[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":582},["ShallowReactive",2],{"navigation-en":3,"/blog/behind-the-scenes-2025-journey":60,"/blog/behind-the-scenes-2025-journey-surround":231,"related-/en/blog/behind-the-scenes-2025-journey":242},[4,28],{"title":5,"path":6,"stem":7,"children":8,"icon":27},"Getting Started","/docs/getting-started","en/1.docs/1.getting-started/1.index",[9,12,17,22],{"title":10,"path":6,"stem":7,"icon":11,"children":-1},"Introduction","i-lucide-house",{"title":13,"path":14,"stem":15,"icon":16,"children":-1},"Hardware Specifications","/docs/getting-started/installation","en/1.docs/1.getting-started/2.installation","i-lucide-cpu",{"title":18,"path":19,"stem":20,"icon":21,"children":-1},"Quick Start Guide","/docs/getting-started/quick-start","en/1.docs/1.getting-started/2.quick-start","i-lucide-rocket",{"title":23,"path":24,"stem":25,"icon":26,"children":-1},"Training Programs","/docs/getting-started/usage","en/1.docs/1.getting-started/3.usage","i-lucide-activity",false,{"title":29,"path":30,"stem":31,"children":32,"icon":34},"Essentials","/docs/essentials","en/1.docs/2.essentials/0.index",[33,35,40,45,50,55],{"title":29,"path":30,"stem":31,"icon":34,"children":-1},"i-lucide-settings",{"title":36,"path":37,"stem":38,"icon":39,"children":-1},"Features Overview","/docs/essentials/features","en/1.docs/2.essentials/1.features","i-lucide-star",{"title":41,"path":42,"stem":43,"icon":44,"children":-1},"Mobile App","/docs/essentials/mobile-app","en/1.docs/2.essentials/2.mobile-app","i-lucide-smartphone",{"title":46,"path":47,"stem":48,"icon":49,"children":-1},"ANT+ Integration","/docs/essentials/ant-integration","en/1.docs/2.essentials/3.ant-integration","i-lucide-radio",{"title":51,"path":52,"stem":53,"icon":54,"children":-1},"Troubleshooting","/docs/essentials/troubleshooting","en/1.docs/2.essentials/4.troubleshooting","i-lucide-help-circle",{"title":56,"path":57,"stem":58,"icon":59,"children":-1},"Firmware Update","/docs/essentials/firmware-update","en/1.docs/2.essentials/5.firmware-update","i-lucide-download",{"id":61,"title":62,"authors":63,"badge":70,"body":73,"date":221,"description":222,"extension":223,"image":224,"meta":225,"navigation":226,"path":227,"seo":228,"stem":229,"__hash__":230},"posts/en/3.blog/17.behind-the-scenes-2025-journey.md","Behind the Scenes: BeatBuddy Pro's 2025 Journey",[64],{"name":65,"to":66,"avatar":67,"jobTitle":69},"Mariusz Smenżyk","https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariusz-smenzyk/",{"src":68},"/images/mariusz-smenzyk.webp","Founder, Engineering & TI Coach",{"label":71,"color":72},"Behind the Scenes","primary",{"type":74,"value":75,"toc":210},"minimark",[76,86,91,99,104,108,111,133,137,144,147,151,161,165,172,176,179,189,193,196,199,202],[77,78,79,80,85],"p",{},"2025 was a pivotal year for ",[81,82,84],"a",{"href":83},"/","BeatBuddy Pro"," — our programmable metronome designed specifically for swimmers and athletes. At its core, it's still a metronome — just engineered for sport, not music.",[87,88,90],"h2",{"id":89},"building-the-first-prototypes","Building the First Prototypes",[77,92,93,94,98],{},"We focused on building our first four prototypes, then planned to produce 100 more units to test key assumptions in real conditions. Over time, the most important aspect of this process became ",[95,96,97],"strong",{},"simplifying production"," — reducing complexity, removing unnecessary elements, and preparing the solution for repeatable, scalable manufacturing.",[100,101],"video-player",{"poster":102,"src":103},"/images/blog/beatbuddy_blog_tomek-agh-meeting.webp","/images/blog/beatbuddy-2025-journey.mp4",[87,105,107],{"id":106},"real-challenges","Real Challenges",[77,109,110],{},"This was also a year of real challenges:",[112,113,114,121,127],"ul",{},[115,116,117,120],"li",{},[95,118,119],{},"Changing hardware suppliers"," — finding reliable partners proved harder than expected",[115,122,123,126],{},[95,124,125],{},"Redesigning parts of the solution"," — some initial approaches simply didn't scale",[115,128,129,132],{},[95,130,131],{},"Finding the right embedded developer"," — someone who could work within hardware constraints",[87,134,136],{"id":135},"keeping-knowledge-in-house","Keeping Knowledge In-House",[77,138,139,140,143],{},"A critical priority from day one has been ",[95,141,142],{},"retaining knowledge within the company",". We ensure that all documentation, data, and design decisions stay in our infrastructure.",[77,145,146],{},"Working with suppliers often meant fighting resistance to extract information and prevent knowledge silos. This is essential if we want to develop BeatBuddy independently and consciously.",[87,148,150],{"id":149},"the-musictech-lab-connection","The MusicTech Lab Connection",[77,152,153,154,160],{},"In parallel, ",[81,155,159],{"href":156,"rel":157},"https://musictechlab.io",[158],"nofollow","MusicTech Lab"," supports BeatBuddy by developing the mobile app and web components — so that hardware and software grow together as one cohesive system.",[87,162,164],{"id":163},"_500-swimmers-waiting","500+ Swimmers Waiting",[77,166,167,168,171],{},"Today, over ",[95,169,170],{},"500 swimmers and coaches"," are waiting to test BeatBuddy Pro when it's ready.",[87,173,175],{"id":174},"the-hard-truth-about-hardware","The Hard Truth About Hardware",[77,177,178],{},"Building hardware is very difficult. Finding the right partner who can truly help — is even harder. This year showed us that very clearly.",[180,181,183],"callout",{"color":72,"icon":182},"i-heroicons-light-bulb",[77,184,185,188],{},[95,186,187],{},"Unexpected Connection",": Recently, Tomek — a swimmer and lifeguard at AGH Pool who studies electronics — reached out after seeing our project. 25 years ago, I could only dream of studying electronics at AGH. Today, an electronics engineer from AGH comes to me. Sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.",[87,190,192],{"id":191},"whats-next","What's Next",[77,194,195],{},"We're preparing the first batch of 100 devices for beta testers. Each unit will go to trusted swimmers and coaches to collect real, everyday feedback.",[77,197,198],{},"Thank you to everyone following this journey and supporting BeatBuddy.",[200,201],"hr",{},[77,203,204,205,209],{},"Want to be among the first to test? ",[81,206,208],{"href":207},"/newsletter","Join our newsletter"," to stay updated.",{"title":211,"searchDepth":212,"depth":212,"links":213},"",2,[214,215,216,217,218,219,220],{"id":89,"depth":212,"text":90},{"id":106,"depth":212,"text":107},{"id":135,"depth":212,"text":136},{"id":149,"depth":212,"text":150},{"id":163,"depth":212,"text":164},{"id":174,"depth":212,"text":175},{"id":191,"depth":212,"text":192},"2025-01-20T00:00:00.000Z","From four prototypes to 100 beta units - the real challenges of building hardware for swimmers. Inside our development process.","md",{"src":102},{},true,"/en/blog/behind-the-scenes-2025-journey",{"title":62,"description":222},"en/3.blog/17.behind-the-scenes-2025-journey","cxFYX33bvrbg_vuQPZobFU8jmD2En53nRBl16uqV34A",[232,237],{"title":233,"path":234,"stem":235,"description":236,"children":-1},"Eight Months Into BeatBuddy Pro: No Wins Yet, But We're Not Giving Up","/en/blog/eight-months-no-wins-not-giving-up","en/3.blog/16.eight-months-no-wins-not-giving-up","Building something real takes time. For eight months, we've been pouring energy into BeatBuddy Pro. We've hit roadblocks. Tested. Tried again.",{"title":238,"path":239,"stem":240,"description":241,"children":-1},"First Real Tests: What Swimmers Say About BeatBuddy Pro","/en/blog/first-user-tests-swimmer-feedback","en/3.blog/18.first-user-tests-swimmer-feedback","We took BeatBuddy Pro to the pool for its first real user tests. Here's what swimmers discovered — from haptic feedback to nail tip challenges.",[243,424],{"id":244,"title":245,"authors":246,"badge":249,"body":250,"date":415,"description":416,"extension":223,"image":417,"meta":419,"navigation":226,"path":420,"seo":421,"stem":422,"__hash__":423},"posts/en/3.blog/29.beatbuddy-apple-watch-integration.md","Exploring Apple Watch as a Remote for BeatBuddy",[247],{"name":65,"to":66,"avatar":248,"jobTitle":69},{"src":68},{"label":71,"color":72},{"type":74,"value":251,"toc":408},[252,264,268,271,278,282,285,317,321,328,331,351,354,362,366,369,372,386,390,393,400,402],[77,253,254,255,259,260,263],{},"After ",[81,256,258],{"href":257},"/blog/beatbuddy-joins-ant-plus-ecosystem","joining the ANT+ ecosystem"," as an early adopter, we're now exploring another direction — ",[95,261,262],{},"Apple Watch as a remote control for BeatBuddy",".",[87,265,267],{"id":266},"the-idea-is-simple","The Idea Is Simple",[77,269,270],{},"BeatBuddy is a waterproof device that sits under your swim cap or clips to your goggles. It works great — but adjusting settings mid-workout means reaching for the device itself. What if you could just tap your wrist instead?",[77,272,273,274,277],{},"That's the core idea: a ",[95,275,276],{},"simple Apple Watch app that lets you start, stop, and control your BeatBuddy"," without touching the device directly.",[87,279,281],{"id":280},"why-apple-watch","Why Apple Watch?",[77,283,284],{},"Apple Watch is the most popular wearable among athletes. Swimmers, runners, cyclists — millions already wear one every day. It's waterproof (Series 2+ to 50m), it's always on your wrist, and it communicates over Bluetooth Low Energy — the same protocol BeatBuddy already speaks.",[286,287,288,296,303,310],"card-group",{},[289,290,293],"card",{"icon":291,"title":292},"i-heroicons-play-pause","Start & Stop",[77,294,295],{},"Tap your wrist to start or pause BeatBuddy. No need to reach under your swim cap.",[289,297,300],{"icon":298,"title":299},"i-heroicons-hand-raised","Always Within Reach",[77,301,302],{},"Your watch is on your wrist — the most accessible spot during any workout.",[289,304,307],{"icon":305,"title":306},"i-heroicons-signal","BLE Connection",[77,308,309],{},"Apple Watch communicates over BLE — the same protocol BeatBuddy already uses.",[289,311,314],{"icon":312,"title":313},"i-heroicons-beaker","Waterproof Pairing",[77,315,316],{},"Both devices are designed for water. A natural pairing for pool sessions.",[87,318,320],{"id":319},"what-were-researching","What We're Researching",[77,322,323,324,327],{},"We're currently in the ",[95,325,326],{},"R&D phase"," — testing feasibility, exploring watchOS APIs, and figuring out the best way to establish a reliable BLE connection between Apple Watch and BeatBuddy.",[77,329,330],{},"The first version would be intentionally minimal:",[112,332,333,339,345],{},[115,334,335,338],{},[95,336,337],{},"Start / Stop"," — basic playback control",[115,340,341,344],{},[95,342,343],{},"BLE pairing"," — connect to your BeatBuddy device",[115,346,347,350],{},[95,348,349],{},"Simple, glanceable UI"," — large buttons designed for wet fingers and mid-swim taps",[77,352,353],{},"That's it. No tempo adjustment from the watch, no heart rate integration, no HIIT timers — not yet. We believe in shipping something small that works well, and then iterating based on real feedback.",[180,355,356],{"color":72,"icon":182},[77,357,358,361],{},[95,359,360],{},"Why start small?"," Building for watchOS comes with real constraints — strict power budgets, limited background runtime, and specific BLE behaviors. Getting a reliable start/stop command to work over BLE during a swim session is a meaningful technical challenge on its own. We'd rather nail that first.",[87,363,365],{"id":364},"the-technical-exploration","The Technical Exploration",[77,367,368],{},"watchOS has its own rules. BLE connections behave differently on Apple Watch than on iPhone — CoreBluetooth on watchOS has limitations around background execution and connection management. We're investigating how to maintain a stable BLE link between the watch and BeatBuddy, especially in water where radio signals are attenuated.",[77,370,371],{},"Some of the questions we're working through:",[112,373,374,377,380,383],{},[115,375,376],{},"How reliably can Apple Watch maintain a BLE connection with BeatBuddy during a swim?",[115,378,379],{},"What's the latency between a tap on the watch and BeatBuddy responding?",[115,381,382],{},"How does Water Lock affect BLE communication and user interaction?",[115,384,385],{},"What's the battery impact on both devices?",[87,387,389],{"id":388},"what-could-come-next","What Could Come Next",[77,391,392],{},"If the basic remote control works well, there's a natural roadmap of possibilities — but we're not committing to anything beyond the initial version right now. We want to get the fundamentals right first and hear what athletes actually need.",[77,394,395,396,399],{},"The beauty of starting with a simple remote is that it ",[95,397,398],{},"adds value without changing what BeatBuddy already does well",". The device stays the same. You just get a more convenient way to control it.",[200,401],{},[77,403,404,405,407],{},"Curious about BeatBuddy on Apple Watch? ",[81,406,208],{"href":207}," — we'll share updates as the research progresses.",{"title":211,"searchDepth":212,"depth":212,"links":409},[410,411,412,413,414],{"id":266,"depth":212,"text":267},{"id":280,"depth":212,"text":281},{"id":319,"depth":212,"text":320},{"id":364,"depth":212,"text":365},{"id":388,"depth":212,"text":389},"2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z","We're researching how Apple Watch could work as a simple remote control for BeatBuddy — here's what we're exploring and why.",{"src":418},"/images/blog/beatbuddy-apple-watch-integration.webp",{},"/en/blog/beatbuddy-apple-watch-integration",{"title":245,"description":416},"en/3.blog/29.beatbuddy-apple-watch-integration","86pICXZlHHa4geGaA7EGPTEJHxzn7Jkydtv1I9Tvxz4",{"id":425,"title":426,"authors":427,"badge":430,"body":431,"date":573,"description":574,"extension":223,"image":575,"meta":577,"navigation":226,"path":578,"seo":579,"stem":580,"__hash__":581},"posts/en/3.blog/28.beatbuddy-joins-ant-plus-ecosystem.md","BeatBuddy Joins the ANT+ Ecosystem as an Early Adopter",[428],{"name":65,"to":66,"avatar":429,"jobTitle":69},{"src":68},{"label":71,"color":72},{"type":74,"value":432,"toc":566},[433,440,444,447,454,458,465,494,498,501,508,516,520,523,546,549,553,556,559,561],[77,434,435,436,439],{},"BeatBuddy has officially joined the ",[95,437,438],{},"ANT+ Adopter Program"," — a step that's been months in the making and one that fundamentally changes what our device can do.",[87,441,443],{"id":442},"what-is-ant-and-why-does-it-matter","What Is ANT+ and Why Does It Matter?",[77,445,446],{},"ANT+ is the wireless protocol used by most serious fitness devices — Garmin, Wahoo, Polar, Suunto. When you strap on a heart rate monitor at the gym or clip a cadence sensor to your bike, chances are it's speaking ANT+.",[77,448,449,450,453],{},"The key word here is ",[95,451,452],{},"interoperability",". Any ANT+ certified device can communicate with any other. No proprietary pairing, no brand lock-in. One open ecosystem.",[87,455,457],{"id":456},"why-we-chose-ant","Why We Chose ANT+",[77,459,460,461,464],{},"From the very beginning, BeatBuddy was designed to work ",[95,462,463],{},"directly with sensors"," — no phone in between, no app required. ANT+ makes this possible.",[286,466,467,473,480,487],{},[289,468,470],{"icon":305,"title":469},"Direct Sensor Connection",[77,471,472],{},"Pair your ANT+ heart rate strap directly with BeatBuddy. No phone needed.",[289,474,477],{"icon":475,"title":476},"i-heroicons-bolt","Lower Latency",[77,478,479],{},"ANT+ is purpose-built for real-time sensor data — faster response than typical BLE connections.",[289,481,484],{"icon":482,"title":483},"i-heroicons-globe-alt","Massive Compatibility",[77,485,486],{},"Works with thousands of existing ANT+ devices already on the market.",[289,488,491],{"icon":489,"title":490},"i-heroicons-arrows-right-left","BLE + ANT+ Simultaneously",[77,492,493],{},"BeatBuddy supports both protocols at the same time. You're never locked into one ecosystem.",[87,495,497],{"id":496},"the-technical-reality","The Technical Reality",[77,499,500],{},"Getting ANT+ working on a tiny embedded device wasn't straightforward. We're running both BLE and ANT+ on a single Nordic nRF52 chip using the S332 SoftDevice — a dual-protocol radio stack that shares the 2.4GHz antenna between both protocols in real time.",[77,502,503,504,507],{},"This means BeatBuddy can talk to your phone over Bluetooth ",[95,505,506],{},"and"," read your heart rate from an ANT+ chest strap — simultaneously, on the same hardware.",[180,509,510],{"color":72,"icon":182},[77,511,512,515],{},[95,513,514],{},"Fun fact",": The S332 SoftDevice manages BLE and ANT+ on the same 2.4GHz radio by time-slicing between protocols — hundreds of times per second. When a collision happens, the chip just retries on the next slot. The athlete never notices.",[87,517,519],{"id":518},"what-this-unlocks","What This Unlocks",[77,521,522],{},"With ANT+ adoption, BeatBuddy can now natively support:",[112,524,525,531,537,543],{},[115,526,527,530],{},[95,528,529],{},"Heart rate monitors"," — real-time HR data directly to your device",[115,532,533,536],{},[95,534,535],{},"Cycling cadence sensors"," — match your pedaling rhythm to audio cues",[115,538,539,542],{},[95,540,541],{},"Cycling speed sensors"," — track speed without a phone",[115,544,545],{},"And potentially more ANT+ device profiles in the future",[77,547,548],{},"For swimmers, cyclists, and runners who already own ANT+ sensors — your gear now works with BeatBuddy out of the box.",[87,550,552],{"id":551},"joining-the-big-table","Joining the Big Table",[77,554,555],{},"Becoming an ANT+ adopter puts BeatBuddy alongside companies like Garmin, Wahoo, and Polar in the same ecosystem. For a company on a mission to redefine how athletes use rhythm in training, that's exactly where we need to be. It means we're building to the same standard, passing the same interoperability requirements, and earning the right to use the ANT+ logo.",[77,557,558],{},"We're not just building a metronome — we're building a platform for rhythm-driven performance. And now we're doing it with the industry's most trusted sensor protocol.",[200,560],{},[77,562,563,564,209],{},"Want to be among the first to test BeatBuddy with your ANT+ sensors? ",[81,565,208],{"href":207},{"title":211,"searchDepth":212,"depth":212,"links":567},[568,569,570,571,572],{"id":442,"depth":212,"text":443},{"id":456,"depth":212,"text":457},{"id":496,"depth":212,"text":497},{"id":518,"depth":212,"text":519},{"id":551,"depth":212,"text":552},"2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z","We've officially joined the ANT+ Adopter Program — here's what it means for BeatBuddy and why it matters for athletes.",{"src":576},"/images/blog/beatbuddy-ant-plus-adopter.webp",{},"/en/blog/beatbuddy-joins-ant-plus-ecosystem",{"title":426,"description":574},"en/3.blog/28.beatbuddy-joins-ant-plus-ecosystem","AKy4wzl-YRpHSmPPh9WspkqCH3UQghm8dKGJeTyQaXM",1777567227495]