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Epix 2 Titanium Sapphire (15.76): Bluetooth Range Issues - Seeking Community Input and Solutions

Mike_2328505
over 1 year ago

Device:
    Garmin Epix (Gen 2)
    Titanium, Sapphire
    OS: 15.76 (the latest)
    Purchased: 11/2023

Phone:
    Iphone 12 pro max
    OS: 17.2 (the latest available)

The Problem:
    I really like the watch, but the Bluetooth range seems to be very weak.
    It doesn't disconnect when I'm within 10-15 feet of the watch. However, when I walk to the next room, even if there is a visible line between the phone and where I stand—about ~25 feet—it disconnects and then reconnects, it continues doing this if step behid the wall, so there is no visible line anymore.

    I had the Instinct Solar (1st gen) for a couple of years before this and never experienced any issues with the watch disconnecting. With the Epix I've mentioned that I've started missing some notifications and calls, which led me to discover it disconnects within my apartment.
    After bringing both watches online and performing the same test, the Instinct proved to have a stronger connection. It only disconnects when I'm in the farthest corner of that adjacent room, and maintains the connection while Epix losses it.

A Question:
    Is the watch supposed to show all the notifications that it missed while it was     disconnected briefly?

Next step?
    I do have the option to return and replace the watch; however, I'm not sure if this is going to make any difference. It just really bugs me that the watch can't maintain a connection with the phone within a 2-bedroom apartment.

Dear Community, how is the connectivity range on your watch? Please share your experience. Should I try replacing this?

Thanks in advance!

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  • 0 over 1 year ago

    would discuss with garmin - may be an issue with your unit.

  • 0 over 1 year ago
    Mike_2328505 said:
    Is the watch supposed to show all the notifications that it missed while it was     disconnected b

    When I leave the house without the phone, and then come back later, I usually get bunch of notifications in the moment I enter the door. Hence, I'd tell you should get at lest some of them. 

    Otherwise, this is what Garmin tells about the Bluetooth range in the article What Is the Maximum Bluetooth Range of My Garmin Watch or Edge Device? | Garmin Customer Support

    Bluetooth range of a Garmin fitness device is up to 10 meters (33 feet). This distance however is affected by environmental factors such as walls as well as interference from other electronic devices which can significantly reduce the range the Bluetooth signal the Garmin device can detect.

    So, the 25 feet you describe are already rather close to that limit. As for the difference to Instinct - that's also quite well possible that it has a slightly better range. Instinct has a body made of plastic, while Epix has some metallic parts, which could cause some smaller difference. You can certainly try to exchange the watch, and may be lucky that it works better, but principally BT was not designed for any long range connections, and it is well possible that the new watch will behave similarly.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Well, Bluetooth range isn't designed to be just 30 feet; it can extend much farther, up to 300 feet.
    Just as an example, I have several Bluetooth headsets (Plantronics, Jabra, AirPods, Shokz), and these maintain a connection and work for calls anywhere in the apartment while the phone is in the living room.

    I also understand that headsets are not smartwatches, which are optimized to use less battery.

    And I believe these watches are designed drop connection beyond 30 feet to save the battery life.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Mike_2328505
    Mike_2328505 said:
    Well, Bluetooth range isn't designed to be just 30 feet

    The specification 10m / 33 feet comes directly from Garmin, so their devices were indeed designed with that limit on mind in order to minimalize the energy consumption, and I would not expect from their watches much more than their specification claims. Theoretically, of course, you can achieve much longer distances, and with BT long-range mode it can be even over a kilometer.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to trux

    How is the range on a device you have?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to trux

    which ones did you have? =) what was the coverage?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Mike_2328505
    trux said:
    I do not own an Epix 2.

    But I do and am happy with the range. When I've had the connection alerts on (Usually have them off) I'm not aware of any problems with the connection to my iPhone 14.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Mike_2328505
    Mike_2328505 said:
    which ones did you have? =) what was the coverage

    Instinct and Instinct 2, but frankly told I never measured the range. Sometimes I can lose the connection just in the next room, sometimes it can be across several walls. Depends on the structure of the building, on the thickness and the material of the walls, as well as on other conditions. However, it is definitely not something that  would bother me. When I need to be permanently connected, for example because I expect an important call or a message, I simply keep the phone with me. And I get the notifications when I come back within the range later, anyway.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to trux

    Another issue is that I'm not receiving notifications that I've missed while the watch was disconnected.

    I just double-checked this, left the watch in the room, ensured it disconnected from the phone, sent myself a message (which reached the phone). I then brought the watch close to the phone, but no notifications appeared.

    I recall my Instinct showing missed notifications, which might be why I never considered the disconnection an issue—it simply never caused a problem.

    I still have the Instinct, so I'll try to reproduce this scenario with it and double-check if it receives missed notifications.

    I'm curious about what's happening with the Epix. Do you have any ideas on how to troubleshoot and enable this functionality?