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Internet connection required to sync and more

8559875
over 1 year ago

Today both we had a wide area internet and cell service outage. I was riding with the Explore but was unable to : 

1) send a course on my phone to the Explore ,

2) change settings on my vivosmart using phone , and 

3) sync my completed trip from the Explore to the phone.

I understand the cloud storage etc...but when your software can't connect with internet , you should still allow the phone to exchange data with the unit with the last known or cached info. 

At least the explore has built in map and routing. 

Imagjng one is off grid and had not sent courses to the unit.  Pretty undesirable situation.  

Perhaps I have missed something in the configuration.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...for off grid riding.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Tech is...technical, often reliant on complex interdependencies. Sometimes things go south; I take it you're Canadian, hit by the Rogers outage (as I was). 

    As far as off-grid riding, the Explore has provision to build, ride and record courses completely independent of Garmin's ecosystem but I find the process clunky and slow so you may not like it. Not a fan.

    I don't use the Garmin Connect App and so am not versed in the specifics but I take it there's no way to store course files locally (within your phone) so they can still be transmitted to the device (via Bluetooth) if the phone is without network access?

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Take a look at gimporter (App or Widget) and GRouter (App or Widget) in the Connect IQ Store.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to MaxR6

    GRouteLoader.

    GImporter and GRouteLoader (does what GImporter does and a bunch of other stuff) can get course files from the GExporter Android app. This might work with BT only.

    GRouteLoader can use TinyServer on iOS but it looks like the phone needs to be connected to the internet for the hotspot (WiFi) stuff to work.

    All of the Garmin Edges let you use a cable. If your phone is Android and supports OTG, it's fairly easy to copy courses to the device (I did this using an Android tablet).

    One issue is what program/app you use to create routes with on the other device (phone/tablet./computer).

    For GImporter and GRouteLoader, you need to create/have FIT files. Not many "local" route planners do that.

    The GExporter Android app will convert GPX files to FIT (a cool feature).

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to linguinee
    linguinee said:
    As far as off-grid riding, the Explore has provision to build, ride and record courses completely independent of Garmin's ecosystem but I find the process clunky and slow so you may not like it. Not a fan.

    It kind of sucks. The screen really is too small to do this well. But it can be a useful feature anyway.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk
    dpawlyk said:
    For GImporter and GRouteLoader, you need to create FIT files.

    No, I have successfully transferred gpx files with both tools.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to MaxR6

    From GExporter. 

    GExporter converts GPX to FIT for you (automatically).

    But the IQ apps (any IQ app) can only download FIT files. 

    (I wrote GRouteLoader, by the way.)

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk
    dpawlyk said:
    GExporter converts GPX to FIT for you (automatically).

    yes, this is exactly why you can transfer gpx files via bluetooth to your Explore device without internet connection without any problems.
    yes, you need the gexporter on your android device.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to MaxR6

    Yes, but the file being transferred to the Explore is a FIT file.

    That GExporter is converting the GPX file for you is a great feature. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk

    yes of course, even if you move a GPX file via cable into the folder "new files" it also becomes a FIT file.
    GARMIN works only with FIT files and converts them beforehand.

    dpawlyk said:
    For GImporter and GRouteLoader, you need to create/have FIT files. Not many "local" route planners do that.

    Therefore, it is not important whether a route planner produces FIT files.
    you can load normal GPX files via cable or bluetooth without problems to the edge explore.
    They will be converted to FIT files in both cases.
    via bluetooth: GExporter does the job
    via cable: Edge Explore does the job
    You don't have to worry about that.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to MaxR6

    I haven’t done it quite in awhile and my Android device is dead (so I couldn’t try it).

    Yes, you can copy GPX (and TCX and FIT) files directly to the Edges using a wire.

    Unfortunately, it’s not quite as easy on iOS/iPhone using an IQ app. (The iPhones won’t let you use a wire at all.)

    With an iPhone/iPad, you need your Edge on the phone’s hotspot and the hotspot won’t work without a cell network (which is an annoyance).

    You also have to use a generic app (TinyServer), which doesn’t do the GPX to FIT conversion. So, any planner on iOS would need to produce a FIT file.

    The TinyServer developer was nice enough to make a few changes so GRouteLoader could use it. 

    There’s the EasyRoute app which produces FIT files but they don’t work on the Edges. I’m trying to get the developer to fix that.