[BUG] Steps on Eliptical not counting correctly

[SHA1MD5AK]

Will show example of longest session.

Here is info from Fitbit Charge 6:

02:02:18 mins

149 bpm

1790 cals

+4,389 steps

Here is info from eliptical Domyos EL 520:

02:01:49 mins

149 bpm

2669 cals

50.5 avg rpm = ~100 steps per min

According to Eliptical I made ~50rpm avg that equals roughly to ~100 steps per min multiply by ~120 mins of session = ~12000 steps.

I know that tracker should not be super precise compared to eliptical itself but its very big margin of error... ~12K vs ~4.4K is a big difference.

[JohnnyRow]

For starters, let's note that you are calculating 2 elliptical steps as a complete rotation of the elliptical wheel, while Fitbit considers 2 steps as as forward and backward swing of the arms.  Neither is truly measuring true steps.  Aside from that, it depends of what the fitbit wrist is doing.  Is fitbit on an arm constantly moving front and back or swinging front and back?  Is there a steady bar where it can rest without moving?  Any time the fitbit wrist is not moving, steps will not be detected.  This is the same issue often faced by people walking on treadmills handing hand rails wondering why they are not getting steps or distance.

[SHA1MD5AK]

According to this information 1rpm=2spm

https://plymouthharbor.org/rpm-spm-met-and-watt/

Also elliptical showed 8.75km distance, according to google 1 step is approx. 77cm. that is approx. 11k steps 

My body moving was up down and 90% of the time hands was on side bars that moving to front and back.

[Rich_Laue]

Since, while on an elliptical, a person physically does not move, where does the stride measurement come from? Does the stride match the persons stride as if they are walking down a road? 

What does the elliptical use as a stride? A person's stride will vary based on the speed, does the stride vary while on an elliptical? A person's stride will vary on a treadmill 

[Triletics]

@Rich_Laue Modern ellipticals know the stride because the stride is the furthest distance between feet platforms. This isn't an actual stride between feet (platforms are quite large so feet positioning may vary) but an estimation (same as distance and pace on treadmills which isn't really distance and pace of running but estimation based on steady counters). Fitbit also only estimates. Edit: forgot to add that despite some ellipticals do measure stride length it's not done to measure the distance. Distance has nothing to do with stride length on the elliptical but with freewheel rotation inside the elliptical.

[Triletics]

@SHA1MD5AK steps on elliptical and walking steps are quite different. It's comparing apples to oranges. Ellipticals compute distance based on the freewheel motion. It's similar to a fixed-gear bike. Elliptical has a freewheel but counts distance only when you move. This distance however is fixed based on the number of steps and rotations of the freewheel. Maybe a better comparison of how it's measured (or rather estimated) would be skiing. You wouldn't put an equal sign between distances for skiing, cycling and walking because they translate your feet motion into a distance totally different (cycling isn't step-based but there is a cadence involved after all).

[SHA1MD5AK]

I understand that 1rpm/2spm on elliptical is not exact equals to 1 normal step, but when you has session for 120 mins with maximum elliptical resistance and 50rpm avg and it counting only 4.4K steps, while you walking 20 mins and have easy 2k steps its quite sad as im normally working at sedentary regime and after training like that i still doesn't have my 10K daily steps and it's very annoying

[Rich_Laue]

Fitbit doesn't even estimate with an elliptical, fitbit simply uses the settings that the users has setup 

[SHA1MD5AK]

Fitbit has exercise section where we can chose eliptical session. If software showing me steps I expect at least 80 - 85 percent of information to be registered and correct, what the point to show steps if they cant be counted correctly?