NPE WYUR Review – indoor sports sensor connector

Here is a detailed review of NPE WYUR from North Pole Engineering, a gem of a sports tech sensor which, in simple terms, connects everything to everything else in every possible way plus it adds in some more fun indoor cycling and running stuff for good measure.

A demanding example would be that WYUR can combine 4 sets of data into one channel for Apple TV whilst you are using Zwft. ie Apple Watch heart rate plus a Bluetooth power meter plus an ANT+ speed sensor plus native cadence. But it can do even more than that in other situations.

WUYR is available now directly from NPE for £75, $90, CORD RRPs at £41, $50,

Use the code THE5KRUNNER to get a 10% discount at checkout

 

How the wizardry works – An overview

If you have a rudimentary knowledge of pairing sports sensors by ANT+ and BLE you might doubt that a smartphone can somehow set up an ANT+ sensor. But it can with WYUR.

NPE’s ConfigurEZ app links to WYUR from your smartphone using Bluetooth. WYUR then looks for all the sensors using both ANT+ and BLE; your smartphone manages that search and then lets you control how WYUR permanently deals with each one in a variety of workout scenarios.

That’s it. WYUR is now an everything-to-everything else sensor converter and you can turn the smartphone off. You don’t need it any more. WYUR and CORD can do all of these

• Convert ANT+ to Bluetooth
• Convert Bluetooth to ANT+
• Simultaneously Re-Transmit ANT+ & Bluetooth
• Broadcast Apple Watch heart rate (install and activate Heartbeatz Connect app on Apple Watch)
• Works as a Cycling Speed using inbuilt Sensors (WYUR only)
• Works as a Cycling Cadence using inbuilt Sensors (WYUR only)
• Works as Cadence Footpod using inbuilt Sensors (WYUR only)
• Re-Transmit Heart Rate for Polar GymLink (WYUR only)
• Supports heart rate, Fitness Equipment Control, Crank Torque Frequency, Running Speed, Cycling Speed, Cycling Power, Cycling Cadence, Cycling Speed & Cadence. Supported bike power profiles are Power Only, Wheel Torque, Crank Torque and Crank Torque Frequency.

 

 

Looking instead for a super-sensor to convert your old indoor treadmill to a smart treadmill? Go for NPE RUNN, review here.

 

Mounting WYUR

WYUR is supplied with a versatile range of mounting options so that you can place it on: a bike crank; bike stem; bike wheel hub; and laces of a running shoe. In each case WYUR is inserted into the mount or, put another way, WYUR can easily be switched from one mounting to another. So you can switch between using it as a running footpod and a power meter converter for a smartphone app.

 

Using WYUR to recognise your sensors

To connect reliably, you must use NPE’s ConfigurEZ app to link to either WUYR or CORD first. If your smartphone is nearby, it will connect automatically.

You may have different scenarios where you need to connect to different sensors, so you can set up a Fitness Equipment Profile or Indoor Cycling Profile with either WUYR or CORD. As WUYR is also a footpod, you can create Outdoor profiles for Running & Cycling as well.

Below are some screenshots from the ConfigurEZ app that show how it searches for ANT+ sensors and uses them to broadcast its data over Bluetooth. WUYR’s ability to grab your heart rate from your Apple Watch and broadcast it is also straightforward to set up – this is an important third-party feature that few Apple Watch owners know how to leverage.

 

 

 

How to workout with WYUR

In most cases, as long as WYUR is nearby, it will automatically activate, search for, pair, and broadcast all your sensor data. WYUR is triggered when it is moved or when a paired device is within range. You may need to periodically change the profile in the ConfigurEZ app, for example, if you switch from indoor to outdoor use.

 

What WYUR can’t do

At the moment WYUR doesn’t support the more unusual ANT+ profiles like Muscle Oxygen nor is it likely to.

It doesn’t support FTMS to FE-C conversion either but that is coming in the future.

Even though it acts as a running footpod it cannot capture running power like Stryd.

If one of your devices is a PC then you might consider a sister product called NPE CORD. This has similar features and is powered by any USB port. If, instead, you are looking for an ANT+ USB stick that feed data to a PC via usb then go for the NPE STIC product which also has Heartbeatz support.

Apple TV Connectivity

I haven’t got an Apple TV and so haven’t tested this.

Apple TV only allows you 2 Bluetooth connections when using Zwift, which means you have to decide which of your sensors you connect to Zwift. With WYÛR, you can pair ALL of your cycling sensors to WYÛR and make 1 Bluetooth connection from your WYÛR to your Apple TV enabling your best Zwifting experience on an Apple TV

Problems

I’m dealing with a known bug where WYUR burns through a CR2032 battery pretty quickly. NPE expect to address this and has already partially done so.

A Weird thing that I did with WYUR

One of my longstanding problems is getting swimming power from my Vasa Trainer, which broadcasts ANT+ bike power by default. My issue is how to automatically save that into a SWIM sports profile.

• I used to use a second power meter data field (@Takura87) in a copy of a Garmin OpenWater Swim profile with GPS disabled. However, Garmin ‘fixed’ that, so it no longer works.
• I could record in bike mode and then change the sport type in my target sports platforms, but I want a fully automated solution.
• I tried using an older version of WYUR (NPE Cable) to convert ANT+ to BLE and then save it in the WORKOUTDOORS and iSMOOTHRUN apps on the Apple Watch. However, I couldn’t get the correct swim profile by default. WORKOUTDOORS may support this later in the year.
• I then discovered the TRAINERDAY Apple Watch and iOS app and used that with WYUR to convert ANT+ data to BLE. TRAINERDAY exports a FIT/TCX file to Dropbox, which is the correct endpoint that I want. I could further automate the import into TrainingPeaks or Golden Cheetah, but I always do that bit manually. This isn’t quite working as there is a bug in the FIT file export but it’s likely to be fixed very soon.

More: TrainerDay

 

The following image gallery shows both WYUR and the older CABLE already broadcasting and then what can be configured in the WorkoutDoors app on Apple Watch. The 4th image shows power data going from my VASA ANT+ Trainer into the Trainer Day app on iOS and the iOS app is then mirrored to the Apple Watch.

 

NPE WYUR Review – Takeout (CORD too)

Overall, the NPE WYUR is a solid little sports fitness sensor that can easily solve your techy problems when it comes to connecting sports tech at home or even at the gym. It’s an affordable way to avoid upgrading lots of old pieces of equipment to their newer, more connected versions.

I highly recommend the NPE WYUR, although it’s not perfect. The app could have a better look and flow, the Heartbeatz and ConfigurEZ apps could be merged, and the WYUR itself could wake up more readily at times. However, these criticisms are not particularly noteworthy. I will definitely use this product from time to time over the coming years.

For it to be the perfect product for me, NPE needs to obtain Apple Find My certification. At $90, it might make some people think twice about its value for money, but if it doubled up as a Find My device, that would add $25 of value in itself.

 

NPE WYUR Price, Availability and Discount

WUYR is available now directly from NPE,

WYUR From NPE:  £75, $90

CORD From NPE: £41, $50,

Use the code THE5KRUNNER to get a 10% discount at checkout