MacBook 2016 ANT+ Hack

The Archives Archived: Tips and Troubleshooting
1

Bit of a techy computer observation i thought id share.

Something strange happened as I was zwifting the other. (Tacx Vortex Smart/2016 MacBook)

For the first time i experienced the most frustrating design choice of the 2016 MacBook. 1 USB C port. The Mac was dying, i was halfway up a climb and i couldn’t charge without unplugging the ANT+ sensor.

I ended up giving in and directly connected the mac to power. No ANT+ sensor connect to Mac.

Something unusual happened, the trainer still communicated with the Mac. 

No idea how the trainer remained connected. (stayed connected for about another hour then dropped out)

Any ideas what happened. Doe the mobile app bridge a connection some how?

2

The 2016 MacBook (12 Inch) has a single USB type c charging / data port.

3

Joshua, you could also just use the bluetooth in the macbook to connect to your vortex smart - no need for the ant dongle to continue riding.   If you pick up a bluetooth heart rate strap there’d be no need for the dongle ever again.

4

Well there you go. Cheers.

5

I find Bluetooth drops connection every once in a while.  Either through phone connect, or straight through PC bluetooth.  But with ANT+ I have no issues at all, and seems more accurate.