Quick Answer: FitSwitch now shows up over Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth. Training apps that support Direct Connect — Rouvy and Zwift among them — find your Peloton on the network by themselves, with no phone and no pairing. Apps that don't support it, like TrainerRoad and Kinomap, still use Bluetooth through the free FitSwitch Bridge app. Nothing you already had set up stops working.
Table of Contents
- What Direct Connect Is
- Why It Matters on a Peloton
- Which Apps Support It
- Wi-Fi vs Bluetooth Compared
- How to Turn It On
- Choosing Who Can Connect
- Bike vs Bike+
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Direct Connect Is
Direct Connect (sometimes written DIRCON) is a standard for sending trainer data over a network instead of over Bluetooth. Wahoo introduced it so a smart trainer could talk to a training app over a wired or Wi-Fi network connection, and the major training apps added support for it.
It carries exactly the same information Bluetooth does — power, cadence, speed, heart rate, and resistance control — just over your home network instead of a radio link. Your Peloton announces itself on the network, the training app finds it, and they talk directly.
FitSwitch speaks Direct Connect as of version 2.19.0. Your bike appears in compatible apps as a Wi-Fi device named FitSwitch.
Why It Matters on a Peloton
There's a specific problem this solves that Bluetooth simply cannot.
Android won't let an app connect over Bluetooth to something running on the same device. That's a platform rule, not a FitSwitch limitation. So when you sideload Rouvy or Zwift onto the Peloton screen itself, that app could never see FitSwitch's Bluetooth broadcast — they're both on the same tablet. That's the entire reason the FitSwitch Bridge app existed: a phone or Mac sitting alongside acted as a relay, picking up Bluetooth from the bike and handing it to the app.
Network connections have no such restriction. An app running on the Peloton can reach FitSwitch on the same Peloton. So for apps that support Direct Connect, the relay disappears:
- No phone required. Nothing to charge, nothing to keep awake, nothing to leave running on the windowsill.
- No pairing. No Bluetooth pairing dialogs, no stale pairings to clear after a factory reset.
- Fewer moving parts. One fewer device between you and your ride.
It also helps when the app is on a second device. An iPad on the handlebars or a laptop across the room connects over the house Wi-Fi rather than depending on Bluetooth range.
Which Apps Support It
Support varies by app, and — importantly — by which platform the app is running on. We tested these on an actual Peloton rather than going by documentation, because the documentation doesn't always match what the Android builds actually do.
| App | On the Peloton screen | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rouvy | ✅ Wi-Fi | Finds FitSwitch on its own, no phone needed |
| Zwift | ✅ Wi-Fi | Direct Connect supported on Android, iOS, Apple TV and Mac |
| TrainerRoad | ❌ Bluetooth (Bridge app) | Its Android app offers Bluetooth and ANT+ only |
| Kinomap | ❌ Bluetooth (Bridge app) | Its Android app searches over Bluetooth only |
| MyWhoosh | ❌ Bluetooth or ANT+ | Runs on an external device, connects directly to FitSwitch |
If your app isn't listed, the rule of thumb is simple: look in its pairing screen. If it offers a Wi-Fi or Direct Connect option alongside Bluetooth, FitSwitch will appear there. If it only offers Bluetooth and ANT+, use the Bridge app.
Apps on other devices — a Garmin head unit, an Apple Watch, a laptop running Zwift — are unaffected by any of this. They keep connecting over Bluetooth FTMS or ANT+ exactly as before.
Wi-Fi vs Bluetooth Compared
| Direct Connect (Wi-Fi) | Bluetooth (FTMS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Works with an app on the Peloton screen | Yes | Only via the Bridge app |
| Extra hardware needed | None | A phone or Mac running Bridge |
| Pairing required | No — the app discovers it | Yes |
| Range | Anywhere on your Wi-Fi | Bluetooth range, roughly the same room |
| Supported by every app | No — see the table above | Yes, near universally |
| Carries ERG and gradient control | Yes (Bike+) | Yes (Bike+) |
| Works without a network | No | Yes |
Neither one replaces the other. Bluetooth is still what watches, head units and most training apps use, and it's what works when your Wi-Fi is down. Direct Connect removes a whole piece of equipment for the apps that support it. FitSwitch runs both at the same time, so you don't have to pick.
How to Turn It On
It's already on. Direct Connect is enabled by default from version 2.19.0 onward, and there's nothing to set up beyond having your Peloton on Wi-Fi.
To check or change it:
- Tap the gear icon on the FitSwitch home screen
- Scroll to Advanced
- Find Direct Connect (Wi-Fi)
Then in your training app, open its pairing or sensors screen and look for FitSwitch. Select it as your power source, cadence sensor and — on Bike+ — controllable trainer.
If you have two FitSwitch-equipped Pelotons on the same network, the second appears as FitSwitch (2). Check which one you're pairing before you start a workout.
Choosing Who Can Connect
Direct Connect has no password, the same as it works on a commercial smart trainer. On a home network that's fine. On shared Wi-Fi — an apartment building, a gym, an office — anyone on that network could in principle connect to your bike, and on a Bike+ that includes changing your resistance. So the setting has three positions:
- Off — No Wi-Fi connections at all. Bluetooth and ANT+ are unaffected and keep working.
- This tablet only — Only apps installed on the Peloton itself can connect. Everything else on the network is refused. This is the one to pick if you sideload Rouvy or Zwift onto the bike and don't need anything else reaching it.
- On (this network) — The default. Any device on your Wi-Fi can connect, which is what you want if you run your training app on a phone, tablet or computer.
Changing the setting takes effect immediately — you don't need to restart anything.
Bike vs Bike+
What comes across the connection depends on which bike you have, and this is the same split that has always applied to FitSwitch:
- Bike+ — Power, cadence, resistance and speed, plus full resistance control. ERG mode holds a target wattage, and SIM mode adjusts resistance to match the gradient in the app. All of it works over Wi-Fi.
- Original Bike — Power, cadence and speed. The original Bike has no resistance motor, so there's nothing for an app to control; you shift manually as the workout demands. FitSwitch doesn't advertise resistance control on a Bike, so apps won't offer you an ERG option that can't work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still need the FitSwitch Bridge app?
Only for apps that don't support Direct Connect — TrainerRoad and Kinomap on the Peloton screen — and for casting your phone to the bike. If you only ride Rouvy or Zwift, you don't need it running any more.
Will this break my current setup?
No. Bluetooth FTMS and ANT+ broadcasting are unchanged and still run alongside Direct Connect. Anything paired today keeps working exactly as it does now.
Does it use my internet connection?
No. Everything stays on your local network. Your Peloton and the training app talk to each other directly, and nothing about your ride goes out to the internet through this connection.
Can I use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at the same time?
Yes. FitSwitch broadcasts on both at once. You could have Zwift on the Peloton over Wi-Fi and a Garmin watch recording over ANT+ in the same ride.
My app doesn't show FitSwitch over Wi-Fi. What now?
Check three things. First, that the Peloton and the other device are on the same Wi-Fi network — not one on a guest network and one on the main one. Second, that Direct Connect isn't set to This tablet only while your app is on a different device. Third, that the app actually supports Direct Connect; if its pairing screen only offers Bluetooth and ANT+, use the Bridge app instead.
Does ERG mode work over Wi-Fi?
Yes, on a Bike+. Resistance control travels over Direct Connect exactly as it does over Bluetooth, so ERG workouts and gradient simulation behave the same way.
What about my watch or bike computer?
Unaffected. Garmin, Apple Watch, Wahoo head units and similar devices connect over ANT+ or Bluetooth, and nothing about those paths has changed.
The Short Version
FitSwitch now appears over Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth. If you ride Rouvy or Zwift on your Peloton screen, that means you can stop running the Bridge app on your phone — the training app will find your bike by itself. If you ride TrainerRoad or Kinomap, keep using the Bridge app; their Android versions don't support Direct Connect yet. Everything else about your setup stays as it is.