LOUDER Garmin Varia RADAR Alerts: Using Bluetooth Audio Alerts // How-To
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- čas přidán 6. 06. 2024
- This video contains information on how to get LOUDER audio alerts from Bluetooth compatible Garmin Varia Radar devices.
Links:
Garmin Varia Mobile App: bit.ly/38WhbzW
RideWithGPS: bit.ly/3M5uICO
GPLama Varia RCT715 Video: • Garmin VARIA Radar wit...
GPLama Varia RTL515 Video: • Garmin Varia Radar Rev...
Where to Buy:
Garmin Varia Radar RCT715 (Amazon US): amzn.to/3wqjBQy
Garmin Varia Radar Light RTL515 (Amazon US): amzn.to/3gj7tXl
Garmin Varia Radar RVR315 (Amazon US): amzn.to/3bsm1jN
Note Refer to 0:34 for my commentary on riding with headphones. It can be a topic that triggers people so I've addressed this in the video so people don't have to address this in the comments.
Video Index:
0:00 Index
0:17 Coming up....
0:34 DISCLAIMER / WARNING
1:09 Reasons To Use Bluetooth Audio Alerts
1:51 Compatible Garmin VARIA Units
2:21 Garmin Varia App
3:09 Use Cases
3:39 Alternatives: Karoo 2 Headset Paring
3:57 Alternatives RideWithGPS App
4:35 Wrap Up
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#Garmin #Varia #Cycling - Sport
I just bought the 515 to go with my 1030+ I used it for the 1st time today. It worked flawlessly! The only issue I had was not hearing it through my Aftershokz. Now I am Good to Go thanks to you and this video.
I have it paired with my phone as well and I found that having bluetooth headphones also alerting you traffic at the back really helpful! Hope this video helps more people.
Thanks Shane
Thanks Lama, I’ve always wondered about this feature. Keep up the good work, I never buy sports tech without the Lama seal of approval.👍
My older father isn’t actually able to hear the garmin unit beeps as he’s lost the higher frequency with age. I got him the radar as a gift and was demo-ing it to him and said so when it beeps (As I frantically waved the radar at a wall) you know something has been detected behind you, and he just said “what beep”…. After a few minutes of thinking he was winding me up we realised he was serious. I was about to pack it up and send it back when I happened upon the bluetooth linked phone alerts as an option, which he can hear perfectly! Yay. He’s been happily using it like this for 6 months so this video may come in use to others with a similar issue
Yep, I'm the same - My wife says the tones are so loud from the Edge 530 that they really annoy her - I can barely hear them. It must be the specific frequency,
Not just that, you have the app running and the phone will vibrate with each alert, you feel that when the phone is on you.
Another excellent video! I bought the 515 at LBS yesterday to go with my 1040 arriving tomorrow. Will pair with my Beats Fit Pros in transparency mode. Sure to be a winning combination. Thanks Shane, from Texas!
I just gave it a quick try in the driveway, pairing to my hearing aids. Excellent!
Had AirPods Pro and my Varia for years but never paired them until today🙈thanks a lot from the UK, great video!
Tried this yesterday. Amazing on my ride, I quite often missed a car was flagging up on the wahoo bolt 2. Thanks for the tip
Used a radar device (RCT 715) for the first time yesterday, it happened to be windy. I couldn’t hear the tones from the 810 well, so stopped and started the app ( I use ear buds for books, podcasts). Wow, what a difference, the tones were actually a bit on the loud side in the buds.
Thanks for the tip, Shane. Varia Radar is a game changer for safe riding and the app works well with my conductive headset.
I had the original unit and being into my 50's struggled to hear the frequency of the tones on the 530 head unit. I bought the updated 515 ride with bone-conducting headphones - works great with the app; only downside is when I forget to start it before heading off.
Yeah, been using the best combo: Varia with RideWithGPS.
Great informative video. I have Specialised como with built in wired garmin radar that I cannot hear when its windy. So I have bought the 315 and blue toothed to my phone and it works fine. I now feel more confident on the road seeing and hearing when something is approaching.
best feature of this ... I always use the headphones for it because with wind noise I cant hear the computer and the headphone all the way up on a fast downhill when cars might be racing down as well is an amazing tool to know not to take turns too wide
Another super helpful video. Thanks!
Thank you for the information. It was exactly what I wanted to know. BTW I have the same reaction when I have electronics go flying out of my hands!
Thanks. A lot of devices don't explain this as well as you.
Thanks so much for this! Super useful and never knew this was possible.
Excellent video with useful information!
my 515 is one of the best safety devices I ever owned
A combination I found works good is using AirPods Pro in transparency mode. This I use in in colder weather (-10C to +10C) when I have a balaclava and a underhelmet cap.
The hearing of cars is already down with them covering the ears but most the wind noise still there.
The AirPods Pro filters out some of the wind noise but let car noise through better than without them and the beep from Varia is coming through loud and clear.
I wondered what the chuff it was on my first ride! I’d opened the app setting up the replacement 128GB SD Card and left it open inadvertently and got all these noises coming from my back pocket while riding. Sussed it eventually. 😁
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing
Karoo2 with Bluetooth headset is amazing. can also side load spotify onto it and have it as a all in one media device.
Very clever. I've got the Aeropex I'll have to try this out
Thanks I might have to upgrade my RT500
Th audible alerts on my wahoo for some reason quit working. This is so great! Thank you.
Check the sensor options for the radar on the Wahoo unit. They may be muted.
@@gplama I will do that. Thank you again.
Wooo! My 515 is being delivered today! 🎉
Also detects approaching llamas! (So if it beeps next week, you know I’m near) 🤣
@@gplama 🤣. It's like the shop waited for my birthday to send it to me - took them about a week 😅
I use a cheap single-side BLE earbud paired to my Karoo2 head unit. I can hear events around me and carry on conversations with no issues at all and the head unit provides me with a volume control. I do not listen to any other media or use dual-sided earbuds when riding.
This is exactly what I do with my IPhone/ Aftershokz combo 🙂. What I find strange is that sometimes the battery drain using the Varia App ( latest version Aug 22) can use 2% battery and on other occasions it can be as high as 60% - all over similar 45 to 60 mile rides and with no obvious or significant difference in traffic volume ( pun not intended 😜) . Is this something you’ve encountered? 🤔.
If the app could be revised to allow audio alerts only that might help.
I’ve asked Garmin about the Varia Radar App battery drain and they’ve told me to contact Apple support, which left me feeling a little ‘fobbed off’ 😕.
Great review and it will be interesting to see how other head units take support for the Radar forwards further in the future 🙂.
Tried this with an Edge 530, Varia RTL 515, and Shokz OpenRun Pro bone conducting headphones connected to a Galaxy S10. The radar's tones seem to be clipped off/truncated, but yet they sound fine with other wired headphones. Did you notice this at all when you tried the bone conducting headphones?
Perfect content
I‘m wondering if it could be configured to be Bluetooth only while being paired with the Edge 1030. I haven’t found an option to turn the sound off on the head unit. Sometimes I need to pass crowded areas and the radar alerts practically all the time. With the sound in my earphones only I wouldn’t annoy anybody around.
I upgraded from the 10 to the 15 specifically for this feature. Works “most of the time” but after a couple hours always seems to lose connection and then I have to re-pair, a little frustrating because I only find out when a car comes zipping by me and I get NO warning
You should try the Giro Aerohead. I estimate I can hear cars about twice as far back cause it cuts most of the wind noise.
Would also hear the audio better from headphones or devices
Shane, was just with Scottie riding in VA and your name came up. Hope you are well. Had a question. If you use the varia app to hear sounds in your headset, does it still come off the Wahoo unit itself like I am used to hearing now? In other words will I hear both if I want? thanks.
Small world! Sounds/alerts will come off both the head unit and your headphones.
Why didn’t I think of this before? I’m assuming you can connect ANT+ to Garmin and Phone Bluetooth simultaneously? Any increase in battery drain?
Sold.
I have my Varia paired to my Wahoo Bolt and Garmin Forerunner 945 watch. I run both devices every time I ride. I generally cannot hear either device. The watch vibrates when a vehicle is in range. Both the Bolt and 945 get the alerts at the same time, so when I feel my watch vibrate, I can look on my Bolt and see that vehicle is approaching.
Shane....any idea if wahoo are looking to implement connection to BLE headphones ?.... I have the original Wahoo element but the beep notification is so quiet that I never hear it....the option to hear the notification/beeps via a BLE heatset would be great.....I would think that this is something that could be implemented into the wahoo app ? Any thoughts ?
I don't expect to see any direct BLE headphone pairing time soon from Wahoo (or Garmin). App integration could be an interesting way to implement this though. One for Wahoo support/suggestion box.
I have a setup without Varia App. I just use Garmin Forerunner for listening podcasts via Shokz BC headphones. Then I receive Radar notification directly from the watch.
And I have data displayed on my Edge 130 using extended display feature (thou it also displays Varia "dots" directly from the radar).
I’ve had difficulty pairing AirPods to Garmin watch. Wondered if the Varia alert would come through. Will try again
Thanks for video... Question: when having the alert beeps sent to your earbuds, do those alert beeps still broadcast out loud on Garmin head unit? If so, can you have the alert beeps play in your earbuds and Not have them broadcast out loud on Garmin head unit?
Thank you, I didn't know I could pair Ride With GPS with my RTC715. Now for a hard question-how do we use the RTC715 with a rear rack trunk or an under seat bag? Garmin is no help, they think all riders can mount the unit to the seat post.
I pair my Garmin watch as well as wahoo head unit, I find the double set of bleeps works on my roads for me
Unrelated to the alert topic, however a quirk of the RVR315 which I've discovered is that, if turned on and paired with a head unit eg Edge530 which goes to sleep, the RVR315 turns off which disconnects it from the head unit. Turning the RVR315 back on, after waking of the Edge530, doesn't reconnect it - the only way to reconnect appears to be to stop the activity on the head unit and start again. Interested to know if this is widespread and on the other RV devices too
Interesting. I’ll have to try to reproduce this when I get a chance.
Shane,
Are you able to use this while the varia is paired to your edge?
Yes
What does this do to battery life which is not great at the best of times?
The Varia app and RWGPS provide 'All clear' tones, the Karoo doesn't (my K2 is silent for all clear) 🤷♀️ cheers 👍🏻
I just figured this out after an earlier video of yours featuring the Varia App. I like it. Now, can the Varia be paired with two phones so a companion rider can also use my Varia radar?
I suspect the Varia has a single Bluetooth connection. Not something I've tested tough.
i have had it set so my head unit and my friends Garmin watch pick up the Varia
If you have a garmin watch you can pair the radar to your watch then it will vibrate when a car is detected. Only catch is you have to remember to start the recording on your edge and your watch (I usually forget to start my watch)
Would the alerts not go to a garmin watch I have the Epix2 pro and it gets alerts from my iPhone
Have you experienced any connectivity issues when using bone conduction headphones?
Nope. The BLE connection seems good with my iPhone (12 pro)
Aftershokz FTW
Hello Shane. Is it possible to connect a phone via bluetooth and Garmin Edge 830 to the Varia at the same time? I wanted the alarm signal to be heard from the phone to the headphones, but at the same time, the message about the approaching cars would also be visible on the Edge830 screen. I tried with Edge830 but while it is connected to Varia515 I can't connect to phone.
Thank you.
Yes. It’ll do ANT+ to the Edge and Bluetooth to the phone. This is now I use them all the time.
@@gplama Thank you. I'll have to try again because it didn't work for some reason.
Thank you Shane for suggestion. I also ride most of the time alone. How hard this app drains your iPhone battery?
In the last 10 days it's not in my list of apps using 1% or more battery, so it looks fine. I suspect vibrate would be a battery drain if there's a lot of detections.
@@gplama Thank you. Podcast will drain battery even faster 😀
check also my apple watch integration for the Varia czcams.com/video/uhE-Z3ydeSU/video.html it could be useful for you
Hi Shane - I love these but do have a concern about reliability - my original 510 stopped charging at 15 months and it cost me ££ for Garmin to replace. My 515 is seems to be working OK but the charge light never flashes green when it's on power nor does it indicate a full charge so wondering if this is on it's way out too. The LED does flash blue (and purple for pairing) so is functioning. If I plug into PC garmin express says S/W is up to date but never shows as connected. This one is still under warranty so keeping a close eye....
Have you tried different USB cables and/or chargers? Sounds like that… or the port on the unit is the issue.
@@gplama Yes, different chargers (even a Garmin one), different cables that work fine with my Edge. It charges but you would not know it from the LED. It's plugged into my computer right now, blue light flashing, Garmin Express says 'not connected' but will happily check the software version. Edge says battery is 'good'. There are quite a few others that have had charging issues on the Garmin forums. Personally I think there is a weakness in the charging hardware somewhere; I've dozens of devices that charge from USB and don't recall a similar issue but 2 our of 2 for the RTL.
PS I am very careful with my tech, nothing has been raced or rallied!
It’s now completely dead. Does not charge or power on. LED never lights and reset has no effect. Awaiting return instructions from Garmin under warranty. Luckily I have a 510 in reserve!
Garmin sent me a replacement for my dead unit, no quibbles
dear shane can i connect the varia rvr315 to both my phone and my garmind edge explore at the same time ? Im playing music when biking and thought it would be nice if i get the audio alerts thru my headphones and watch the cars approuching on my edge explore.
Yes. Connecting to both a Garmin via ANT+ and a phone via Bluetooth will work at the same time.
@@gplama my garmin edge explore has ant+ built in ?
@@jemoeder1147 Yes, it will connect to ANT+ peripherals such as a radar, heart rate monitor, power meter, etc.
@@gplama thanks for the replies , take care
@@jemoeder1147 Ive received the varia today and connecting was a piece of cake , now waiting for good weather to do a test ride :)
Thanks for the tip, however, when i pair my Airpods to my Karoo i can't listen to music from my iPhone! Is there a workaround?
If you have a Varia with Bluetooth then load the Varia App on the iPhone for the alerts.
How to turn it up. I want to turn it down sometimes. It doesn't really bother me but some groups don't like it. When I am with them I'd want to turn the beep off without turning the radar off.
Haven't tried it myself, but presumably you could also get this through a watch that supports music eg. 945, Fenix 7, etc.
Good question. I'm guessing no. Just about to check with my 945.
@@gplama that's a great follow-up for users of the old Ant+ only Varia
No luck with the 945. The music plays no problem but there's no system alert sounds, so no audio alerts for the radar.
@@gplama seems like a viable Firmware update that Garmin should work on
If I pair with phone/headphones will I still get a graphic on my head unit too? Or does it only pair to one device?
Yes. It'll do both.
How does the varia do in a bunch? Does it go nuts if you’re not on the back ?
It works perfectly. it only senses things that are moving faster than you. So if someone has been dropped from the pack and is on their way back, it feel it, otherwise not. If you are in the front off the pack it will alert for cars.
I have paid for a varia 510 radar (which I love). I have a Samsung phone with built in ant+. Garmin could code this app to work on my phone via the ant+ but they choose not to to. My safety on the road would definitely benefit from the louder sounds etc. but garmin would prefer me to spend another $300. Which I won't. Is this fair?
It's a scale/numbers/resource game. Do they allocate resources to build, test, deploy, then provide ongoing support for ANT+ on a particular model phone for what's likely to be only a handful (maybe a few 100?) of users... and given the 500/510 has been superseded, a diminishing number of users at that? Nope. They've already solved the problem with the new model(s). If safety is the #1 goal, upgrade. Sell the 510, spend the money on the 515/715/etc. Life is short. That little one in your profile pic will thank you for it! 👌🏼
Hey Shane almost every samsung phone up to the S20 supports ant+, not to mention all the other Android phones that do as well. That's got to be little more than a few hundred right? 😁. Anyways, seems like there are connectivity issues that would in fact put me in a far worse situation safety wise. I love my 510 and yes although the beeps can be sometimes a little hard to hear, at least they are there every single time with out fail.
When I connect to my earbuds the volume is so low can barely hear it. on a windy ride I cant hear the sound at all. Music is coming through fine so nothing is wrong with my earbuds, just the volume of the Garmin varia app is low. I dont find a volume control in the app, anyway knows a solution to this, what am I missing?
What can I do if I have: RTL510?
Gear list:
Garmin RTL510, Garmin Vivoactive3 music, Aftershoks headsets & Iphone11 Pro Max
Seems like I need to buy a bike computer because I tryed many things (Settings-Apps) and nothing worked.
(If so, which computer model-brand has the loudest built-in speaker? I can't always use my headphone)
Help please.
The RTL510 doesn’t have Bluetooth. Black Friday sales should have the 515 on sale that does.
Thanks for the quick reply. But that's dissapointing. I was hoping the radar could talk to my watch and then to my phone with an app the to my headphones. Could I get the watch (Vivoactive3) to send me a signal (sound or vibration)? They pair but do nothing realy together.
Dead pan, “Oh, shit”. 😂😂😂
Do the alerts still sound on the head unit when the app is connected, or does it all move to the phone/headphones?
Both. (Unless in the case of the Hammerhead Karoo/2 where all head unit alerts are routed to the connected headphones)
@@gplama Thank you for that, and thank you for a great CZcams channel! 👍😁😳
Has anyone worked out how to get the audible Varia alerts to come through the Connect app? The Varia app keeps closing for me, even though "unrestricted" battery usage is set for it. Connect app keeps on all the time and I get lap and other alerts through it to my earbuds just fine, but just not Varia alerts. Thank you.
Or perhaps I could ask it another way: How do I prevent the Varia app from closing in the background? Google pixel phone, Android 14. Thank you.
You’ll need to get the Varia app working. Connect can’t do this. Best contact Garmin support.
Does anyone know of a Varia mount that is offset to the right? I want to avoid stone and spray damage...
You'll have to come up with something custom.
Mine’s worked well for 4 years on my right seat stay (although the paint has turned matt… should have put a protective sticker on)
Would be handy if alerts via vibrations could be passed to a Garmin or Apple Watch.
It wasn’t clear to me if you could display the Varia data on your Edge unit and get the sound through your headphones via the app. I tried it and could not get it to work and Garmin said it’s one or the other.
It’s both.
Both at the same time?
Hi. My hearing is not great now. And I have tinnitus - especially after a ride. I've built some super hairy microphone-muff type baffles onto my helmet straps just in front of my ears. These look absolutely stupid. Not only do they protect me against wind generated tinnitus, but actually mean that I can hear any cars coming WAY before my mates on a ride who still have good hearing. I suggest you give it a whirl. Go to a thrift shop and buy a teddy bear. Dismember him for his beautiful fur and make some sideburns. Let me know if your awareness of rear vehicles is not super improved.
3:40
Any chance to connect the Garmin Varia with a Apple Watch?
Not that I'm aware of.
It would be nice if they would work with Phonak hearing aids..
Do those connect to an iPhone or Android phone?
The real solution is for Garmin to fix their inadequacies. My old Edge 800 was superior to the 830 but it will not support Varia, so now I have no odometers on the 830 display, as I used to with the 800. I do not want anything in my ears while riding except air.
The latest update drives me nuts. The all-clear sound is now the same double tone as the initial threat alert. They used to be different tones
I suspect this is a bug. It's shitting me too.
@@gplamao you know if this was fixed? I bought one without having a head unit yet so I will be returning if it’s
Still bugged .
@@mikehoncho101 This was an issue within the Varia Mobile app only. They've resolved this in the recent 2.2.1 update.
I get told all the time I should not wear earphones when riding. I use earphones because I have problems after I finish riding with whistling noises. So I wear earphones to cut down on this problem.
I was hit by a car some time ago and I was not wearing earphones. I heard raw, screech, bang, nothing.
To this day I have nightmares about the screech before the car hit me. Would I have done anything different wearing earphones, I would have been blessed by not hearing the screech
Safety tip - if you must wear earpieces when riding, (or running, walking, etc.),just wear one ear piece people so that you can hear important sounds vital to your safety.
I am amazed on a daily basis how many people (epically runners, joggers, walkers, but many cyclists as well) wear 2 earpieces with music obviously so high that they can't hear me passing call outs.
I don't use a bell to call out my passes - I use my human voice so I can be crystal clear to the passee regarding what is about to happen - "bicycle approaching to pass on your left".
And, I find it a bit humorous when the 2 earpiece people totally over-react because they were "startled" by a pass they had no idea was happening...
Seriously, please people - for your own safety - (and the safety of others around you) - if you have to ride with earpiece connectivity, please just use one.
Exactly, by law we have to have a bell on our bikes ( in NSW anyway). Absolutely useless when "trying" to alert people with dood doof or whatever banging away in both ears.
I find this interesting. I wear both headphones and train keeping as far left as possible. Hearing a car or another rider coming up behind me isn’t going to make any difference to how I ride or help me avoid being hit. If I was one of those who isn’t paying attention to their surroundings, or doesn’t keep hard left, or doesn’t head check when moving right, then sure… although in that case I’d be stupid enough to move into danger anyway
With the 515 being $50 off, anyone thinking there’s an updated model on the way? Other than the video camera one, I mean. Thoughts?
Unlikely with the RCT715 released last week.
Tried this on iPhone 11 and works BUT level of beep out of phone speaker is no where near loud enough. Can’t hear it over even the faintest of background noise.
Anyone know if there is a way to make it any louder without wearing earpiece.
Phone volume setting (Ringer and alerts) is set to maximum.
Oh come on now and release the New Edge videos already!
I will not wear earphones in traffic, whether on a bike or on foot. Bone-link style maybe; I've never tried them
I just ride with only 1 bud in so I can still here whats going on around me
Its not working for me with my oneplus 6T phone (Android). It's working the first minute but when I unlock I don't get a notification.
Can someone help ?
One for Garmin Support.
I have the same phone too, unfortunately I have the older Varia unit with no Bluetooth, but was thinking about upgrading for this very reason while I'm listening to music in one ear.... But if it's not working with yours, I might hold off.
The only thing I can suggest is checking /changing the permission settings of the Garmin Varia app to 'allow all the time' under the App settings location settings?
Shimano User won’t need a Varia any more because Shimano will remove all shifting and pedaling functionality from their own groupset in the future. 😀😩
Bluetooth disconnects constantly from Samsung A71
Same here
Wearing headphones while driving or cycling is a danger to yourself and others, anyone who caused an accident because of lack of concentration should be prosecuted.
Refer to 0:34 for my commentary on riding with headphones. It can be a topic that triggers people so I've addressed this in the video so people don't have to address this in the comments.