Voltra Knob Remote

What's in the box

Your remote comes as two pieces: the knob remote itself (a round touchscreen display with a rotary dial, rechargeable battery, and USB-C port), which has its magnetic knurled base permanently glued on, and a removable TPU knurled case that wraps the body for grip and everyday protection. Run it with the case on or off — the remote works exactly the same either way. The knurling on both the base and case is cut to match the texture of a barbell, so the whole thing feels at home on your rack.

The remote talks to your Voltra directly over Bluetooth — there's no app, no account, and no phone required for day-to-day use. To update the firmware, the easiest way is the web installer: a computer and the USB-C cable, no Wi-Fi needed (see Firmware updates). Updating over Wi-Fi is available too, and that is the only time a phone is needed, briefly, to hand the remote your Wi-Fi password.

Getting started

Charge it

Plug the remote into any USB-C cable and charger to charge its internal battery. It'll run for normal training sessions on a charge; keep it topped off between workouts like any other piece of gym electronics. When you stop using it, the remote goes to sleep by itself to save battery (see Sleep & battery life).

Mount it

The magnetic base is already glued to the back of the remote, so there is nothing to assemble. Stick the remote to a magnetic surface wherever you want it on your rack or Voltra frame — it holds magnetically, so it posts up and pulls free in one motion with no strap or clip to fuss with mid-set. The TPU case can stay on while mounted or come off whenever you like.

First connection

Make sure the Beyond+ phone app is fully closed — the Voltra only accepts one remote controller at a time, and if the app is still connected, the knob won't be able to take over. Power on the remote near your Voltra; it scans and connects automatically.

Status at a glance

The small dot and label in the upper-left of the main screen always shows you the connection state:

Settings → Bluetooth shows the same status with full wording, how long it's been disconnected, which Voltra you're linked to, a RECONNECT button to force a fresh attempt, and a SWITCH VOLTRA button for choosing a different machine. You can also tap the status dot and label on the main screen to jump straight to that choice — see Switching between Voltras.

The main screen

Everything you need during a workout lives on one screen, laid out around the dial.

The idle main screen — base weight focused, nothing loaded yet.

Training modes

The dial always edits one of three things at a time: base weight, eccentric, or chains/inverse. Tap a modifier ring to bring it into focus, turn the dial to change it, and tap the big number in the middle to jump straight back to base weight.

Base weight

The default. Turning the dial changes your working weight by whatever increment is set in Settings → Step Size (1, 2, 5, or 10 lb per click). Turn it faster and the jumps get bigger: see Dial acceleration below.

Eccentric

Adds resistance specifically on the lowering (eccentric) phase of the lift. Shown and adjusted in lb (or kg), independent of base weight. If the Voltra is set to percent in the Beyond+ app, eccentric is shown and adjusted as a percentage of base weight instead (1% per click), and the remote follows whichever unit the Voltra is in. You can force one or the other with Settings → ECC/Chain Unit.

Chains / Inverse

Shown as a percentage of your current base weight rather than a raw number — turning the dial moves it in 1% steps. The ring's tag reads CHN, INV, or MTN depending on which chain style the Voltra itself is set to (chains, inverse chains, or mountain curve); the remote just mirrors whichever one is active. It reads the Voltra's own chain style and whether its chain amount is set in pounds or percent in the Beyond+ app, and follows both, so the style and amount you set on the remote match what the Voltra shows. Chains, inverse and mountain follow the Voltra's unit too: lb if the Voltra is in pounds, percent if it is in percent (or choose one under Settings → ECC/Chain Unit).

Chains/Inverse in focus — the big value and unit tag switch to a percentage. Tap inside the highlighted box to return to base weight.

Starting and stopping a set

There's no physical button on the remote for this — the large pill at the bottom of the main screen does triple duty, read by tap length:

Armed — waiting for you to pull. Tap CANCEL to back out.

Loaded — live rep count, bezel glows amber/red to flag an active set from across the room.

Reps, sets, and rest

While loaded, the status line shows your running rep count for the current load — it always matches the number on the Voltra's own screen exactly, whether you started the set from the remote or the Voltra itself.

While a weight is loaded, the big red number is the live load: the resistance you actually feel on the cable right now. With chains it climbs through the rep, with inverse chains it tapers off, and with eccentric it reads higher on the way back. When the cable goes slack it falls back to your base weight. If you turn the dial, the number briefly shows the value you are changing, then returns to the live load.

When you set the cable down and pause for a few seconds, the remote infers the set just ended: it shows what that set totaled (SET 2 — 8 REPS — 1:12) along with a rest timer counting up, until your next pull starts the next set. A short pause in the middle of a set (cable still pulled out) is not counted as the end of the set.

Drop sets

Drop sets automatically lower your base weight mid-workout, without you touching the dial. Configured from four settings:

Drops only ever touch base weight, never your Eccentric or Chains/Inverse settings — those stay exactly where you left them.

Voice drops

Set Drop Mode to Voice, load the weight, and say “drop” whenever you want the weight to come down. The remote buzzes and lowers your base weight by Drop %, exactly as if you had turned the dial. Drop Count is how many voice drops you get per set, and they reset when you start your next set. Turning the dial yourself always works too.

The microphone is on only while Drop Mode is Voice and a weight is loaded. It turns off when you unload, change the mode, or open the Mic Test screen. Audio is analysed on the remote in tiny pieces as it arrives. It is never recorded, stored or sent anywhere.

Voice drops are new and tuned on a small amount of speech, so treat them as a beta feature. Say “drop” clearly and at a normal volume. If it ever fires when you didn’t say it, or misses you, use Settings → Send Log and tell us the report ID. The log records only how loud and how “drop-like” each sound was, never the sound itself, and helps us tune it. Turn Drop Mode back to Off or Rep Target at any time.

Weight presets

Two quick-recall slots, P1 and P2, shown as pills on the idle main screen. Tap one to instantly recall its stored weight; hold one to save whatever's currently focused on the dial into that slot. Handy for jumping between two go-to working weights without dialing through everything in between.

Don't want the extra pills on screen? Turn them off entirely from Settings → Weight Presets.

Twin mode

If you run two Voltra units side by side, Twin Mode pairs them so one remote controls both at once — useful for supersets or just not wanting to carry two knobs around. It's opt-in: from Settings → Twin Mode, search for a nearby Voltra, confirm the one you want, and the two stay linked until you un-twin them. A Voltra that reports it's already twinned by something else offers you the choice to join or leave it alone, rather than joining automatically.

Switching between Voltras

Own two Voltras? One remote can run either of them. It talks to one machine at a time, and switching takes a few seconds.

Twin Mode (above) controls two machines together. Switching is for using one machine, then the other, from the same remote.

How to switch

1. On the main screen, tap the connection status at the top-left (the dot and the word LINKED, SCAN, and so on). Or open Settings → Bluetooth → SWITCH VOLTRA.
2. The remote searches for about five seconds and lists every Voltra it can hear. Turn the dial to move through the list.
3. Each Voltra appears as the last three pairs of its Bluetooth address, for example d4:9b:10. The one you're linked to right now is marked Connected now.
4. Tap CONNECT. The remote lets go of the current Voltra and links to the one you picked.

Telling your two Voltras apart

The remote can't know which machine is which, so it shows addresses. The first time, link to one, then check Settings → Bluetooth, which shows the address of the Voltra you're on (Voltra d4:9b:10). Make a note of which machine that is, for example with a small label on each unit. After that you always know which entry to pick.

It remembers your choice

The remote keeps the Voltra you chose, including after it sleeps or restarts, and keeps reconnecting to that same one. The last item in the list, ANY VOLTRA, undoes that and goes back to connecting to the first Voltra it finds.

Setting cable length

Set how far the Voltra's cable pays out from the knob, the same as the Beyond+ app does.

You pull the cable by hand to the length you want and the remote shows the length live as you go. Tap SET and the Voltra buzzes to confirm.

How to set it

1. Make sure the remote is linked to your Voltra and nothing is loaded or armed.
2. On the main screen, tap the ruler icon on the left edge (labeled CABLE). You can also hold the unit label near the top (LB, KG or %) for a moment.
3. The Cable screen shows the current length and the saved length. Tap START.
4. Pull the cable by hand to where you want it. The big number follows the cable as you pull, in inches (or centimeters if Units is set to kg).
5. Tap SET. The Voltra vibrates, the new length is saved, and the screen shows the saved value.

Tap CANCEL or BACK at any point to leave without setting a new length.

Sleep & battery life

If you don't touch the screen or turn the dial for a while, and no set is loaded or armed, the remote switches itself off into a deep sleep. The screen goes dark and the Bluetooth link drops. It uses very little power in this state, so a remote left on the rack between workouts doesn't flatten itself.

The wait is 10 minutes by default. Change it in Settings → Sleep to 2, 5, 10 or 30 minutes, or Never.

Waking it up

Turn the dial or tap the screen. It takes a few seconds to start up and reconnect to your Voltra on its own. It remembers which Voltra you were using.

Wi-Fi is off until you need it

Wi-Fi is the biggest battery drain, so it stays off unless you turn it on for a firmware update. See Firmware updates.

The remote never goes to sleep during a Wi-Fi setup, a firmware download, or while a set is loaded or armed.

Settings reference

Tap the gear icon on the main screen to open Settings. Turn the dial to scroll through the list, tap the centered item to open it, and use BACK to return a level.

The settings list — turn the dial to scroll, tap to open.

Most settings are a simple prev/next picker, like Gauge Style here.

Dial acceleration

Turn the dial slowly and every click changes the weight by your Step Size, 1 lb unless you've changed it, so small adjustments stay exact. Turn it at a medium speed and each click jumps 5 lb. Spin it fast and each click jumps 10 lb. Big jumps land on round numbers: going up from 47 lb at the 5 lb speed lands on 50.

Pause for a moment and the dial goes straight back to precise. If you'd rather have every click be exactly your Step Size, turn off Settings → Dial Accel.

Max weight

The remote stops at 200 lb by default, which works with every Voltra. If your Voltra is on firmware 2.0 or later, which supports 230 lb, open Settings → Max Weight and tap to switch to 230 LB. The dial, the gauge, and the eccentric and chains limits all stretch to the new top. Switch back to 200 lb any time; if your working weight is above the new limit it is brought down to fit.

Only turn this on if your Voltra is updated to firmware 2.0 or later. On older Voltra firmware, weights above 200 lb may be ignored.

Themes & gauge styles

Theme sets the colors and Gauge Style sets the shape of the ring around the dial. Any gauge works with any theme. In both screens, tap the arrows on either side to step through the options, and the preview updates right away.

Firmware updates

Updating with the web installer (recommended)

The easiest and most reliable way to update is the web installer. You need a computer with Chrome or Edge and a USB-C cable that carries data (some charge-only cables won't work). It takes about a minute and doesn't need Wi-Fi.

1. On your computer, go to liftlayered.com/install.
2. Plug the remote into the computer with the USB-C cable, then click Install.
3. Your computer lists the available ports. Choose the one with usbmodem in its name. If you see usbserial, unplug the cable, flip the USB-C plug over, plug it back in, and click Install again.
4. Keep it plugged in until the installer says it's done.

Installing this way starts the remote fresh. Your settings, saved Wi-Fi network and remembered Voltra are cleared, so you'll pair with your Voltra again (accept the prompt on its screen) and set your preferences again. Wi-Fi isn't needed at all for this method.

Updating over Wi-Fi (alternative): joining a network

If you'd rather update without a computer, you can use Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is off by default to save battery, and the remote only needs it for updates. Open Settings → Wi-Fi and tap ADD WIFI. The remote briefly turns into its own open Wi-Fi hotspot — connect your phone to it, and a simple page should pop up automatically (or open any website if it doesn't) where you pick your real network from a scanned list and enter its password. Typing a WPA2 password on a phone keyboard beats spelling it out one character at a time with a rotary dial. You only do this once per network. After that the remote remembers it.

Provisioning mode — your phone joins this hotspot, then hands over your real network's details.

Your Wi-Fi password is never stored anywhere except on the remote itself, entered fresh each time through this setup — it's not baked into the software, so switching the remote to a different network later (new router, travel, a different gym) just means repeating this same one-time step.

Getting updates

With a network saved, updating takes two steps:

1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi and tap CONNECT. The screen says "Wi-Fi off" until you do. Wait for it to show your network as connected.
2. Go back and open Settings → Update to check for new firmware and install it.

When you go back to the main workout screen, the remote turns Wi-Fi off again by itself, unless an update is downloading. What you'll see on the Update screen:

Installing is blocked while a set is active or armed, so an update can never interrupt a workout — finish or cancel the set first.

Open source & customizing

This remote's firmware is open source under the MIT license: github.com/marvaments/voltra-knob-controller. It's your hardware — if you're technical and want to see exactly what's running on it, modify it, or build your own version, nothing is locked down. Most people will never need to; the web installer and the Wi-Fi updates above keep a stock unit current.

Troubleshooting

Won't connect to the Voltra

• Make sure the Beyond+ phone app is fully closed — the Voltra only talks to one controller at a time.
• Check Settings → Bluetooth for the current status, and try RECONNECT. If it says Check the Voltra's screen, the Voltra is refusing the connection and is probably waiting for you to approve the remote. Look at the Voltra's own screen and accept the prompt.
• If you have two Voltras, the remote may be looking for the other one. Open SWITCH VOLTRA and pick the one you want, or choose ANY VOLTRA to let it connect to the first one it finds.
• If this is the remote's very first connection to this Voltra, make sure you accepted the one-time prompt on the trainer's own screen.

Screen is dim or blank

That's almost always Auto-Dim doing its job after a period of inactivity — any tap or dial turn brings it right back. Adjust the delay (or turn it off) in Settings → Auto-Dim.

Remote is dark and won't respond

It has probably gone to sleep after sitting idle. Turn the dial or tap the screen and give it a few seconds to start up. If nothing happens, plug it into USB-C for a while, because a fully drained battery looks the same as sleep. To change how soon it sleeps, see Settings → Sleep.

The web installer can't find the remote

Use a USB-C cable that carries data, plugged straight into your computer, and open liftlayered.com/install in Chrome or Edge. In the port list, choose the one with usbmodem in its name. If you only see usbserial, unplug the cable, flip the USB-C plug over, plug it back in, and click Install again.

Wi-Fi won't connect for an update

The easiest fix is to skip Wi-Fi and update with the web installer instead. If you do want Wi-Fi, it only runs after you tap CONNECT on the Settings → Wi-Fi screen. If it still won't join, check that you're in range of your router, or use FORGET WIFI and set the network up again.

Cable icon does nothing

The ruler only works when the remote is linked to a Voltra and nothing is loaded or armed. Check the status dot at the top-left, unload any weight, and tap it again. See Setting cable length.

Sending a support log

If something isn't working and you've been through the steps above, the remote can send LiftLayered a small log of what it has been doing. This helps track down connection problems much faster than a description alone.

1. Turn Wi-Fi on: Settings → Wi-Fi → CONNECT, and wait for it to say connected.
2. Open Settings → Send Log and tap SEND LOG.
3. After a few seconds the screen shows a 6-character report ID. Message that ID to LiftLayered, along with a line about what went wrong.

The log holds recent connection events, the commands the remote sent, errors, the firmware version and battery level. It does not include your Wi-Fi password or your Wi-Fi network name. It is sent only when you tap SEND LOG, and is deleted after 30 days.

Rep count looks off

The live count during a set always mirrors the Voltra's own screen exactly. The between-set summary (SET n — X reps) is inferred from a pause in pulling, so an unusually long pause mid-set can occasionally be read as the set ending early — the live total itself is never affected.

Safety note