With so many options for running Zwift, installing Zwift on your big screen TV can be a bit technical. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the different ways you can move Zwift from the small screen to your big screen TV.
Starting today, you have the following options for running Zwift :
- Mobile device: Currently only available for iOS devices: iPhone and iPad.
- Personal computer: It is available for Windows and Mac OS.
- Apple TV: Zwift is now available on Apple TV. You need 4th generation or Apple TV 4K to run Zwift on Apple TV. Buy Apple TV on Amazon
With all these options, connecting all these devices can be a challenge. Some devices are Bluetooth only, while others are ANT+ only.
ANT+ to Bluetooth Bridge
I refer to the ANT+ to Bluetooth Bridge below, so let me explain what this bridge is.
It is a small device used to receive data from ANT+ devices, such as your indoor bike trainer, power meters, heart rate monitor, foot pod, or speed and cadence sensor, and relay that data over Bluetooth.
Two companies make this product: [amazon_link asins=’B071S929ZC’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ text=’CABLE’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ef4ed651-e4ee-11e7-830e-47aca632421d’ ] and [amazon_textlink asin=’B00BHZQ6OG ‘ text=’4iiii’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e3f7171e-e4ee-11e7-89d2-45396d1ddb6a’]. Depending on your setup, you may or may not need one. So any time you read the ANT+ to Bluetooth bridge below, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
With that out of the way, let’s walk through each setting.
Mobile to Big Screen TV
Zwift is currently only available for iPhone and iPad. An Android version is expected to be released in 2018. You need the following to run Zwift on your iPhone or iPad and stream it to your TV:
- Bluetooth compatible smart trainer. If you bought your trainer in the last few years, it probably supports Bluetooth.
- [amazon_textlink asin=’B009WHV3BM’ text=’Digital AV to HDMI Adapter’ template=’ ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e031669c-e4ef-11e7-873e-3bcd9ec42d11′]: This is a small adapter that plugs into the lightning port of your iPhone/iPad and allows Your show whatever is on your screen to an HDMI-equipped TV. Alternatively, if you don’t want to use a digital AV adapter, you can use an Apple TV to stream content from your iPad/iPhone to your TV. This method works fine, but you may experience some disconnections or delays.
- ANT+ to Bluetooth Bridge (optional): If you have other ANT+-only devices you’d like to use, you can use an ANT+ to Bluetooth as mentioned above.
- If you don’t want to use an ANT+ to Bluetooth bridge, you can use Wahoo’s ANT+ key. This key allows your phone to connect to ANT+ devices. Unfortunately, this key is only compatible with 30-pin phones. Therefore, it will not work with iPhones newer than iPhone 4s. You will need to purchase a [amazon_textlink asin=’B014854UWG’ text=’30-pin to a lightning adapter’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’39ee1ed0-e4f0-11e7- b421-dbf57a1e2b03 ′] plus ANT+ key.
PC to Big Screen TV
You can run Zwift on your PC. Zwift is compatible with Windows 7 or higher or Mac OSX 10.8. Zwift is graphics intensive and a minimum 1 GB dedicated graphics card is required to run Zwift without any issues. If you want to stream it to a big screen TV, you might want to consider something with a little more power to get a 1080 HD picture. Zwiftalizer is a great tool that can give you some benchmarks and information on how your system will run Zwift. .
What you need:
- Bluetooth compatible smart bike trainer. If you bought your trainer in the last few years , it probably supports Bluetooth.
- A personal computer with enough power to run Zwift. I have been using a 2014 Mac Mini with SSD HDD and had no problem running Zwift in 1080 HD. For Windows, [amazon_textlink asin=’B01LZLPO1H’ text=’this Dell’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4dd7d11f-e4f1-11e7-b332-01a16e1fd35c’] will make a great work and at a good price.
- ANT+ Stick. This connects to the computer’s USB port and receives the ANT+ signal.
- [amazon_textlink asin=’B014I8SP4W’ text=’HDMI cable’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1dfa8d38-e4f1-11e7-a1e0-dd1952885bed’ ]
Some Mac laptops don’t have an HDMI cable, so you’ll need one [amazon_textlink asin=’B01N6M2VN4′ text=’Thunderbolt to HDMI’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’ zwif -20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5caf8faf-e4f1-11e7-b85c-c9a7e3d0c6c2′] adapter. Check the ports on your laptop.
Zwift on Apple TV
Zwift on Apple TV is the cheapest and easiest way to access Zwift. All you need is a Bluetooth-enabled trainer and a fourth-generation Apple TV or the latest Apple TV 4K. You can get one for around $150 for the 32GB version. You don’t need the 64 GB unless you plan to download a lot of other content. The actual Zwift app is only about 650MB.
What you need
- Apple TV 4K or Apple TV 4th generation (buy Apple TV on Amazon)
- [amazon_textlink asin=’B014I8SP4W’ text=’HDMI cable’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1dfa8d38-e4f1-11e7 -a1e0- dd1952885bed’]
- Zwift companion app (available for iOS and Android)
- ANT+ to BLE bridge. This is optional if you want to connect only ANT+ devices.
Apple TV only supports 2 connected Bluetooth devices. So if you have a CycleOps Hammer or Wahoo KICKR connected to Zwift on Apple TV as a controllable trainer and power source, then you used an open Bluetooth connection and you’re left with one. You can use the last connection for any other Bluetooth device, such as a Bluetooth-enabled heart rate monitor or speed and cadence sensor.
Some smart trainers can also calculate your cadence. For example, if you have a Tacx NEO, you can pair the NEO as a power source, cadence, and controllable trainer. This uses only one Bluetooth channel.
How to Override Apple TV’s Bluetooth Limitations
There are a couple of ways to get around the Bluetooth limitations on Apple TV. Apple TV :
Zwift Companion App
If you have additional Bluetooth-enabled devices, you can use the Zwift mobile app as a bridge. The Zwift mobile app is available for iPhone or Android phones. In the SETTINGS menu, go to SENSORS and enable BLUETOOTH LE SENSORS.
ANT+ to BLE Bridge
You can use an ANT+ to BLE bridge, such as [amazon_link asins=’B071S929ZC’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ text=’CABLE’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ef4ed651-e4ee-11e7-830e-47aca632421d’] or [amazon_textlink asin=’B00BHZQ6OG ‘ text =’4iiii’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’zwif-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e3f7171e-e4ee-11e7-89d2-45396d1ddb6a’] to connect multiple ANT+ devices to Apple TV. The bridge will transmit data from multiple ANT+ devices in one Bluetooth signal so you don’t have to worry about Bluetooth limitations.
Hopefully, this guide will make it simple to connect your Zwift to a big screen TV . . Feel free to comment below if you have any questions.
Thanks for reading!
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