zwift with a Tacx Flux for over 3 years. Yesterday, out of the blue, during a ride Zwift lost the bluetooth signal to my iPhone XS. I have been using this setup for years and never experienced a loss of signal mid-ride. After dropping the signal will reconnect on it’s own if I wait a minute or two and then after riding for a few minutes the signal drops again. Since the first occurrence the same issue has happened on two more test rides with the first drop occurring seemingly at random (on one ride after 20mins and on the next after 30mins). I have tried all of the following:

  • Power down/restart phone & Tacx Flux
  • Update iOS, update Tacx firmware, update Zwift app, update Zwift companion, update Tacx Utility
  • I have always ridden with a fan but have tried without and still drops
  • I use a Wahoo Tikr and have tried both with and without that connect…both drop
  • I have put my phone next to the Tacx to reduce distance…no help
  • I have turned off Wifi so that my phone is on 4G and no thus no wifi signal…drops
  • I have tried to connect with my MacBook instead of my iPhone…drops

I’m completely stumped. I’ve done multiple rides per week up to Sunday and then on Tuesday it just starts to drop out of the blue.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks
-Mike.

2

Did you change router or router position? Did you have a close neighbour that has changed their router? Is someone using a microwave?

These are some of the weird reasons people can get drop outs. But maybe your trainer or computer itself is to blame, maybe zwift is to blame (unlikely since its been a while since an update).

What did the zwiftalizer say, does it just say loss of Bluetooth connection?

3

i’ll second the “is anything new happening in your house/neighbor’s house” route. i’ve posted about it in another thread, but my son pairing a wiimote to a separate computer sometimes causes my macbook to drop bluetooth connection to my kickr snap. bluetooth seems to be a bit sensitive to other gizmos using wireless frequencies nearby.

look for:

  • other bluetooth devices that are newly on
  • other smartphones that are newly nearby
  • new appliances that have radios in them or could interfere with the bluetooth signal (like microwave)
  • make sure you don’t have other devices trying to pair with the trainer
4

thanks dan for your reply.

we do not have any new bluetooth devices or any new tech or appliances in the house at all for that matter. i’ve checked and no other devices are trying to pair with the trainer.

my setup is in my garage which is both a good distance (10m at least) from any neighbour and is detached from my house so there are two thick brick walls between the trainer and any other device. we have not moved our router but i suppose it’s possible a neighbour has done so and i would have no way of knowing, but i would hope that given the distance between us that this wouldn’t be the issue.

i rode again this morning and all was well for 18min and then watts go to 0 and “no signal”. it reconnects on it’s own after 40-60s but after the first drop it becomes a frequent loss of signal every few minutes. it’s infuriating as i tend to do pre-set workout and it renders them pointless if ERG mode is lost mid-session.

thanks again for your advice!

5

thanks ben for your advice.

my setup is in my garage which is both a good distance (10m at least) from any neighbour and is detached from my house so there are two thick brick walls between the trainer and any other device. we have not moved our router but i suppose it’s possible a neighbour has done so and i would have no way of knowing, but i would hope that given the distance between us that this wouldn’t be the issue.

a microwave is possible but this is happening on rides at 7am, 4pm, 7pm and multiple “no signal” drops per ride so i think i can rule out someone heating up a meal.

like you i think that the issue may not be zwift. i’m concerned it’s my trainer as i feel my other tests have been fairly exhaustive. unfortunately, trainer diagnosis is not straightforward - i may borrow a friend’s and test with my setup.

zwiftalizer is a great recommendation. had never heard of it! i rode again this morning and all was well for 18min and then watts go to 0 and “no signal”. on zwiftalizer i can see a uptick in the number of messages right when it drops. from 0 messages to up to 5-15 in a batch over what appears to be about a minute (the x-axis on the chart is not precise). and, each time it drops i see another burst of messages. however, i’m not sure what to conclude from this! my thinking is…

  1. other devices interfering but i feel that i’ve investigated all of these options
  2. the trainer itself drops and the burst in message is just the trainer trying to reconnect…then when it reconnects the messages stop. (ie. is the burst the cause of the drop or the effect of the drop)

if you have any other suggestions i’d be grateful!

perhaps i should get an ant+ dongle and test with that?

thanks for your advice!