What is Belt Control?

Belt Control is a remote control for a walking pad that runs in a browser tab. It connects to a KingSmith or WalkingPad treadmill over Bluetooth, lets you start it, stop it and set the speed, and keeps a record of every walk. It's free, and you don't need an account, the phone app or anything else installed.

What it's for

Walking pads are mostly used under a standing desk: you walk slowly for an hour while you work. The remote that comes in the box can start and stop the belt, but it doesn't remember anything. The manufacturer's phone app does, but it means reaching for your phone, signing in, and keeping that phone next to the treadmill.

Belt Control puts the controls in the place you're already looking, the computer on the desk. It's built for that:

• Controls at a glance. Start, stop, pause on pads that support it, and one-tap speed presets for the two or three speeds you actually walk at.
• Live numbers as you walk. Time, distance, steps and calories, as far as your treadmill reports them. Numbers a pad sends but can't be trusted are shown as such and left out of your totals.
• Every walk recorded automatically. Daily totals, a goal you set, a 30-day history and a streak, without pressing record.
• Your data stays yours. Your walks are saved in your own browser and never uploaded. You can export them as a backup or as a spreadsheet whenever you like.

How it works

Chrome, Edge, Opera and Samsung Internet can talk to Bluetooth devices directly from a web page. Belt Control uses that to talk to the treadmill the same way the phone app does. When you press Connect, your browser shows a list of nearby treadmills. Pick yours, and Belt Control asks it what it can do and works from there, so it doesn't need to know your model in advance.

The connection goes straight from your browser to the treadmill over the radio. The website only delivers the page itself. It never sees your walks or anything about your treadmill. Once it has loaded, it works offline too.

What you need

• A KingSmith or WalkingPad treadmill, or a pad that speaks the same language. Most models from the last several years work — see the full list.
• Chrome, Edge, Opera or Samsung Internet, on a computer or an Android device. Firefox and Safari can't connect to Bluetooth devices, and on an iPhone or iPad every browser is Safari underneath.
• The phone app closed. These treadmills only talk to one device at a time.

Is it safe?

Belt Control runs a motorised treadmill, so treat it like the remote, not like a safety device. Only start the belt when you can see it, and use the treadmill's own controls or safety key to stop in a hurry: a Bluetooth connection can drop while the belt keeps running. While the belt is moving, a Stop button stays on screen everywhere in the app and the Esc key stops it.

Who makes it?

Belt Control is an independent, open-source project. It isn't made by KingSmith and isn't affiliated with them. The source code is on GitHub, and the app has a Send feedback link at the bottom of every screen.