Updates are Killing my Training

Bugs and Support
1

My pain cave is in a separate room, with a just about good enough WiFi connection to run Zwift and also have a YouTube video tiled side by side on my widescreen monitor. However, I often get a session completely derailed because when I want to begin there is a compulsory update that often takes >10 minutes (sometimes longer) to complete. And it is not possible to simply load my training ride while the update is downloading.

I completely understand that it is a good thing that Zwift releases regular updates. And that new features plus maps are great. But I would appreciate it so so much if we had the option to download the update AFTER I do my session. Of course this would mean I could not enter races or do special events because my version would be slightly different - which would be no issue for me at all. I only do training plans or free rides anyway.

To those who say “get a wired or better wifi connection” - I have already tried a few approaches and this was the best I could do without drilling many holes through several floors (and it is a rented home). The signal is good enough to run zwift and stream videos, just not good enough for downloads.

To those who say “load up your computer 30 minutes before you do any session”. Time is unfortunately not a luxury that I have… Between work, my daughter and training I only have narrow windows where I can get onto the bike (and it often directly before work). And to lose a chunk of that due to updates is super frustrating.

2

If it were me, I’d be setting an alarm on my phone for 21:00 the day before any updates are due.

Walk to the pain cave. Fire up Zwift. Update (or not). Switch the PC off. Go to bed. Of course, you may still be unlucky and miss the window of opportunity, but at least you’ve given yourself a fighting chance.

It’s still a nuisance, but it’s a nuisance off the critical path.

3

Fire up your computer whilst your doing something else such as your morning coffee or having a meal etc…

With updates now being more scheduled it’s easier to see when an update is likely to occur before your training.

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4

With the new launcher the update happens in the background, so turning the pc on before filling water bottles and putting on shoes should be enough to get everything installed.

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5

Assuming the computer has solid state storage, the next thing to look at would be powerline Ethernet with WiFi on the remote end where your Zwift setup lives. Another option would be Apple TV which updates in the background.