Hey Zwift users, I'm using a business type HP laptop that is 4 years old to run Zwift and control my Wahoo Kickr smart trainer. The Ant+ dongle in the laptop is about only 2 feet from the Kickr. The issue is sometimes the cadence signal is 1/2 of actual cadence. Watt performance never drops. I use a Wahoo Tickr for heart rate monitoring and that never drops. Odd thing is when I'm pushing a higher power watt the cadence is accurate but the 1/2 reading usually happens when I'm in cruise mode and pushing a lower watt power. Could this be a laptop performance issue? Is it time to upgrade to a gaming style laptop? I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with the Kickr smart trainer. I keep all other programs on the laptop shut down when using Zwift.
Get an iPad and use that for your Zwift interface. Bluetooth has a greater distance range, and I've never had anything like your describing happen. I have mine on a tablet stand kind of like this: https://smile.amazon.com/LISEN-Adju...d=1&keywords=iPad+stand&qid=1611424624&sr=8-5 The other option would be a newer generation AppleTV if you're using a TV to Zwift. You can download it from the App store. These are both cheaper options than a whole new laptop.
My laptop is 6-7 yrs old and runs Zwift just fine. Since everything but your cadence sensor works, and you've got your Ant+ dongle nice and close, I'd replace the battery in the cadence sensor. I don't know that a weak battery is the problem but I can't imagine why it would be anything else.
I use my phone and set it on my tool box and just use Bluetooth and the Apple TV on mirroring and never have any issues.
Sounds like a problem with the Kickr sending the wrong cadence occasionally. To verify, Id connect a head unit to the Kickr using Ant+ and see if it still displays the wrong cadence.
+1 on Apple TV, works perfectly for me. I found a (barely) used 4th gen. for $65 on Ebay. I think Wahoo can do a diagnostic check on your Kickr through the app.
Sometimes i will find that if my cadence isn’t close to the target it’ll show really high or really low. If I speed up or slow down a bit it’ll correct itself. I wonder if this is the same thing you’re experiencing. I’m no expert, I just got mine last month but love it. Now I just gotta get the engine to lose weight and build better form and power.
I have a CycleOps Hammer2 smart trainer, and if a Kickr is like mine, then if he goes to Bluetooth to communicate to his trainer, the cadence information is sent by the trainer. I've never had a cadence issue with the smart trainer using Bluetooth. In fact, the inaccuracy of the sensors with cadence and distance is what got me to go spend the extra cash on a smart trainer to begin with. I think MH in post three nailed it with a sensor battery. Switching to Bluetooth will eliminate the need for sensors/batteries when he's on the trainer. He'd only need them for real rides outside if he wants to track data for outings on his handcycle.
I also Bluetooth to my phone, and mirror it to my TV on a Chromecast. Another option, if your laptop has Bluetooth, the 4iiii Viiiiva HRM is a ANT+ bridge.
Can't help with cadence but bluetooth on zwift has gone screwy since early Dec. For a windows setup, the best for myself and others has been to switch Bluetooth off on the laptop, connect trainer and hr through ant+, and connect anything else via bluetooth through companion app if needed. It's under the settings wheel in the top RHS of the pairing screen.
Yes. Also, mainly happens in Erg mode. If I am not in Erg it doesn’t happen, which is why I think it has to do with cadence being too low or high for the target at the time. But mainly too low vs target from my experience. please take all this with a grain of salt because I’m not good at this shit so I could be something I’m doing other than paddling fast enough.
My Kickr is 4 years old; the second version, I think. To measure cadence, it came with a battery-powered ANT+ sensor (no Bluetooth capability with my Kickr). My Kickr itself can't measure or evaluate cadence. It merely sets the load instructed by Zwift (or whatever software I'm using to instruct the Kickr what load to apply to the cassette). The Kickr then informs the software how fast the cassette is rotating, and the software then determines what wattage is being provided to the cassette. Anyways, do the newer Kickrs not use a separate sensor to measure cadence? To get back to the OP's issue, if he, like me, has a cadence sensor mounted to a crankarm, his Kickr is not the problem.
