many of us are not seeing join event, in the 15 minutes or so before a registered event.
I have this same problem at the start of every event. I agree with your analysis. I use an Android phone, my Wife uses an iPhone. She never has that problem. I am stuck playing paring games for many minutes before I can ride an event. We only have one trainer, PC, HR monitor ect. The glaring difference is the Android phone running the companion app and not the iPhone.
I wish you good luck with resolving the problem. So far I can’t seem to get past the overly simplistic advice about how I joined the event, battery levels, and worst of all about a BT dongle that I couldn’t even use. I respect that customer service and others are trying to help. But at some point all of this is blocking the Zwift developers from getting the data so they can get down to fixing this. I sent my log files too. Sadly, I can read them and despite pitiful latency from their servers there isn’t much there to solve the BT issues between the companion app and the phone. The log files on the PC side don’t log BT events when the BT is only on the phone with the companion app.
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My experience is that this should not be any problem. I was at the starting pen at about 29 mins before the start and then left my bike and got dressed and meanwhile there was no signal from both my heartratebelt and my p1 pedals which I use for cadence. After waking up both sensors there were no problems for me.
The problem are not “sleeping” sensors - it is “no signal” shortly after start. I had this 3 times (latest yesterday, Stage 6). I was at start 20 mins ago; no problem to get to the event (menu in training ride, join event - sorry if another text in english, using german). Warming up, start, some seconds later no BT connection.
There is no chance to connect in Companion App - down from bike, disconnect all, trying new connection - lose 2-5 minutes… must to live with it, not happy.
Zwift @ desktop PC, Companion @ Android phone.
Same issue with me. Its the companion app. That stops working if you close it and re open. After a few seconds all sensors are picked up and off you go again. Very annoying though. Happen to me yesterday twice at the start of stage 6
So far every TdZ ride, my iPad app crashed and when I logged back in, I was stuck at holding pen “looking for other riders” for 5-10 minutes. Seems that restarting app a few times has worked, but then I start ride mid way and get total less miles in even though I’m in a pack. Only has happened during TdZ rides which I generally do at 11am EST or 1pm EST, which are likely some of the highest server loads.
I’m not a professional programmer, but I would wager that having limits to how many can ride a particular start time would help. Demand can be assuaged by having more start waves. Oops sorry 1pm is full at 750 riders, there is another wave leaving at 1:15pm.
Or make it like Southwest airlines where if I register on the Companion app 24 hour ahead of time, my space is reserved and the Companion app closes registration.
By trying to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody. The experience has been frustrating (not expected from a service we pay for…)
@Sam_Kessler_SHW: My guess is that these crashes is more a client side problem than a server problem.
I can just imagine the reaction if there is a limit on number of people per event I already see the posts “I am a paying customer and I only have one hour to ride I why can’t I ride I pay money.” LOL
What I think might work is if Zwift split the big groups into multiple smaller groups starting at 1 min intervals. Zwift does know your FTP and weight so they can start with the first 100 people with the highest FTP/weight then the next 100 highest FTP/weight. That will sort of group similar ability people together. And if you are in a faster than wanted group there will be slower groups behind you.
Better mix both suggestions.
Start per 1 minute interval and who comes in first starts first.
i was thinking about that but then it may happen that you get in a mix of slow riders and don’t have many to draft off. I get it that with 100 random people there must be a few that is the same ability.
But I think it can be fun to be grouped with similar riders.
I also think if Zwift can test the process with these big tour events they can start something similar in Races.
w/kg doesn’t give any reliability the riders have the same raw watts so they can fully enjoy the draft.
I think in the end it doesn’t matter that much when the groups are big enough, lets say 500-1000 riders.
I agree a bit: w/kg will give a good estimation on the climbs, and FTP will be good on the flats (the flat part is not where people loose a lot of time). I am suggesting it as a start point. Remember these are rides not races…LOL
but for races we need to move towards something like a points system that will introduce more competition on the lower end of the field.
Draft is mainly relevant on flats, that’s why I suggested to take the raw watts into account.
For races I totally agree, however maybe it would be possible to define sub-categories based on ftp and weight. Since for most races the FTP is quite dominant.
ps. For me yesterday the first part of Stage 6 was a ride and the second part a race. LOL
Look at this, I found it interesting, (Yes i am a geek… LOL)
I took the results from Zwift Power and plotted the w/kg vs Time and I did the same with Watt vs Time.
Had the same type of problem, but couldn’t login again. Crashed about 1km before the finish on stage 6. Yes, indeed… the big climb. So, no conformation mail I Finished the stage. Big dissapointment.
Thats indeed quite interesting. I would have expected the w/kg graph more smoothly.
Agree - It has to be an Android companion app issue that is causing our specific crashes. I see it every event. It happened 8 times during Stage 6 to me. Happens zero times during general riding.
I may try to connect the Kickr directly to PC Bluetooth for stage 7 and see what happens. If I had an ANT+ dongle, I’d try that as well, but I’ll work with what I’ve got for now.
I think we all wish that we didn’t have problems. I know you are trying to help, but we already know that others don’t have problems. We watch them ride away after the start of the event while we sit there. I can also see them in zwiftpower for those who use it.
Send a customer service request an see if they will give you credit. They have promised completion credit to many users on the forums here and on Facebook. I know it isn’t the same as having your real workout data, and Zwifts granted credit won’t load into zwiftpower, but at least you can see some acknowledgement of your efforts.
I sent a customer service agent a pretty detailed analysis of my findings. I did that because he admitted that he looked at my log files and thought the problem was on the Zwift side of things. Of course that doesn’t mean “server” it could also be PC apps or companion app. And. OF. COURSE. he couldn’t resist to give resist giving me one more checklist chock full of items that make it look like it is my fault somehow.
I don’t really have any hope that they will fix it any time soon, but at least there is some hope that Zwift can see that in certain cases the only solution is on their end. If they can get it into the hands of their developers with a way to reproduce it, we are moving in the right direction.
Now if I hear on more time that some users have no problem even if lightening strikes their bike while riding Tour de Zwift, I’m going to puke.
It is somewhat comforting to know that one is not alone!!! However, My problems are ,it seems, due to my own unfamiliarity with all this technology. my Android phone is a piece of (BLEEP). I cannot make it do what I want it to… AND it does what it wants to do… But I bought the smart phone Just to use on Zwift, and on the real road! I use it as a phone about two times per week… My problems are almost over, it seems. They all seem to go away after I play around a bit. I do have Apple TV, and though its remote is a useless piece of garbage, I have leaned to use Zwift Companion instead. Zwift works better with Companion. I haven’t missed an event since going with Companion, and everything seems to go well. My phone does NOT let me chat with other riders. I want to say ‘Thanks for the pull’, or “Grab My wheel” but my phone doesn’t have that option, so everybody thinks I’m an arrogant snob, I guess… I do click the “Ride On” button often, just to show that I am not arrogant…it’s the only way I can communicate…
I am now at the point where I will have to buy a more expensive smart phone just to chat with other Zwifters, or just not chat… I am glad I spent the big bucks on the Wahoo Kickr,and apple TV though - once I figure things out, they are reliable! Zwift is life changer for me! Good luck to you…and keep riding. I do 99’9% of my riding by nyself, hence my user name:
Lone Woof
(actually Doug Keith)
Ride ON.