BT/ANT+ chest strap
07-23-19, 11:15 PM
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BT/ANT+ chest strap
Assuming you have a Garmin that can read either, is there any reason to prefer one over the other?
I'm asking because I killed mine, bought a dual band replacement, and every time I used it, it prefers to connect over BT.
I'm asking because I killed mine, bought a dual band replacement, and every time I used it, it prefers to connect over BT.
Last edited by Seattle Forrest; 07-24-19 at 12:21 AM.
07-23-19, 11:29 PM
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I got one to act as a bridge transmitter for Zwift, but if your device can read either I guess it doesn’t matter?
07-24-19, 12:24 AM
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I would think they're both data transport protocols, and should be identical. (I only care about the quality of the data.) But every time I assume anything, I wind up wrong. So I'm hoping nobody replies with a horror story. 
07-24-19, 04:43 AM
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So I don’t know the answer, but ANT allows multiple connections at the same time. BT only allows you to have a single connection. As far as connection reliability, I don’t think there is a difference, but I could be wrong.
07-24-19, 06:45 AM
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I had the same issue with my Bolt. I solved the problem by pairing the sensors to my phone, using BT, before pairing the sensors to the Bolt, using Ant+. I've had the Bolt for a little over two years now and the connections haven't changed. I know you use a Fenix so I'm not sure how or if that will work for you.
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07-24-19, 11:53 AM
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Another area where there might be a reason to prefer one over the other would be power consumption, however I don't know if there's a significant difference between BTLE and ANT+ (probably depends on the specific chips used on each end of the connection).
07-24-19, 12:03 PM
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Yes, because I've been running Zwift through the Apple TV app (BT) I couldn't simultaneously use the Kinetic app (also BT). However, I could connect to my Garmin. But as far as reliability, I have not noticed any difference.
07-24-19, 04:27 PM
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I had the same issue with my Bolt. I solved the problem by pairing the sensors to my phone, using BT, before pairing the sensors to the Bolt, using Ant+. I've had the Bolt for a little over two years now and the connections haven't changed. I know you use a Fenix so I'm not sure how or if that will work for you.
Interesting that your Bolt also prefers BT.
08-02-19, 09:12 PM
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One advantage of BLE over ANT+ is you can get low battery warnings with BLE if your head unit supports it. Both my Wahoo Speed/Cadence sensor and the TICKR have given me low battery warns on the Garmin 130. It won't do that with ANT+.
