Forums >Technical Support>Garmin Express still only compatible with Garmin Connect?
I see you have the following note on the page where we upload Garmin FR 620 data:
Garmin Express is only compatible with Garmin Connect. If you install it, you will no longer be able to upload your workouts to RunningAHEAD.com or any other websites. I am working on a way to work around the problem. Please refrain from installing it until then.
Is this still relevant? Because I have Garmin Express installed and it works perfectly with RA on Google Crome.
I think it's still relevant. I had them both installed for a while and upload to RA continued to work fine ... for a while. Then it stopped working with no explanation. Once I uninstalled express and reinstalled the Garmin drivers, upload to RA worked again.
So if upload to RA stops working at some point, you'll know why.
Runners run
Hi Francois,
It is possible that the latest version of Garmin Express had fixed this problem. Still, there is an impending issue where Chrome will stop support of all plugins starting now. I imagine the next time you update Chrome, you'll find that the Garmin Communicator will no longer work. I believe Firefox will follow suit soon. I am working on a solution for it now.
eric
I guess I can help playing around with a solution that could run as a Windows service. I guess there will be some API for Garmin Express, but how about RA? Do you have some sort of Web API I can work with? I remember seeing something like this somewhere from RA, but cant seem to find it now...
Consistently Slow
Hi Francois, I believe Firefox will follow suit soon. I am working on a solution for it now. eric
I believe Firefox will follow suit soon. I am working on a solution for it now.
Say it isn't so!
Run until the trail runs out.
SCHEDULE 2016--
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
http://bkclay.blogspot.com/
I am confused. I've been using a 310 for years. It auto-syncs to my computer with the ANT stick. Then I go to Upload GPS Data, Import from Your Device, and upload to RA. Which I think is not correct... the ANT stick slurps the data from the device, puts it somewhere, and RA gets it from there (and not the device), via the Garmin Communicator, plugin, right? I know the data is sitting there on my computer, because there is (or was) a really crappy Garmin app with which I could view it, export it, etc. And the RA upload works with the Garmin turned off, once it has synched.
But now... I just got a 920. There is nothing in the instructions about how to get data onto my computer. It appears to be designed to only work with Garmin Connect / Garmin Express. I thought Garmin Express was the name of the app that let me view the local, synced data, but evidently not, and I can no longer find the app. It's probably been a couple years since I last used it. So now, RA is in fact able to upload directly from my 920, when it is connected via USB. But there is a lot of device functionality that can only be accessed via Garmin Express (and for which I seem to need a Garmin Connect account... F you, Garmin). I installed Garmin Express before reading the notice about not installing it. (Well not really, because I guess I see that every time I upload, but I never bothered to parse it before.) But I have not registered my device, set up Garmin Connect, etc.
So should I sit here with a partially crippled device, or roll the dice that Garmin Communicator will still work once I have configured Garmin Express? In the present state I can only sync via USB, looks like. Not a huge deal, but wifi or bluetooth would be better. It looks like ANT support is gone. And wifi is apparently only for Garmin Connect upload, bluetooth only for communication with a mobile device. Garmin, you suck. How do I get my data onto my goddamn computer?
Am I missing anything?
an amazing likeness
Bob -- anecdotally (rather than hard fact), the current state seems to have evolved.
When Garmin Express (GE) was 1st released, it would strip the pc of all other Garmin plug-ins and interaction points. GE will only upload to Garmin Connect. RA can not reach out and pull in data via GE since GE is a closed (pay-to-play) API/ecosystem.
It now appears for some users that GE is leaving the legacy API (Garmin Communicator) in place, and/or folks are having success adding the Garmin Communicator back after installing GE. (<<---- this sentence is anecdote, I don't have direct experience with an non-usb Garmin device)
Wireless synch is only going to be supported by GE. GC will support USB and get you RA upload. For now. As the NSAPI plug-in support leaves the various browser platforms, GC will end-of-life.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
At which point, hopefully, Garmin's new API for talking to Garmin Connect will be online. Otherwise we are going to be SOL here.
Garmin app I was trying to remember is Garmin Training Center. Reinstalled. Hasn't been updated since 2011. I wonder if it will do anything useful with the 920, or rather, I suppose, can I coax the 920 into talking to the ANT agent? (So far GTC still has not finished catching up with my new data since 2013.) An additional downside of syncing via USB is that the Mac mounts the Garmin as a drive. So that's two extra steps (unmount drive, disconnect Garmin) every time I want to use it.
Bob,
I'm in the process of re-adding support for Garmin Connect. There used to be a free REST API for Garmin Connect but Garmin decided to scrap it and make all the developers go through an application process explaining how having access to the API would benefit Garmin, *and* pay $5,000 to get access to their new API. I just got my application accepted so I'll start work on it soon. I'm hoping I can wrap it up by year's end. It still leaves open the question of this $5k. It looks like the development and access to their test environment is free, but using the live data would require me to pay. The ad revenue is down by 50% this entire year so now the $5k is real money. Maybe someone here can put in a good word for me... Are you reading this, Joe? ;-)
Wow. That sucks.
It's kind of a back door, dumbed down work around, but this is what I'm doing with my 920 xt.
Set up to sync via WiFi and Garmin Express automatically once I save my workout at the front door when I walk in.
Login to Garmin Connect and export the workout as a TCX
Upload the file to RunningAhead.
At least I don't have to cradle the watch each time I want to upload data. The Bluetooth and an iPad route didn't work worth crap.
FWIW, I'm not having any problems now getting data from the 920 via Garmin Communicator, even though I'm using Garmin Express / Connect.
I have same experience as Bob, with Garmin Forerunner 620. It seems 620 looks like usb thumb drive to windows os, and garmin communicator knows how to find the files. This is true even though I installed Garmin Express. Not sure if GE gets in the way of ANT based devices, though.
Lou, (aka Mr. predawnrunner), MD, USA | Lou's Brews | lking@pobox.com
Instead of paying $5000 for the API, why not sync off of Garmin connect like https://tapiriik.com/? I know it's not ideal but it is at least a short term fix.
Hmm. It looks to me like tapiriik should add RA sync support. RA at least has a free API for that.