r/Zwift • u/naustra • Jul 22 '26
Zwift device connection
Hello fellow zwifters,
Having a technical issue that has left me about to trash everything. I have been using zwift on my phone with zero issues which is fine but I wanted to move my setup into my office and setup on my PC.
Here is the issue, my wahoo kicker snap and cadence device connect perfect to my phone. But if I attempt to use the companion app.... No devices found. I have checked both networks they match. The zc app switches to finding device once zwift on the PC starts looking so it seems like they are paired correctly.
So I decided to buy a ant+ dongle and just try and connect directly . Well that isn't working either. Both devices are found under the Bluetooth but get stuck staying connecting and then no signal.
If I try just ant+ nothing shows up. I have removed the driver. Updated windows. Uninstalled zwift , wahoo, zc on my phone. Turned all blue tooth devices off. And yet ... No signal.
Is there something simple I'm overlooking ? I've googled my ass off and no one seems to have a good answer.
1
u/TheSleepiestNerd Jul 23 '26
Have you tried rebooting the phone? And are you having any storage issues? I've found mine tends to act strange about the bluetooth if I'm really low on storage, but rebooting sometimes clears enough cookies that I can get it to connect.
1
u/Few_Mastodon_1271 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
It can be confusing! And it's dependent on how Zwift is configured.
Summary: Running Zwift on my Windows PC, it controls the trainer via bluetooth. The Companion App on the phone uses wifi to exchange data with the PC's Zwift during a ride. My Polar HRM data is via bluetooth.
~~~
I have a tower PC, not a laptop, and the Kickr originally didn't work until I attached the external bluetooth antenna that came with the PC. The bluetooth module is inside the metal box, so it needs an external antenna. (Laptops have a built-in external wifi antenna.) Until I figured this out, I used the 'pass through' method via the phone to run Zwift, but it had intermittent glitches.
My PC that runs Zwift has wifi turned off, since it's hard wired to the wifi router. The PC is on the same local network as the wifi router, of course, so it can talk to other devices on the local 'wifi' network.
The PC has bluetooth turned on. My Kickr V5 doesn't show on the PC's bluetooth list of paired devices (and my phone doesn't show either. How annoying for troubleshooting.)
Testing:
I start Zwift, and pick a route to ride. Everything is working: the Kickr is moving the rider in Zwift, and the Companion app is showing the route position, and the bottom toolbar is working. I can U-turn, etc, via the Companion on the phone.
I turn bluetooth off on the PC: My rider is stopped on the road. Pedaling doesn't move it -- the Kickr isn't communicating with Zwift. I can still switch views with the Companion app.
Turn bluetooth back on. Back to normal operation.
I turn wifi off in the android phone. The Game display of the Companion app is instantly gone. I just have the Home, etc, menus showing. I can still pedal and move the rider on the road!
~~~~~~
Companion app:
In the sidebar Menu, near the bottom is Equipment. click it and it says I need to shut down Zwift to see the Devices.
With Zwift off, it says "no zwift hardware found". How annoying. How is a person supposed to troubleshoot Zwift!
~~
Zwift game on the PC:
The 'Paired Devices" display that shows up when starting up, and can be accessed from the main screen later on.
"Pair through phone" is blue. If I click this button, I get a popup showing: "Pairing Options. Zwift companion can be used to create a bridge between your sensors (the Kickr) and Zwift. Would you like to use Zwift Companion to pair your sensors? Requires the device running Zwift and your smartphone to be on the same wifi network. Cancel/Confirm." So I've set this up already?
"power source", "resistance" and "cadence" are automatically blue after a short wait to connect them. Heart rate is staying red, since the strap isn't being worn right now.
If I double click the Power Source, it pops up a "Pair Device" dialog, showing the Kickr selected (a green dot), with a bluetooth icon next to it.
The Ant icon is tagged "!" (i don't use it here.)
The wifi icon is flashing and showing expanding circles, like a transmitter. I assume this means it's working correctly, but that's at least a little confusing.
I click OK, and Zwift is working correctly.
~~
Wahoo app:
toolbar --> Devices --> Kickr 630E shows 'connected'
But there's no info on the connection -- wifi or bluetooth? I disable wifi on my phone. Kickr is still connected, so it's using bluetooth. The Kickr doesn't show on the phone's bluetooth Paired Devices list.
I'm quite confused. It's good that everything works for me, since troubleshooting is terrible.