Issue with Smart Trainer Control on Edge 1040 and Zwift

Not sure these type of issues will ever be "fixed", our Garmin friends either don't believe they exist or know they can't fix them?

I assume your 1040 is talking ANT+ to your trainer's resistance unit (ie paired as smart trainer. don't know if other is possible).

The usual answer is to ensure only one device is trying to control the resistance.

I have never had sensor disconnects outside on my speed and cadence sensors but frequently get "disconnects" to the resistance control on my "smart" trainers. The trainer continues to broadcast power, speed & cadence but the resistance controller stops changing resistance as grade changes but the trainer claims it is still "connected". Unless I pay attention I will find myself "powering" up a 8%+ slope at 35kph, very impressive but not me! In the past I had to actually power off the edge to make the connection again but more recently (FW versions) I "only" have to go into the smart trainer "sensor" config and disable / re-enable the trainer and it works again. This is with a cheaper Tacx Flow and a pricier Flux. I have no other devices nearby that could cause interference, my cave is in a semi underground concrete garage under the building in which I live, so much so that I get no phone or wifi signal there, thus no internet and why I rely on the edge to follow courses on.

Hope yours can be fixed, I just get frustrated.

L.Rouge said:

I "only" have to go into the smart trainer "sensor" config and disable / re-enable the trainer and it works again.

It sounds like your experience with Smart Trainer connectivity issues is similar to mine. I've noticed that my Smart Trainer is correctly paired as a Smart Trainer on the Edge. However, your suggestion to disable and enable it again seems like a potential solution.

Could you provide some guidance on where exactly I can find the option to disable and re-enable the trainer on the Edge?

Same here. My Edge 1040 would sometimes stop controlling my Tacx Flow Smart. Restarting the Edge would help. I will now try to disconnect and reconnect from sensors list when it happens again.

Unfortunately for us, Garmin has so many problems with this GPS, you just have to look at the forum to realize it, that Garmin no longer knows how to give priority to fixing the bugs of the 1040 and prefers to create other functions, such as a live group, or display photos of telephone messages on the 1040, rather than correcting bugs in functions useful to cyclists.
For example, reliable navigation with poi, stable connections with a home trainer, varia, and other sensors, reliable and true synchronization of the training load between Garmin Connect, the Edge 1040 and other Garmin watches, and other bugs because the list is long.
Don't forget it's been more than a year since this GPS was marketed and Garmin is struggling to make the 1040 stable

Yesterday and the day before yesterday my GPS restarted every time I went out with the navigation function, so it still doesn't work correctly!

With 19.x testing out of the way I was going to concentrate on my Smart Trainer disconnects as it is (fortunately) the only current issue that really annoys me. Also I have both a Tacx Flux and a Flow and (don't tell Garmin) I actually enjoy using the Flow more as the Flux can be just too much hard work. The downside of using the Flow is it is more prone to the disconnects.

Just restating that my issue is that the resistance control on the Flow (& Flux) disappears, stops responding to grade changes and can lose all resistance while still broadcasting speed, power & cadence. Disabling and re-enabling the trainer via the sensor widget fixes the issue but there can be a number during a session (say hour or bit more) and it is a bit distracting having to constantly monitor for possible disconnects as there is no disconnect/reconnect message and everything appears to be working except the speed is way too much for the displayed grade.

I have noticed the disconnect often occurs when I have stopped pedalling (to have a drink, wipe the torrents from my brow, etc). If I am going to stop I now do it on an uphill section so I can tell immediatly after restarting if there is any resistance or not. Do your disconnects correlate with stops?

I have taken to turning my phone off before starting an indoor ride and the Garmin has been disconnected from Wi-Fi & BT. and there is no other Wi-Fi/BT sources nearby (under my control), my trainer cave is in a garage under the building in which I live, somewhat insulated by many floors / walls of reinforced concrete, very poor phone signal but people with phones wandering past the only open side, I haven't noticed any correlation between their passing and disconnects, just the stopping

With ghost courses "fixed" in 18.x and lack of indoor elevation profile screen display fixed in 19.x I am fairly happy with the 1040 for the first time in more than 12 months, just would like to "fix" the trainer control disconnect issue too.

It's interesting to compare notes on these smart trainer disconnects. In my case, the smart trainer briefly drops out for a second before reconnecting on its own. I notice this through the Edge when the speed momentarily disappears and then reappears along with a "Smart Trainer connected" message at the top of the screen.

For my setup, I've configured the smart trainer as a "smart trainer" in the Edge for power control and speed sensing. Additionally, I've connected a HRM and a power meter pedal. On my PC, the HRM and smart trainer are also connected, but not for control – solely for power output and speed/cadence data. Interestingly, the speed and power readings never falter on the PC; it seems to be an issue isolated to the Edge.

The smart trainer seems to retain the last power setting before these disconnections occur, holding onto it even if I attempt to adjust the power control via the Edge. I've also noticed that when the signal drops, the Edge changes its trainer control status – usually from "Smart Trainer Power" to "Smart Trainer Grade."

In my attempts to rectify this, I've manually set the power within the "smart trainer power" configuration on the Edge. It displays correctly on-screen, but unfortunately, the trainer doesn't respond to these adjustments until I disable and re-enable it manually. This workaround functions until the next signal drop.

For me, the primary missing information during these signal drops is the speed, given that I have other sensors for power and cadence. However, what truly disrupts my experience is the loss of controllability. During sprint intervals where power shifts are crucial, the trainer's failure to respond in real-time poses a significant challenge. By the time I manage to disable and re-enable the trainer, the interval window has often passed. It's especially frustrating when the drop occurs during a 30-second full-power sprint, leaving the trainer stuck without reverting to it back to my Z2 power zone.

Overall, the signal drop remains my main concern with the Edge 1040. While I did encounter the Ghost course issue once, it was an isolated incident and hasn't recurred. Besides these disconnects, I haven't faced any other issues with the device.

I mostly use the Garmin to control the trainer and follow courses but sometimes use the Tacx Training App , connected via BT to the trainer, I have never noticed a dropout either from phone to trainer for control or trainer to phone for power, speed, cadence. I think most people just use Zwift etc or the Tacx app all via BT and not the Garmin  via ANT at all so never see this problem. Your dual usage setup exposes you to the issue as well.

Same problem here with Kickr Trainer, after last upgrade (19.19) the Edge keeps losing connection and tring to reconnect everytime.

Andrea