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Garmin Edge 510/810 connectivity

by zaimuk
Wed, Sep 24, 2014 20:48
7

I'm currently using Edge 200 (for two years now). Whilst I'm happy with it, I'm thinking of upgrading to either the 510 or 810, mainly because I want to use it with the Giant Ridesense from my new bike. I would like to get some information about the Garmin Connect features. How does it work? Purely using Bluetooth or does it use the data connection from my phone. The reason I am asking this is because I do not have internet data on my phone. (Just calls and texts). Any clarification is greatly welcome. Thanks

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7 comments

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pablo | 10 years ago
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They use the latest generation of Bluetooth so low power usage that links to your phone. I've ridden 7 hours+ and still had 50% battery on my Nexus5 i'd have far less than that in a normal day of calls/emails/spotify music. The only time i've ever had a low battery (because i had forgot to charge my phone) My Garmin told me the battery was low! At first i thought it was my heart rate/cadence sensor but when i finally got home i had 10% battery left.

The Garmin Connect phone app will work without a data plan (only syncing to the web when your phone is in wifi range of home). I use the online tracking a lot so the mrs know when to put the dinner on 1 you'll definitely need a data plan for that!

The apps getting pretty good it links to MyfitnessPal for food calorie tracking and also auto syncs to Strava. Not everyones into all that stuff but very cool if you like lots of data.

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zaimuk replied to pablo | 10 years ago
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Thanks for the detailed feedback. One of the reason I'm thinking of getting the 510 is for the online tracking but as you mentioned, it uses data which I don't have on my phone. Now it makes me think if I should get the 500 which is cheap or 800 with HRM & cadence sensor for 220 quid.

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giobox replied to pablo | 10 years ago
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pablo wrote:

They use the latest generation of Bluetooth so low power usage that links to your phone

Unfortunately this isn't the case, only the new Edge 1000 has a chipset which supports Bluetooth Smart/Bluetooth 4.0. The Edge 810 and 510 disappointingly only use the old 2.1 standard, not the newer low energy one. This is one reason I would hold off buying one, assuming you have a recent smart phone that supports Bluetooth 4.0.

It also means there's no way for Garmin to ever add Bluetooth powermeter/heart rate strap/etc support to these devices too, but so far they haven't bothered to support them on the 1000 either, despite having 4.0 on it, so this may or may not turn out to be a problem in the future.

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truffy replied to giobox | 10 years ago
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giobox wrote:

so far they haven't bothered to support them on the 1000 either, despite having 4.0 on it, so this may or may not turn out to be a problem in the future.

The cynic in me suggests that this is because they don't want to undermine sales of their own ANT+ devices.

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IngloriousLou replied to truffy | 10 years ago
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truffy wrote:
giobox wrote:

so far they haven't bothered to support them on the 1000 either, despite having 4.0 on it, so this may or may not turn out to be a problem in the future.

The cynic in me suggests that this is because they don't want to undermine sales of their own ANT+ devices.

The product managers at Garmin nod their heads in agreement.

The margin on the ANT+ HRMs they sell is huge, they can also use them to bundle-ify a device and make it seem better value for money.

Why would they open the door to lower profits?

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giobox replied to IngloriousLou | 10 years ago
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I largely agree with all these points. However, they are also closing the door as an upgrade path to iOS/Android users who have already invested in bluetooth HRM/speed/cadence and so forth. I know a good few folks in this position who get into cycling, but dont want to invest in pricey head units just yet so use their phones. A few years later they still haven't bought a Garmin because they have the full suite of Wahoo BT sensors and don't want to throw them away.

Ultimately I think support for both ANT+/BT 4.0 on Garmin devices is just a matter of time. Especially if smart watches take off in the next 12 months, as so far none of these have yet supported ANT+ accessories. I certainly won't be investing in any more ANT only accessories, increasingly a lot of companies are adding support for both (Stages, 4iiii, some Wahoo models...). It's pretty handy to be able to hook the sensors to both a Garmin and some training software on the computer when on the turbo without requiring extra USB ANT adapters, for my needs anyway.

As an aside, 4iiii make an awesome HRM strap that also bridges your BT4.0 devices over ANT, allowing you to keep on using BT stuff with a Garmin.

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Flying Scot | 10 years ago
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The live transmission, if you use it, does eat up both your data and indeed the phone battery.

I don't have one, friends do.

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