A bit under a year ago 4iiii’s announced the first device on the market to bridge the gap between ANT+ accessories and Bluetooth Smart enabled phones. In doing so, they potentially opened up the door to saving users from having to re-purchase expensive accessories simply to use them with apps on their phones. But the question is: Is this device the saving grace folks have been looking for?
I’ve been using the device for months now, testing every possible combination. Because I want to be transparent about my reviews, once my evaluation period with the Viiiiva has elapsed, I send it back to 4iiii’s in Calgary. Simple as that. Sorta like hiking in wilderness trails – leave only footprints. If you find my review useful, you can use any of the Amazon or Clever Training links from this page to help support future reviews.
Lastly, at the end of the day keep in mind I’m just like any other regular triathlete out there. I write these reviews because I’m inherently a curious person with a technology background (my day job), and thus I try and be as complete as I can. But, if I’ve missed something or if you spot something that doesn’t quite jive – just let me know and I’ll be happy to get it all sorted out. Also, because the technology world constantly changes, I try and go back and update these reviews as new features and functionality are added – or if bugs are fixed.
Unboxing:
Let’s get this baby unboxed. Don’t worry, this won’t take long. First, is the box:
On the back is a diagram that explains how it all works and a fraction of the apps it works with. But I’ll talk about what the different compatibility levels are later.
Pulling out the guts of the box, we find a plastic shell with the heart rate strap and transmitter pod, along with a quickstart guide.
Here’s the two items in the box hanging out together like BFF’s:
Like most heart rate straps, it’ll come in two pieces: The strap and the transmitter pod. The transmitter pod pops into the little metal snaps and holds the whole thing together. It’s adjustable of course, so you can adjust the strap as you see fit.
On the back you’ll notice both the ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart logos. The battery sits in that little door you see below. Once you’ve reached 200 hours (or when it decides to stop pairing to your device), you’ll want to swap out the battery. Since it just uses a CR2032 user-replaceable battery, it’ll only take a few seconds and about $2-3US.
Next up is that quick-start manual. It’s pretty basic, but that’s fine. By time you finish here on this post, you’ll be well versed in how to use it. Or, you’ll be asleep. Or both.
With that, let’s get into why this strap is so unique.
Background and understanding what the product does:
Ok, so you get that the strap is somehow different, but what is it really doing? Well, let’s start off with the core scenario: ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart. The reason this is interesting to folks is that in the rise of phone apps, ANT+ accessories have been somewhat limited for app integration. This is due (primarily) to the lack of ANT+ chipset support within the Apple devices (meaning, no ANT+ in the iPhone). To get ANT+ on the iPhone, you’d otherwise need an adapter hanging out the bottom of your phone. On the Android platform we see a handful of devices that natively support ANT+. But most Android devices that want ANT+ connectivity need to do so via OTG adapters (more things hanging off your phone).
With the growth of phone apps and the lack of any native ANT+ method to get into the Apple platform, you start to see the rise of Bluetooth Smart in the fitness space. Bluetooth Smart depends on Bluetooth 4.0, which started being introduced into phones about 18 months ago. Bluetooth Smart adoption has been largely catapulted forward by Apple, whereas on Android it lags significantly in every aspect.
Within the health space, the first Bluetooth Smart device profile we saw was for the Heart Rate strap, before even the first Apple device was out that supported Bluetooth Smart. A ‘device profile’ is essentially a way for a given device type to communicate in a standard fashion. ANT+ has them, and Bluetooth Smart has them, though of course while similar they don’t talk to each other (different protocols). Typical examples of device profiles include the heart rate strap, bicycling speed/cadence sensor, bicycle power meter, running footpod, etc… They all have slightly different technical names (i.e. ‘stride sensor’ instead of running footpod), but ultimately they’re pretty similar between the two wireless protocols.
Looking at market place up until this point, ANT+ heart rate straps have been ubiquitous with devices like Garmin, Timex, CycleOps and many others. At the same time, so have a variety of cycling accessories like the speed/cadence sensor and the power meter. The challenge is that while there are plenty of Bluetooth Smart heart rate straps – they won’t work with your existing Garmin device (or really almost anything other than a phone). On the cycling accessory side, there are only one or two companies making Bluetooth Smart speed/cadence sensors (such as the Wahoo Blue SC), and they too won’t work with your existing ANT+ bike computers. And finally, on the power meter side, there’s only a single company that currently produces an on-bike Bluetooth Smart power meter – the Stages Power Meter (which is dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart). That means that everyone else with expensive $1,000-$2,000 ANT+ power meters is unable to use them with phone apps natively.
Given that, you can clearly see the market for a cheap device to be able to convert ANT+ into Bluetooth Smart, allowing folks to utilize their existing ANT+ accessories with both ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart computers/displays. Nobody wants to re-purchase a $1,500 power meter simply to connect it to a phone app. And the same goes for cheaper accessories as well.
Thus, Viiiiva. Viiiiva acts as that conduit between one world and another, enabling one to take ANT+ data sources and convert them in real-time to Bluetooth Smart – all while still acting as a normal heart rate strap.
How the Viiiiva is different than a normal heart rate strap:
So while Viiiiva may look just like any other heart rate strap, the Viiiiva is really the combination of three different core functions – which would normally be three different products. Typically, this is how you’d divide it up:
1) ANT+ Heart Rate Strap: Most Garmin users are familiar with the ANT+ strap, and the Viiiiva is also an ANT+ strap that will also broadcast ANT+ to your Garmin unit (at all times).
2) Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Strap: For those users with more recent phones, the Viiiiva concurrently broadcasts your heart rate over Bluetooth Smart to supporting apps.
3) ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart Bridge: It’s this last piece that’s really where the magic filling is. Inside that little pod it receives ANT+ device transmissions and rebroadcasts them as Bluetooth Smart devices. Think of it like a live translator going from one language to another. With this capability we can now bridge the gap between ANT+ devices such as power meters, and phone apps on platforms like the iPhone without native ANT+ support.
To put this in a more simple analogy, it’s essentially like a ANT+ strap and a Bluetooth Smart strap got together one night, did the romance dance, and had a baby. And even though the parents didn’t speak each others languages, that baby ended up being bilingual. Roughly.
Now, let’s talk about what the Viiiiva is not:
1) It’s not an analog heart rate strap: Meaning, that it won’t work with gym equipment or treadmills. But given you’re reading this post, I suspect you’ve probably got your own device you’d use anyway.
2) It doesn’t work with legacy Bluetooth standard: That means that you have to have a phone that contains Bluetooth 4.0 in it if you’re connecting to an app. Today that’s basically anything after the iPhone 4s, plus 3rd generation iPad and beyond. As of this writing, there are still no Android or Windows Phone apps that support Bluetooth Smart for application usage around health profiles. Though both phone platform companies have announced plans to do so, it’s still some ways off.
3) It doesn’t work with Polar devices: Polar has their own proprietary W.I.N.D. protocol for use on the majority of their modern devices, and this won’t work with that (nor the devices that use the analog or digital non-WIND straps). However, in the event Polar develops a Bluetooth Smart capable device (which they say they are going to do), then it would work just fine with that. More on that later.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dive into using it.
Using with the 4iiii’s App:
There’s a few different ways you can use the Viiiiva, but I’m going to start off with the most conventional method, via the 4iiii’s app. The App is free on the App Store (iDevices only today).
Once you’ve got it opened up you’ll be able to create an account to save settings in. It only takes a second.
From there you can hit the tab in the upper right corner to see all the options. For now, we’re going to dive into the one titled ‘Viiiiva Configuration’.
Once you do that, you’ll be brought here. This is the screen that allows you to go out and find your Viiiiva. You’ll press the ‘Connect’ button to start the search. If for some reason you’ve disabled Bluetooth, it would now be considered critical path to enable it.
Within 5-10 seconds it’ll come back with a listing of nearby Bluetooth Smart devices. For most of you, you’ll just see the below with a single sensor found (the one labeled ViiiivaB9EC in my case).
If you happen to have other Bluetooth Smart devices around, you’ll see something like this:
No matter, choose the Viiiiva one and it’ll go ahead and connect to it:
Once you do that you’ll see the device enumerated and that you can then pair to ANT+ devices.
Next, we’ll tap “Pair Viiiiva to ANT+ Devices”, which initiates a search of ANT+ devices in your vicinity. For most of you, you’ll probably just have a single speed/cadence sensor or power meter. Or for runners, an ANT+ footpod.
In my case both my bike and The Girl’s bike popped up nearby. Remember that ANT+ sensors fall asleep when not in use, so give your bike wheel or crank a quick spin to activate them.
Once you’ve found a bunch of devices you’ll tap the checkbox next to them to ‘pair’ to them. Since ANT+ supports multiple sensors paired to multiple devices, this will have no impact on your existing GPS devices (i.e. a Garmin). They can run concurrently.
Once you’re done, then go ahead and tap ‘Done’, which confirms it to memory in the Viiiiva. Next we’ll dive into using the app.
Note that if you’re doing a footpod, it’s exactly the same process – just select footpod from the listing:
What’s cool here is that you can pre-pair your different devices for both cycling and running. So that when those sensors activate, it’ll automatically start passing data through on them – no need to ever again touch the config app.
Note that you can only pair a single sensor type though, meaning pairing only one footpod, one power meter, one speed/cadence combo sensor, etc…
Cycling:
Now that we’ve got everything setup, tap the menu button and change to ‘Workout’ mode (previously called ‘Live Data’). This will bring you here:
Before you get started, you’ll want to quickly configure you’re wheel circumference if you’re using a speed sensor for distance.
You can also change from imperial to metric here, and for power meter users you can initiate a standard ANT+ power meter calibration request. Lastly within the settings you can have the option to have the app automatically switch between running and cycling mode dependent on the sensors activated.
Once out of the settings, there’s one more option – which is whether or not to use GPS for distance/speed. You can see the little GPS on/off button. Inside, I’d go with off.
With everything set, we’re ready to ride! To begin, just hit the ‘Start’ button.
You’ll see that my power, cadence, and speed are all showing up. Note I’ve got no ANT+ adapter attached to the phone, everything is just routing right through the Viiiiva.
If I want to create a lap, I can simply tap the lap button, which resets the timer and marks a lap in the file for later analysis.
Or, in my case, I can just continue to ride on.
Once the ride is complete I hit ‘Stop’ to pause the timer. You can press start to resume again.
As you can see, the data is almost identical to that of my Garmin. You’ll see the HR values (current) are nearly identical (they fluctuate within 1-beat of each other), and the power averages are within 1w (completely normal for different head units even recording the same stream), and finally my distance is similar – but I had the Garmin set for a slightly different circumference.
Once I’m done with the ride, I’ll tap ‘Save’, which makes it available within the history menu. The history menu will show all historical rides (or in my case, all rides since I had last loaded a different beta app to test new items).
From an iPhone standpoint, while indoors you can place your phone anywhere nearby and it’ll go ahead and record and relay the data. In my case I just put it on this trainer stand I built that you see above a bit.
Outdoors, I generally leave it either in my back pocket, or on an armband that’s otherwise under my jersey.
But there’s a cool trick that’s not well known. If you don’t care about the HR portion, you don’t actually have to wear it. The Viiiiva will automatically keep the connection on the Bluetooth Smart side alive as long as the ANT+ data continues to stream data. Meaning that as long as your power meter, footpod, speed/cadence sensor send data, Viiiiva will continue to relay data. Generally, that’s whenever you’re actively doing something with it.
So you can actually toss just the transmitter pod in a bike bag and then have the data stream to your phone that way. The only thing you need to do is to wake-up the Viiiiva. To do so, just rub the two contacts:
Then, just stash it anywhere you want. That could be in your back pocket, or in a bike bag, or duct taped to the handlebars. Whatever floats your boat.
Once e-mailed to yourself you can look at the data for analysis in any program you see fit. It’s standard .FIT file formatting, which is the same that Garmin and many other companies use these days. So you can upload it to Strava, Garmin Connect or elsewhere.
Here’s a sample file from Garmin Connect of the Viiiiva data paired to the Quarq.
And, here’s the same file from the Garmin Edge 800 paired to the same Quarq unit:
In comparing the files in more detail, I’m finding them nearly identical. With power meters, you really need to look at whether an app is processing the data correctly. To that end, there’s open-source power meter head unit tests developed by Quarq that much of the industry is using now (regardless of which power meter you connect to).
In talking with 4iiii’s, they’ve passed all but one of the tests (Test #3), and for that test they’re looking to issue a fix in the coming days. That particular test isn’t a huge concern though since the scenario is primarily covering a case where someone is pedaling at sub-60RPM and a value isn’t written until the end of the stroke (which at say 20RPM would be 3 seconds later). In practice, this is a pretty extreme edge-case, and to really see the impacts you’d have to be making a pretty big jump in wattage as well. Nonetheless, a fix is coming for a problem that I’d guess impacts .0001% of the population.
Running:
Next up, running!
This will be quicker, since we’ve already covered the configuration and setup. In running mode, you’re basically talking about the ANT+ footpod, and then of course the heart rate information provided by the Viiiiva strap itself.
Note that you can configure the calibration of the footpod within the app if you know your calibration value. Since you have an ANT+ footpod already, that likely means you have an ANT+ display unit (i.e. Garmin watch), so you can just look in the settings there and re-type the four-digit calibration value.
Assuming your footpod is awake, you’ll see ‘0’ displayed for cadence if you’re standing still at the start of a run.
As we start to run you’ll see my pace, heart rate, and cadence data is all displayed – along with the distance. In my case I’ve selected to still use GPS data, but cadence is coming from the footpod.
You’ll see I still have the capability to set lap markers as well here by pressing the big lap button.
Once I’m done with the run, I can press the stop button and follow the same procedure to save the data and e-mail it to myself.
Ideally I’d like to see some built-in sharing options within the app itself so I could save the hassles – for example, posting directly to Strava or Garmin Connect, etc….
Once posted, you’ll see the run data just like any other:
Of particular note here is the the cadence data from the footpod, and the lap data from me pressing lap button, both carrying through.
Astute readers will notice there was a HR strap spike in this file – where it spikes upwards of 210bpm (the spikes later in the file are correct as I was doing intervals). I asked 4iiii’s about this, and they’ve made some firmware changes since this particular run in an effort to better filter out these erroneous spikes. In more recent testing I haven’t seen any issues.
Overall, this is a great method for getting footpod data into your phone if you already have a ANT+ footpod. Note that this isn’t just for outdoor running, but also indoor/treadmill running where it’s most applicable.
Right now the only footpod on the market that’s Bluetooth Smart is the new Polar Bluetooth Smart footpod, but that’s pretty big compared to the ANT+ editions that are the size of a quarter. So this helps bridge that a bit.
Understanding the different modes the Viiiiva strap transmits in:
Now that you’ve got a grasp on how the platform works when it uses all 4iiii’s components, let’s dive into a bit more detail on the different modes Viiiiva supports – ultimately segueing into 3rd party support. Understanding these modes is critical to getting accurate data – especially for power meter users.
When the Viiiiva strap broadcasts your ANT+ data back out as Bluetooth Smart, it’s doing it using Bluetooth Smart device profiles. These are standardized, and well understood – simply methods of transmitting a given type of information (i.e. heart rate data, or power data, or cadence data). Normally, most sensors only transmit one type of data at a time. A heart rate strap transmits heart rate data, and a speed sensor transmits speed data. And given that, they’re only using one device profile at a time.
Since they’re only using a single device profile at a time, apps and devices see the sensor data from a single specific ID (a GUID technically, but think of it as a phone number). The Viiiiva strap only has one phone number (in effect) and can only take one call at a time. So, what happens when you want to have two channels of information such as power and heart rate?
Well, let’s first start with the simplest operation – just transmitting heart rate data. In that case, the Viiiiva strap isn’t doing any ANT+ conversion, but rather acting as a standard Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap. Most importantly though, it’s only delivering a single data channel: Heart rate information. So apps work great and the work goes around.
Now we layer in power information. In that case, the 4iiii’s developers were in a bit of a pickle. How do you get twice as much information when you’ve already got a single ‘phone number’ taken up? Well, they went ahead and added additional channels of information. The phone number stayed the same, but more data was layered on top. The problem here is that apps have to know to look for the additional data channel.
Now what happens if they (3rd party apps or devices) don’t know about that data channel? Well in that case the Viiiiva strap goes into alternating mode. It transmits one data channel (i.e. heart rate) for a second, and then shifts and transmits the next data channel (i.e. power). Rinse and repeat forever. But what’s the problem there? Well, you get half as much data. For heart rate users, that may not be horrible, but for power meter users, that’s as bad as making a deal with the devil.
So where does that put us? Well, two modes that the Viiiiva supports:
1) Full Compatibility: In this mode, the 3rd party application or device has been updated to understand the multiple data channels and will receive all data channels concurrently without any missing data
2) Rotating Compatibility: In this mode, the 3rd party app hasn’t been updated yet, and thus will receive a rotating (round-robin) data set, resulting in the different sensors rotating live-data to the application.
Now you see the importance of having full compatibility. Obviously, the default Viiiiva app has full compatibility. From there, we look at the 3rd party apps. 4iiii’s has developed a list here of fully compatible apps [PDF], but ultimately as consumers we want to see every app correctly parse the multiple channels of information. The list of apps tested with at least heart rate compatibility is here. And finally, for developers, you can start here.
The good news here is that the industry is going to force this issue pretty quickly. Other products like the new/updated Bluetooth Smart PowerCal from PowerTap need this same capability to deliver power data alongside heart rate data.
A brief look at 3rd Party Apps:
Now that I’ve covered the different modes available, let’s take a brief look at how this works in practice. First up I’ll look at a running-focused app – iSmoothRun. This app supports the Viiiiva fully, and does correct parsing of data from both channels, so it doesn’t have to skip data points.
Setting up the app you’ll dive into the ‘Settings’, where you’ll see the 4iiii Viiiiva listed:
When you tap on that it’ll go ahead and search for the Viiiiva, ultimately finding it:
Once you tap on the Viiiiva it’ll show you the configuration options. You can see that it supports both cycling and running sensors. Most notable you can select whether the distance comes from the stride sensor or the GPS. The number you see above (1.012) that setting is the calibration factor.
In my case, I left the distance off, but wanted cadence.
From there I went ahead and created a new free-workout running activity. Basically a non-structured workout to record data:
Once running, you’ll see my cadence listed below, as well as the heart rate coming from the strap.
If I switch into a different view, you can see more averages.
The app supports splits as well, allowing me to split up chunks of my workout. Within that you’ll again see the cadence and heart rate data coming from the Viiiiva. If I had set it to off for GPS, you’d have the pace/distance data as well from Viiiiva:
Once I’m done I can save the activity and export it to a slew of different services:
As you can see, it’s all pretty straight forward and works exactly as you’d expect for an updated app.
Now, let’s see how it works within a non-updated app.
I’ll take a look at the default Wahoo Fitness app for a cycling workout. Typically speaking this is my go-to app for any fitness data recording task on the iPhone, due to it having really good data cleanliness/processing practices and 3rd party integration. In this case though, it doesn’t yet support the multichannel data streaming that the Viiiiva provides, so it has to use the round-robin method. In this test, I had already setup the power meter within the 4iiii’s app, and then pressed the ‘Release Viiiiva’ button so that other apps could use it.
Then, over in the Wahoo app I went ahead and created a new activity profile and called it ‘4iiii’s Viiiiva’. You can call it Macaroni if you’d like though:
Next, I tapped to pair the HR and Power Meter sensors. You’ll see the power meter sensor pickup first:
Then, a second later you see the HR sensor illuminate:
Now remember I’m about to show you an example of an app that isn’t yet updated for dual-channel support. Thus in effect, I’m showing you the non-ideal scenario. I don’t mean to pick on Wahoo, it’s just a clear and simple example.
After starting an activity, you’ll see the heart rate data streaming into the Wahoo app. However, you’ll note that the power data is missing – showing null:
Then, a second or two later, the power data will appear (in this case, an easy pedaling of 72w), but when it does, the HR data stays stagnant.
This round-robin will repeat over and over again. As a result, all of your data points will likely show half of their actual value (or even less, if you round-robin in other devices). From a power meter standpoint, this makes the device useless – as power meter data is all about having as accurate data as possible.
The good news here is that I think we’ll see changes to apps, mostly because the wave of impending Bluetooth Smart devices will pretty much demand/require it. For example, CycleOps has announced a Bluetooth Smart variant of their PowerCal heart rate strap, that will in turn be transmitting both power and heart rate data – thus requiring the same compatibility levels.
I’ve confirmed with Wahoo that they do plan on implementing support for this scenario, within their apps, but don’t have a timetable yet for doing so. That would also likely mean implementing it within their API’s, making it near-instantly available for 150+ application developers out there on the Apple platform (virtually every application on the iOS platform today that does ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart health data uses the Wahoo Fitness API’s).
An even briefer look at Bluetooth Smart 3rd party device support:
I was sorta excited to write this section, as I thought I’d be able to show some cool product integration that this could enable. Except, in the end, there’s actually nothing today to demonstrate. Everything is still in the ‘doesn’t yet work’ stage, not through the fault of 4iiii’s or the Viiiiva strap, but simply as a result of the marketplace still not having any non-phone devices that actually support Bluetooth Smart accessories aside from the Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap. And even then, that’s highly limited.
(Note: All of the below devices except the TomTom support ANT+ and thus support the Viiiiva HR via ANT+, this section is purely talking about the Bluetooth side of things.)
In some ways, Bluetooth Smart is the the kid that everyone wants to call their friend, but nobody really answers the phone when they ring to play.
For example, I wanted to try it with the Leikr GPS watch, but today in beta that doesn’t yet support Bluetooth Smart connections:
And then I wanted to see if the TomTom Multisport unit would show the potential here, but something isn’t quite working out there and it wouldn’t pair. Since that product is still in beta (TomTom Multisport), I’ll let them sort it out – I’m sure they’ll get it figured out shortly. But that would at least allow folks converting from ANT+ based devices (i.e. an older Garmin watch) with the ANT+ speed/cadence sensor to move over to the TomTom unit without having to buy a new cadence sensor.
And of course, I can’t use it with the Garmin Edge 510/810, since while they have Bluetooth, it’s old-school Bluetooth, and not Bluetooth 4.0, and thus not Bluetooth Smart compatible.
And finally, while the Garmin Fenix has Bluetooth Smart, it doesn’t support Bluetooth Smart accessories.
Alas, for now, you’ll have to keep waiting.
In fact, the only device that it does at least connect with today is the now-discontinued Motorola Motoactv (just for heart rate). But given that device has both ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart already, it doesn’t really help much there. And figures that the only device that works is the one that’s discontinued.
But I suspect as we hit Eurobike and Interbike in late August and mid-September respectively, that you’ll start to see Bluetooth Smart devices hit the market that can take inputs from Bluetooth Smart accessories. As I noted earlier, Polar has long talked about it’s plan to move to Bluetooth Smart (for two years now) – so I’d have to assume that their next release of devices (whenever that is, I don’t know) would include support for Bluetooth Smart accessories. Even more so since they recently released the Bluetooth Smart footpod, and then have previously released both the H6 and H7 Bluetooth Smart HR straps.
Once we have devices that support Bluetooth Smart profiles such as speed/cadence, and power meters, then we’ll start to see the real power of the strap – such as being able to route ANT+ power meters to non-ANT+ bike head units.
General Maintenance: Firmware Updating and Battery Swapping:
The Viiiiva firmware is updatable, and over the course of the past few months they’ve made updates to the firmware of the heart rate strap transmitter pod. These updates have to this point concentrated on minor bug fixes, but long term, it could also bring new features (free or paid). The reason they would want to include features in the firmware instead of the app is that the heart rate strap is designed to work without connectivity to the app (except for initial configuration).
The process is fairly straight forward. When a new firmware update is made available, the Viiiiva app will notify you that it would like to update the firmware on your Viiiiva:
Assuming you press ‘Yes’, it’ll then download the firmware from the interwebs. This only takes a second.
Following that it’ll install the firmware. This takes perhaps 20-30 seconds to complete. The little 4iiii’s logo will fill-up with gray as the percentage increases.
After that, the strap will reset itself and you’re good to go. No settings are lost during the firmware update (at least, none have for me to date).
Changing the battery is about as simple as it gets with an electronics device. You won’t need to do it often though, about every 200 hours of active use. First up, you’ll need a CR2032 battery (usually $2-3US). Given the sheer quantity of devices I test, I buy them in bulk (all $9 of them!). You’ll also want some sort of straight-blade screwdriver, knife, or, in my case, a random bike tire-iron I had within reach.
Simply twist the battery and it should pop out. If not, just turn it over.
Inside you’ll see the old battery hanging out.
Dump the old battery out and toss.
Plop the new one in and tighten back up.
Mission complete!
In general, the way I know the battery is going is that the device will pair initially, but then you’ll see it drop out. This is pretty true of almost every CR2032-powered sports accessory/device I’ve tested. The tell-tale signs are random drops in data (down to zero), especially a bit into the activity. I always keep a few CR2032 batteries on hand, and one in my backpack and suitcases for when I’m travelling.
The Future and Potential:
What’s fascinating about the strap is the firmware updating aspect. I chatted with 4iiii’s around what they had on the radar for the future. Here’s where things stand for Q3 (the next 2-3 months roughly). Note that these might end up being paid features, basically paying a small fee to unlock these additional capabilities, sorta like in-app purchases works today for buying extra levels in games.
– Download .FIT files directly from Garmin devices to iPhone (via Viiiiva)
– Viiiiva file saving – the ability to save data to the strap directly from ANT+ sensors (or HR) without a device, for example, during swimming or just out hiking for a day, then download later
– Add Fitness equipment profile for exercise equipment, enabling users to sync to gym equipment with “ANT+ Link here” logo (eg. BodyBike, Concept2, Nautilus, Schwinn, Startrek, Tacx, and Woodway)
– Stand alone Liiiink Mode with no Heart Rate, provides solid pass-thru of power for example. Thus no rotation of data to the phone if you don’t want HR, ideal for non-conforming apps
– Auto-Calibration for Power Meters (Auto-Calibration function works by itself in Viiiiva, but isn’t extended yet to 3rd party apps via Viiiiva)
Longer term, they’re looking to leverage the built-in accelerometer that the Viiiiva actually has in it (allowing them to detect motion and orientation). This would enable the following scenarios:
– Activity Monitoring
– Cadence/Step Counting (Running & Walking)
– User programmable Tip-Tap: This would enable the ability to simply tap the HR strap to trigger events in an app, such as laps, changing screen display, or anything else an app wanted to trigger.
At the same time, they stressed that as a relatively small company (compared to say, Garmin or Polar), they were really looking for scenarios that users were interested in and appreciate any feedback. I’m good with ideas being dropped below in the comments.
Summary:
I’ve been excited about the Viiiiva strap since I first heard about it nearly a year ago at Interbike. While they released it back in February, it’s really been in the last month or so that I feel the bugs have been worked out, and that it’s reached a level of maturity where I can now recommend it.
From a data standpoint, the native app is very solid – and I’m no longer seeing issues I saw back in the earlier releases. Especially for cyclists, which is where I’d really recommend this product (and in particular, those power meter users out there). Looking down the road, I’m optimistic this device will likely drive more cross-platform integration – which is a good thing for consumers.
Given that the unit follows all the Bluetooth Smart specifications, it enjoys pretty wide 3rd party support in the app world for heart rate data. As a general rule of thumb, if the app supports the Wahoo Fitness (listed on their site), this device will at least work with it from a basic functionality standpoint (HR + rotating data from sensors)
The only area that is problematic however is the lack of support from 3rd party apps on the full dual-channel support (i.e. more than two devices paired at once). As noted, only a few apps support that today, and I’d really like to see that become widespread. I’m not terribly worried there, because ultimately, those apps will have to do so since device adoption in the Bluetooth Smart space in general will drive that.
As those applications update, I predict we’ll see Viiiiva become core to bridging the gap between ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart devices for quite some time.
Here’s my look at the Pros & Cons:
Pros:
– Converts ANT+ accessory transmissions to Bluetooth Smart easily
– Accurately records data, especially power data
– Gives you both ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart HR strap (can use concurrently)
– Can use with existing ANT+ display devices for heart rate
Cons:
– Doesn’t yet have broad 3rd party support for all full multichannel transmission mode
Found this review useful? Here’s how you can help support future reviews with just a single click! Read on…
Hopefully you found this review useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.I’ve partnered with Clever Training to offer all DC Rainmaker readers an exclusive 10% discount across the board on all products (except clearance items). You can pickup the Viiiiva below. Then receive 10% off of everything in your cart by adding code DCR10BTF at checkout. By doing so, you not only support the site (and all the work I do here) – but you also get a sweet discount. And, since this item is more than $75, you get free US shipping as well.
4iiii’s Viiiiva ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart HR Strap – $79US
Additionally, you can also use Amazon to purchase accessories (though, no discount on either from Amazon) – of course in the case of Viiiiva it’s mostly anything ANT+ is compatible from a sensor standpoint. Or, anything else you pickup on Amazon helps support the site as well (socks, laundry detergent, cowbells). If you’re outside the US, I’ve got links to all of the major individual country Amazon stores on the sidebar towards the top. Though, Clever Training also ships most places too and you get the 10% discount. Thanks for reading!
And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks! Finally, I’ve written up a ton of helpful guides around using most of the major fitness devices, which you may find useful in getting started with the devices. These guides are all listed on this page here.
The Blackberry Z10 has Bluetooth Smart. Now just need some apps.
It really is a good device.
Blackberry sent us a Z10.. definitely *not promising anything* soon on this front since we’re concentrated on iOS and Android right now, but if I find myself some spare cycles in my free time and want to do some C development, you never know! The SDK does look interesting.
The blackberry android layer doesn’t give access to the BLE radio? I’m guessing since pure Android 4.2 doesn’t support BLE, no, but 4.3 should support BLE
I think it will be up to Blackberry to support the 4.3 API calls to do it, but I’d say they definitely have incentive to do so! Looks like BB 10.2 will support Android 4.2.2 apps, so perhaps 10.3 will support 4.3 (and hopefully BLE) at that time.
Thanks for the feedback. Good to see there are companies out there willing to support the Blackberry platform.
You know BlackBerry runs Android apps if downloaded from the Amazon app store. Make an android app and put it in both the google play store and amazon. Blackberry OS10 folks would be happy. I for one will not give up my BlackBerry just because an app is not available for it. Got my Nexus 7 for when my BlackBerry is not coming g through for me
Great review.
As an owner of a quarq cinqo, iphone and Garmin 705, I am looking forward to seeing how effective the following combination is:
1) future Wahoo app update
2) Viiiiva
3) RFLKT
4) ant+ power meter
5) iphone
It may be a long chain to link up but it could have the potential to displace my Garmin 705.
Hi Phil-
Yup, in that combination (with a future Wahoo Update), everything you describe would work perfectly. Otherwise, today it’d be in rotating mode for the power (but would otherwise all work chained up).
Some point I still don’t understand:
You write:
“1) ANT+ Heart Rate Strap: […] the Viiiiva is also an ANT+ strap that will also broadcast ANT+ to your Garmin unit (at all times).”
Later you write:
“And of course, I can’t use it with the Garmin Edge 510/810, since while they have Bluetooth, it’s old-school Bluetooth, and not Bluetooth 4.0, and thus not Bluetooth Smart compatible.”
So, does it broadcast at least ANT+ HR?
In other words: Would the following scenario work? Using it to fully substitute my Garmin HR belt in a scenario where I want full data on both my Garmin Edge800 / FR910 (ANT+ HR from Viiiiva, ANT+ Speed/Cadence from Garmin bike sensors or footpod) and on my iPhone (BT HR from Viiiiva, ANT+ Speed/Cadence from Garmin bike sensors or footpod via Viiiiva BT).
Thanks,
Gerrit
Hi Gerrit-
I put a bit more text in to clarify. In that later section I was purely talking about the Bluetooth connection side of things. Those devices that support ANT+ for HR, will receive the ANT+ HR no problem.
Thus, you’re scenario is perfect (and exactly what I was doing in my usage).
You didn’t mention Suunto’s MemBelt, Dual Belt and Comfort Belt?
They don’t really apply here. They aren’t ANT+, nor Bluetooth Smart. They only work with Suunto products.
Hi!
Great review as usual!
Do they have a plan to support the other way, say: “translate” from Bluetooth Smart to ANT+?
It’s not on their immediate radar. I’ll check if the device is technically capable of it (meaning, I don’t believe the sensor in it can pair to other BLE sensors).
It is technically possible, but it’s a significant amount of work (making the Viiiiva be a BT master as well) that hasn’t been prioritized yet. That said, if there was a strong demand for it, we may revisit it.
I’d just buy it to future proof myself any which way if that was the case, though the first future benefit “- Download .FIT files directly from Garmin devices to iPhone (via Viiiiva)” is a big draw
I’m not sure you know this, but if a device has BT 4.0 will it be able to be firmware upgraded to BTLE? As in, is Bluetooth Smart a software issue or a hardware issue?
Think of Bluetooth 4.0 as the umbrella. Bluetooth Smart is a subset of that, focused on low-power sensors. So a Bluetooth 4.0 device (like a phone) can connect to Bluetooth Smart sensors. Bluetooth 4.0 is required to talk to Bluetooth Smart.
Whereas Bluetooth Smart is a subset, designed for lower power applications like sensors (the smart is mostly for smart power).
I bought the Viiiiva back in April and love it overall!
I have noticed that I get a lot of bad HR data at the beginning of exercises (~10 minutes worth in winter here in Australia). Even with the ol’ spit trick.
Also, the battery life seems to be much shorter than the Garmin HRMs. I guess it is doing a lot more!
Any ideas of apps for iPhone where I can utilise HR, footpod and location data to provide live tracking and info to family and friends?
Cool.
I think you’ll see the bad HR data improve with the latest firmware update (the one I’ve been testing), which apparently went out this morning. And to a degree, same goes with battery. There were some conditions where it would stay in a turned on state longer than normal that they believe they’ve addressed.
On the livetracking that’s Viiiiva compatible, hmm, I’d have to poke a bit at the full application listing.
We’ve definitely done a lot of work in the new firmware (available today! update your iOS app first) to fix the startup noise some people have experienced. Definitely let us know if you’re still seeing the 10 minutes of noisy HR with the 1.4 firmware.
There should be some improved battery consumption fixes as well. Are you using the pass-thru functionality or just the HR?
I updated the app but I don’t get a prompt to update the firmware when I connect the Viiiiva to the app. Do I need to do something else?
I mostly just use the HR but it was paired with an ANT+ footpod. I just changed the battery yesterday after using since April. Thought that was probably a bit too soon, I’m used to 12+ months with Garmin.
As it stands right now you have to be logged into the app to get the firmware update. Or are you logged in and still not seeing the update?
As for the bad battery life, let us know if it continues in 1.4 and/or send an email over to support@4iiii.com and we’ll talk some more about what could be happening… There’s definitely been a number of improvements across the board in electrical current usage though!
Yes, I’m signed into the app (latest version) and with Viiiiva connected but no prompts to download any firmware. I’ve actually never received the firmware prompt.
Ohhhhh, interesting! Are you using a 1.0 unit, perhaps? Thinking more about your original comment, using it since April, did you ever get it replaced by us with a 1.2? 1.0s are not upgradable and we contacted the 1.0 owners and sent them new units… Did you perhaps not get the new unit or not get contacted somehow? If not, we need to get in touch and send you a new unit. :)
If you’re running the newest app, when you connect to the Viiiiva, down in the bottom right hand corner in light grey text, it shows the current firmware version (two sets of numbers, like 1.4.0, 1.4.0 or 1.0.0, 1.0.0, etc…) What are those for your Viiiiva? If it’s 1.0.0, email support@4iiii.com about getting a new unit and I’ll get on someone’s case about making sure it gets out ASAP.
If I’m completely off base and you’re running 1.2, let me know that too and when I’m in the office tomorrow I can help more at figuring it out if you’re around..
I ordered it on 15 April (shipped on 18 April). I emailed in May to make sure I have the latest version and they said I probably did.
But now I think you might be right and I got an old version. I can’t actually see the firmware in grey on the latest app.
On the back of the HRM it says “Model: V100”
I sometimes get the initial spikes, and sometimes don’t. Maybe 25+% of the time I however get massive spikes that don’t go away when running after about an hour or so, especially on rough trail runs, but sometimes on the flats. It’s like it gets kicked into high gear, and it just won’t self repair, even if I completely stop running, hit pause, hit resume, etc. On a 3-5 hour trail run, it’s more likely than not that I’ll get wonky data by the end of the run that I wouldn’t see with my hard plastic garmin strap.
Also been using it in a completely still prone position with the sweetbeat app. Even with completely wetted contacts I get some significant dropouts; the HR reports reasonably correctly, but with that app you can “watch” each beat/pulse. I can hear my pulse in my head, but watch the app not pick up numerous beats; sometimes it’ll go 6-8 seconds without registering a beat. Pretty sure this is the strap, not the app, as sometimes on my runs my watch will just blank out on the HR field for a minute or two, which I’m assuming is it not getting any pulse data.
I really really really really want to love this strap (and all things considered, I do love the company as they’ve been responsive, even if I can’t seem to get it to work), but to date I just haven’t seen the reliability I want. I occasionally throw it on for a training run to see if somehow it’s magically fixed itself, but I never use it for racing. And yes, I clean the pads before every run, and that still doesn’t help.
Hi Ken,
Are you still getting the initial spikes on the 1.4.0 firmware that went out this week? I’m lucky in that I generally don’t experience any dramatic spikes, but even I have noticed an improvement these past few weeks since we made the changes internally… My max heart rate on all my runs and bikes since has been a sane value, and generally matches how I felt that workout.
Sorry to hear you’re having issues.. We’d like to continue working with you to find a solution… The SweetBeat app uses the R-R interval sent from Viiiiva to interpret and display real-time pulses. We have started a dialog with SweetBeat to determine what we can do to solve the unreported pulses.
iSmoothRun supports the Viiiiva and can also connect to RunKeeper live!
Hi Scott,
Haven’t tried the new update yet, but will in a few weeks (racing Badwater next week, so really don’t have time to try it, and likely won’t be running, or even walking for the week afterwards!). Will try it though when I get back to regular training. I really do want to find a fix for this issue, as I would otherwise make it my only strap, and likely buy another as a spare. I really want to use the sweetbeat, and don’t want to travel with two straps.
My next HRM for sure. Viiiiva file saving and user programmable Tip-Tap are particulary exciting prospects, at least for me. Very nice product review, thx.
Excellent! I’m now eagerly awaiting delivery of my viiiiva as I bought it anticipating this review would confirm my expectations.
Clearly as a bridge between ANT+ and Blue 4.0 this device is a real asset. Restating my original question to you what would you buy this or the Wahoo key ? All my gear is ANT+ and all I want to do is link it to my new iphone 5.
Great Review thanks for your time. Minoura by the way informed me they will start shipping speed cadence bluetooth 4.0 systems from Aug 13. Regards James
That’s a tough one to be honest. See, the Wahoo key today is compatible with more apps for multi-channel data. So if I wanted to get power meter data to other apps (beyond the Viiiiiva app), today, I’d go with the Wahoo dongle.
Now, if the app I was looking for was already supported within the full-channel implementation (like how iSmoothRun is), then I’d go for Viiiiva. For me, data fidelity is the most important – but it may not be for all. Make sense?
A few months from now, that picture might be different.
On the other hand, does the Wahoo key support the lightning connector without another adapter in the mix? Everytime I look up the Wahoo, all I find is for the old style iPhone 2/3G/3GS/4/4S 30 pin connector.
Yes, it works with the Lightening adapter.
I went through the same question going from a 4S to an iphone 5. The 30-pin-to-lightning adapter *plus* the ANT+ dongle *plus* the additional length of the new phone was just too much bulk and loseable parts to handle. That contraption wouldn’t fit in any amphipod waist-pack or armband I had, so I went with solely my Garmin Forerunner and HR strap until the Viiiiva came to market. Now I’ve got all my data back, and logging into two devices simultaneously. Just my two cents, but I’d skip the ANT+ key and just go with the Viiiiva to iphone 5 only.
“Nonetheless, a fix is coming for a problem that I’d guess impacts .0001% of the population.”
A brief comment: This is an issue for any track (velodrome) racer as it impacts standing starts. Still small I guess but probably more than one in a million.
Interesting! Do you have a bike computer that works well for this case? My 910XT (granted, it’s tri-oriented, not cycling) fails this test as well at the moment, I’m wondering if other Garmins would, or if it’s just the 910.
In any case, hopefully it’ll be working better w/ our app shortly. :)
I’m also a trackie, and this is definitely an issue for standing starts. Also possibly an issue in criteriums (e.g. coasting followed by stomping on the pedals)? SRM PC7 works better than most for standing starts, even if the cranks occasionally to not wake up fast enough to catch the first few revolutions. Another use for the accelerometer perhaps?
Just a minor nit: you used the analogy of a language translator. Actually, the more correct term would be “interpreter.” An interpreter is somebody who does the conversion of one language to another in real-time..think of those delegates on the floor of the UN listening to a speech–those delegates have an ear piece and are listening to a real-time interpreter converting the speakers language to the delegate’s language. A translator, on the other hand, works (in your your lingo) “off-line”. Translators have time to double check what they’ve done, consult resources for equivalent idioms, etc. I’m sure the UN has lots of those as well.
However, interpreters have a much more stressful job, and it takes many more years of training to be an interpreter than a translator. So you might have inadvertantly slighted some folks with your choice of terms.
Nonetheless, keep up the great work…your blog is one of the few I check everyday
Kindest regards, yucko
Great review as usual. Since it’s not available here in Europe now (from amazon or other web shops), any idea if it will be available anytime soon? I’d rather wait than pay a fortune in taxes and shipping bying in the USA…
Hmm, I’ll check with them on that.
We’re definitely working on other options for our non-North-American customers, but I’m told our online webstore will ship to EU for $10-15 in shipping (regular post)? (+VAT, which will have to be paid somewhere along the line whether it is a EU retailer or not).
This make the ANT+ only HR straps purely obsolete, right? It does the same that the ANT+ straps do and a lot
more…
More or less. The only difference being that most ANT+ only straps cost about 2/3rd the cost of this.
The real statement is that it makes other Bluetooth Smart straps obsolete (since they all cost basically within $5 of each other). ;)
Can this strap channel ANT+ HR signal from other straps?
In other words, can I use other ANT+ HR strap, channel it via Viiiiva to iphone, put the Viiiiva trasmitter pod on my pocket and don’t touch it anymore?
No.
shame, would have come in handy with by example a lifebeam ant+ helmet
Technically its possible but not supported in software today…we are anxious to hear feedback on what is most important to users so we can prioritize new features…so thanks everyone for your comments.
nice to hear it can be done. When my garmin straps dies or when I have the need for the strap (and its available in europe), the viiiiva will be my first choice!
On a sort of unrelated question, triggered by one of the photos above: any word on when the Leikr watch will be released stateside? I am seriously considering the TomTom, but the Leikr looks awesome and might be worth waiting for. Their website indicates a June release in Denmark with no date for US release.
No, they missed those dates. It’s not out yet, they’re targeting early fall right now (for Denmark/Kickstarters). I suspect that may be optimistic.
That being the case I assume it will be 2014 before it make it to the US? Is there a chance it will never actually make it to wide release (not sure what the success rate for actual deployment of these types of projects are). That would be a shame as it looks like a potentially great product.
I wouldn’t make the jump that the Denmark dates aren’t terribly different from the US dates. They have to clear the US FCC due to the Kickstarter aspect, so that piece will happen before they ship anything to Kickstarter folks. I’d assume that they are well underway for distributors, so I think that by limiting it to Denmark right now they’re just limiting dealing with outstanding orders.
I’d predict you’ll see availability near-instantly across both once they finish.
Good to know. I assume from the advanced feature set that this is intended as a higher end device with a commensurately higher price tag (if I have my currency converted correctly, it looks like it is around $400 US currently)? I have a curious technical question as a non-technical person: they say the battery life is about 4.5 hours but they hope to increase it to 24 in firmware upgrades. Is this possible based on software upgrades only (I know you can optimize software settings to limit battery drain but I always figured the hardware would be a bigger factor)? Just curious to understand the issue better.
By the way, Happy Fourth of July. Although being in France you get Bastille Day in 10 days instead!
(Talking about Leikr)
In theory, but in practice it’s not yet there – regarding advanced feature sets vs price. I’ve kinda long said that I see Leikr as more of a 12-18 month target than an immediate target from a competitiveness standpoint. It’s all the little 5% features that add up (or lack of), one at a time.
As far as battery, yes, they can definitely do that. We’ve seen similar updates from others (Swimsense & Motoactv come to mind).
Happy 4th!
Thanks for the follow-up. I think I will look at the TomTom in the short term and keep the Leikr in the back of mind for the future. It really has more than I need right now anyway, I just like the look of it and all the cool bells & whistles (which is ironic since I like the Tomtom for its simplicity but at the same time like the Leikr for its complexity). I guess I am a gadget companies dream customer, I like the shiny toys!
Hi. Great review as always!! I just bought this HR strap a month ago , thanks to losing my new garmin one in a hotel room :-(. It was a 70.00 blessing in disguise! I love it! It was exactly what I needed, and thanks to your awesome review I learned a few more tricks!! Keep up the awesome work!
About the strap… is it compatible with the polar softstrap or other brands or are we stuck with buying them from them?
It’s the same strap as the existing Garmin straps (pre-HRM3), so you can mix and match straps with the Viiiiva transmitter pod.
Thanks for the great review! Would also like to mention how ethical and forthright 4iiii has been with pre-release purchasers from Jan 2013. They must have found something which prevented the early buyers from taking full advantage of their units, so they sent everyone new ones with return envelopes for your initial unit. This is what you expect of companies, but unfortunately you don’t always experience such good proactive after sales support. Great way to build excellent word of mouth advertising and loyalty.
I’ve been using the Viiiiva only as an ANT+ HR strap with several devices (Samsung GS3 w/ANT+ adapter & Edge 800, Windows 7 Pro w/ PerfPro & PeriPedal) and the data has looked very good. Got it for a small premium over an ANT+ only strap as a bit of future proofing.
I can only second what Larry already said: free replacement for early adopters – and even shipping the replacement to Germany – that’s pure awesome.
Thanks for the compliments, Larry!
The version of Viiiiva that we replaced for you guys wasn’t firmware-upgradable, we really wanted to get them replaced ASAP so now that the new firmware is out, you can upgrade and benefit from all the fancy new features we’ve been working on since that original shipment! :)
I won a sportiiiis in a Facebook Twitter comp and love it so ordered the Viiiiva and Striiiide which are enroute! Great review Ray
Any chance the accelerometer would support the Ant+ “Controls” profile? ok, nothing seems to use it yet but may be useful to keep in mind as it could be useful for remote control of devices.
Does it handle the full BLE HR profile including the optional parts? (r-r intervals) (Why are you looking at me like you expected me to ask this question? ;) )
I’m assuming you’ll be waiting for Android 4.3 and Windows 8.1 to support those platforms for those without iDevices
Sorry, I failed at pressing the proper reply button and a reply to your comment is below, :( Sorry!
Eli –
1. Interesting idea about the “controls” profile….that’s one we haven’t discussed yet…thanks! :)
2. Yes – it supports R-R intervals so it works with HRV apps like Sweetbeat and ithlete.
3. Other platforms will come…but yes, the OS’ need to support BTLE first.
No current plans for the ANT+ Controls Profile, but a neat idea, for sure! We’re also still working on getting our accelerometer useful for other purposes, so this is probably a ways away.. :)
We do currently send R-R intervals, but the 4iiii app doesn’t support logging them in the .FIT file, *yet*. We did test it with “SweetBeat” and “ithlete” though.
We have been waiting for Android 4.3, yes, though supporting HTC and Samsung’s device specific APIs for 4.1 and 4.2 is not out of the question either, for those customers (Canadian, for example) that don’t get phone updates very timely… Will know more soon on solid plans for which phones, versions, BLE APIs, etc we’ll support.
One of our developers is quite passionate about Windows Phone, but it’s (similarly to BB10) lower priority at the moment… Though any 3rd party BLE HR apps on those devices should work just fine with Viiiiva too. :)
Thanks
For Windows I was more thinking Windows desktop. Ok, personal bias since I have an Android phone (Galaxy S2, right now) and a few Windows desktops\laptops since a device I can use and configure would be more useful…. And looks like BLE profile support will be native in 8.1 (though not sure if the phone has an equivalent API): link to msdn.microsoft.com
Guessing you can work with the health and fitness app built into Windows 8.1:
link to technorms.com
And may be useful to be a supported device (depending on how much marketting MS puts into it):
link to account.healthvault.com
(kind of weird how no garmin device is listed)
Hi Eli and Scott,
Yes, as Scott mentioned support for an app in WP8 and BB10 is low priority at the moment but since you mentioned Windows Desktop I thought I would expand on it a bit. Currently the Intel based Windows 8 laptops/desktops have Bluetooth 4.0 support which means that those devices will support the Viiiiva strap although it is quite tricky to get the relevant APIs for it. I tested it with my Surface Pro tonight and it detected the advertisement packets from Viiiiva and saved it on its device list as a HR strap. Note this was all done at the system level and it seems that app should be able to pick it up from here. However, Windows Phone is a different story altogether. WP8 released with Bluetooth 3.1 (barring some Nokia Phones with 4.0) but no ARM based APIs exist at the moment for the phones. The next gen release should take care of this however. Hmmm….maybe as a weekend project I might just pick up on making a W8 desktop app for the Viiiiva.:)
Thanks for the interest in our products!
Vip
Scott – All the mobile phone platforms have trade-offs of one sort or another. One of the issues with Android is the VERY slow response from mobile vendors to update the OS (Nexus phones being the exception). It’s not just a Canadian problem. For example, last week Verizon pushed out an incremental update to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. One of my Nexus devices has been running 4.2.x for a long time now as a comparison. I’m not sure I’ll ever see my S3 running 4.3 short of rooting and flashing a 3rd party rom after 4.3 is released. Samsung will no doubt do the development of 4.3 on a number of older phones, but have low confidence Verizon will ever release it. I’d encourage you to look into supporting the Samsung APIs and transition to a more unified approach once 4.3 is established.
You might consider using the accelerometer to monitor respiratory rate when used in resting conditions… If you’re outputting r-r intervals, you could do some really nice heart rate variability testing which factors in respiratory rate. HRV is all the buzz these days for monitoring “overtraining”. The accelerometer could even be used to detect sneezes or movements. This would have a huge impact on ensuring that there aren’t huge artifacts that might affect the data. Perhaps it could be a mode that could be ‘toggled’ in the app? If toggled in a stationary training situation, you *might* be able to implement the findings of this study: link to billat.net. The authors were able to detect ventilatory thresholds using the spectral analysis of the r-r intervals. Coupled with the accelerometer the hardware would probably allow for non-invasive measurement of training zones. I specify ‘hardware’ because there is a lot of potential for garbage in – garbage out if the user does a poor job of following a testing protocol, but still…
Hello everyone.
>>(July 4, 2013 Scott @ 4iii) wrote: We do currently send R-R intervals, but the 4iiii app doesn’t support logging them in the .FIT file, *yet*.
What about now, in 2016: Is the R-R data stored in the .fit files generated by the V100? And, importantly, is that R-R data usable for analysis with the Firstbeat Athlete? Can anyone confirm, please?
I agree with Larry. 4iiii’s proactive free hardware update is/was awesome. Been using the Viiiiva for 6 months and I love it.
The killer app for me is saving of .fit files on the HR strap directly.
I’m currently using a Garmin 910XT with a HR monitor, footpod, and speed/cadence sensor. With the addition of a power meter, I’ve got every possible datapoint covered (HR, speed, cadence, pace, power, distance, position, etc) on the run, the bike, & the swim EXCEPT… HR in the pool.
If the Viiiiva can monitor & save my HR data from a swim session so that I can combine that track with the time & distance track from the Garmin when I upload to Training Peaks/Sporttracks, and I’ve got the one missing piece of data that I can’t seem to get anywhere else…
I feel ya, Brad! I’m missing the same metric and it drives me crazy too! I just did a test swim yesterday to see how feasible this would be, and though we can make out a heart rate in the raw electrical data, we’re seeing a lot smaller voltage amplitudes in the water and thus have a bunch of work ahead to make this happen 100%.
Definitely on our radar though and something I’m pushing for heavily! Luckily our firmware is updatable, so when we figure it out, everyone can benefit! :)
That sounds awesome when yall get that part working! I am not sure but reading this post does the HR Monitor actualy store the .FIT file on board? To where you could just upload the Data via your phone after your workout? that way you dont have to sync with your phone everytime you go ride/run. Also is it possible to us this a just a Bridge and upload your Garmin Data via the HR monitor& phone to Garmin Connect or Strava?
As Ray mentioned the area that interests me is that of working out without my phone. Yes sometimes I don’t want to carry it!! With the memory on the Viiiiva in essence it can record your HR, speed cadence, power, distance etc with no phone such as in a Tri race say. Then afterwards I can analyse my biometrics. The one piece that I can’t figure out is how to fill in the missing GPS. Because knowing where on the run my HR say was spiking is important. And from the GPS you get elevation data too. So I wondered about an equivalent sized pod on the back of the HR strap that could monitor GPS. I say the back so that during swim its more accurate and closer to the surface. Then with a double tap of the HR monitor say I can start my race, triple tap to add a lap or indicate transition to the bike and so on. Currently that leaves no realtime feedback to the athlete but with things like the Recon Glasses coming out even that need could be met. After the race it all syncs on to my iPhone! Just a thought as I struggle now as I use my phone Viiiiva HR monitor and wahoo speed and cadence sensor for running and cycling. With Cyclemeter its great. But for Tri race it just doesn’t work. So I find myself thinking of buying say the TomTom purely for race day feedback / recording.
By the way Cyclemeter seems to keep the connection open to the Viiiva iindefinitely and thus kills the battery. I pointed this out to Kevin over there so hopefully they’ll look in to it. You need to background close Cyclemeter to get it to close the connection.
Ps great review Ray. Nice idea re disconnecting the unit from the strap.
Excellent review as always. You hit all the high points, and then much more, into the minutia.
@DCR and @Ell, one issue I have some insight into (I am a doctor with some expertise in ECG’s in real life, including during movement, exercise and less than optimal recording conditions) is the High Heart Rate Artifact spike. This spike is not unique to Viiiiva — the strap electrode-skin interface is exactly the same as any other HRM monitor, and the raw signal you get would be the same for any other manufacturer — a mixture of “proper signal” originating from the heart muscle, transmitted through the water-based tissue, (good) air (lung — not good), fat layer (not so good), skin (not great), jumping through sweat into the electrode (ideally good, but affected by all kinds of transient phenomena, like dryness, gapping, etc), and “noise, or artifact pseudo signal”. The stiff straps initially put out by Polar, Garmin, 4iiii Inc and other companies were not as good as eliminating signal loss and noise caused by torquing of the body trunk axis and lifting of the strap at some point, but were improved by the introduction of the soft straps, that sat much more nicely on the chest wall, and tended to conform to the contours and maintain contact with the skin on body movement and twisting, etc and is worsened by dryness. However, other overlaying factors can also screw up your nice clean signal, such as slapping or intermittent contact by an overlying shirt or shell that is soaked with sweat or rain. This happens a lot to me, and would be obvious to others I would think on close examination of your work out HR records.
My point is that this signal issue has always been there, and IMHO the appearance of the spike in your sample is unlikely to have been absent at the Strap-Skin Interface artifact level of your previous straps made by other companies. The only question is why are they less obvious on other brands. The software has to deal with it (or not). Trouble is, I don’t believe it is easy for software to differentiate noise from real signal on the fly. It’s obvious to the naked eye when the HR slowly climbs from 100 to 140 as the exercise ramps up, then spikes suddenly to 230, for instance. But what about to 160 — that would happen accurately if one were doing intervals, and should not be interpreted as an artifact. How about 180? See what I mean? It’s much better for the intelligent user (as opposed to a dumb algorithm) to deal with the anomalies because he knew what was going on at the time. My late lamented Polar 625XC which died in 2009 dealt with it by some sort of averaging, which to me was unsatisfactory (arguably it didn’t deal with it but just incorporated that noise component into the data, and didn’t really get rid of the contamination), because instead of an obvious spike (say from 145 suddenly to 220 for 1 minute, then zig zagging back and forth to 145 for another minute, then suddenly smoothly on 145 again), there would be an upward blob that gradually came down and rejoined the normal contour a few minutes later, and I had no way of knowing how much of it was averaging or smoothing of the curve, and how much of it was raw noise artifact.
I’m sure Garmin does a similar thing, (I used a rigid Garmin HRM strap from 2009 until about April this year when I got a Viiiiva) and it annoys me that under different circumstances I can’t always tell what’s going on. I’m also sure that the average civilian sees a sort of smooth curve and thinks that great, and if he saw a spike like you showed in your review sample he would react negatively, not having seen it before on his Garmin or Polar (like me), and see it as a defect that needs fixing (unlike me). I’m sure the pragmatic thing for any company to do is institute some sort of software filter that results in a cosmetically prettier curve, and likely that’s what’s going to happen, but personally I would prefer to see the raw data, (spikes and all, because that’s what’s really happening) because I have a much better chance of identifying which is the artifact spike and which is the real HR if what I’m getting is not the prettified processed and averaged HR numbers. Just my own particular beef, I guess.
Thanks for the details but I’m not so sure an algorithm wouldn’t work well. I would agree that an algorithm in the strap itself seems bad. A post exercise algorithm could look at the HR data and using the future data and the past data figure out if a spike is really a spike or not which I’m guessing is as good as what most people would be doing.
All heart rate straps broadcast the current heart rate so an algorithm in the strap itself can only use data from the past if the strap is trying not to add delay to the HR reading. It could delay the HR reading by a set interval to allow looking at future data but I’m thinking athletes may not like that type of delay. Viiiva being more intelligent then a normal HR strap could have that as a configurable option. Maybe be able to shift the HR data back post ride (edit the FIT file or an option for the site/app you are loading the data into)
Wow! .. Thanks Ray! When the next cycle update of my phone (which I will get iphone 5 or whatever new version of new iphone), I will buy this through clever training. All my accessories now are ANT+.
Or I could actually use my wife’s iphone5 just for the fun of it. Tempting.
Just thinking, if you (Viiiiva) license the algorithms from FirstBeat that calculates calorie burn using HR info could you use that calorie info to implement a limited version of a power meter.(though the lack of reliability of the data may not be worth the cost of licensing the algorithm
Thanks for the grate review, Ray!
I’ve been using the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active with the Sportypal bike mount and the IpBike App as cycling computer for almost two years now and am very happy with all of it… except that seeing the progress in smartphones during this period, I’m getting more and more keen to purchase a new one capable of what the Xperia Active does, but better adapted as a day to day smartphone (i.e. bigger screen with better resolution, better processor with more internal storage).
Almost none of recent smartphones support ant+ and the only ones that do are either not water proof (Xperia M) and/or miss a pressure sensor (Xperia ZU). 4iiii’s Viiiiva removes the requirement for ant+ support. This raises the question, are there smartphones outthere, which:
– have a pressure sensor,
– have a replacable battery (necessary for rides over 5 hours),
– are waterproof,
– come with recent technology (BT smart, processor, screen, sufficient storage for apps etc.),
– are not too junky and
– there exists a simple light handlebar mount for?
If you think that there might be a suitable candidate, one of your awesome reviews would be very much appreciated. You already convinced me once (Xperia active & sportypal bike mount). No reason, you would’nt be able to do so again…
I´m in the same boat…
Hi Ray
A bit off usual topic but relevant to the battery changing section, the link above was in the news a couple of days ago in Australia and is a horrible reminder that you need to be pretty careful with button batteries when you have young kids, including disposal of old batteries. My wife and I are careful, but they are in just about everything nowadays.
Regards
BL
link to brisbanetimes.com.au
great review – and very interesting device
I’ve already got many ANT+ HRM and straps, so I’d be interested in a device that has the same functionality but has the actual HRM removed ?
Shrink it down to the size of a foot cadence sensor and leave it taped to the bike.
None today. However, with the ‘futures’ as noted above you’ll be able to do it without the HR channel. Today, you can do it (stick it in your pocket, tape the pod only to your bike) and ignore the HR channel.
Great review, Ray! Thanks as always for the thorough detail.
I think a Viiiiva is in my future as I’ve been staying with my iPhone 4s because of the Wahoo bike case and Ant+ radio.
The ability to channel all of my Ant+ sensors to a BTLE connection relieves the need to find/buy all new Bluetooth sensors and makes the transition out of the 4s a LOT easier.
Okay… crazy/quick question for you. I have been running for about 2 years and recently have taken up cycling as well… and I’m intrigued by the CycleOps PowerCal. What I am wondering is whether it is theoretically possible to pair the ANT+ HRM of the PowerCal to the Viiiiva and have it pass the data through as a BTLE HRM to the iPhone… that way, I would only have to wear the PowerCal strap and could stash the Viiiiva in the bike bag.
I would guess this is stretching things a bit since the Viiiiva has the HRM function built in and it might not pass through a different HRM, but it would make things a little easier and give me a full suite of data points (HRM, cadence, speed and power) all to the iPhone 5 while wearing only one strap and at a ridiculously low price point compared.
I’m prepared to wear both straps if I have to, but I’d rather just wear one.
You can’t pair the HRM side of the Viiiiva, but you can pair the power meter side of it. As you guessed, it won’t pass the HR pieces.
Looks like HR pass-through is a pretty requested feature based on the comments here, we’ll definitely look into it in the future!
Seems especially useful for devices like the Lifebeam Helmet, etc..
Something unclear to me: when the Viiiva was introduced to the market and on your first preview, there was a small note about an internal memory being able to record .fit files. Is it still the case?
In other words, can I swim with the device, record my hart rate, then retrieve it from the memory to load it on 3rd party apps like Training Peaks like I do with the Suunto Memory belt?
I think Macs with BT4 should hear the viiiiva. Is that right? Would trainer road work with that? I don’t have have an ant+ USB stick (and have no other need for it), so BT connection to send the ant+ speed/cadence to the computer would be fantastic.
Yes, it should work just fine there – but in rotating mode. I don’t believe the TrainerRoad guys have added in support for 4iiii’s. That said, I’m sure if you reached out to them (and if the 4iiii’s folks did), they’d probably be able to make it happen.
Hey 4iiii – just wanted to say thanks for shipping a replacement unit for early adopters – that was really top notch!! I was really wowed by that. Kudos!
@Ell: calorie burn calculations are one of the parameters that have me shaking my head, but almost all hrms and exercise devices seem to have them. The various formulae that the algorithms are based on are so varied and arbitrary that they are useless as far as absolute precision goes. I suppose if you were looking for a rough idea of a value, especially relative to a previous session then they may have some use, but then you could ‘eyeball” that value on the fly yourself. If your calorie expenditure was really critical for you to track accurately on a session to session basis (and I don’t know why you would need this, unless you were Lance Armstrong’s coach — sorry, bad example, but he was very specific about this for nutritional replenishment) you need to have a better method of arriving at that metric, or, at very least you should do some sort of calibration of the device you use.
Hi great review, interesting product. Can I get this in the UK?
Cheers.
See response from 4iiii’s above: link to dcrainmaker.com
1) FIT file storage for swimming is something I’m looking forward to
2) how does the TipTap function work? I tried but seems like likely I don’t know how to tap it
3) the strap that came w the viiiiva is actually the same as the wahoo blue strap. Hence I know have an extra strap which is good.
The TipTap function is still in the ‘futures’ section, so the exact implementation isn’t yet known. But the general idea is that you can tap the HR trap (such as with your hand) and it’ll trigger an action that’s been preprogrammed.
Hi, great review, very informative as always.
Here is my current setup:
Edge 800 + Bontrager DuoTrap (speed/cadense sensor) + Garmin HR strap + Stages cycling power meter.
I’d like to replace my Edge 800 for an iphone so it would serve as a bike computer and a phone in case of emergency. If I read correctly, it would be possible to use the 4iiii HR strap and it would translate all the data from tmy current sensors and send it to the iphone in a format it can pickup without any other adapters (bluethoot) as the HR strap is the adapter itself. Did I understand correctly?
Looks like the 4iiii app can track and display all the info in real time so what would be the benefit of using wahoo fitness app over the 4iiii app?
Finally, I see the GPS function on the 4iiii App, can you see your progress on the map in real time as you can do with the Edge 800 inside the 4iii app or you have to swith to the iphone GPS app?
Thanks,
Éric L.
Your understand is correct.
The primary benefit of the Wahoo App is the ability to get far more display fields/pages, audio announcements, setting of various HR/power/speed zones, current display of GPS location, the uploading to other platforms (i.e. Garmin Connect/Strava/etc…), and just in general a more capable app.
The 4iiii’s app does not show current GPS position.
Can Polar Beat (iOS) pair with a Garmin foot pod through the 4iiii? And use the 4iiii as the HR sensor?
I just tried it. Oddly enough, I can’t get the Polar Beat app to even see the BLE strap as a HR monitor, let alone beyond that. Very odd.
Guys, just to let you know that after I updated the firmware the HR never connected again to my phone. I don’t suppose this was the problem, but in any case I contacted the people at 4iiii, but still I haven’t gotten a response from them. I will keep you all posted.
Hi Atilano,
I was just CC’d on a reply to you, hoping we can figure this out. Looks like the update works and the Viiiiva is replying, but we need some more details on how it’s not connecting (and asked for them in the email)…
Are you running iOS7 perchance? There’s been some sort of change in the iOS Bluetooth stack in 7 and there’s a problem with some of our fast messaging techniques that I haven’t had time to figure out just yet since it’s still in early betas… But that would definitely be a cause of problems at the moment if you are.
Thank you Scott, hopefully we can get it fixed.
Scott and 4iiii team,
Thank you very much for your support. Once I revive the new unit I will send it old one back. Congratulations for an incredible customer support team. Regards,
Thanks for the awesome review (like always), I was already in flames for the HR strap after reading your preview and ordered the viiiiva.
However I wanted to let everybody in Europe know that 4iiii has issues shipping to Europe, their shipping method is not trackable and I don’t know about how their customs declaration is working because in the fourth week after ordering I’m still waiting to get any notification where my order (perhaps a german customs problem, I don’t know yet). And 4iiii support is all but helpful with the issue.
Hi Daniel,
I think the only ones to blame are the German customs. My Viiiiva arrived after a month in Germany. I only had to pay the VAT directly to the postman. Looking at the dates on the customs form it seems that it takes them a long time to figure out how to calculate the VAT on the product. Regarding 4iiii support, I cannot agree with you, I have never seen such a wonderful support. They are a small company and really care for their customers.
Hi Francois,
maybe you are right and part of my beating the bush is due to the constant frustration through this situation. However there are a lot of things that companies can do to speed up the process, or to offer a shipping method via UPS or FedEX that will just handle the customs for you.
(I just saw that they are offering these methods, just not on PayPal checkout, which was what I chose, and which seems to be more costly than it has to be)
In Berlin you have to go to customs in most cases to pick your shipment and in most cases I got the notification to go there a week after the shipment left the states.
Or it would be nice if they took the option to have an EU-Side fulfillment provider to avoid those problems at all.
I won’t blame them any further unless it is traceable what is holding up the shipment that long… and I hope it arrives before summer is over.
Hi Guys,
I can see you are having some issues to get 4iiii device delivered to Europe, we are the distributor for EU and we are in the process of setting up dealers within the EU region. Please let me know where you are and I will find the most convenient dealer within your region and get back to you.
email: noei@globaldistribution.com
Scott and 4iiii team,
Thank you very much for your support. Once I revive the new unit I will send it old one back. Congratulations for an incredible customer support team. Regards,
Any news on availability in Europe ? I sent an email to noei@globaldistribution.com last week since they posted below that they working on distribution in Europe but I didn’t hear back ;-(
This looked great for me right up until the part about only a single type of a given sensor being able to be paired. I have two bikes, each with a speed/cadence sensor. It was be a pain to have to move one sensor back and forth, or to have to re-pair the sensor each time I switch bikes. Sure, not an insurmountable issue but irritating. Would there be any way to be able to store multiple types of a given sensor?
Just want to chime in on my “minimalist” setup that is working excellent. I have a ipod nano 7th gen that is working great on my runs with the Viiiva and Forerunner 110. I am a big fan of logging my runs on Nike+ so I use the forerunner to both observe my heartrate and to post-calibrate my run distance at end-of-run on my Nano (which is just a pedometer). This is a great way to listen to tunes, get verbal run updates, see my heart rate, distance and pace, log in to Nike+, and not lug around much weight at all (like a cell phone)
I missed an important point in my post. The Nano 7th gen is a Bluetooth 4 smart device so it shares the Viiva HRM data with Nike+ when I log in.
I hope you can help a several part technology issue.
I currently have a Garmin FR610, Garmin foot pod, and Wahoo fitness HR monitor. I bought the FR610 a couple months ago as I started running more, and realized with a move last month I lost the ANT+ USB stick. I was actually coming to your blog to find the post where you recommend other ANT+ USB sticks when I found this post, which brings up the question.
As I understand it, if I buy this HR monitor instead of another USB stick I’ll be able to use the HR monitor to a) “link” my watch and foot pod to my iPhone during ongoing runs (I run with my phone in my pocket), b) download all my old runs that are currently locked in the purgatory that is my 610.
Additionally, if I get more into triathlons/biking (which watching a co-worker complete the NYC Triathlon today might make me do) I’ll be able to pair use the HR monitor to “link” between ANT+ speed/cadence sensors on my bike and get much more bike-friendly functionality out of iPhone apps than I currently can on my FR610 (since it is really a running watch).
Is that correct?
Hello Ray,
Thanks for another awesome review!!
I noticed the endomondo and runkeeper logos in the rear of the box: do these app fully support the multi-field system or do they force it to operate in compatibility mode?
I understand that I can always use the native app to record the workouts, but I use the live tracking offered by endomondo and I wouldn’t part from it easily (considering it doesn’t come free)!
I also remember you mentioning ( link to dcrainmaker.com ) that your companion uses the Trek DuoTrap system on her bike and I am also using it: is this the system you tested in the review?
Anyone know if I could use this to sync with my mobile and pulse watch simultaneously?
Any conclusion on this one?
Bluetooth Smart is unable to pair to more than a single device concurrently.
Thanks for the reply. What if you have a pulse watch that support ANT + , wouldn’t it be possible to pair the 4iii to the phone trough Bluetooth Smart and then transfer the same signals over ANT + to a wrist watch?
Sorry, can you clarify what you mean by ‘pulse watch’? Is that a specific watch, or?
If you’re talking a standard ANT+ enabled wrist watch that can monitor heart rate, then yup, ANT+ does support dual-pairing, so you can stream the data to both 4iiii’s as well as to the wrist watch, and both will display HR.
I wear the original ANT+ PowerCal and the Viiiiva just on the side (using the trick to ‘wake it up’). Viiiiva-iPhone will just display some Power numbers and everything else (cadence, speed, distance, etc) but not Heart Rate. When adding the ANT+ devices, the PowerCal is listed just as Power but contrary to the 910XT that shows it as a ‘Combo’ (HR/Power). Is this happening actually by design because of the ‘duality’ limitation on transmitting/receiving data? A little puzzled HR would not be read from the PowerCal… :O(
It’s in the plans. We didn’t realize how many people were interested in passing through heart rate from other monitors, since we’re an HRM ourselves, so the pass through functionality was not implemented for HR.
By the looks of things, it’s a pretty requested feature after all! :)
Hi I installed the 4iii app on my iPhone and it found my wahoo blue HR no problem But would it also be possible to add wahoo footpod or miCoach footpod to the app as well? Both are ant+ But I’m not sure if they will be compatible in this app
Thank you
You’d need our HRM to pass through the Wahoo Footpod or the miCoach footpod, as the iPhone does not have an ANT+ radio in it. Our HRM strap has both radios which enable the pass through functionality.
Does this HRM measure and broadcast R-R like the premium Garmin strap does? I didn’t see any mention of it. I keep on eye on Training Effect for my running.
Hi Kelly,
Yup, it does R-R.
Hi Ray. Great review, as always. Love your website… Check it every day for update/reviews and ESP travel stories.
Small quibble: I just bought a Viiiva from Clever Training to support your blog.
The 10% off code lowered the price from $79.99 to $71.99. That caused the $75 free shipping to not work, so they added back in $5.99 (UPS to NJ), for a total cost of $77.98.
Still, $1.02 off the retail price, but not quite the 10% off + free shipping deal you indicate at the bottom of your article.
Keep up the great work, otherwise!
Thanks Ken (and Steve). It’s funny, neither I, nor the Clever folks realized that (the order of calculation and shipping charge). I sent them over your note Friday night and they’re going to see what we can do about it when they get back on Monday. No promises, but we’ll dive into it and circle back here (either to update above or change the system).
Appreciate the support!
One quick comment about using the code at Clever Training – it brings the price below $75, so you need to purchase something else to get the free shipping.
Can apps be paired to separate ANT+ speed and cadence sensors with the use of the Viiiiva HRM strap? I currently have a SpeedTrap speed sensor on my bike and I am thinking of adding an ANT+ candence sensor (since this would eliminate the issue of full multi-channel support).
At this point the app is only able to see which sensors the Viiiiva hands it. So it doesn’t have any visibility below that layer.
Yes, the Viiiiva can be configured to receive data from an ANT+ cadence sensor and an ANT+ speed sensor simultaneously. Your apps would see it as a single bike speed and cadence sensor.
Hi there,
Very good review as usual!
I recently purchased the 4iiii, I managed to pair it with my iphone. My bike computer (o-synce navi2coach) sees it as well (HR). However I do not manage to pair my Rotor Power crank which should transmit both power and cadence: clicking on “Pair Viiiiva to Ant+ devices” does not show anything (I have not other Ant+ devices around at the moment). Is the Rotor Power supported?
BTW the O-synce navi2coach sees the Rotor Power without any problem.
Is this after updating the firmware to 1.4? There is a bug in the version of the iPhone app currently on the store where some users have to re-scan for their Viiiiva for it to connect properly. (ie. click the little magnify glass and choose your Viiiiva, instead of clicking the “Connect To ViiiivaXXXX” button).
This should be fixed on the app store version soon! Apologies. If that doesn’t fix your problem, email support@4iiii.com and we’ll look into it more with you!
Thanks
Thanks Scott, I have the iphone software version 1.06, once installed it performed a firmware upgrade on the viiiiva, however in the app I cannot find where the firmware version is mentioned. Anyway, I followed your suggestion and it worked! The Rotor Power is now paired with the viiiiva. Thanks again.
Will this strap transmit to the older SRM wired units? PCV. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Hi,
thanks for that great review! I think I will buy the Viiiiva as soon as I get an iPhone 5 instead of my iPhone 4.
Some more questions I have:
1. Is the Viiiiva waterproof?
2. Can I use the Viiiiva with another strap too? (like the strap from my garmin transmitter or Adidas sports wear)
3. Does it work with the runtastic app?
thx Stef
1) Yes, waterproof
2) Yes, no problems (did that for some testing)
3) Yes, it works with Runtastic, but in standard BLE HR mode (unless something has changed)
Love your site – discovered it a few months back and it’s inspiring me to think about maybe stepping up to work towards a triathlon and some open water swimming (as well as cupcakes next time I’m in Paris :P ).
Just wanted to ask a quick question as a relative beginner from seeing your not too disimilar heart rate data in this review… I also bought the Viiiiva after your preview and love it! However I’m a bit puzzled as to how to make sure I’m setting my zones right (first time with an HRM).
I’m 32, my resting heart rate is around 70-75 but when I go running to do my usual I seem to be averaging around 180 so 90-100% range of max for my entire run even when I’m feeling like I’m not necessarily running myself ‘hard’.
Does this mean I’ve got my Viiiiva set wrongly, or that I probably need to do a treadmill test to get a more accuarate VO2 max and threshold info to get the most out of the device? I really want to make the most of the data now that I can record it.
Thanks again for the massively in-depth reviews!
The number you’re using for max heart rate is probably wrong. The formula 220-age has a standard deviation of ~12 so with your age (32) you would have a 66% chance of having a max heart rate that is between 176 and 201 and a 90% chance you’d fall between 164 and 212 (link to builtlean.com)
Also be sure you are calculating resting heart rate correctly
Just google “heart rate training zones” and read up, kind of a large amount of data to figure out what your specific zones should be.
Just received my viiii HR today. Will try using it with my wife’s iphone 5 with the rest of my Ant+ devices and KICKR.
Thanks Eli, that link is that bit more specific and detailed than lots of the other articles! (And not quite as full on as some of the papers on this).
4iiii just tested and verified that the Android app “BLE Heart Rate Monitor” works with this heart rate monitor (link to play.google.com). The app supports devices running Android 4.3 and above, Samsung devices running Android 4.2 and above, and HTC devices running Android 4.1 and above.
Cool. May be useful if you list the phones that you know work with your app in the description
Jason: Just curious, why can’t a Samsung device (in particular, the Galaxy series) running Android 4.1.2 be supported?
Hi! Great review. My Viiiiva just arrived today and I’ve paired it with my phone, Garmin ANT+ footpod, plus it works with my FR70 & Edge 800.
Question: am I right in saying that only the 4iiii app will pick up both heart rate & footpod, but apps like Runmeter will only get the heart rate?
I love my Edge 800 and the turn by turn maps, so having both signals was a huge factor in my buying this. But will we ever get an app that could take the Edge’s place? I’m thinking live on the fly route generation cross-bred with something like Waze data for traffic. That is, you request a 30-mile route with rolling hills, and the app plots it out for you. Then you’re riding along and get a pop-up that there’s a traffic jam ahead, so you should go another way. Thanks!
Yes, your understanding is correct.
As for an app to replace it all – I think we’re getting closer, but note quite there yet. There’s two pieces. First is the replacement for the non-mapping portions of the Edge series (500/510/800/810). In this area things are fairly close. I’d peg it at about 75%. Some like to claim closer, but in reality if you did a feature by feature comparison chart, lots of items such as intervals, workout creation, and settings just aren’t there today in apps.
When you look at mapping though – that’s where things go flat. There’s simply nothing out there with turn by turn navigation appropriate to bicycles. You can use something like Google Maps to navigate (and even get voice instructions). But that’s designed more for point to point routes, rather than complex cycling routes which typically are loops or otherwise non-direct.
Don’t get me wrong, the day is coming – but that day isn’t yet today.
Any experience using it with MotionX GPS or MapMyFitness?
Ray,
Great reviews as always. I actually pre-ordered my Viiiiva and had been using it for awhile. Then 4iiii had a voluntary exchange program and replaced my unit for free (Great Customer Service).
Here’s the problem I’ve been having, and am wondering if you’ve experienced it or have had heard similar stories from other people. BOTH units randomly failed to transmit in ANT+. I never tested the first unit to see if it would still transmit in BTLE, but my second and current unit is not recognized by BTLE. I’ve contacted 4iiii and have followed through with their suggestions, but nothing has worked so far.
My current setup varies from time to time, but generally is:
ANT+ Speed/Cadence Sensor/ Garmin Edge 800/ Viiiiva HRM (although I’ve gone back to my Garmin strap for now)/ and KICKR(when I’m doing a trainer ride).
The 800 has no problems picking up any of the signals and was able to receive the ANT+ signal from the Viiiiva strap before. Like before though, I noticed halfway through an outdoor ride that I wasn’t getting any HR measurements. Sprayed the pads with some water, and still nothing.
And lastly, can the Viiiiva take BTLE data, convert it and transmit it to an ANT+ device? For instance, if you had a powermeter that transmitted in BTLE only, would you be able to receive that data on the Viiiiva and transmit it to the 800? Specifically, could you take the Stages PM and transmit the BTLE data to the Viiiiva to the 800? I know in your updated Stages review, you mentioned that the Stages measures the power data in shorter intervals than the 800 records at. So if possible, would you be able to take the more “accurate” BTLE Stages data and record that to your ANT+ device, or would the ANT+ device only receive one second snapshots from the BTLE data?
I have the Motorola Motoactv & an Iphone 5 and I’ve been looking for a Heart Rate Monitor Strap to wear while running. I suppose it would be a no-brainer to get the Viiiiva Heart Rate Strap?
The Motoactv does connect with the Viiiiva (I tested it), however, it won’t pass anything except for heart rate data.
That would be perfect, thanks! I’m not looking to get a foot pod anytime soon.
Can anyone help – I’ve got a Viiiiva and successfully updated the firmware on it as soon as I bought it.
Now I seem to be stuck in some endless loop. The 4iiii app connects to my viiiiva and I get the message “Your Viiiiva needs a feature update”, I click OK and the screen goes grey whilst it says updating features, it then disconnects, reconnects and I get the same message, “Your Viiiiva needs a feature update” – this loop goes on continuously with no end.
Has this happened to anyone else? I’ve tried deleting and reinstalling the 4iiii app but no joy. I don’t think it’ll let me connect to any of my ant+ devices as I can’t get to the stage on the app where it lets me click that option.
I think my problem might be related to iOS7 on my iPhone, seems the most logical explanation.
Definitely a few problems with iOS 7 right now. The next (unreleased) version of the app works better, and a release after iOS 7 is finalized will be even better. Sorry for the trouble. :(
March 2014 still a problem.. Running IOS 6.1 so isn’t related to IOS7. Just got a Viiiiva and did the 1.7 firmware update. Now the IOS app keeps saying I need a feature update yet everytime I click OK it just sits there with a greyed out screen for eternity. Searching the web I find no other references to this issue other than here and I see no solutions. If this was known about back in August of last year, why is it still an issue 7 months later and how do we fix it?
Hi there, I just received my Viiiiva and also did the firmware update. I got the same message “your viiiiva needs a feature update” and the only choice is OK and then the app is greyed out. The only workaround I found out is: first disconnect you’re Viiiiva and then start the 4iiii app and go to Profile and than sign out. After you’re signed out it is possible to connect to the Viiiiva without the “your viiiiva needs a feature update” message and it is possible to connect to ANT+ devices.
Who can help me to change the Viiiiva to the “switching mode”?
Not familiar with the ‘switching mode’, but appreciate the info on bypassing the required update.I’ll give that a try. After contacting 4iiii they’re going to be sending me a replacement unit (they said already updated) so I’m pleased thus far with the customer service aspect. According to the support guy I spoke with the ‘feature updates’ are part of firmware 1.4 so newer purchases of the Viiiiva shouldn’t have to worry about this problem. Guess mine must have been at 1.2 when the 1.7 firmware update notice came. In any case, looking forward to the new unit. Haven’t had a single issue pairing the Viiiiva up with Runtastic and/or Runkeeper on Android (or iPhone) along with my Garmin 910XT. Love it thus far.
Just received order in the Netherlands. Have the same problem, and no possibilities to run other then ios 7, other suggested options do not work. I did receive suggestion from 4iiii, but no cigar.
Although the idea is great, for now it is to bad that an device designed for Apple does not work with Apple.
I hope this will be solved soon, without sending a new one since I had to pay additional taxes of € 30,00.
Can someone add a step by step work around, to get past the required update message?
Hi all,
We’ve discovered the root of the problem you are describing in this post. A small portion of our Viiiivas rushed out the door without saying a proper goodbye—we didn’t capture all the product information necessary to make your update/upgrade process run smoothly. The good news is that we now have a process in place to complete the capture that can be administered by our team on an as-needed basis. Please contact customer support, and we can help you out!
support@4iiii.com
Cheers,
Greg
Any update on when Wahoo will support multiple data streams?
I haven’t heard any updated timelines there.
Having recently switched from iOS (iPhone 4) to Android (Galaxy S4), I’m extremely disappointed that there’s no support for BTLE. In fact, it’s the only thing I don’t like about my new phone. However, it’s a big enough con that I’m considering switching back; or going with an xperia.
BTLE is not new. How is Google so behind on this? From what I understand the S4 is BTLE-compatible, but there are no fitness apps that support it yet. There are, however, a couple of apps that demonstrate it’s capability.
Sorry. I know this is not the place, but I had to rant.
As Nick replies below, things are getting better (though not very quickly). 4.3 supports BTLE natively, but your GS4 has the ability to do BTLE through a Samsung SDK as well. So far the only app I know of that uses this is “BLE Heart Rate Monitor”… Which will also use the 4.3 API calls if you’re running 4.3.
I imagine most of the big apps are not too far behind!
Here’s a link to that app: link to play.google.com
IPbike uses the 4.3 API for BTLE support: link to iforpowell.com
I believe that android now natively supports BTLE as of the latest update to 4.3. Once they push it out to the GS4 you should be golden. Of course it also needs an update to your fitness software of choice, but I believe some have already implemented it (Runtastic).
Runtastic does use BTLE, but they don’t use the standard Bluetooth protocol for HR. They want you to buy their own proprietary HR strap which talks its own protocol. ie. Runtastic for Android does not work with Viiiiva or the Wahoo or Polar BTLE straps. :(
It’s interesting too, because when you’re scanning for BTLE devices, I see the Viiiiva and Wahoo straps pop up on the Android debug log, but the app refuses to connect to them! A question on their Facebook page confirmed that they require you to buy their own straps.
Thanks for the reply Scott. I’ll be buying one of your products as soon as I see they are android compatible. Cheers!
Thanks for the replies. Scott, I wonder if this is the same with strava; the proprietary HR protocol. It seems to want you to buy their Zephyr strap.
Scott,
FYI, I have my Viiiiva BTLE HRM working with Runtastic Pro on Android 4.3 on a Nexus 4 and an SGS3 I9300 running Android 4.3. The only thing I had to do was to remove the battery from the HRM and reinstall it before it would recognize the HRM.
Nattu.
Will this strap work with apps that,erasure HR variability like ithlete, omega wave, sweet beat?
Will this strap work with apps that measure HR variability like ithlete, omega wave, sweet beat?
I’ve tried repeatedly to post a comment here, but it never shows up. What gives?
Great, guess it’s working today. I made half a dozen attempts yesterday, but none ever showed up.
Well, I just tried yet again to post my comment from yesterday, and again it’s not showing up. I guess it’s because I put a hyperlink in it. *sigh*
The instructions below the box in which you type your comment say that you can use anchor tags, like this…
here…but in practice it seems that’s not true.
Actually, it worked. You just got put in the penalty box by the spam filters (nothing personal), which requires my manual approval. It tends to happen with multiple links, as 99.99% of them are spam (I get hundreds of spam messages a day on a slow day). I go through daily and double-check though. It’s no doubt not perfect, but it does seem to work almost perfectly. Sorry you got snagged!
You got doubly-unlucky in that it was the single time in the last year where I was in a bad connectivity spot for more than 24 hours (a cruise ship in the ocean).
I’ve manually approved all the duplicates and they should show now. I’ll clean-up some of the other comments here in a bit.
I’m about to get back into cardio training (running, cycling, roadskating) after being dormant for a few years. I have no digital fitness devices, and have been trying to figure out what to buy. I do have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phone, running stock Android 4.1.2, which I’m happy to use as a “brain” for performance monitoring, for the time being at least. It’s looking to me like the wisest approach at this point would be to get a tiny ANT-to-USB adapter for my phone ($25), a 4iiii Viiiiva HRM ($75), and an ANT+ stride sensor ($50). Reasoning: For now, with BT4/LE support on Android still iffy, having the phone accept sensor data via ANT should work fine (see here). The stride sensor and the Viiiiva HR sensor can each talk directly to the ANT adapter, which will pass the data to the phone via USB. After BT4/LE support is well-established in the phone, the stride sensor will talk instead to the Viiiiva, and the Viiiiva will talk to the phone via BT4/LE, supplying both stride and HR data; the ANT-to-USB adapter will then be unnecessary. Meanwhile, any other sensors I might acquire should work whether they speak ANT or BT4/LE. Another nice thing is that, because of the multipoint nature of ANT, perhaps I could get a relatively simple/cheap ANT wristwatch to display basic readouts in real time, while the data is simultaneously collected by my phone (carried in a pocket) for later analysis. What do you think? Any alternative suggestions?
Great review as always, which resulted in me ordering a Viiiiva. Received it last week and tried it for the first time today with my iPhone 5. I applied to firmware update and the HR stuff is working fine but it will not show any ANT+ devices for me to connect to, even when they are there and working.
Has anybody else experienced this? I’m trying to connect to a Garmin Speed and Cadence sensor and know it is working as my Edge 500 is displaying cadence.
Any help/suggestions would be gratefully received
Giles: Did you follow these instructions [PDF] from 4iiii’s website?
I have indeed Justin, to the letter!
Not that there is much too them other than pair the belt and then press connect ANT+ devices, at which point my issues arises with no devices listed.
So in fortunately I can’t get beyond step 2 :(
Quick update from me. I spoke with Viiiiva support and an re-install of the iPhone app appears to have it sorted, so all happy now!
Can you use the Viiiiva with Wahoo Fitness to upload workouts from the forerunner like you can with the fisca key? I just got an iPhone 5 and if I could do this through BTLE without the key my life would be perfect with the Viiiiva.
Can anyone attest to the consistency of the data being recorded on an iphone in a jersey pocket?
I am currenlty trying to use a Wahoo Fisca and iphone 4s to record power data from a Quarq but unfortunately the data does not record consistently. I wonder if using the Viiiiva would solve this problem or if I’d have the same problem dropping with the bluetooth signal dropping.
I guess one could always stick the Viiiiva in a saddle bag if all else fails.
thanks.
Do you tried to cycle power of your iPhone, for me the problem is gone…
looks like this smart watch maker (the.net watch) is claiming the bridge will work with their watch: link to kickstarter.com
Will the Viiiiva work with Endomondo on iphone 4S without manual file uploading and #2 will i be able to use my timex ant+ watch to see my HR during the workout while also collecting the data on endomondo?
Reason for using both is it’s easier to see the HR on the watch while riding versus pulling the iphone from my back pocket – I don’t like mounting the phone on my bike. Thanks. Sounds like this device could be a real game changer!
An Ant+ signal can be received by as many devices as you want. BLE is currently limited so only one device can receive a BLE signal.
So in effect pairing for Ant is very different from BLE pairing. With Ant, pairing just is the way to say you want the receiver to just receive from one unit and ignore all other signals so for example lots of HR straps can be near your watch but the watch will only pick up the one it got paired too. With BLE the receiver is also the only thing the broadcaster will talk to. The BLE limitation comes from how bluetooth works. You wouldn’t want anyone to be able to listen into your phone calls (think bluetooth headset) and there wasn’t any advantage for a headset to simultaniously work with more then one phone. Ant didn’t care as much about security like that as who cares who can listen into your HR data but could be useful to have your watch record your heartrate while your coach looks at your heart rate at the same time.
BTW Ant does have a secure way to send data now but I think thats more aimed at the health market (glucose monitors, etc) as I’m not sure if sport sensor makers will use it.
Just realized I posted this in another unrelated conversation!
Hello. Great reviews!Quick question, does viiiva work with android smartphones and apps? Using a S4 ver 4.2.2 right now. Also will it transmit to Android based Recon JET glasses(+Bluetooth 4.0 -Bluetooth Smart)?
Thanks!
Not yet in multichannel mode (simple HR, yes). In talking with them last week they’re working on the Android front, but it’s going to take some time for all the pieces to come together.
As for Jet, I think it’s too soon for everyone there.
Thanks for your great reviews as usual. In my case, I am mostly interested in replacing my Garmin Strap/HR as it spikes to levels I could never do on a fairly consistent basis. I think you wrote about this a while back and recommended a Polar Strap instead. Would this be a better choice?
I only use a Garmin Edge 810 so don’t really need Bluetooth. However, I do have a Stages Power Meter and I like being able to update that firmware using Bluetooth.
Thanks
I think this is the post you want:
link to dcrainmaker.com
Thanks Elli,
I use that gel, so it’s not an issue of conductivity but of HR rates that go way above my max which is 167 or so and I see levels of 250, and not necessarily early in the activity,
Yeah, I haven’t seen any 250 type issues with the 4iiii’s strap. I have seen a little bit of HR ‘stickiness’ lately with respect to too much sweat. I find that just rubbing off the excess pooling sweat seems to fix it.
If I have an iPhone 4S and use the Endomondo application will I be able to automatically receive HR data via BLE from the HR monitor into Endomondo during my exercise in real time like the app shows my time, pace, speed etc?