am0n

Looking to buy a trainer for the winter along with a TV to entertain myself. Not sure about getting Zwift, yet, but want to make sure that I am well positioned to get it of I want.

Trying to figure out what I'd need to get Zwift on the TV I read into the Zwift Companion App. It looks like it can act as effectively a Bluetooth Dongle? What have people's experience been using it as such? Does it lag a lot, or since it is Zwift based, does it compensate for delay?

My PC would be out of reach when on the bike. Does the app completely control Zwift? Could I load it on my PC, move it over to the TV and then do everything else via the app to get Zwift running? I've read that the PC and phone to be in the same network, but that the PC can be hardwired and the phone wireless. Can anyone confirm?

In my case, I have my head unit (bolt), a cadence sensor and HRM, along with the trainer. Could consider an ANT+ Dongle if needed. Would rather not need to have a keyboard and mouse next to the bike if the app can control everything well enough.

jadocs

Ok, first you need something to actually run zwift and by that I mean the main screen where your avatar is. That is what you are going to be looking at when you ride. This can be on your computer, your phone, your iPad, or through an Apple TV projected onto your TV.

The companion app is for when you run zwift on an Apple TV. It is there to pair all your Bluetooth sensors and to allow you to interact in the zwift world....ie. chatting with other people, changing course, etc... No ANT dongle required

If you run zwift off your phone, iPad, you can't use the companion app because you are using those devices to run the actual zwift program. Your sensors are paired via Bluetooth directly to your phone or iPad.

Not sure on the details running zwift on your computer in reference to using a companion app, but my knee jerk reaction is you don't run it, because you would be using your computer's keyboard to interact in the zwift world. All sensors again paired via Bluetooth unless your computer doesn't do Bluetooth...at which time you do need an ANT dongle...or if you have sensors that do not have Bluetooth capabilitly…….someone can correct me if I am wrong.

I would make it easy on yourself and just get an Apple TV 4k that allows you to run the zwift program, then just download the companion app on your phone and use it to pair your Bluetooth sensors...or to interact with others. The Apple TV has Bluetooth ports, but it is limited to 3 devices. Your trainer takes two (control and power), and you have room for only one more (either HR or cadence). This is why you use the companion app to pair the sensors...because there is no limit like the ATV.

I have experienced no lag.

sdmc530

here is some great setup info for you:

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/z...omplete-guide/



I love Zwift, not perfect but its great for winter riding.
I might be wrong but I dont' think the comp app will run the program you need the actual program. The app is for other features.

Thomas15

There are a bunch of ways to set up for Zwift. A good resource is Zwiftinsider dot com. Lot's of information there including links for more information. You should really consider getting either a smart trainer or a trainer that at least is supported by Zwift. A supported dumb trainer, for example the Kinetic Road Machine with InRide 3 will allow Zwift to give you the advantage of a power meter. For the price of a new Road Machine it is a simple step upward to get a Wahoo Kickr Snap which is a wheel on smart trainer. In any event do your homework and ask questions because sometimes it pays to spend a little more money than just the minimum.

I personally think Zwift is a great way to keep indoor training interesting. I went from a barely functional bicycle rider to a decent rider over last winter using Zwift. I logged in over 3000 miles, 280,000+ feet of climbing while waiting for good weather to appear. Now that the weather is turning and the days are shorter I'm transitioning back to my trainer, I usually get about 150 miles a week in.

You cannot run the program on the companion app. That app is just that a companion to the main program. You might be able to run both on the same device, I have never tried it but they are separate. I could run for example Zwift on my iPhone but the screen is way too small for me to find enjoyment. My set-up just for your info is quite a bit different from what jadocs uses. I run the Zwift program on a PC laptop running windows 64 bit it has to be 64 bit. There is a ANT+ dongle plugged into a USB port on the laptop getting signal from my trainer. A HDMI cable connects the laptop to my flat screen and the sound system. I run the companion app on my iPhone 7 using my home wireless network. I have a BT speaker and ear buds that allows me to listen to Apple music on my phone while riding. My connection never gets dropped and there is no lag. I use a HRM also.

Oh and another thing. Both the companion app and the Zwift program (I sometimes run it not to ride but to check my account or to change bikes in the garage) really kicks the crap out of my iPhone phone battery. So when I'm running the companion app while Zwifting I have my phone plugged into a battery via the lightning connector. I don't know how using the lighting connector to keep the battery charged would effect the functionality of the phone as the main interconnect with Zwift. Good question I guess.

am0n

Sorry, I wasn't clear.

I intend to buy a smart trainer. My PC would run the Zwift program. I'd connect my PC to a TV via HDMI and treat it as a second monitor where I'd display the Zwift program. My interest in using the Zwift Companion App is so that I don't need the keyboard and mouse next to the bike (my PC is across the room and I don't use a wireless mouse and keyboard) and as a means to bypass the need for an ANT+ dongle. My PC is connected via hardwire and my phone would be via wifi, but both to the same router. I have an Android phone.

My original plan was to use the TV to watch something while I used my head unit to control the trainer for my workout. Zwift would be a perk if it works out.

spelger

this is how i started out. just a laptop, no companion app, hooked TV to laptop via HDMI cable. my laptop was old enough that it did not have bluetooth so i bought an ANT dongle for ~$20. later i began to use the companion app when l learned about it. laptop for controlling trainer (HRM and cadence too) via ANT, companion app for monitoring trainer (HRM and cadence) status via Bluetooth. i don't recall any "controling" of the trainer via the companion app but maybe i missed that or it has been enhanced since i last looked.

i don't understand the point of watching TV while zwifting, you might as well just use what ever free app comes with the trainer you decide to buy. otherwise you are paying a monthly subscription for control while the free app will do the same. with a big enough TV the zwift experience is pretty neat, you kind of want to see the grades that are coming up. being distracted by Gilligan's Island before a 10% would be...distracting, of course there is Mary Ann so maybe worth it. but to each his own i guess.

-scott

am0n

I wouldn't be using Zwift while watching TV. It'd be one or the other. And I agree. I'm looking to be Zwift ready, so to speak, but my goal was to use my head unit with a trainer day workout or similar for free while watching TV.

I'm not really getting the impression the app can do what I am looking for out of it.

caloso

My set up is a little different than yours. I use my iPad with a Lightning to HDMI cable to a TV and then I have the Companion App on my phone. I only use the Companion App for a couple of things. I look up races, group rides, or upcoming workouts before I get on. When I"m in the ride, I'll use the companion app to give "ride ons" to other riders or to look at the app. You can control the game from the app in the sense that you can turn up the intensity of a workout, skip to the next interval, or to change the camera, but there's really not much to do once you're on the ride. Maybe that's just my experience because I mostly just do workouts. All I'm trying to do is hit the wattage and cadence targets and then when I'm done, I hit exit on the iPad.

Ed Wiser

The companion app let’s you interact with ride on’s and let’s you change directions at intersections. Plus more icons for txting others
the app needs to be on the same network as the app to work with Zwift.
The problem with Zwift I have it is getting really crowded and users zip by each other at crazy speeds that they could not possibly real or they would be winning the Tour de France
I use it every other day now as it is getting crazy. I use Rouvy also an it is so much better I can concentrate on my riding. An with 1000’s of miles of routes you don’t get bored. An the routes are better matched to actual outdoors grades. I am not a racer and just enjoy riding my bike everyday.

sdmc530

I operate the same way, program on my iPad that connected to my big screen TV. My smart trainer is connected to the iPad. I use the app on my iPhone for the other features and 'ride on'. The app is good to watch for the rides I want to do and all that though. I think they both have a value.

am0n

For Rouvy, you run it on a mobile device? Ultimately, I just want something for structured workouts. Like you, not looking to race, just get stronger. I had heard that you can do a daily workout with Training Peaks for free, but the idea of having to recreate the workout every day seems tedious enough I could justify spending a little money. I also say TrainerDay, which is even cheaper. If that could control my workouts it'd probably be the best value for the money.

Ed Wiser

I run Rouvy on my MacBook Pro with HDMI out to a 40 inch LED tv. Waiting for a new Apple TV to move one of mine up to my pain cave.
Rouvy does have a whole workouts section.

https://my.rouvy.com/workouts

unterhausen

If you want structured training with just a phone, Trainerroad works really well that way. PM for a free month.
I admit I didn't read the whole thread, so sorry if this isn't interesting. I can give 5 people a free month. You have to give them a credit card, but they have always been great about canceling.

esarhaddon

Going back to the original post.

Yes, the Zwift Companion App can act at a bluetooth bridge, so if you don't have bluetooth or ANT+ on the PC you can use it to connect your sensors. I never had problems with delays using it, but sometimes my sensors stopped working during events with multiple thousands of people, and I would have to restart the companion app to get them to work again. This was 2 years ago though, and I have BT and ANT+ on my PC now, so I have not explored whether that issue has been fixed. An ANT+ dongle and a USB extension is a good investment, since depending on the environment, it can be a more stable connection.

Yes the phone running the Companion App and the PC do have to be on the same network. I also run my PC hardwired into my router, and the phone wirelessly connected.

The Companion App has controls for many of the things you might want to do while riding, but not all of them (and it does have a few features the main app does not have!).

A not exhaustive List of Things the Various Apps Do.
Zwift App (most of these are things you do before the ride starts)
- Connect Sensors (the Companion App has to be open to be used as a bridge, but you connect the sensors in the main app)
- Start A Ride
- Choose a Route
- Choose a World
- Change Bike/Wheels/Jersey/Helmet/Shoes/Gloves
- Access Drop Shop (to buy new virtual bikes/wheels)
- Change Challenge
- Start a workout while riding
- Give a ride on to a specific person
- Change the mini-map scale
- Access the Settings (Change Trainer Difficulty, Instant vs. 3 sec Power, Resolution, ect)
Companion App
- Turns
- Join an Event during a ride
- Make Meetups
- Message other specific people
- Give ride-ons to people around you
- Acts as a second Mini-Map
- Control ERG mode during Workouts
Both Apps Do
- Turns
- Use Powerups
- Message everyone
- Select an Event before Riding
- Click the Join Event Dialogue Boxes

I am probably missing some things. Really though, as long as you are setting up your ride/route/workout/virtual gear and avatar before getting on the bike, the companion app will do pretty much everything you need it to while riding.

am0n

Thumbs up. This is the response I was looking for.

I don't suspect I'll be doing events with thousands of people, so I can start with the Companion App and if problems arise I'll adjust if needed. I may end up with an ANT+ dongle regardless, depending on the app I end up using (I think I'll end up with a free trial of most of them somehow or another, so I'll figure out the one that fits my needs best). And yes, I'd plan to set everything up on the PC first, with the App acting as the bridge and being able to do things like, start, stop, maybe change workout (can it do that?) and adjust power/scaling if I am either feeling better or worse and need to adjust it.

esarhaddon

I don't think the companion app can start a workout (or change it) after you have started a ride. I have though never tried to do this, but I have also not seen an option for that in the companion app. You should be able to hop off the bike and just use the main app if you want to change the workout. The companion app though can adjust power/scaling of workouts a little bit if you need to adjust interval power.

Also, I use Zwift and RGT as my main apps. RGT might also be something you would want to look into as well since its phone app has all of its controls, and its screen can also be run on a PC. I have not done any workouts on RGT though, so I am not exactly sure what the Free and Paid versions of RGT allow you to do.

bblair

Once you are up and riding on Zwift, you don't really need access to your PC, but you can with a wireless mouse. Mine is connected to a TV via HDMI, as others have said and I use Bose wireless headphones to listed to music.

Companion app on my phone, but it's more of a distraction than a help.

unterhausen

I use a cheap and tiny wireless keyboard to run training apps on my PC. It works pretty well. There are lots of them on amazon for less than $20. It should work alongside another keyboard.

msu2001la

I'm running Zwift from a laptop cabled to a larger monitor. The laptop is too far from my bike to reach while I'm riding, so I use the companion app on my phone, attached to my handlebars.

The companion app controls everything you'd need to control while on a ride. Turns, thumbs up, powerups, etc. So, I just select the route and/or workout I want to do, click start the ride, then walk over and hop on my bike and go from there.

I have been thinking of getting a stool or some kind of desk to hold my laptop closer to my bike so I can access it from the saddle, but it's not really a necessity.

sarhog

How do you return a thumbs up with the companion app?

msu2001la

https://www.zwift.com/news/20393-zwi...ut?__znl=en-eu

From the companion app:

• ​​​​​​Give a Ride On to a specific nearby rider by going to the “Nearby” tab, tapping a name in the list, then tapping the blue Ride On
• Alternatively, from the live ride screen in Companion you can tap the white circle around your location arrow to give Ride Ons to up to 5 nearby Zwifters.

You can also give thumbs up to riders through the companion app, even when you're not using Zwift:

• Just tap the Ride On button below the "Zwifting Now" bar to give a Ride On to every Zwifter you follow who is currently active on Zwift
• You may also tap "Zwifting Now" and select a specific Zwifter to give them a Ride On.

msu2001la

Also worth noting that (confusingly) the thumbs up button that appears at the bottom of the companion app when you're riding only triggers your avatar to say Ride On, but doesn't actually give a "Ride On" to anyone.
Other audio options are "I'm Toast", and "Hammertime".

You can also make your avatar wave, do an elbow flick (to indicate to someone behind you to pull through).

Other helpful tools on the companion app include a U-turn button, a button to change camera angles/look behind you, and a screenshot button.

I have no idea if you can do any/all of this through the in-game app or not, since my laptop is always 5+ ft away from me and I've never tried.

am0n

Thanks.

I ended up remembering that I have a laptop (i7, 8 GB RAM, dedicated 4 GB GPU) that was sitting in a cabinet that I just set up on the shelf next to my bike and ran an HDMI cable to the TV. Can watch the TV when I want a movie or something, or use the laptop to run any app, being able to control it by sitting next to it, while showing it on the TV.

MinnMan

This is almost exactly the same as my setup, and I'm very happy with it. I do group rides and some races. I find the locattion map on the companion app easier to read than the little map window on the main app, even on a big screen. Also, it's how I give "ride ons". And at times, I am connecting to riders with Discord on the phone.

Also,there's a laptop in the room playing tunes through the same TV(unless Discord)

MinnMan

Generally, the companion app is most useful when you are NOT riding. You can checck out scheduled rides, peer in on your friends who are riding,and scroll through your previous rides for stats (though the latter works better on Strava for most,I'd think)

At this point, I have a bunch of "friends" on the Zwift companion app. People I have ridden with a bunch on Zwift. It's a different group from my Strava friends, who I know IRL. Though there are some IRL friends who I follow on the Zwift app also.