Originally Posted by
John_V
Well, I figured out the issue with the firmware update after I posted the above message. The response that I got from Wahoo Tech Support was incorrect and of no help. For some reason or the other, I was under the impression that the Bolt used the WiFi from the connected phone to do it's updates and downloads. I have no idea why I had that impression but further reading, after my post, showed otherwise.
I'm sure that 95%, or more, of Bolt users would not encounter this issue, but here is the solution in the event that you do. The Bolt, having built-in WiFi will not work on any network where the router has MAC Filtering enabled and the Permit switch turned on. When you select a WiFi network from the companion app and enter a password (on a WEP or WPA protected network), the router will allow it to connect but will not allow any data pass through if MAC Filtering is turned on. The MAC address of the Bolt's WiFi radio must be entered in the filter list if the Permit switch is turned on.
After logging into my router, I disabled MAC Filtering and tried doing the firmware update again. Bingo! The Bolt connected and started the download and installation process for the new firmware. I'm now caught up to date. It's also the reason that I couldn't get rid of the rides downloaded into the Bolt because it couldn't synch with the companion app because it couldn't use WiFi. The solution is to enter the Bolt's MAC address into the filter list of your router and all will be well. Problem! Nowhere on the packaging or in any of the Bolt's options or anywhere in the companion app is the MAC address displayed. So, I sent Wahoo support an email with my serial number in hopes that they have a corresponding MAC address for this unit. It would be a real pain to have to disable MAC Filtering each time I want to use a WiFi function on the Bolt.
Only slightly important but I had read that MAC address filtering on home networks can be readily sniffed and spoofed, thus stopped using it and just went with a really strong password. Doing that alleviates the issues of addresses when connecting to new devices, as you've discovered. My Bolt was a simple connection once it knew the home WiFi password.
In the field - I.E. when away from a WiFi connection, the Wahoo smartphone app can use it's cell data connection to access the RWGPS site, generate and save a route, etc... Once that route is in the RWGPS system, it'll show up on the Wahoo companion app and can then be downloaded and sent to the Bolt via it's BT pairing. This ability with no WiFi can be useful and is one of the methods I read for generating a new route if you've gone off course, which the Wahoo units have trouble with, and want to create a new route to your destination.