Best Practices When Connecting A Sensor to a Garmin Device

Garmin® devices that can be used with wireless sensors will connect via ANT+‍® technology or BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy). ANT+ is more mature connection type that often has more features, The information on this page will apply to compatible third party sensors that can broadcast via ANT+ or BLE and the following Garmin sensors:

• Cadence Sensor 2

• HRM-Dual™ monitor

• HRM-Fit™ monitor

• HRM-Pro™ monitor

• HRM-Pro™ Plus monitor

• Rally™ pedals

• Speed Sensor 2

• Vector™ 3 pedals

NOTE: If using an HRM 200, see:  What Are Open and Secure Connection Types in Garmin Accessories?

I Have a Dual-Protocol (ANT+/BLE) Sensor, Which Protocol Should I Use?

When deciding on which protocol to use, consider the following:

ANT+ Data Advantage

The ANT+ protocol allows more data to be sent than the BLE version. For instance, the ANT+ power meter protocol supports Cycling Dynamics, Pedal Smoothness, and Torque Effectiveness. None of this data is currently supported over BLE.

NOTE: Not all Garmin devices can connect to all sensor types. Check your owner's manual to determine if your device is compatible with power meters.

ANT+ Concurrent Connectivity

If you want to pair the sensor to more than one device/app, then pair using ANT+ on the fitness device to leave the BLE channel open for use.

• The ANT+ protocol allows a single sensor to be connected to multiple devices at the same time (E.g. an Edge® cycling computer, a Forerunner® watch, and Zwift with an ANT+ dongle).

• If you have several concurrent sensors, use ANT+ as you have support for a greater number of concurrent connections.

• Devices that support  a sensor pool of 30 Sensors, with 12 concurrently connected sensors (9 ANT+ and 3 BLE)

  • Edge® 530

  • Edge® 540 | Edge® 540 Solar

  • Edge® 830

  • Edge® 840 | Edge® 840 Solar

  • Edge® 1030 | Edge® 1030 Plus

  • Edge® 1040 | Edge® 1040 Solar

  • Edge® 1050

  • Edge® Explore 2

•  The Edge® 130 supports a sensor pool of 20 sensors, from that pool it can support up to 8 concurrently connect sensors. This is made up of 6 ANT+ and 2 BLE sensors.

BLE Concurrent Connectivity

Many BLE sensors are limited to a single connection which would not allow the sensor to be connected to your device and software platform at the same time. The exception being the following Garmin sensors:

• Garmin sensors that support 2 concurrent BLE connections:

  • Cadence Sensor 2

  • HRM-Dual™ monitor

  • Speed Sensor 2

  • Rally™ pedals

  • Vector™ 3 pedals

• Garmin sensors that support 3 concurrent BLE connections:

  • HRM-Fit™ monitor

  • HRM-Pro™  monitor

  • HRM-Pro™ Plus monitor