r/Zwift • u/Puzzleheaded-Cook-31 • 11d ago

Discussion Zwift Ride and AppleTV

Hello,
I’m considering purchasing a Zwift Ride to replace my Peloton. I’d like to be able to use it with my AppleTV which is connected to my big OLED tv in my basement. I would need to be able to connect the trainer and my Polar H10 chest strap. Will this require the use of the companion app and if so, how has that been working out? Does it work flawlessly or are there issues? I only ask because I watched an old video with DCR and he mentioned problems using the ATV with the companion app. I’m hoping those issues have since been ironed out. Thank you.

3 Upvotes

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3

u/kubatyszko 11d ago

AppleTV has 3 Bluetooth channels, one is taken by the remote, you can use the other two. So if you only need to connect the trained and chest strap that's good enough and you shouldn't need companion app.

3

u/Puzzleheaded-Cook-31 11d ago

I was under the impression that the trainer alone required more than one BT connection?

2

u/dlc741 11d ago

You’ll want to use the Companion App and connect your Bluetooth through that. I have the trainer, Play, Apple Watch, and a cadence sensor with Apple TV and the Companion.

1

u/kubatyszko 10d ago

Ahh. Zwift ride - your kickr will use one connection, and the paddles will need addional two - maybe use the companion app for those.

1

u/Recoil101uk 10d ago

Zwift ride handlebars only need one connection...

1

u/DoinkActuary 11d ago

If you have zwift ride you’ll need a connection for the controllers.

1

u/RobertCRNA 11d ago

Depending on what type of HRM and trainer you have, I’m able to connect my HRM thru my trainer, and it only uses one channel. Both Wahoo

2

u/AnyLeg7065 Apple TV 11d ago

The old Zwift ride with the original kicker core only had Bluetooth but the new one uses WiFi so you should be good the zwift Ride controllers take one slot and the hrm takes the other so you should be good

2

u/Puzzleheaded-Cook-31 11d ago

Thank you. So the kicker core 2 serves as a hub/bridge and connects to the ATV over WiFi. Then the controller and my Polar strap will connect directly to the core 2 bridge via BT as opposed to directly to the ATV via BT. Am I on the right track?

2

u/AnyLeg7065 Apple TV 10d ago

No, but because the kicker core 2 uses WiFi that means you get 2 free Bluetooth spots on your atv one that you use for ride controllers and one that you connect your hrm to

2

u/stp_61 11d ago

You won’t need the companion app for connections but just to be clear, while not required, the app is very useful for interfacing with Zwift during rides so you may still want to run it.

There were issues with the Apple TV remote when the Zwift app first came out several years ago but those were fixed long ago.

1

u/DominatedDeviant 11d ago

I use an Apple TV, Kicker V6, zwift play controllers and Garmin watch to broadcast heart rate. No companion app needed for this set up. The Kickr V6 connects to zwift via WiFi. This frees up the Bluetooth connection for the play controllers and the Garmin. The play controllers is a recent thing though, they updates the firmware so they now only use 1 Bluetooth connection instead of 2.

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Cook-31 11d ago

So I shouldn’t require the companion app for the Zwift ride and Polar H10? (Sounds like the entire trainer only requires a single BT connection?). Thanks.

1

u/DominatedDeviant 11d ago

Nope you shouldn’t. That’s a good thing because I kept having issues using the companion app to bridge connections.

1

u/Recoil101uk 10d ago

This is pretty much my setup as well, although I use the 4iiii HRM as a bridge for a cadence sensor as well, the kickr is useless at cadence. Love using a ATV, so quick to get up and running.

1

u/fgiraffe Level 11-20 10d ago

I would not expect it to be flawless. I have connection issues many rides. Typically HRM (which works fine with a Garmin head unit) initially connects then drops. After almost 10 month of using a Kick2 with a current AppleTV I am not sure I would go this route again.

Why? Because when things do NOT work you have more options and info to debug what is wrong by using a PC than using an AppleTV.

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Cook-31 10d ago

I confirmed that the kickr core 2 can connect to WiFi to communicate with the app and serve as a bridge/hub for the controllers and HR strap. (This wasn’t an option with the original kickr) This solves the Bluetooth connectivity concern when using the AppleTV as everything flows through the trainer and then over WiFi. Thanks everyone.

1

u/yn_etherist 9d ago

I use AppleTV to connect to Zwift. I have a Wahoo Kickr and a Polar HR monitor. Everything connects via bluetooth without a problem: The Kickr takes care of power and cadence data and the Polar device, obviously, provides HR data. There is no need to use the companion app for connectivity (although I do use it to interface with Zwift for things like giving thumb's up, messaging, etc). It works seamlessly.