When will Garmin watches work with the Keiser M3i Bluetooth converter?

I have a Keiser M3i spin bike with the Bluetooth converter.

When will the fenix watches be able to capture the data and integrate it into Garmin Connect?

I know I can export/import a TCX file into Garmin Connect.  But it's a pain in the butt and it doesn't contain heartrate data.

I can capture the activity on the watch at the same time but then it is only heartrate data for that Garmin activity.

You end up having two activities for the same time in Garmin Connect.

I know I can buy a Polar heartrate band but that's a hack.

I would like my Garmin watch to get the data from the Keiser converter (via Bluetooth) and integrate it with the watch sensors and provide one activity report for use in Garmin Connect.

  • It may happen but you could equally ask of Keiser

    When will the Keiser M3i broadcast the data in a form that my Garmin watch can receive?

    Have you done that too?

  • Troll?  I'm on a Garmin website asking a question about a Garmin product.  I want all my data in Garmin Connect which is a Garmin product.  In my opinion it would be in Garmin's interest to gather the data and integrate it with the sensors on the watch and pull it all into Garmin Connect.

    In any case, yes I have.  I love the Keiser bike but the electronics, i.e. the bluetooth converter, is terrible.

    At about $195 US the fact that it doesn't support the older, widely used Ant+ is pretty bad.

    On the other hand a brand new Garmin product, which has bluetooth, can't gather data from the bluetooth converter.

  • I just got my Fenix 6 today and want the exact same thing you do - to simply have it connect to the $200 extra bluetooth piece I bought so my Garmin Connect account activities exactly match what is broadcast into Zwift.  Ultimately, you and I want to have the full advantage of biometric data & analytics encapsulated within individual activities.  Right now the biometrics can't join the activity metrics - frustrating.

  • Well he has a valid point. 

    Garmin use standard protocols for receiving external sensor data - either ANT+ or Bluetooth which is then processed on the watch and recorded into a fit file. From your description is seems that the Keiser bike does not transmit sensor data (speed, cadence, etc.) but it records data in it's own fit file which the watch is not meant to receive and process.

    So it would make more sense to request Kaiser to transmit raw data via ANT+ or Bluetooth so that an external device can receive it, process it and record it.

  • I think the point of the Bluetooth converter is to send power in the standard BTLE protocol, rather than the Keiser protocol (which is proprietary but open, so somebody with the programming skills could possibly put together a Connect IQ app to read that directly). Does the F6 actually work with Bluetooth power meters, though? The manual suggests it's only ANT+ for that. If that's so, and if it's a strategic decision rather than one forced by hardware for some weird reason, it is a poor one; this is an expensive & highly capable device & limiting it in a way that means you need to go and buy an Edge as well if you want to work with a Bluetooth power meter is just mean.

    Anyone know for sure if it works with BT power meters in general?

  • I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get my Keiser data on Garmin as well. I managed to import the TCX file into the Connect website by exporting the file from the Keiser app and emailing it to myself. I then uploaded the file to the Connect website. It transferred the power and speed data really well but for some strange reason the heart rate data is super sparse so my avg HR is Zero. The HR data is really important to my training so the file is useless. It would be so nice if Keiser could just broadcast everything to the Fenix!! For now, I'm just having Keiser push the ride to Strava and I run a parallel activity with Garmin (no power data). Everything in Garmin pushes to Strava too, so I have to go in and delete the garmin activity from Strava. Does anybody else have a better solution?

  • I'm still waiting for this.  
    I use the 'Sufferfest' app with Keiser and it auto-syncs to Garmin but would love to just use the watch only.

  • I have a new Fenix 6s Pro Solar and am able to oonnect to my Keiser M3i bike, which has the M Series Convertor.  Here's how to do it:
    1) Press and hold "menu" button and then release;
    2) Using the "down" button, scroll down to "sensors & accessories";
    3) Select "add new":
    4) "Spd/Cad - M3i#[unique number]" should appear;
    5) Make sure "Status" is "on" so Garmin device and Keiser are connected;
    6) Manually input "wheel size" if desired (note: according to Keiser, wheel size is 16", so you'll want convert that to mm);
    7) Ride and enjoy!

  • Does it record distance on your Garmin Fenix?