I have now spoken with Zwift about this and after months of back and forth, after directing them to this page they suddenly told me that this is a known issue that they are working on and will try and fix… eventually.
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone on here who has raised this issue and for all your advice and help so far. I have been getting seriously frustrated with my Wattbike Atom (Gen 1) not working properly on Zwift and not adapting the resistance when the gradients change. Having also recently been using a Kickr on the same platform with zero issues, I was very close to binning off the Wattbike and getting rid of it or it becoming a very expensive art installation!!
HOWEVER - thanks to all the help and guidance on here, I have followed some of your advice and ideas and now managed to get it working properly again and back to the amazing piece of training kit is was before.
The issue here is simply down to Windows 10 BLE not working with Zwift and it creates an issue when the platform tries to speak to the Wattbike. All I have done to rectify the problem was to connect my Wattbike to Zwift via the Zwift Companion and then bridge it to my laptop (all android and Windows in case anyone was wondering)
All working like a dream again and suddenly Zwift becomes a more interactive and enjoyable experience and riding the Wattbike feels like a real world experience again
Thanks all - really appreciate everyone taking the time to discuss the issue and it was great to know that it was not just me having these problems
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Hi All, I read this forum when I was having issues and I’ve found that an ANT+ dongle has done the trick and my last workout didn’t drop put once in terms of power and set the resistance well. Only thing I noticed was that it seemed to take a second or so longer to change the resistance than Bluetooth during an interval session with big power swings i.e. going from 300W down to 125…
Hi,
Using an ANT+ dongle makes workouts with ERG mode work correctly but the problem is (at least with a WattBike Atom) when you finish the workout you cannot change gears unless you then unpair and reconnect with Bluetooth (ANT+ doesn’t support gear changes for the WattBike Atom).
Not sure what bike you are using but I found that using the Zwift Companion to connect the bluetooth is the only way to avoid the issue with Windows 10 BLE simply not working correctly with Zwift.
Phillip
Hi,
I think I’m experiencing the same issue with a NG Atom, bluetooth and Windows10 (just posted a separate thread before I discovered this).
I’ll try use the companion app as a bridge to see if that helps. I’ve also ordered an ANT+ dongle.
It normal rides (non ERG) I know that using ANT+ the gear is not displayed but my understanding was that the gear changes should happen. Are some people saying this is not the case?
Below is the text from my other post
Cheers
Mike
When riding in Ziwft and doing a ramp ramp test or other workout (eg Emily’s short mix). In Zwift it says I’m in ERG mode but it doesn’t seem to control resistance. Basically I was expecting as my cadence drops then I would feel more resistance and have to put more effort it to keep turning the pedals. When below target I’m warned that I need to up power and sometimes if I drop too much it says dropping out of ERG mode, and if build up again it says it’s back in ERG mode. Also as expected the gear is not displayed, but if I use the shifters I can feel it getting easier or harder. Is all this expected?
Basically I was expecting, to a first order, that if I’m able to turn the pedals then I’ll be at about the prescribed power. I know there are issues with the ATOM and ERG but thought this was more about fluctuations.
Hello,
It sounds like you have the same Windows 10 BLE issue as everyone else. In ERG mode the bike consistently sits about 20% to 30% below the target power and doesn’t increase. I also find that when riding I can ride up Alpe Du Zwift quite comfortably on my Wattbike in gear 8 or 9 (20 gear setting) but when connected correctly I need to be down in gear 1 to 3 for most of the way.
If you add an ANT+ dongle you will find that you can use ERG mode correctly although I find that my cadence drops every minute or two for no reason but it does work. However, you cannot change gear or increase the resistance so you will find that you have to go to the pairing screen after your workout and quickly change back to bluetooth.
The best solution is to click the little gear icon on the pairing screen and have it use the Zwift Companion app to connect to Bluetooth. You have to have the app running and this feature enabled in it’s settings. Then the app will connect to your bike with bluetooth and the PC with WiFi and share the bikes connection back to the PC. This works perfectly in ERG mode and normal riding, with gears and everything.
Phillip.
Hi Philip
Thanks, I’ve just had a go at a short test using the companion app as a bluetooth bridge and it seems to work eventually when things connected however I needed to turn various things off/on as initially the companion app said no bluetooth connections.
Is there an order that always/usually works for you, this seemed to do the trick.
Get companion app running > start Zwift on windows PC > select gear icon to use companion app > turn on bike
I’ve an ANT+ dongle arriving tomorrow, it sounds like others are able to change gears in normal rides though whereas you are saying you can’t and have to switch to bluetooth.
Sounds like a lot of testing is required, that’s almost a training plan in itself!
Mike
Hi,
I think it depends on your bike. Wattbike don’t support gear change by ANT+ or at least with the original Atom, that could have changed with the new version.
Zwift remembers your setting when you restart so you only need to change the gear icon to the companion app once.
Frankly this works but I don’t get why they can’t fix this.
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Just did an hours group ride using companion app as bluetooth bridge. Felt hills more and more able to pace myself to the beacon.
Just have to figure out how to get screen shots working again. Worked initially from the PC but now doesn’t, nor from the app. I get the click but nothing is save. The app has all permissions. Seems to be another issue so maybe that’ll get fixed at some point.
Mike
Hi,
I totally agree, you don’t get a real feel unless it’s through the companion app (or using a non-Win 10 device, I always used to use my Mac).
Sorry to hear about screenshots, everything else works perfectly for me so maybe just try a reboot? I haven’t heard of that being an issue berore)
Phillip
All, this frustrates me also. I have used windows 10 laptop since starting zwift last summer (2020) and getting my V1 atom. However, I came to the conclusion that the problem lies with Zwift since every other platform I tried (Sufferfest, FULGAZ, Trainer Road) all had no issues controlling my Atom via Bluetooth (Windows10) without the need to bridge via an app.
If they are all using the Bluetooth driver on my laptop, and 3 of the 4 softwares can do this successfully, it suggests to me that the root of the problem doesn’t exist in the atom or windows.
Anyway, I love Zwift and have persisted using the app as a Bluetooth bridge but I absolutely cringe everytime there is an update from Zwift to see what breaks next as they try to add functionality for other devices (wahoo bike steering the most recent yet connection issues seem worse than ever). Slowly I’m being pushed towards moving to an AppleTV 4K solution which I’d rather avoid.
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Just an update on the Bluetooth issues and although not a fix by any means, this improved my experience within zwift.
So previously I was using my iPhone as a Bluetooth bridge for zwift but had been blighted more often than not with connection drop outs. I was also using my Apple Watch as HRM as I could never get my garmin HRM to connect. I did consider ANT+ but I also log my rides in my Garmin 530 to consolidate my indoor and outdoor ride data so ANT+ for zwift using the Wattbike Atom is simply not an option.
So today, I decided to remove my iPhone and Apple Watch from the equation and used an old Sony Xperia XZ that’s been gathering dust in a drawer to run zwift companion app. Since I removed the iPhone, I also removed the apple watch but this is okay as the garmin HRM is dual channel so Bluetooth and ANT+.
Today’s session worked perfectly without a single dropout of data. I figured the iPhone was the limiting device since I had the atom, my Bluetooth headphones and Apple Watch all connected to it and therefore bottlenecking the Bluetooth connectivity. So my old android phone worked its magic with zwift, my music was still coming from my iPhone. So in short, if you can limit the Bluetooth devices connected to your smartphone / device running the companion app, do this. Although the specs say iPhone can have 4 devices connected, I think the BLE channels are squashed once you start broadcasting music, in my case both the headphones and Apple Watch were bottlenecking the connections (it would appear).
It seems if you are 100% Apple devices, so Apple TV / iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch, you are liable to get a seamless experience. However, if your using PC, then Apple Watch and iPhone start to become stretched.
It’s pretty annoying that Zwift doesn’t update this forum with any sort of status considering we pay for it. Can someone not come on and just tell us if they plan to fix it or not.
I have the same issue.
Bluetooth and Windows 10. controllable doesn’t work. Gear changes are snappy and it’s a good experience - but I really want the controllable.
Ant+ and Windows 10. works pretty good but doesn’t display the gear changes. Also, gear changes are pretty slow. To minimize the effects of this I turn trainer difficulty down so I don’t have to change gear too much. But I’d really prefer not to have to do this. It is reliable but not very realistic.
I’ve tried the companion app via Bluetooth. and while I do get the experience I want it sometimes drops out which really isn’t reliable enough with my phone.
I’d just like to be able to run Zwift via Bluetooth from my PC. Is that too much to ask?
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I’ve been having the same issue as most people on this thread, with a Bluetooth connection ERG mode doesn’t work and gear changes aren’t displayed. I’ve switched to Ant+ which works fine for ERG but gear changes aren’t displayed. No gear change display isn’t a problem when in ERG (Obviously!) . When I’m not in ERG I’ve taken to running the Wattbike app on my phone just to see gear changes. This works fine and doesn’t impact Zwift but is clearly a workaround. I can also confirm that ERG on The Sufferfest with Bluetooth works perfectly…
Just wanting to add that for anyone else who’s just bought a new wattbike, this remains an unsolved issue (albeit with the given workarounds). 2 years does seem a long time for a fairly mainstream setup (Windows 10 + wattbike) to fail to work?
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I gave up trying and just use the companion app which works fairly reliably with the odd drop out here and there. I now have issues with my HRM not connecting but that has been a problem for over 6 months now and I have just stopped wearing it sadly.
I’m hoping that one of these days I’ll put it on to check and everything will just work again.
So today the method of connecting via the companion app stopped working (after some windows and/or zwift update - my PC rebooted with updates and then I was logged out of Zwift even though I have remember me always ticked) BUT BUT BUT the method you think should work, ie connecting via the laptop directly and being able to use/see gears now works! Is this bug fixed?!?!
How did you get the companion app to work with the watt bike? I click the cog to do Bluetooth with the companion app and I have the companion app running but it can’t find the wattbike at all.
I’d appreciate any advice anyone has on getting the companion app working.
Otherwise I have the same problems as everyone else. I can do ant+ but can’t see gear, have slow gear changes and all some dropouts. Otherwise I can do Bluetooth to the computer and it won’t control resistance. Does seem like a long time for this bug to exist…
My companion app also stopped connecting to my Wattbike day before yesterday. Have had to resort to using Zwift on my phone screen only which means no gears, but have managed to track HR using a Garmin HRM Dual for the first time in about a year. It also finds my Wattbike without issue even though both methods are using bluetooth on the same phone.
Hoping that a future update will sort it out again, so will keep trying the app each time before reverting to phone just in case.
Managed to fix this issue this morning. Can’t recall the exact steps, but I looked in app permissions manager (android) and went into the detailed permissions for the companion app (view all permissions (top right hand corner three dots)).
I selected and deselected the ‘nearby devices’ permission a few times, also did the same for the Zwift app on my phone but don’t think this will have affected it. But I also selected ‘force stop’ in the companion app info screen and then started it afresh and it was working. So maybe this force stop did the trick and made it pick up the permissions again…? Either way, worked fine after that.