There are tricks to make a Peloton bike work even if it is not connected to the internet. It may not work perfectly, but you can get the bike to function.
To make a Peloton bike work offline, you should also partly download (you cannot fully download) each video in advance. This way, it won't use so much data that it slows down.
Normally, a Peloton bike won't work offline. However, you can use your mobile phone to create a mobile hotspot and connect the Peloton bike to the hotspot WiFi. This uses a lot of mobile data, but you can load and play the videos this way.
In my experience, using a Peloton bike if the internet is down is worth it as long as you have a lot of mobile data. If your mobile data is limited or expensive, don't use your bike. If you have a mobile hotspot, you can also use that to get your bike to work, and it works better than a phone.
What Are Peloton Bikes?
Peloton bikes are luxury exercise bikes that cost 1500 to 2500 dollars. The company is based in New York and also makes treadmills and shoes. Pelotons are fairly high-end bikes for people who want to pay more for quality.
Peloton Bikes Have Screens and Speakers
Peloton bikes are high-tech, both because the mechanical components are advanced and because they have a screen that can play videos. You can watch and listen to a cycling video while you ride your bike. The videos have instructors and lessons, and they teach you how to cycle many miles.
You Can Use a Bigger Screen With a Peloton Bike
If you want to play the exercise videos on a bigger screen, you can do this using the Chromecast feature. The peloton bike will transmit the exercise videos to your larger screen.
You Can Exercise With Other People
You can use a microphone to communicate with other cyclists. You can do this either recreationally without competition or with a leaderboard where you can show off your speed.
A Peloton Bike Tracks Your Fitness Metrics
Peloton bikes are also great if you like to track your heart rate and other metrics such as the speed you cycled and how many calories you burned. You will see a chart at the end, and you can use it to improve every month and get in much better shape.
What Options Does Peloton Offer?
Currently, they only have two models, a regular bike for $1495 and a higher-end bike for $2495.
Why Would You Want to Use the Peloton Bike Offline?
Sometimes, the internet shuts down while the power is still on. In that case, you may want to have offline video games, saved movies, or an exercise bike that will work without the internet.
Getting a Peloton Bike to Work Without the Internet
If you try to get a Peloton bike to work without the internet, it won't initially work. Normally, a Peloton bike streams all of the exercise videos, so it won't work without internet access. Thankfully, there is a trick that gets it to work.
What is Preloading?
A peloton bike lets you watch peloton exercise classes over the internet. Depending on how fast/reliable your internet is, you might experience some buffering or slowdowns. One way to prevent these potential slowdowns is preloading.
Preloading involves downloading most but not all of an exercise class in advance. This makes it work much better with slow or unreliably fast internet, but it doesn't let you use the bike offline on its own. Normally, you will still need an internet connection to start your exercise class, as it only downloads most and not all of the data.
How Do You Get it To Work?
You can get a Peloton bike to work by using a mobile phone hotspot in addition to preloading the exercise videos you want to watch. You can use your phone to create a WiFi hotspot that any other device, including your laptop or your Peloton bike, can connect to. If you have already preloaded the exercise videos, the hotspot WiFi should be fast enough to work.
Can Anyone Use a Hotspot In This Way?
Not everyone's mobile phone is capable of creating a WiFi hotspot. If you have an older or more basic phone, it might not be able to do this. You also need a good phone plan to create a hotspot.
How Does It Work?
Even if there is no WiFi in your area, you can still access the internet using your smartphone if you have any data. Smartphone data goes over the cell phone network, not the internet, so it will work without WiFi.
If you use a cell phone to create a WiFi hotspot for a laptop, you can connect to the web even if the internet is down. The smartphone will send and receive data and send it to your laptop, allowing you to use the internet normally.
This works just as well with a Peloton bike as with a computer. Your phone can use data to receive the video files and send them to your bike. The only disadvantage is that you will use up a lot of data.
What Kind of Phone Do You Need?
Both Android phones and iPhones allow you to create a mobile hotspot. You do not need a very fancy or expensive phone to do it - nearly all current models have this feature. It might not work with an older phone.
What Kind of Data Plan Do You Need?
If you have only a small amount of data, you might run out quickly. This could be particularly bad if you get charged extra if you go over the limit. You might go way over the limit and get a huge bill.
Many companies offer unlimited data plans. There is a limit on how much high-speed data you can use, but slower-speed data may be unlimited. If you use a hotspot with a finite amount of data, set a limit so that you don't run out and get charged extra.
How Do You Set It Up?
First, plug your phone in. If you run a mobile hotspot using your batteries, you will run out of power fast. Your phone likely won't last long enough for you to finish your exercise session.
Setting Up a Hotspot With an Android Phone
First, open settings, then go from there to the wireless and networks section and tap more items. After that, tap the following icons:
- Tap "tethering and mobile hotspot" (sometimes found immediately under settings)
- Switch on "mobile hotspot" (put a checkmark on the box)
- Tap "set up WiFi hotspot" and give the hotspot a name and a password.
Once you have the hotspot set up, the rest is easy. You will be able to find your hotspot with your Peloton bike the same way you find your regular internet connection.
Setting It Up With an iPhone
Go to settings, then to "cellular/mobile data" and then to "personal hotspot." Sometimes, "personal hotspot" is under settings. Tap "allow others to join" to make your hotspot available to others.
The last thing to do is create a name and a password for your network. After that, you should be able to use the internet with your bike. You will be able to see the hotspot as an available network on your bike or any other device.
Should You Get a Separate Mobile Data Hotspot?
Separate mobile data hotspots have advantages over phones. Using your phone as a mobile data hotspot drains your battery fast, so you will need to keep your phone plugged in. A mobile hotspot often has some other features that make it work better than a phone.
A mobile hotspot is relatively cheap (less than a hundred to a few hundred dollars), so it might be worth the money even if you won't use it all that often. You can use it to send internet to many different devices at once; this is usually not possible with phones. Some other features mobile hotspots may include are:
- Powerful antennas that give your WiFi a longer range
- Guest networks so that your friends can use your hotspot
- USB chargers so you can use the hotspot to charge other devices
- Security features
- Easy to use
- High speeds
- Ports for ethernet cables in addition to WiFi coverage
.jpeg)