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Why does the Edge 1030 even have Bluetooth functionality?

Former Member over 5 years ago

On 70% of my rides, the 1030 will not connect to my phone via Bluetooth. The workaround, while not complicated, is extremely annoying: you disable the phone connected features and then re-enable it. Then it will connect. Why do I have to do this stupid workaround on the majority of my rides?

Then, my ride ends. I save it. The Edge has a Bluetooth connection to the phone, but won't upload ride data. I get to my apartment, where it also picks up a WiFi connection, but it still won't upload data. I force a manual upload, multiple times, from the "history" page and it still won't upload data.

Literally the only way to get my data to Garmin Connect is via Garmin Express, and of course it takes a solid minute to mount the Edge on my Mac desktop so Garmin Express can even see it. It's like I've got an Edge 800 or something.

My Edge 1000 was vastly more reliable for Bluetooth, or any, transfers, than my Edge 1030. But it didn't matter, because I had to recharge the 1000 after nearly every ride anyway, so it could sync via Garmin Express. Now I have an Edge that can go a week between charges, but it doesn't matter because I have to plug it into my computer anyway to sync it.

Why is Garmin so spectacularly bad at a connection protocol that the other half dozen devices I own that connect to my phone via Bluetooth work flawlessly with?

0 Jeff_Burns over 5 years ago

I'll grant you that the 1030 is still having teething troubles 2 years after release, which isn't a good sign. BUT - are you up to date on firmware? Then Livetrack over BT is still a little hit and miss (across Android and Apple devices so it's gotta be the 1030 hardware/software not the respective Connect apps), but as of now, generally my 1030 is working fine with my phone and with my house Wifi. (and with that, I probably jinxed it, and it'll never work again)

Prior to 9 (which has other issues for folks) after firmware upgrades, I had to completely unpair and then re-pair the connect for the phone-1030 link to be stable (mostly, sometimes, well...) or connect at all. So far on 9, 9.03, and 9.1 that hasn't been an issue, but the initial boot on firmware upgrades have resulted in me needing to hard reboot each time as it locks up on the initial boot...

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to Jeff_Burns

I'm running 9.10 currently. Which seems to have made bluetooth functionality if anything less reliable. Before the update it was only rarely (one ride in fifteen maybe) that wouldn't upload. So far with 9.10, none of them will upload. Other than that the device seems to work reasonably well (no crashes or lockups so far), but it's still annoying.

0 biker128pedal over 5 years ago

Mine works. It can be slow to sync at times but has improved with 9.0. Worked today with 9.0. Took about a minute after I saved the track.

After update to 9.10 the upload seemed faster. Read text to pickup eggs and butter on the way home while mountain biking.

0 cycleanalyze over 5 years ago

You should let Garmin know there is a bluetooth issue with their flagship bike computer, the 1030.

0 Jeff_Burns over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Ugh, sounds like some of the issues I was having in 8.x. What fixed the bluetooth/livetrack issue for me (mostly anyway) is totally unpairing and re-pairing. The new mobile Connect app at least autodetects what it's connecting to now, saving a step.

(and by me saying that's what mostly fixed it, means my ride tomorrow isn't going to work at all probably... danged Murphy)

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to cycleanalyze

I'd like to think they're paying attention to this forum, but maybe not. It's definitely not any kind of misconfiguration, because today my ride uploaded just fine (although I still had to manually connect to my phone at the beginning of the ride, which happens nearly all the time now). I'll probably email their text support which will give me all kinds of trouble-shooting steps about pairing to the phone, which will completely miss the point of what the problem is.

0 frankbrix over 5 years ago

I agree 100%. I was using a Pixel 3 phone (now pixel 4) and I have for the past 12 months disabled bluetooth on my garmin edge device. I have good experience with WIFI on the edge. The way I sync my rides to garmin connect is one of two:

- Turn on the edge 1030 when I get home and it connects to wifi and syncs the ride

- enable WIFI hotspot on my pixel phone and the edge syncs my ride.

Using the option of wifi hotspot I don't need bluetooth. I an easily sync my device when I am away from home.

0 cheracogoff over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

I suggest that you call tech support instead of emailing. Emailing them does not work very well and the back and forth emails will take a long time to get to a resolution to your problem.

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to cheracogoff

When they bother to reply at all. I sent them an email two weeks ago. Nothing.

0 jgforrest over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Response on chat is usually very good, I've had a similar experience with email so don't use it any more.