MyWhoosh Direct Connect not working in Windows

[brstreetlaw]

I have tested the most recent release, the pre-release build, and a couple of previous SwiftControl releases and all have this issue:

MyWhoosh running on Windows
BikeControl / SwitftControl on Windows - MyWhoosh Direct Connect does not work
BikeControl / SwiftControl on Android phone (connected to same WiFi network) - MyWhoosh Direct Connect works

I've added full exemption to Windows Firewall for swift_control.exe
MyWhoosh Link app on Android is also working

BikeControl on Android seems to stop working when the app loses focus or when the phone goes to standby. Running it on Windows seems preferable - but right now mine can only simulate keyboard shortcuts, so no virtual steering available.

Any idea what would make MyWhoosh Direct Connect not work on the same Windows device that MyWhoosh app is running on?

[jonasbark]

Unfortunately no idea - I've also tested the same device scenario and it works on Android, iOS and macOS in the latest 4.0 version of Bikecontrol (to be released very soon)

I'm working together with MyWhoosh to provide a better solution for this. For now you'd have to rely on using Bikecontrol on other platforms

[brstreetlaw]

Thanks, fingers crossed! It would be nice to have the phone available to run MyWhoosh Link app, for voice chat etc.

[brstreetlaw]

I'd like to be able to test your 4.x version before paying for it in the Windows Store. From the other recent issues flagged here, it is unclear that direct network / software control of MyWhoosh is working on Windows. Are you going to be offering any binary release files?

I did try installing MyWhoosh Link in WSA, and it wouldn't let me sign in - it told me to sign out of my other device (my Android phone) first. This makes me wonder that so long as your previous versions of Swift Control were trying to use the same protocol to communicate with MyWhoosh, they would have required that I first sign out of the Link app on my phone (and give up the additional functionality of that app).

[jonasbark]

I'm currently thinking about whether or not to include the binaries - not sure about it, yet.

I can guarantee that the "local" connection method works fine on Windows, which is simulating the keyboard input for e.g. gearing and shifting.

The "Link" connection method does not seem to work on most Windows machines when running MyWhoosh and BikeControl on the same device, but again there's the local method as an alternative.

To fix all these issues I'm already working with MyWhoosh towards a proper solution

[brstreetlaw]

Thanks for that info. In the 3.x versions, I found the keyboard method great for certain things, but not steering for some reason. Even though https://mywhooshinfo.com/blog/mywhoosh-keyboard-shortcuts says the left and right arrow keys should control steering, when mapping them to the Zwift Play paddles they either do nothing for me or duplicate the long-press arrow key for selecting between two routes at a crossroads.

Is your new OpenBikeControl protocol effectively going to have the same limitations as MyWhoosh Link, e.g. that there can only be one connection at a time (such that the Link app must be logged out)?

[jonasbark]

I'll revisit the steering today to see what's going on

Regarding MyWhoosh Link: no need to log out - it just shouldn't run at the same time as BikeControl

[brstreetlaw]

Ok understood, thanks. I think as long as the app precludes simultaneous use of the Link app, it means losing access to certain social features and voice chat.

The steering thing might be a MyWhoosh problem; actually using the left and right keys on the keyboard also doesn't work as expected. Your app does appear to map to keys just fine!

[jonasbark]

Thanks for verifying the issue!

it means losing access to certain social features and voice chat.

Yes, I understand that's not great. The new connection method that I'm working on with MyWhoosh will no longer have this restriction.

[brstreetlaw]

The new connection method that I'm working on with MyWhoosh will no longer have this restriction.

Awesome, thanks for answering my question!

RE: the direct download piece, I would happily pay for the app if I knew this feature had been implemented. I'm not sure how easy it is to dot his but you could consider offering a free trial/test version that automatically closes itself after 5 minutes so users can figure out whether and how the app works with their platform and their hardware.

[jonasbark]

The steering thing might be a MyWhoosh problem; actually using the left and right keys on the keyboard also doesn't work as expected

At least on macOS it works as expected - only steers as long as you keep pressing the left/right button on the keyboard (or BikeControl for that matter)

[brstreetlaw]

Just did more testing on Windows PC. Steering with keys "a" and "d" was consistently responsive when left/right arrow keys were not. I remapped the ZP paddles in Swift Control to those keys and it solved part of my issue.

The related issue I've uncovered, which I think is entirely a MyWhoosh problem, is that even when the on-screen arrow indicators show that you are trying to steer left and right, the animated character can sometimes just keep going straight and even appear to pass directly through other riders, like a ghost. This is reported by MW users elsewhere; I may need to sign out or reinstall MW to fix.