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RTL 510 / 515 connected with fenix 6X --- about (no) light mode control

Former Member over 4 years ago

hi all,

I've been using RTL 510 for almost 2 years now.

setup RTL 510 --- connected with Fenix (5X+) 6X on the handlebar.

fenix watch series seems that cannot deal with both - Light and Radar sensor at the same time

the two sensors appear when you try to connect new sensors.

so basically you have two choices:

add both Sensors (Light first)
add only Radar

if you do not add both sensors separately to Sensors, RTL will enter every time at power off/on (long press button) in pairing mode (purple led flashing) - easy to overcome, a push on the button will return in normal operating - but is a sign RTL miss something.

if you add firstly as Light

you have the menu for Individual/Auto and can choose the Light mode Individual/Auto
on Individual you can set Taillight in the three modes

you add now Radar

Light sensor (and menu) disappears
(but if you want to delete Radar you have to do it twice so somehow Light "anchor" remains there)
watch controls both Light and Radar
- when the activity starts, the RTL light starts and radar connects automatically
- when you end the activity, Light off, radar off
- you can use the Radar with the light off (circling the light mode from button short push)
I start now a bike/MTB activity
- the mode light RTL starts is the mode that was (set in Light sensor previously or changed by button) at the moment you paired the Radar - let's call it default light mode
Radar connected, I start the activity and I change the Light mode from the button
- after a while, the light mode is back to de default one.
- I do not like this behaviour as I do not want during the night to have "day flashing", nor during day "continuous mode", I want to change the light mode.

the logic is to split the roles:

to connect only as Radar (as the manual says)
control the light mode manually, from the button
of course, you accept the "enter every time at power off/on (long press button) in pairing mode (purple led flashing)"

but is a catch here:

the watch does not control the light mode, so you have to turn the light on/off manually (short push the button)
if the light mode is off (not powered off but circle by short push the button ....full power steady --- night flash ---- day flash ---- off --- full power steady---etc ) the Radar sensor does not connect
as soon as you enter a light mode other than off, Radar connects
this mode, as is a manually controlled mode, remains during activity
but at the end of the activity, the light mode remains, so you have manually turn it off

I do not like this behaviour. I would like the watch starts the Light as soon as connects as Radar, and the Light mode to be the one I want (from menu) or button., so a combination from the two connection.

Do you have another way to control the light mode when the display unit can't deal with both light and radar sensor?

as I was thinking to switch to 515, any thought are more than appreciated.

thank you,

robert

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0 Volker over 4 years ago in reply to acousticbiker

If my F6xPS is paired with my Varia rtl516, I can switch of the light with the widget and use only the radar functionality.

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to acousticbiker

thank you for checking.

if the light sensor and radar sensors are both paired, you start an activity
- light is on (on whatever mode)
- if you change from RTL button the light mode you can go in no light.... and the radar is still on... so works.
- I used many time this mode when I was in jammed traffic or when I was with a partner behind.
if only the radar sensor is paired, once the no light is selected from the button, the radar is disconnected.
- actually, in this situation, you have to switch on the light, in any mode, for the radar to connect

just me

robert

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Volker

thank you for checking.

.........if tldr skip please....I'm talking mostly with myself... ...........

I am still with 510 in SW 3.50

I'll try to find a laptop to upgrade to 3.70 - but with covid situation, I'll visit nobody...

if I'll succeed and works, fine.

as my 510 is almost two years old, I might think to upgrade to 516...beside the peleton mode and BT (both kind of useless for me) I see no major upgrade.

200Euro the 516

maybe I can sale the 510 with 100.

a little too much only for widget compatibility

.......end of tldr...........

have a good one!

robert

0 Volker over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

Hi Robert,

with F6 fw update 11.75 beta it is now finally possible to pair the varia rtl radar as radar and as light at the same time (tested with my rtl516).

best regards

Volker

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Volker

perfect!....thank you!!...good to know!

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Volker

12.20 on my 6XPS

works exactly as you said!

like a charm!... perfect!... thank you!

in the mean time I upgraded Varia RTL 510 to 3.70.

_________

paired the RTL as Radar, listed as Radar xxx in the Sensor list.

but appear also a Lights sensor, that underneath has Radar xxx submenu: here can the mode be set.

in Sensor & Accessories >> Lights >> Radar xxx

>> Configuration = Individual

>> Light Mode >> Low, Day Flash, Night Flash, Off

what is set here is used when I start the activity... I can use now the "Off", meaning no light but radar.

when I close the activity, light goes off.

________

....you will be surprised when is extremely handy this feature.... when I wake up during night, I just press start an activity ....and the entire living room is lit by the RTL (on my bike somewhere near to the entrance door)...

have a good one!

robert

0 Ramesh_Viswanathan_ over 2 years ago in reply to Former Member

I am using a Fenix 5x Plus (version 18.00) with an RTL515 and observing exactly the same behavior as was described in the first message of this thread. It seems like the changes made to the Fenix 6 firmware updates weren't done for my older Fenix. The relevant change in the F6 versions seems to be "Improved the pairing experience for Bike lights/radar." but I don't find such a change listed in any of the firmware versions for the Fenix 5X Plus. So, for example, I haven't been able to pair the RTL515 only as Radar and automatically get its light features - rather, I have to add it first as a light and then as a radar (and lose the Lights menu in the process).

I was wondering whether anyone has been able to get this working on a Fenix 5x Plus (or anything older than a Fenix 6), e.g., as solved in this thread.

I have a working solution (of being able to reliably control the lights through the watch without it switching on its own during an activity to a default mode) using the CIQ app Smart Bike Lights (https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/0d9fd828-c932-4470-9c37-fd2828881888). While Smart Bike Lights is indeed very nice, I was curious whether anybody could get the lights to work more simply using only the natively provided watch features.

Thank you!