Connecting asensei to a WaterRower with ComModule

asensei is now compatible with WaterRower rowing machines with Bluetooth support.  This means that great indoor rowing workouts and training programs from asensei's coaches such as Eric Murray, Dark Horse Rowing and Johan Quie are now available for WaterRower users for the first time.  Read on to learn how to connect.

Which WaterRowers are compatible with asensei

Only Bluetooth equipped WaterRowers work with asensei.  In practice this means that you must have a WaterRower with an S4 Performance Monitor and a ComModule installed - as shown in the image below.

If you have a WaterRower with an S4 monitor and would like to purchase a ComModule to add Bluetooth functionality to your rowing machine you can do so here:

• USA - https://www.waterrower.com/ca/commodule.html 
• UK - https://www.waterrower.co.uk/commodule 
• Germany - https://www.nohrd.com/de/waterrower-com-module.html 
• Others: https://www.nohrd.com/de/chose-country/ 

To find out more about the ComModule, you can read the article ComModule - Connect Your WaterRower which covers installation, connection, and more!

How To connect to a WaterRower with a ComModule

asensei looks for a Bluetooth connection after you start your workout.  So start your workout first before connecting.  When you reach the connection video in the workout asensei will display SCANNING FOR... on screen and will start to look for a suitable Bluetooth enabled rowing machine that is advertising.

To make your WaterRower S4 Performance Monitor with ComModule console ready to connect you should do the following once you reach the connection video in the workout:

1. Turn the S4 Performance Monitor on using the Power button.

2. Press the button on the top of the ComModule which should flash Blue to indicate it is advertising (ready to connect).  

The rowing machine will now be visible to asensei and should connect automatically.  Once the connection is established the workout will progress. 

Troubleshooting WaterRower Commodule Connections

If your WaterRower does not connect then try the following:

How to check that a ComModule is charged?

• Press the button on the top of the ComModule again and check that it flashes blue. If the light does not turn on you may need to charge the ComModule via the supplied USB cable, which requires you to detach it from your S4 Performance Monitor.
• If the ComModule button flashes red you may need to charge your ComModule which you should be able to do via the supplied USB cable - you need to detach it from the S4 Monitor to do so.

Check that the commodule is advertising correctly

It's rare, but sometimes the Commodule can get into a state where instead of advertising over Bluetooth correctly, with a name like "S4 01" (where the "01" part of the name can vary), it advertises up with a name like "RN4871-878E 45CA".  This indicates that the Commodule is in an invalid state. asensei will not connect to the commodule reliably in this state and you will you will need to reset the commodule as described below.

You can check the name the Commodule is advertising with by going into the iOS settings app: Settings > Bluetooth and look for a name in the format "S4 02" in the list of devices.  You will need to have enabled advertising on the Commodule by pressing the LED indicator button on the top.

How to Reset a Commodule

If the Commodule is not being recognized by the asensei rowing app and it is turned on and charged up fully then you may wish to try resetting it.  

To reset a WaterRower Commodule hold down the LED indicator button for 10 seconds.

Disconnect the ComModule Battery

If all else fails and you are still having problems with your ComModule it may be worth trying something a little more extreme - disconnecting the ComModule's internal battery temporarily. This does require that you take the ComModule itself apart, so do think carefully before resorting to this as it might affect your warranty.  You may wish to talk to WaterRower support prior to attempting this.

With great foresight WaterRower ship ComModules along with a small philips (cross-head) screwdriver which can be used to unscrew the 4 retaining screws on the rear of the ComModule as shown in the image below.

When you remove those 4 small screw take care that you don't lose them then open the ComModule carefully, from the top as if there were a hinge on the bottom.  Once open you can see the battery on one side of the lid and the circuit board on the other, joined by a cable assembly as shown in the image below.  The battery connector is at the circuit board end of the cable and you can carefully remove the cable from the connector, wait for a few seconds and then reconnect.  Be careful to ensure that you push it back in place firmly so that the connection is robust.

Once the connector is back in place you can hinge the two pieces back together carefully, making sure that everything lines up and then replace the screws. At this point you can reattach to your S4 monitor and get connected.

Known Limitations

• The effort to achieve a given split time on a WaterRower is known to differ from other rowing machines (such as a Concept 2), so we would generally recommend that you use asensei on a single brand of rowing machine only.  if you use a mixture of rowing machines then you may find that your split targets will be less accurate for you.  Currently asensei does not attempt to normalize between different types of rowing machines.  For more information see this article: Working out on multiple types of rowing machines.
• The CREW X ASENSEI FAST FRIDAY workout in the CREW x ASENSEI program (subscribers only) will not progress when you reach the 500m race segment at the end of the workout.  You must tap the screen and hit Stop to end your workout.
• Various workouts talk about Concept 2 specific features, but the workouts should be fully functional other than those mentioned above.
• If you created your asensei account some time ago and are coming back to the app the legacy connection video displayed for existing asensei users only gives instructions for connecting to a Concept2 rowing machine, even though WaterRower is now supported.  To have asensei display the new connection instructions video you need to logout of your asensei app and back in again.