I’m not a new user, but am trying to get another to join the ranks, and loaned her the kickr we bought as a spare (ours is 7 and we expect to have to replace it soon). Anyway, I’ve always used iOS with SUF and SYSTM, but she has a laptop…and oh my gosh, the pain of getting all this to work. Twice been over trying to get it to setup, and the second time we figured out (after the watts simply wouldn’t read on any platform, android, iOS, or the laptop with a dongle) that the new kickr was bad. Support helped us to perform a factory spin down and no dice. SO….soon to be attempt #3 with another new kickr, and the laptop and ANT+ dongle. Any tips to help this go seamlessly this time? I’ve never used the ANT+, so I’m unfamiliar with how to hook it up.
Might not even need the dongle, I’m not sure…I think it has BT but the cadence sensor might be using that.
As you can tell, I”m not the computer smart person the OP was…so any advice would be helpful! Thanks all
Sorry about your difficulty with the new KICKR. I had to replace a defective KICKR too. Other than the nuisance of hauling it to the FedEx store wheee I had to walk a block, it was pretty painless and my replacement worked fine.
To your main point: if the PC has Bluetooth and isn’t crazy old (I.e. old Bluetooth protocol), it should be painless. I alternate between iOS, PC, and Mac and find them all equally easy and largely identical.
Make sure the computer’s Bluetooth is turned on. Open up SYSTM and everything should connect up exactly the same way it does with iOS. Make sure that you’re on the most current firmware on the new KICKR and a supported windows or Mac operating system (see below). You check and update the KICKR firmware with the Wahoo Fitness app on your phone. If the computer doesn’t have Bluetooth (which would be weird unless it’s old), buy a dongle and load up the indicated drivers. No need to fuss with ANT+. Note that computer Bluetooth, like iOS, can connect to many devices simultaneously, but the sensor Bluetooths often can’t (although KICKR can).
Windows
Windows 10 v 1903 or later (64 bit only)
Intel Core2 Duo or 1.3GHZ processor
4GB of Memory
Tablet devices: The app will work on most Windows tablets, including Surface, except for those running Windows RT.
Hard Drive Space: 130MB. Downloaded videos will require additional space of approximately 1GB per hour of footage. Videos must be stored on the main drive.
Windows 10S / RT, Chrome OS / Chromebooks, and ARM CPUs are NOT supported.
MacOS
We support the following MacOS versions:
12.0 (Monterey)
11.0 (Big Sur)
10.15 (Catalina)
Older Macs which do not have Bluetooth® 4.0 or better require an ANT+ adapter.
Hard Drive Space: 130MB. Downloaded videos will require additional space of approximately 1GB per hour of footage. Videos must be stored on the main drive.
Just a comment here. My Win10 laptop with an ANT+ dongle was fuss-free, working out of the box with both my dumb trainer + sensors and then my Kickr.
@GinaMartyn Just make sure that, when detecting/connecting devices in SYSTM, the ANT+ is “on” and you choose the ANT+ output of the sensor (for dual channel sensors).
My current setup is BT to the Kickr and ANT+ to my HRM (as my HRM is ANT+ only). Faultless.
Thanks folks! Appreciate the info. Been using SUF for years, but I’ve gotten a little wary trying to get my friend set up after the out-of-the-box failure of the Kickr. Fingers crossed the new one is easy! I’ll let ya know when I get the new one.
How do I turn the ANT+ on in SYSTM? I see it in settings, but there’s not a toggle that I remember…
There isn’t a toggle. You either have the ant+ dongle in (ideally with an extension cord) and Ant+ will show as on, or it’s unplugged and shows as off. Good luck with the new Kickr.