How to Hack Your Treadmill and Run Like a Geek (Or at Least Avoid a Boring Workout)

3 minute read

After a decade of loyal service, my Sole Treadmill finally threw in the towel. Not one to contribute to e-waste, I tried replacing capacitors and control boards until I exhausted every part I could find online. Realising that my time was worth more than my patience, I decided it was time for a new one. My wishlist was pretty straightforward:

Incline/Decline capabilities
Speeds over 10 mph
No required subscription
Delivery and setup service (since moving the old one to the basement was a Herculean task)

Enter Best Buy and NordicTrack.

The NordicTrack Commercial 2450 is practically a treadmill celebrity, so there are tons of reviews out there. But here’s my two cents after a 10km morning run: It’s a treadmill. It gets the job done, and you’ll feel like a hamster on a wheel.

But here’s where it gets interesting: This treadmill’s giant screen runs on Android! It might be a waste if you’re not into the iFit subscription. However, if you’re tech-savvy and enjoy a bit of tinkering, there’s fun to be had.

Security thoughts

A major treadmill maker launched a new model in 2023 that’s running on an Android version that hit its “goodbye, world” date in January 2022.

Now, if this treadmill were a lone wolf, that might be alright. But no, this high-tech treadmill wants to join your network and stream you online fitness courses.

Some thoughts about what this treadmill represents to hardware & software engineers:

Deploying hardware is tough, but keeping it running? That’s a whole other treadmill race. Imagine NordicTrack is hacked and they start running a botnet of treadmills. The treadmill uprising begins here!
IoT devices are like sneaky ninjas. They slip onto your network unnoticed. Are you scanning for these digital interlopers?
Network segmentation should be a must-have, even at home. Because no one wants their treadmill to chat with their laptop.
Releasing a new product with an End-Of-Life OS should be a crime, or at least, it should come with a warning label. “Caution: May come with outdated software that’s less secure than a screen door on a submarine.”
Single-purpose devices that don’t need the internet might become the new black. It’s like finding a treadmill that won’t try to update itself while you’re running—good luck with that!

Finding a treadmill that doesn’t have smart features and still gets delivered was like finding a unicorn. Here’s to hoping the future of IoT is less “connected everything” and more “Please just let me run in peace.”

Here’s a quick and cheeky hack for those who love a good DIY project

Enter privileged mode with ten taps on a dead portion of the screen, wait 7 seconds, then another ten taps.
Visit this site and enter the code displayed. Voilà! Android Desktop.
Go to Settings -> System -> Tap build number 7 times.
Enable USB debugging, note the IP address, and adb connect from your laptop.
Disable the iFit launcher.
- adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.ifit.launcher
- adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.ifit.standalone
In iFit Admin, tap five times on the top right to turn off automatic updates.
Push an iFit Launcher update that removes the Privilege Lock.
Install F-Droid, then DNS66 (if you prefer not to use Global Firewall blocks) and redirect to localhost:
- ifit-wolf.s3.amazonaws.com
- ifit-wolf.s3-cdn.ifit.com
Install Termux and open the console OR use ADB.
- Run adb shell mkdir -p /sdcard/.wolfDev/keepme. or mkdir -p /sdcard/.wolfDev/keepme in Termux
Install Nova Launcher, NewPipe (for YouTube), and Fennec (for Firefox).
And there you have it!

A few caveats

iFit runs like it’s on a caffeine crash. I dread reboots. Time accordingly
Firefox is great for browsing but a bit sluggish for streaming.
The tablet is ancient (Android 9), and the wifi is slower than a snail on vacation.
Jellyfin struggles with streaming due to limited codec support.
The camera is functional as well as the microphones…why does this treadmill have those?

Happy treadmill hacking! 🚀