Windows PC ANT+ issue solutions
With credit to Dave of ZPCMR who doesn’t appear active on the forum anymore, if you’re having issues with an ANT+ stick on a Windows PC, here are a couple of methods for reinstalling the driver.
First - Semi-automatic
- open “Windows Update” and click “Check for updates”.
- “View optional updates” and find “Dynastream Innovations, Inc. - Bus Controllers and Ports, Other hardware - ANT USB-m”, then install it.
Second - manual
- Wahoo Fitness has a page set up describing the process, here: https://support.wahoofitness.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021559679-Installing-ANT-drivers
- The specific link to download the ANT+ Windows drivers is here: https://support.wahoofitness.com/hc/article_attachments/4408409938322/ant_usb2_drivers.zip
- Download and unzip it.
- open Windows “Device Manager”
- scroll down and find the USB ANT+ USB stick in the device list (it’ll likely be highlighted if it’s not working correctly)
- Right click the ANT+ USB stick, update driver, navigate to the spot you unzipped the driver and select it
Fun facts about ANT+: it’s older and has overlapping frequencies with things like microwave ovens so it’s prone to interference. However, it’s also fault-tolerant: unlike Bluetooth that requires “pairing”, ANT+ “transmits in the blind” - it simply spits out data for anything listening. Advantages are it can be received by multiple devices at once (example: HR can be sent by ANT+ to a bike computer, sport watch, and Zwift device on the same ANT+ channel) and it tends to reconnect after a disconnect. BLE, because of the “pairing” requirement, can only connect to a single device per channel and when a connection is dropped may stay dropped until manually re-connected.
For general troubleshooting, visit: Guidelines for Seeking Support on the Forum
For other resources of interest: Zwift Resource Wiki 🗺
