App vs Df, What were your deciding factors?

I’m working on a project where I want to display hr, ebike, and general activity data in one screen.

i think this means I need to choose an app. I’m also wary that I will also have to roll my own features that might be available out of the box eg courses and Strava integration.

what’s your experience? Any other thoughts?

0 flowstate over 2 years ago in reply to flocsy🤠

flocsy🤠 said:
also if it's not natively paired: https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/f/showcase/314512/ant-hrm-heart-rate-monitor-data-field I don't think that's a deciding factor.

I think Jim's point was that most sensors will only accept one connection at a time. e.g. For most (or all?) HR monitors, if your data field app connects to it, then it won't accept native connections or connections from other data fields.

As you said in your app's description: "Note: you shouldn't pair the ANT HRM with the watch!"

There are some exceptions to this rule, like Stryd. Multiple apps can communicate with Stryd at the same time, so you could have situation where there's multiple connections to support simultaneous use cases such as:

- Stryd Zones data field connects to Stryd for running power, cadence and other data that Stryd collects
- Native connection or connection from another CIQ in order to show power on another page
- Native connection to use Stryd as a footpod for cadence and, optionally, speed or distance

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to flowstate

Yes, and in general, I think most folks that buy an external HRM, will want it paired in the FW, for a couple reasons.

1) it's data is available in any activity widget or app, and doesn't require a special DF. It's data can impact other data/alarms/etc. like heart rate alerts and audio prompts for HR

2) The HR data is shown as expected in Garmin connect, and not as user data (fit contrib).

In the case of the HRM-PRO, while it can be paired by both ANT and BLE, last I heard was it need to be natively paired with ANT to get running dynamics.

0 flocsy🤠 over 2 years ago in reply to flowstate

Right, though I think that's not a restriction of the HRM but rather how Garmin implements the GenericChannel in CIQ, because it IS possible to connect (it's more of a listen thing) to a device that broadcasts via ANT from multiple devices. But once a device is paired via ANT to the watch / edge then the CIQ apps ON THE SAME watch /edge don't see it any more. So you could pair it with BT and connect to it from the app or vice versa.

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to flocsy🤠

Actually with the HRM-PRO, last time I tried, if it was natively paired with ANT, CIQ couldn't pair the same strap with BLE. And while I've not see it myself, I've heard using ANT you only want it connected to one Garmin at a time as the Garmin sets some things on the band over ANT (it's not just listening)