My first video review. These will get better!
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So you Wanna Zwift using iOS?
I was excited to read about Zwift having an ios (iPhone) app, but then super bummed when I found it is only blue-tooth compatible. I started looking at
products only to find the way it works you have to have Bluetooth devices on your bike, trainer or heart rate monitor in order for zwift to read your output.
Like a lot of cyclists I only have ANT+, because that is what is compatible with my Garmin.
Well I scoured the internet until I found a wireless conversion tool that takes your ANT+ data, and converts it into blue-tooth compatible information that can be picked up by your ios device. And voila presto, you are Zwifting your heart out.
The product is called CABLE, and it is offered by North Pole Engineering. You can download the CABLE app from the app store. Of course, you first have to buy the small
device for around $70. Once you have the device and the app on your phone, you pair all of your ANT+ devices within the CABLE App. Then you can open Zwift and pair the device as though you are running blue-tooth native power meter, cadence, heart rate etc…
For me, I don’t have a computer I want to dedicate to my on the bike training. If you have a computer you can use, you can get a simple dongle that will bridge the gap for you. But if you want to run Zwift on you iPad, iPhone, now you can. It takes a few minutes to get set-up.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, winters are tough. I have a set of rollers I keep at work, and often watch videos while riding the rollers to help the time pass.
This year, I am hoping to enter spring in better shape through superior diet and more consistent training. Of course a year-round group ride called the Sauvie Shootout.
Adding Zwift in a cost effective manner with little set-up or change over to my ANT+ system seems like a good start.
You can check out the product here.
UPDATE: on a fully charged iPhone, my battery will be dead in about 90 minutes. So if you are going to ride longer, have a charger or battery pack ready to go. And if you leave Zwift to change music on Pandora or otherwise, you risk losing your connection and ride data. Still a great low barrier to entry way to ride with Zwift.
I just did a quick check linking to Strava on my iPhone via CABLE and it worked with no problem. It gave me instant read-outs on speed, Heart Rate, Watts etc..
