Using with iPhone is inadequate

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rwaring
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:05 pm

Using with iPhone is inadequate

Post by rwaring »

I have sadly concluded that my moving from Newton to PowerPad has created much frustration for me and was a mistake. I switched to PowerPod induced by the ability to use my iPhone 11 Pro as a bike computer, but now I believe that PowerPod is intended for racers using a bike computer.
The Powerhouse app is a pain in the ass to use. Part of the problem is that it requires navigation through several screens just to pair the PowerPod, and each screen can only be accessed by app buttons in the CORNERS of the screen. Most lightweight phone straps for bike use secure the phone in the corners, so the straps have to be pushed out of the way and then reset each time. (Pairing before putting the phone on the bike is too risky, because in setting the straps you risk turning off the screen, and then having to start over again.) Whoever designed the app did not take into account how most people use phones on a bike. A rigid phone cradle/clamp is a weight penalty I’m not willing to make.
If you take break for more than five minutes, the app disconnects from the PowerPod, and you have to end the ride, re-pair as described above, and start a new ride. There is no way to re-pair a disconnected PowerPod in the middle of the ride.
The Powerhouse app does not display elapsed time in a useable way. First, it is in tiny type that no one under 45 can read without reading glasses, and certainly not while riding. Second, it is in the upper right corner of the screen - under a rubber strap that holds my phone to the bike. Third, it only displays total elapsed time, not time on the bike. I would pay for an app that put actual riding time on the display where I could see it.
The Powerhouse app does not display heart rate. I know about the arguments that real racers do not need to see it. But, I’m over 65 and I want it.
Use the Wahoo Fitness app? Lord knows I’ve tried for months. It simply will not display speed and distance from PowerPod. I contacted Velocomp and was told to contact Wahoo. I contacted Wahoo and was told to contact Velocomp. For a time, I tried just getting speed in the app directly from my speed sensor, but now in that setup the Wahoo app just stops recording at random points in a ride, and then mysteriously starts again a while later. I cannot use GPS for speed because I ride in forests and deep canyons where I lose GPS at times. And the Wahoo app wildly over-calculates elevation gain. Contacting Wahoo support got a response that it is a known issue and in their queue to fix - sometime.
Starva? Starva stopped supporting third party sensors last year.
I welcome suggestions, but at this point I’m probably going to go back to my Newton - if it still works.
Velocomp
Velocomp CEO
Posts: 7793
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:43 am

Re: Using with iPhone is inadequate

Post by Velocomp »

The PowerHouse app was designed to help people benefit from Hunter Allen power training programs. The app was also designed to help PowerPod users setup profiles without requiring the use of Isaac software.

We think the app serves both intended uses quite well.

Unfortunately, the PowerHouse app was not designed to function as a general purpose bike computer app, which is how you are trying to use it. I'm not surprised that you are having disappointments with it in this mode. But, you can see that PowerPod does transmit speed, cadence and power data in a format that can be read by the PowerHouse app. So, that works...

It is also true that the PowerHouse app was designed for phone mounts that securely attach the phone to the bike. We have used strap mounts and they are not as secure as the cradle mounts.

I have successfully paired PowerPod to the Wahoo Fitness app (it appears as a "PowerPod" sensor). It sounds like you are also trying to get the Wahoo app to "read" the speed and cadence data transmitted by PowerPod. Why that does not work in the Wahoo app I do not know.

However, if you have ANT/bluetooth speed and cadence sensors (Wahoo makes them), you can pair those speed/cadence sensors to PowerPod, and separately pair them to your Wahoo App. If this does not work then, truly, the problem is with the Wahoo app.

We left the Newton behind in 2015, with great sadness. It does a great job; I have one on my bike that I still use every day.
John Hamann
texbiker
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2017 1:04 pm

Re: Using with iPhone is inadequate

Post by texbiker »

Have you tried the Ride With GPS app? It displays the data you say you want and it is a large font.
rwaring
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:05 pm

Re: Using with iPhone is inadequate

Post by rwaring »

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been able to use the Wahoo app again for several months. The only tricky part is getting it to report cadence. I have to connect using the Powerhouse app first, and eventually I can get Wahoo to show cadence.
kurt
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2020 1:58 am

Re: Using with iPhone is inadequate

Post by kurt »

I use bikecomputer pro. It has a cost of 10 USD once but it works rather well.
You can also charge gpx into your mobile. I use it a lot.
I hope this helps you.

BR

Kurt
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