Shimano

Di2 Inline Wireless Unit - EW-WU111

Killed my system

I decided I would update the firmware as recommended before a ride, and now I just dropped the bike off at a shop because the entire system is bricked. No power, no lights, no shifting, really wish I would’ve gone with ETAP

Nice upgrade for an older DI2 System

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

My older DI2 battery didn’t support the wireless unit so when it came time for an upgrade, I added the EW-WU111 and a short cable. Installation was simple and configuring my Garmin Edge to recognize the wireless unit was straightforward. Nice to have battery status onscreen and nerds will like knowing their gear ratios.

No problems for me

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I bought this with trepidation because of the other reviews but had no real issues. Yes, Make sure to update everything before you start Then choose it at a sensor on your wahoo or whatever and you'll be able to see your gears, know how much charge you have left and switch screens with the buttons on top of your hoods. Worth $70? Your call.

Handy Tool

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I'll start by saying I've had some of the same frustrations as other reviewers, but I've found some tips to help make things go well. First, ensure your phone is charged and that no further updates to it will happen while using the E-Tube software. Next, ensure that the software is up to date before any firmware updates. And lastly, don't be in a rush, be patient while using the software. Sometimes it can take a while and appear to stop working when it is actually thinking in the background. If you take that care you should be good. FWIW I am using an Android phone and that may help (everything Apple seems to think it is smarter than everything else and tries to control the situation and tends to muck things up). All this said and done, the hardware works and can make updating firmware on your drivetrain pretty easy.

Prepare for brain damage

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Physically installing this unit took all of 3 min (and another Shimano cable not included). Getting the unit connected to the Shimano E-Tube app took 2 hours, multiple devices, and a lot of swearing. Connected to my iPhone on first try but would not run firmware update. Installed E-Tube app on PC and updated firmware. Once updated, unit would not connect to iPhone no matter what I did. Ultimately ran through several additional Apple devices before my daughter’s iPad finally connected and finished setup. It was mind numbing and I nearly gave up. The unit now works great. I really like seeing gears on my Wahoo screen and controlling the pages/zoom. Knocked stars off for terrible setup but once setup completed, this works as advertised.

Defective

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

The Bluetooth connection was interrupted during a update, and now it's completely dead.

Risky to use

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

The problem with this unit is that if anything goes wrong while you're using it, it can lock up your system to the point that you can't shift and you can't recover without the help of a bike shop - at least officially. Unofficially, there's a messy hack you can do (but I won't go into that). My experience was that my IPhone went into power-save mode - as it often does - during a firmware update, and it totally locked everything up. My recommendation is to download the e-tube software to your PC, and do all of your updates and customizations that way. There's much less chance of a disconnect, and it's much safer.