Tech FAQ

If your company has already been assigned a manufacturer ID, then you will be able to find it in the FIT SDK.

Download the latest FIT SDK, then open the ‘Profile.xls’ file. Within this file, look at the ‘Types’ tab, and search for 'manufacturer' in column A. You’ll see the list of assigned manufacturer ID values there.

If you would like to be assigned your own manufacturer ID, then you will need to become an ANT+ annual member, then request a specific manufacturer ID (no additional fee) through the manufacturer ID request form.  Alternatively you may use the development ID: 255.

The development ID can be used in released products. There are a couple of disadvantages to only using the developer ID though:

• Displays or online systems will not be able to show your company name when they find your sensor.
• Manufacturer specific page numbers should not be used because of not being able to identify the specific manufacturer.

Please review our Manufacturer ID Tech Bulletin for more information.

Simulators are available under the Software tab of the Downloads page.  You can use these to check the functionality of your device or application.

ANT is an ultra-low power wireless networking protocol. Being a protocol it defines how networks can be formed and how data is sent.  It does not define what high level information may be contained within the data.   ANT+ is a managed ANT network that uses ‘device profiles’ to define how to convert between the data and information in a consistent way.  As a result ANT+ devices are interoperable .

Each ANT+ device profile contains the network rules relevant to a specific use case e.g. Speed & Distance monitors.  These include settings for the channel parameters, the format of the data transmitted, and other specific communication mechanisms for the interaction between two devices.

As an analogy, using the ANT protocol could be likened to writing using the Roman alphabet, whereas using ANT+ would be like writing in English.  An ANT+ device (English speaker) would have no trouble communicating with another ANT+ device (another English speaker).  It could also exchange data with an ANT device on a different network (a non-English speaker), but might not know how to interpret the data received back.

For example an ANT+ heart rate monitor produced by Adidas can be used with an ANT+ watch made by Garmin and / or an ANT+ smart phone from Sony.  The heart rate monitor can be interchanged for any other ANT+ heart rate monitor (from any manufacturer), and every device in this system would still know which part of the data stream represented heart rate.

On the other hand, if the heart rate monitor was swapped for a different heart rate monitor that communicated using the ANT protocol, but did not conform to the ANT+ rules, then:
•         the new device would have to communicate on a different network (due to not having the ANT+ Network key)
•         the other devices in the network would need a way to know how to interpret the data sent (e.g. they would need to have been designed to work with this specific heart rate monitor).

For further information, please refer to ANT Message Protocol and Usage, section 5.

You can find the Device Profiles on the Documents tab of our Downloads page. You may also find it useful to refer to our overview of the use cases that each device profile is intended for, and the How to implement a Device Profile page.

ANT+ devices offer best in class interoperability through wireless communication. The ANT+ managed network allows for devices from different manufacturers to communicate efficiently and interoperably.

However ANT+ does not guarantee hardware interoperability, only wireless communication between devices. The hardware interface between a certain ANT+ device and another device (i.e. iPhones and dongles; bike computers and computers via USB; etc.) is not regulated by ANT+ and is not part of the ANT+ specifications. Please check the manufacturer’s description for compatibility over non-wireless connections.

Please look at our ANT+ Product Directory to see the interoperable devices on the market today.

Any two devices that implement the same device profile are compatible.  To check which device profiles a particular device implements, you can use the Product Directory.

Please refer to the appropriate section online under Starting Your Project for information on creating:

• A software application
• An embedded product
• A mobile app