Works it whith MyWhooth app?

[MKO1640]

ILast week, MyWhoosh released an update, and rowing was added.

I'm now thinking about making my rowing machine smart.

However, MyWhoosh currently only supports a limited number of rowing machines.

At the launch of the rowing function (as of early 2026), MyWhoosh primarily supports Concept2 rowing machines, provided they are equipped with a PM5 monitor and Bluetooth.

Have you ever tried connecting an ESP32 Rowing Monitor to MyWhoosh?

[Abasz]

Thanks for your interest. I have no idea about MyWhoosh I have never seen it or tried it. If it supports FTMS Rowing BLE profile than you can connect with ESP Rowing Monitor. If not than its not compatible.

If FTMS is not supported you can try https://github.com/JaapvanEkris/openrowingmonitor which has implemented the full PM5 protocol if MyWhoosh supports that.

But there are a lot of alternatives for virtual rowing apps e.g. https://exrgame.com/ that works with ESPRM as it supports the FTMS protocol.

[JaapvanEkris]

MyWhoosh currently only supports the PM5. I tested it with OpenRowingMonitor, and it works as good as a PM5.

MyWhoosh itself is a complete mess. Metrics are all over the place (many have reported this on a PM5 as well). You can read my experiences here: https://www.c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=210436 . In summary: it is a mess requiring a lot of work to fix. EXR is a lot better in my opinion.

[MKO1640]

Thank you so much for the quick replies.

I'll give it a try.

I'll definitely start with ESPRowingMonitor and EXR. WyWhoosh was just an idea, since I already have it installed on my bike.

Of course, I can also wait until it's more mature there.

It would be nice for tinkering if there were a free alternative to EXR. The 14-day free trial might be a bit short if you end up having to order some additional parts or use some more workarounds.

I also accidentally opened the wrong fork for OpenRowingMonitor and was worried that it hasn't been developed for years.

[JaapvanEkris]

Of course, I can also wait until it's more mature there.

I don't have the impression they put any real effort in. The PM5 interface is a complete mess. I hit 50km/h while the machine hadn't moved an inch yet. Friends observed rowers going 400km/h. I looked at my own logs on ORM, and there realky wasn't anything happening.

And their visuals are weird. They set Unity to the realistic mode, but the boat doesn't interact with water and you are stuck in the middle of the lake. I rowed a 10k lap which in reality is close to 1K, so I moved at glacial speeds over an empty lake with stuff in the far distance. Quite a frustrating experience and it shows they haven't really used it themselves. Clearly no rowers were involved.

It would be nice for tinkering if there were a free alternative to EXR. The 14-day free trial might be a bit short if you end up having to order some additional parts or use some more workarounds.

Can't really speak for ESPRM, but on ORM we typically have a working solution within a day. Don't see why ESPRM would be different as we share almost the entire rowing engine design.

Typically you need an ESP32 or Raspberry Pi (often a Zero 2W will suffice) and a sensor. But often the existing sensor can be reused.

I also accidentally opened the wrong fork for OpenRowingMonitor and was worried that it hasn't been developed for years.

The initial fork is indeed as dead as a Dodo and I admit that is confusing. But Abasz and I have developed it over the last years to a way more advanced approach. We are lightyears further in development and still active daily.

[Abasz]

It would be nice for tinkering if there were a free alternative to EXR. The 14-day free trial might be a bit short if you end up having to order some additional parts or use some more workarounds.

So if you tell me what Rower you have I can help with the implementation and also to determine the effort required. In terms of ESP32 if you buy a devboard with pins already soldered chances are high that you can just connect jumper cables and power it from USB (e.g. from a power bank which can run it a long long long time).

[MKO1640]

@JaapvanEkris

Can't really speak for ESPRM, but on ORM we typically have a working solution within a day. Don't see why ESPRM would be different as we share almost the entire rowing engine design.

I think I'll reach my goal fairly quickly with either option.I'm a 3D printing veteran (over 25 Years) and an electronics technician.
I'm currently leaning more towards the ESPRM, since I have more experience with the ESP32 and C++.
However, I will definitely take a look at ORM as well, since I still have a few unused Zero2W units lying around.

But Abasz and I have developed it over the last years to a way more advanced approach.
That makes me very happy. I always find it a shame that good approaches and ideas keep dying out.

@Abasz

So if you tell me what Rower you have I can help with the implementation and also to determine the effort required.

Currently, I only have a very cheap Activ Touch rowing machine that was available at Aldi a few years ago. I received it as a gift, broken, and repaired it.

https://www.aspiria-nonfood.de/fileadmin/aspirianonfood/Dokumente/Manual/ANS-19-036_Ruderger%C3%A4t_DE.pdf
It even has Bluetooth, but they could have completely omitted that feature the bad app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.aspiria.active&hl=de

Before I found you guys. I had considered decrypting the protocols and possibly building a decoder myself, if i found something about the PM5 protokol

[JaapvanEkris]

Before I found you guys. I had considered decrypting the protocols and possibly building a decoder myself, if i found something about the PM5 protokol

The PM5 protocol is extremely complex as it has some suboptimal design choices which are now frowned upon. I reverse engineered it using the official documentation but above all the help of the devs of EXR and ErgZone. It is a messy interface with a lot of statefull logic that changes meaning based on session state.

And most monitors provide useless data to begin with. They are completely clueless how a rowing monitor should measure things.

[Abasz]

i checked the manual. it seems to this is a magnetic rower. there are 3 wires for the monitor. we had encountered similar machine:

laberning/openrowingmonitor#186

you will need a sensor that measures the flywheel not the handle so the current sensors probably won't work. Please see FAQ: https://github.com/Abasz/ESPRowingMonitor/blob/master/docs/faq.md#4-my-rower-already-has-reed-switches-on-the-handle--can-i-reuse-them-for-esp-rowing-monitor

if you have any other questions let me know.

Also there are 3d printable cases for different boards, you can have a look at the docs.

[MKO1640]

Thanks, but I think I can handle 3D files pretty well.

Let me know if you need anything with that.

You're right, the existing sensors are useless for this project.

Since we've strayed quite far from the original topic, let's continue here.