Rowers

A rowing game for any FTMS Bluetooth rower

FTMS (Fitness Machine Service) is the standard way for fitness equipment to share its numbers over Bluetooth. Many rowing machines with Bluetooth use it, and RowingBuddy reads distance, pace, power and stroke rate from any of them. The SmartRow app’s broadcast mode uses it too.

What you need

  • A rowing machine with FTMS Bluetooth. The manual or the maker’s website usually says so; a rower that works with several fitness apps, not only its maker’s own, very likely has it.
  • A computer, or an Android phone or tablet, with Chrome or Edge.

How to connect

  1. Open RowingBuddy in Chrome or Edge and choose Rower.
  2. Choose Other Bluetooth rower.
  3. Wake the rower’s monitor with a stroke or a button.
  4. Pick your rower in the browser’s Bluetooth window.
  5. Row a few strokes and check the live numbers against the rower’s display.

Then pick a world and a workout, and row. To put it on the big screen, see how to row on your TV.

If it won’t connect

  • Not in the Bluetooth list? Wake the monitor again, and close any other app that may be connected to it.
  • Only rowers with FTMS show up. Rowing on a Concept2? Choose Concept2 PM5 instead.
  • Nothing to connect yet? The built-in simulator lets you try every world and workout.

Still stuck? The questions and answers may help.

Other rowers