Pivo Meet "Research"

I am diving into the world of virtual lessons. I love my Pivo Pod and have it dialed in so that it works effortlessly every time. It has taken a few tweaks, but it now works perfectly. If you're considering a Pivo Pod, here are my quick recommendations:

• I bought the Pivo Pod Silver (slightly more expensive). My reasoning was that faster can't ever be wrong.
• I use a flexible tripod that works brilliantly. I simply strap it to the fence and screw my Pivo Pod to the top. This is the one I bought.
• My Pivo Pod settings are: Auto Tracking AI; On-Screen Position Center; Tracking Speed Fast; Auto Zoom On; Predictive Follow Off, Target Exposure On, Front Camera (not the selfie camera), and Horse Mode.
• I use an iPhone 7Plus.
• Since my phone's battery isn't great, I also attach a solar charger that keeps my phone's battery from going dead while tracking.

Now, I want to start using Pivo Meet for remote lessons so that I don't have to spend nearly six hours driving for a lesson. Not only is my whole Saturday spent just so I can get a 45 minute lesson, but the price of diesel keeps going up. Driving to a lesson now costs around $70 which is nearly the price of a lesson!

​While I would have loved for someone to just tell me what to do to make Pivo Meet work, I know from experience that doing the research myself usually gives me a better understanding of the process. I started off with this article from Pivo. The process is pretty simple:

• Download the Pivo Meet app from the App Store.
• Launch the app and connect to your phone.
• Use Do Not Disturb Mode on your phone.
• Enable the microphone and camera (this is the default setting).
• Next, share the link via a text or email. I shared it to my laptop via email and then via a text. Both worked equally well.
• Choose your settings by swiping left: Horse, Center, Fast, Auto Zoom On, Predictive Follow Off, Target Exposure On.
• Give the guest control of the Pivo Pod; the control button is at the bottom of the screen. This allows the trainer to track you if Pivo loses you.
• Start the call.

The beauty of Pivo Meet is that the trainer doesn't need to download any software. All he or she needs to do is open the shared link. From the window that opens up, he or she can access his or her microphone and camera as well as control the Pivo's tracking.

The last thing I need to do - besides practicing some more, is acquire a set of wireless ear buds. Holy moly is that a rabbit hole. Apparently, there are wireless earbuds and true wireless earbuds. The first are wireless, meaning they connect via Bluetooth but they are connected to each other by a wire. True wireless earbuds aren't connected to each other. Both styles vary wildly in price, but I think I have found a pair that will suit my budget and needs both: PowerPro Sport 5.0 Bluetooth Headphones. What I like about these besides the functionality is that they claim to work up to a range of 100 feet.

Before spending the money on the earbuds though, I want to do a bit more practicing. I need to make sure I can get Pivo Meet to work smoothly every time. Right now, I am having a few problems, but I feel quite confident they are due to user error. While reading posts on the Pivo Facebook page, I also discovered that connecting the earbuds and getting them to work during the Meet can be problematic, so now I need to get that part working as well. Thank you, Janet and Ruth, for the tip.

If you have any other Pivo Meet tips, feel free to share!