Smart Bike Lights (Data Field) / Bike Lights Control (Widget)

I've made two open source CIQ applications to control ANT+ lights:

- Smart Bike Lights (data field): https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/0d9fd828-c932-4470-9c37-fd2828881888 

      Configurator: https://maca88.github.io/SmartBikeLights/ 

- Bike Lights Control (widget): https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/fa3c2332-76e3-4ba1-8528-32a0fd617ab1 

     Configurator: https://maca88.github.io/BikeLightsControl/ 

Smart Bike Lights features:
- Automatic light control (Smart mode) based on the configured filters (sunset, sunlight, speed, ...)
- Manual light control (only for Edge devices with a touch screen or devices with CIQ 3.2 and more than 32KB memory)
- Records lights modes that are displayed in Garmin Connect

Bike Lights Control features:
- Manual light control (available to all devices)

Both applications can be installed on the same device, which can be useful for low end devices (e.g. Edge 520) where "Bike Lights Control" can be used to change light modes manually and "Smart Bike Lights" for automatic light control.

Currently registered ANT+ lights:
- Bontrager Ion Pro RT
- Bontrager Ion 200 RT
- Bontrager Flare RT
- Garmin Varia RTL500
- Garmin Varia RTL510
- Garmin Varia RTL515
- Garmin Varia HL500
- Garmin Varia UT800

in case your ANT+ light is not on the list you can help by doing the following:

1. Install Bike Lights Control
2. Pair your bike light with your Garmin device
3. Open the widget:
- Edge with a touch screen: post which numbers are displayed on the buttons and what mode each button represents when pressed
- Other devices: Select the "Light modes" menu and post which numbers are displayed in the menu and what mode each menu item represents when selected

Example for Bontrager Ion Pro RT:


1 -> High steady beam
2 -> Medium steady beam
5 -> Low steady beam
63 -> Day flash
62 -> Night flash

There are some features that could be possible to add in the future, but would require Garmin to add them to the CIQ api. In case you are interested in any of the below features, consider upvoting their feature request thread:

1. Control lights based on the ambient light sensor available on some devices:
https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/i/bug-reports/ambient-light-sensor-api-access 

  • Hi maca88,

    thank you for this very helpful tool to get the VARIA Lights smart.

    I use the following configuration since years, but in the last weeks it stopped working (maybe because of an update?). When a car comes closer, the Varia 516 doesn't turn on. The status at the widget stays at "off". I would be glad, if you could look for the mistake in my configuration.
    Maybe you can add "on, when poor gps" for tunnels? And at night, the light should be on, also when time is paused or speed less then 5km/h (when I stand in front of traffic lights, light shouldn't turn off)

    Here my configuration with Edge 840 and Varia 516 (Light on, only if timer on, speed > 5km/h, light off at daytime except a car approaches, on at night):
    2,2!:1H]2!:1C]1.38889###0,4096::1#4,3!NIGHT:1:4:0:0Es-2700,r2700!TAG:2:0:0:0Er2700,s-2700I[200]0!:1:0:0:0D=1##3,2:Varia 515:0:16777215!2,:-1,Off:0!1,Solid:4#0::#0:0#123!:123!#0#0#B4062##8#0#0

    The similar configuration for Edge 840 and Varia 515 works.
    2,2!:1H]2!:1C]1.38889###0,73535488::1#4,3!NIGHT:1:5:0:0Es-2700,r2700!TAG:2:7:0:0Er2700,s-2700I[200]0!:1:0:0:0D=1##6,5:Varia 515:0:16777215!2,:-1,Off:0!1,Solid:4!1,Peloton:5!1,Day Flash:7!1,Night Flash:6#0::#0:0#123!:123!#0#0#B4062##3#0#0

  • Hi,

    but in the last weeks it stopped working (maybe because of an update?)

    There was no recent releases that would cause this from happening, especially if it works for Varia 515. You need to make sure that the light is in Smart mode, you should see "S" on the top left button. If the light is in smart and it still does not work then maybe a different CIQ data field could be the issue. It sound strange, but for some reason when Smart Bike Lights is used alongside data fields that are using background services, the lights will not change modes even if configured to do so. "Tempe Visualizer" data field is one example, which cannot be used alongside Smart Bike Lights. 

    Maybe you can add "on, when poor gps" for tunnels? And at night, the light should be on, also when time is paused or speed less then 5km/h

    Sure, here is the updated configuration for Varia 515 (you can do the same for 516):

    1,1!:1H]1###0,73535488::1#7,4!NIGHT:1:5:0:0Es-2700,r2700!TUNEL:1:4:0:0G[4!TAG:4:7:0:0Er2700,s-2700I[200]0C]1.38889H]2!:1:0:0:0D=1##6,5:Varia 515:0:16777215!2,:-1,Off:0!1,Solid:4!1,Peloton:5!1,Day Flash:7!1,Night Flash:6#0::#0:0#123!:123!#0#0#B4062##3#0#0

  • Thank you very much for the answer. I'll test the configuration tomorrow at commuting.
    I use "My Bike Radar Traffic", so I'll remove it on trial. In the past it worked with Smart Bike Lights.

  • Good day to you!

    I sent you a message through IQ Store Contact Developer form. May i ask if you received that? Not to hurry you by any means, just form acted very strangely, so I want to be sure it is not lost. Many thanks, AB

  • how to set it to instinct 2x ?

  • Hi maca88,

    do you plan to add Bluetooth lights such as magic shine? Is it even possible?

  • Many thanks master! ;)

  • For setting it up you need to:
    1. Install the data field from the CIQ store

    2. Use Lights Configurator (https://maca88.github.io/SmartBikeLights/) to create a configuration for your lights and paste it in the "Lights Configuration" app setting by using either Garmin Express or Garmin mobile app

    3. Put the data field on the desired activity

  • Hi,

    I do not plan to support Bluetooth-only lights, as they use proprietary APIs for communication. The only way to control such lights is through a special mobile app, whose source code is not publicly available.

  • thank you for the answer. I got to point 2 and I don't know how to proceed. I'm sending a screen.