Tacx Flux S problems with Zwift

Bugs and Support
1

Hello,
just purchased a trainer to use zwift for training. I can not get Zwift to work correctly with the trainer.

  1. I use companionapp for bluetooth pairing
  2. I can not get bluetooth to work in Windows 10 inside Zwift, thats why I use companion app. Use an Asus bluetooth USB dongle.
  3. I start Zwift companion app on phone.(Tested with Iphone 8 and XR)
  4. On Zwift on windows PC I search for the devices and they are found through companionapp and Zwift windows app says they are connected, when i pedal I see metrics change, sometimes they drop to 0 but then show up again.
  5. I jump into the game and get some metrics for a few seconds and then it all stops and no metrics are sent when pedalling. Companionapp shows no metrics at all. (This happens all the time when I restart the software.)

I have no problems when using Tacx software.

  1. I get bluetooth to work on my windows 10 PC with Tacx software.
  2. Tacx iphone calibration app gives correct readings.
  3. Tacx trainer software give correct metrics from the trainer when biking on the windows 10 PC and it all works.
2

Could be some interference with the Bluetooth signal, Zwift uses a lot more data than the Tacx app does so that is not an apple to apple comparison.

For an easies and more robust connection I would suggest an ANT+ dongle with a USB extension.

3

Hi Nils, I have a Tacx Flux S too, not quite the same setup as you, but I’ve had a similar problem - easily resolved in my case.

First off, I’ve used the Flux with Windows 10 and an ANT+ dongle and the Companion app alongside with no problem at all - so bottom line is that an ANT+ dongle instead of BT would work fine I think.

However, my preferred setup is to use my 12.9” iPad, which is great for Zwift (I only used Windows previously on an old PC to use the World Hack). BUT, I find that setting up the Companion app can mess with my iPad device connections, so now I NEVER use two BT devices (iPhone and iPad) at the same time. If I just use the iPad on its own everything works just perfectly, and to be honest I don’t need the Companion app at all.

So the first thing I would do is try using your Windows BT setup with the Companion app closed (force-quit it if you have an iPhone). If that works, you could try starting the Companion app AFTER connecting your devices through Windows - but force-quit it again if you get any signal drops.

1 Like
4

Zwift Bluetooth connection seems to work only selectively on Windows 10 machines. I have desktop PC on which it works flawlessly and Asus laptop (same, latest Windows 10 version) on which it doesn’t work at all. I’d go with Ant+ dongle for now. It’s still the most reliable option.

5

Hello,
thanks for the replies.

Don’t really understand why Zwift should use more bandwidth then Tacx. Would like some explanation on what extradata Zwift sends. You can listen to HD music over bluetooth and I really doubt that a trainer would send that much metrics.

Well yes I guess I was frustrated enough yesterday so ordered an ANT+ usb dongle and an USB extension cable(“Yay for wireless”). Hope that solves the issue until Zwift fixes their Bluetooth stack.