Each device profile is identified by its own icon, which can be used on the packaging of certified devices to help consumers understand which products will work together. You can find the device profile PDFs under the documents tab of the Download page.
Bicycle Power
Bicycle Speed 
Blood Pressure
Controls
Environment
Fitness Equipment
Geocache
Heart Rate Monitor
Light Electric Vehicle
Multi Sport
Stride Based
Weight Scale
ANT+ weight scales are devices primarily used to measure the weight of the user that is placed on them. This requires the user to stand on the scale to take a measurement of the user’s weight.
The weight scale measures a user’s weight and, if the scale has access to more specific user information such as height and gender, then the scale may be able to calculate user specific information as well. The weight scale may broadcast this information to an ANT+ compatible receiver, or store it for transfer at a later date. The scale may have an integrated display, allowing users to enter profile information. The scale may also receive user profile information from a watch or other device.
One key aspect for the weight scale message definition is the incorporation of user specific data for calculating parameters that cannot be directly measured. Such data contains parameters that describe the user’s height, age, gender, and other relevant details that may be required for more complex measurements and calculations. The User Profile contains this information and can be provided to the scale by the display device or, depending on the scale’s capabilities, can be input directly through the scale’s user interface.
A stride based speed and distance monitor (SDM) is a personal body-worn device that allows the wearer to measure the number of strides taken, the speed at which he or she is traveling and/or the distance he or she has covered based on stride measurements and calculations. Some examples of SDMs include the foot-worn pods that go on, or in, a shoe and reconstruct strides to compute speed and distance while walking or running. Similarly, pedometers that may be worn on the waist or elsewhere are also considered SDMs. There are other profiles that allow for the measurement of speed and distance obtained from sensors that are not stride based. If there is some uncertainty about what device profile to use, please contact the ANT+ Alliance at antalliance@thisisant.com for more information.
SDMs are worn on, or close to, the body and transmit stride, speed and/or distance information to a watch or other display device. Some SDMs can compute additional information such as cadence. The display device can be a watch, cell phone, piece of fitness equipment, or other personal display device.
Light electric vehicles (LEVs) provide point-to-point transportation for one person and some cargo at speeds and costs that are moderate. LEVs range in size from electric bicycles to one-person cars.
The ANT+ light electric vehicle provides a variety of information such as current speed, distance travelled, remaining battery life and range, and current state information (such as lights on/off, gear state and travel mode). An ANT+ LEV display is used to communicate this information to the user, and may also provide an interface through which a user may control the LEV’s state. The display device may be a bike mounted unit, watch, cell phone or other personal display device. The purpose of the ANT+ LEV device profile is to provide a robust means of interoperable communication between LEVs and displays.
Many LEVs have a gear system that may be manually or automatically controlled. Some may have defined “travel modes” that allow the LEV to operate within economical, normal and higher power ranges. Some LEV’s may also provide peripheral devices such as headlights and/or indicator signals. These system features may be controlled on the LEV itself, or through a sophisticated display’s user interface.
Simple displays may not provide a user interface and are only used to interpret the data sent from the LEV. More sophisticated displays may provide an interface for the user to request a change to the LEV system, such as changing gears or travel mode, and controlling lights or turn signals.
A heart rate monitor is a body-worn device that allows the wearer to measure his or her heart rate in real-time. Most heart rate monitors are worn around the chest and transmit heart rate data to watches or other display devices. However other types of monitors such as finger sensors, earlobe sensors, or the hand contact sensors on fitness machines may also use this device profile to transmit heart rate data. Similarly, the receiver need not be a watch but may be a cell phone, piece of fitness equipment, activity monitor, or other personal display device.
The Heart Rate Monitor device profile was the first ANT+ message format to be defined, and the structure it uses to send the data is slightly different to that typically found in other profiles. It is important that the receiver is able to decode all of the data that can be sent from an ANT+ heart rate monitor, including the information marked as optional below in order to ensure compatibility with all ANT+ Heart Rate Monitors.
The standard use case of the Fitness Equipment device profile is shown below. The fitness equipment has a relatively small pairing zone, marked by the “Link Here” logo. A user begins a fitness session by approaching the fitness equipment and entering the pairing zone. If the user is wearing a watch, pairing between the watch and equipment will occur when the user places their watch within close proximity to the “Link Here” logo. Once pairing has been established, the range of communication between the watch and FE moves from the pairing zone to the tracking zone. The watch may wirelessly transfer user information and a workout or course file using ANT File Share (ANT-FS) technology and the Flexible and Interoperable Data Transfer (FIT) protocol. The fitness equipment will then begin broadcasting real time workout data which may also include events such as workout starts and stops, as well as lap events. The watch displays and records data, and responds to any events (i.e. starting/stopping chronometer and recording lap events).
Once the watch and FE have been paired, the watch will provide a file to the fitness equipment containing user information and may also transfer a workout or course profile.
The FE can also broadcast real-time workout data to the paired watch. Different types of FE may send different types of data. For example, treadmills may send speed, distance and incline information, whereas a rowing machine may send strokes per minute and power data. Data may be stored on the watch and summarized at the end of the workout session. The watch may display the summary data at the end of the session, or store it for later download to a PC.
ANT+ Fitness Equipment is designed using a FIT1e module, an application-specific ANT module designed specifically for use in fitness equipment. The FIT1e integrates with fitness equipment to receive ANT+ information from heart rate monitors (HRMs) and exchange information with display devices such as watches.
General data
Equipment specific data
The ANT+ environment sensor is a device that allows a variety of environmental parameters to be measured. Data such as current temperature, and 24 hour highs and/or lows may be transmitted to a collector device for real time display, or stored on the environment sensor for later download to a PC or other collecting device.
Typically the ANT+ environment sensor transmits temperature data at a default 0.5Hz or 4Hz rate.
On receiving a request for data from the display:
The ANT+ environment sensor may store measurement data for transfer to a collection device. The data in the file is formatted according to the Flexible and Interoperable Data Transfer (FIT) protocol and transferred using ANT-FS.
Once an ANT-FS session is established, any stored data available can be downloaded from the environment sensor. The display/collection device may then maintain the ANT-FS session allowing for periodic file transfers of data, or it may disconnect the ANT-FS session, at which point the sensor shall return to the real time data broadcast.
Bike speed sensors are devices mounted on a bicycle that measure the speed the bicycle is travelling. This is typically done using a magnet mounted on the wheel spokes and a sensor on the bicycle frame that senses the magnet passing. Bike cadence sensors measure the speed at which the user is pedalling, typically using a magnet attached to the pedal shaft and a sensor mounted on the frame. The standard mode of operation is for the bike speed or cadence sensor to transmit its measured data to the receiving display device. Typically this device is a bike computer, but it could be any ANT+ display device capable of decoding bike speed and cadence information, such as a watch, cell phone, PDA, etc.
The ANT+ Bicycle Speed and Cadence device profile describes the wireless link between the transmitting bike sensors and the receiving display device. The sensors communicate with the receiving device in one of four modes:
Bike Speed Sensor Only – A single speed sensor on the bike requires a single ANT channel to communicate data.
Bike Cadence Sensor Only – A single cadence sensor on the bike requires a single ANT channel to communicate data.Bike Speed and Cadence Sensors – Two sensors on the bike (speed and cadence) each require a single ANT channel to communicate data. The receiver must have two active channels, composed of modes 1 and 2, open.
Combined Bike Speed and Cadence Sensor – This mode has combined both the speed and cadence sensors into a single sensor. One sensor transmits data about the user’s speed and cadence over a single ANT channel.It is strongly recommended that the receiving display device be able to accept and display data from all four modes of operation. Therefore the use cases and technical content for the different sensors have been put together into this single document. Developers of devices intending to display bike speed and cadence information are requested to implement all the device definitions. The added firmware size to enable all three device profiles in the display device’s firmware is a small cost for the large reward of interoperability with multiple devices.
A bike power sensor is a sensor that is mounted on a bicycle and that allows the cyclist to measure his or her power output, which is used to move the bike forward and is measured in Watts. The meter transmits the information to a display device; the device can be a bike computer, watch, cell phone, piece of fitness equipment, or other personal display device.
Bike power sensors vary in two ways: in the method used to measure power and in the conditions and interval used to update and broadcast power information.
The ANT+ message definition currently supports power sensors that use different measurements to determine power:
All of the broadcast power messages have an Update Event Counter that is used by the receiver to calculate information accurately. There are two methods used by bicycle power sensors for information updates:
ANT+ bike power data pages support various types of bike power sensors. The basic power format is implemented using a simple Power-Only message transmitted at a slow rate along with more detailed main power messages at a higher data rate. Main power messages are specific to the power methods used; there are four currently supported methods.
The first three methods, Power only; Torque at Wheel; Torque at Crank; are associated with the icon PWR.
The fourth method Crank Torque Frequency is associated with the CTF icon.
The information sent in each of these cases is illustrated below and described in detail within the device profile. Devices using the PWR icon are not guaranteed to be interoperable with devices using the CTF icon, and vice versa. It is possible for a display device to carry both icons.
A multi-sport speed and distance monitor (MSM) is a personal device that allows the user to measure the distance travelled and computes the speed at which they are traveling. Unlike stride based systems, this class of sensor may use satellite positioning, radar, or other technologies to measure the distance travelled, allowing MSMs to be used for a wide range of activities with varied user motion and speed ranges. MSMs report distance travelled with an accompanying time stamp and may be used for activities such as running, cycling, alpine skiing, in-line skating, etc.
The MSM is worn on or close to the body and contains an ANT transmitter that broadcasts speed and distance information to a receiver where it may be displayed or stored. Some MSM devices may also have the ability to send other data, such as GPS position. The receiving device can be a watch, cell phone, or any personal display device.
Note: This device profile should not be used for stride based devices such as footpods and pedometers. If you are uncertain about which device profile to use for a sensor that you manufacture please contact the ANT+ Alliance at antalliance@thisisant.com for more information.
The ANT+ Geocache Device Profile uses the term geocaching to mean an activity where the user has a GPS receiver which is used to track down a hidden, electronic geocache device.
Typically the owner of the geocache device programs and hides the device, providing general location information, such as the latitude/longitude coordinates or trailhead information to a geocaching website, database or other service. The user may then obtain this information from the service, enter this information into their GPS, and start searching for the geocache device.
The geocache device continuously transmits its ID at a low data rate, allowing it to be detected by a searching GPS receiver. Once the user enters the vicinity of the geocache device, the searching GPS receiver detects the geocache device transmissions and requests an exchange of the geocache device’s data.
Typical Use
Programming
All blood pressure (BP) monitors are designed to take the user’s blood pressure. This is usually accomplished using a sphygmomanometer cuff, which is placed around the user’s upper arm at approximately the same height as the heart. The cuff is inflated until the flow of blood in the brachial artery is momentarily stopped, and then the cuff is deflated until blood flow returns and the arterial pressure is recorded. Electronic BP monitors usually have the ability to display the measured arterial pressure values, as well as other measured and calculated data, such as heart rate and the detection of any pulse irregularities.
An ANT+ blood pressure device will have the ability to store recorded data, and forward this information to another device when required.
Some blood pressure devices may have the ability to store multiple measurements from multiple users. The ANT+ Blood Pressure Device Profile allows for devices to have the necessary scalability to handle multiple users and their associated user profiles.
Note that this device profile does not allow for real time data transfer. Blood pressure data must first be stored in FIT files and then transferred using ANT-FS.
The collection device will store, display and possibly track the data received from the blood pressure device. The collection device can be a device such as a cell phone or laptop computer that may have direct internet access; or it may be a device like a PDA or wrist top computer that will act as a transfer device for the received data.
Ultimately the blood pressure measurements will be stored in a database application, for example an online health database or at a health professional’s office. The information may be transmitted from the blood pressure device to a collection device and then over the internet to a database for storage and possibly further analysis.
Download files:
Upload files (e.g. user profile - optional):
Erase files
Personal audio devices, video devices, smart phones and other displays are often used during activities that may also be monitored by many traditional ANT+ devices. For example, people that enjoy running will often wear a music player during their workout. Cyclists often use bike computers, but would prefer to keep their hands on the handlebars while operating them. A skateboarder or dancer may choose to mount a video camera remotely to record them as they perform, while also recording their heart rate. In these situations, it is a logical solution to use a single device both to display information received from body worn Personal Area Network (PAN) sensors, and to act as a remote control for the remote device.
The ANT+ Controls Device Profile includes four control use cases, that can be used separately or combined within a remote control or controllable device. Each use case is associated with its own icon and transmits information / control commands as illustrated below.
Audio control allows a user to control their audio player remotely while they work out. For example, a runner may wish to control their music player from their watch as they run.
Video control allows a user to control video recording and playback remotely. This could be useful in several situations including:
Generic control is used to send generic commands using ANT+. These commands are generic in nature and therefore may be applicable to a very wide range of devices. The commands are also context specific and it is assumed that the user can see the device they are controlling.
Generic control currently includes menu navigation and timer control commands, and is ideal for controlling bike computers, and other fitness equipment displays using a conveniently mounted remote control. It could also be used in combination with other control types, for example video control to operate an ANT+ enabled TV.
Keypad control is used to send individual characters or strings from a remote control to a controllable device. This may be used in combination with other control use cases, for example to enter a user name and passwords, or playlist titles, or for any other situation where short strings need to be transferred wirelessly between devices within a short range.
Once you have found a device profile that suits your use case, take a look at “How do I implement a profile?”.
If your use case is not yet covered by a device profile, please contact us to discuss.
If you need to check which device profiles an existing product supports, or vice versa, then use the Product Directory.
