Garmin fit app and ANT+ adapter for iPhone

mrdsgs

I recently treated myself to the garmin 800 with the 1:50k maps, speed and cadence sensors and premium heart rate monitor strap.

I have been using a 10 year old polar watch style heart monitor and cateye strada wireless cycle computer until now on a variety of bikes. I mainly ride on the road, about 7.5k miles p.a. including regular commute. I also live near Cannock Chase so I get off road a bit as well.

WOW!

Very impressed with the 800, but I should be for the price!

However, 69p for the Garmin fit app and about £40 for the ANT+ adapter gives me even more flexibility.

The app is brilliant, even without the adapter, using your inbuilt iPhone location services and the map you just click start when you set off, shove it in your jersey pocket, stop when you finish and it automatically uploads everything to your Garmin Connect account. Ride and map (but not navigation) info is also available during your ride and on the iPhone afterwards even without Garmin Connect

The ANT+ adapter pairs very easily with the GSC 10 speed and cadence sensor and heart rate strap that comes with the Garmin 800. You then get graphs and data for those as well as elevation, speed, distance, etc.

You can even pair the ANT+ adapter and the Garmin 800 at the same time to the GSC 10 and heart rate monitor strap but why would you want to?

Very impressed on first couple of rides. The ANT+ adapter eats battery life, on my 4S it went from 100% to 49% on a 2 hour ride but the 4S battery life is rubbish anyway.

Only significant variance between the Garmin 800 readings and the ANT+ via iPhone was on the ANT+ my maximum cadence spiked briefly at 195rpm!!! I wish.

Anyway, I know it is a luxury and a novelty but if you already have a Garmin, even without ANT+ compatible hardware, and an iPhone, the 69p is certainly worth it.

And finally, I use Garmin Connect on a Mac. No connection problems whatsoever.

mrd

Pokerface

Where does one get this ANT+ adapter for the iPhone? Be good to use it with my SRM


Edit: £67 for one? :shock:

mrdsgs

direct from garmin online came in 3 days

retail is $50 so it worked out about £40 with delivery after getting 10% off for registering my garmin 800 online

not sure it would work with a power meter but you probably know better than me

Pokerface

mrdsgs wrote:

direct from garmin online came in 3 days

retail is $50 so it worked out about £40 with delivery after getting 10% off for registering my garmin 800 online

not sure it would work with a power meter but you probably know better than me

ANT+ is a communication protocol. Picks up everything from HR straps to cadence meters to power meters. So yes, it will work.

(Your Garmin 800 uses it and you could use a power meter with your 800. I use a 500 with mine).

However, it looks like the Garmin software and dongle don't give power readings. Looks like it's set up just to read things like cadence and HR. :?

Pokerface

Just did some checking and there are other dongle/app combos that will read power from a power meter and show it on the iPhone. Although not sure of the benefit of this as it;s no different than the Garmin readout.

(But they do exist).

richa

The Garmin Ant+ dongle is ONLY compatible with its app. The Wahoo Fitness iPhone ANT+ adapter works with all the other apps...

Another top review here:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/10/garmin-iphone-ant-adapter-and-garmin.html

pipipi

Thanks for the post.

I only have an iPhone and have been using runkeeper. Pretty impressed with it for something that is free. The GPS does use up the battery quickly, and sometimes loses the signal altogether, which you only find out about when you stop and take it out of your pocket.


I like the idea of using my iPhone for more, like heart rate, and so I've spent the 69p on the Garmin app and it seemed to work well today on a quick trial.


So just to check what next.

1. Garmin dongle means I have to also get a Garmin chest band for heart rate? And Garmin everything else eventually?

2.A different dongle will work on different chest bands, but will this still go through to Garmin? Or is it a case of using a different app?


Sorry for the silly questions!

mrdsgs

I think, so long as it is ANT+ compatible, any make of chest band and speed/cadence sensor should work but I am not sure.

Assuming that the above is true, it would then automatically upload to Garmin Connect.

doyler78

mrdsgs wrote:

I think, so long as it is ANT+ compatible, any make of chest band and speed/cadence sensor should work but I am not sure.

Assuming that the above is true, it would then automatically upload to Garmin Connect.

Can anyone use Garmin Connect? I thought you had to use a Garmin device or dongle to be able to use it.

curium

I also have a Garmin 800 and I'd just like to add that the GPS capability is better on the Garmin than the iPhone 4S. The iPhone appears to be dependant upon the mobile network signal (to some degree) as I've noticed that it gives inaccurate or no location info when I'm in an area with poor mobile signal.
In these circumstances my Garmin still seems to see 5 satellites and be able to give my location within about 10ft.

bluesparx

I too thought ANt+ devices should be compatible with everything but if you use map my ride on my phone it only works with specific brands of HRM.
I have also used garmin fit on my sony erricson experia x8 (no dongle required), it will not recognise the hrm or cadence sensor from my cateye v3. I quite like the app because garmin connect seems a much better site than mapmyride or endomondo. With regards to battery life, if you use the phone like an edge 800, ie handlebar mounted with screen on all the time you will get about 2 hours life, but if you turn the screen off and just let it run in your pocket it will last substantially longer. My phone had 12% battery left after a 6 hour ride.
I would much prefer a nice dedicated edge 800 and a separate fully charged phone in my pocket but I am struggling to justify the cash layout.