I’m trying to connect my Wahoo KICKR V6 to the TrainerDay app on my iPhone and iPad, but the sensors are only available via Bluetooth.
Is it possible to add the KICKR as a network Wi-Fi sensor instead of just using Bluetooth?
The Bluetooth sensor readings are highly inconsistent, with variations of up to ±30%. I suspect this could be caused by having too many simultaneous Bluetooth connections (e.g., Watch, AirPods, KICKR, and possibly others) or potential signal interference in my home office environment
We don’t support the wifi sensor at this time and don’t see us having the bandwidth to being able to do this anytime soon. I just bought airpods yesterday But generally most people don’t have have bluetooth issues but I have heard of sound based bluetooth devices being more problematic than others ble devices so it is possible. I will now try my airpods and have kickr v5… But starting with simplifying by only having kickr connected is a good place to start to try to find the source of any reasons. But variations of 30% don’t sound like a bluetooth problem. Bluetooth problems should be more like not connected or dropping to 0. Can you send a screenshot of what you mean by 30%? If you mean spikes in signals this is normal although in ERG mode wahoo has great smoothing if it is on.
Thank you for your quick response and as it is my first time reaching out, for the amazing product you and your team have built. Overall, it’s been a great experience !
I’ve attached a screenshot of a workout I recorded to help illustrate the issue. I’ve tried enabling and disabling power smoothing both in the Wahoo app and Trainer Day, but it hasn’t made a difference — the readings still appear inconsistent.
Assuming the hardware (Wahoo Kickr v6) and the app’s Bluetooth interface are functioning correctly, could it be that my pedaling is just extremely inconsistent?
Yes this is not bluetooth interference, this is just a non-smooth signal power which is actually fairly normal (although that is a bit on the extreme side) but wahoo has very good power smoothing so it won’t look like this if it is working. It seems you might have turned it off. You can see in this article.
I just want to make sure you are not using any power meter pedals. What is the second device you have connected? I see a two at the top.
In reality pedal strokes power does look messy like your data. That just seems exceptionally messy. I have never turned of power smoothing on my V5 so not sure if it looks exactly like that.
The second device connected was a Polar heart rate strap. You’re absolutely right that the power data looks messy, and the swings are quite extreme despite my efforts in the past 3 Months to improve my pedal stroke technique.
I’ll look further into the power smoothing settings on the Wahoo Kickr and investigate if there’s anything I’ve overlooked. Once I’ve done that, I’ll circle back with an update.
In the past days I did some troubleshooting. It turns out the error was riding in the big front chainring.
Explanation
By chance, I came across a Lama Lab video mentioning that the bigger gear increases inertia by allot, making it harder for the trainer to stabilize power (Goolge it)
Solution
After switching to the smaller front chainring, my readings became much smoother and more consistent
I admit I prefer the feel of the bigger gear, but this change made a huge difference in data stability.
So if you’re also experiencing similar power spikes or fluctuations, give the smaller chainring a try, it worked wonders for me!