Sync without Internet connection?

[Daisysdad]

Newbie question.

I just want to be able to see my activity data on my phone. Isn't Bluetooth enough? When I'm traveling I may not have WiFi-Internet access. MobileTrack isn't available for my phone yet.

[SteveH · Accepted solution]

When you do a sync it takes the data off your fitbit and uploads it to the fitbit servers. Your phone shows the data on the servers.

So, to sync you need Bluetooth to connect to your fitbit and you need Internet access to connect to the fitbit servers.

[SteveH · Accepted solution]

Another thought. How long are you away? Your fitbit can store data for up to 7 days between syncs (5 for the Alta) so you may not need to sync.

[Daisysdad]

So far I've never been without Internet access for too long, it's just that
I had thought that with the Bluetooth connection I could at least get the
info into my phone directly.

Thanks for the prompt replies.

[Rich_Laue · Accepted solution]

At the current time no data is stored locally on the phone or computer, the app gets its data straight from Fitbit after a sync.

The tracker stores 7 days of detail snd sn aditional 23 days of step summary. 

[Dim_]

I am not happy with the inability to see Fitbit Charge HR live data. here are many scenarios where the lack of Internet is present for longer periods like hiking, camping , long flights, another country without internet access...

Fitbit should address that somehow, either with module which just displays live data such as heart rate and steps or offline local buffer in the device (phone,tablet or laptop). For example in order to see your live heart rate you open your dashboard internet connection is established and then the heart rate starts to show. I don't think it is a big deal to read and display that real time thru Bluetooth even without Internet connection... Not having that prevents the users of having snapshot of their activity for long periods of time.

It is very very frustrating the way it is right now...

[SteveH]

Why not just look at your fitbit for real time data?

[Dim_]

Yes I do that but that is not enough. The display is on for about 15sec. There are scenarios where you would like to monitor your heart rate for longer time and see or maintain (by breathing)  the trend...

[Rich_Laue]

As for seeing live data on the app, this is not a problem without an internet connection.

Once the is connected to the Fitbit, and the tracker is detecting steps, the app becomes a remote display, showing the live data from the tracker.

This is not the same as looking at past data that has already synced to Fitbit.com Z or transferring the current data to the Fitbit server.

[Dim_]

Please provide more details because it is not clear to me how does it work. There are two scenarios here:

1 There is no internet connection at all at the phone power on - The app will not start displaying live data from the Charge HR.

2. There was internet when the app was started and later the internet is disconnected (to save on data plan, roaming charges) - yes in this case the app will display live heart rate. Charge HR will appear connected and display live pulse until the phone is timed out. When turned on later again it will show unable to sync warning.

[Rich_Laue]

My experience is that the tracker requires me to be moving before live data is displayed on the app,

[SnakeyNorway]

I got an Blaze, and when I was on my two last huntingtrips, first was 9 days without internet connection. Did not get any of these days saved to fitbits server. All data was lost.
Last trip was 3 days. No logs saved to fitbits server. All data lost.
Its so irritating, since I was walking from 20000 to 35000 steps every day.
So my Blaze does NOT save any data to upload later.
And even cant set an wakeup alarm without having internet connection!
Had I known this, I would had gone for something other than fitbit!

[Rich_Laue]

According to this document, it is only the Alta that store minute detail the rest store 7 days and they all store up to 30 of daily totals. 

[agarwalanik]

Maybe this was for the android and windows devices, but what about the iOS devices? The fitbit app consistently shows "waiting..." if you try to sync without internet. You can't even change the clock face. Need some information over this concern

[USAF-Larry]

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@agarwalanik wrote:

Maybe this was for the android and windows devices, but what about the iOS devices? The fitbit app consistently shows "waiting..." if you try to sync without internet. You can't even change the clock face. Need some information over this concern

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@agarwalanik, it does not matter which app is used, if there is no Internet service available, the tracker cannot sync to the app or the Fitbit server.  At the time of the sync, data is transferred from the tracker to the Fitbit server. After the sync is completed, the data is downloaded from the Fitbit server to the app to refresh all of the data fields.  Both the synchronization of the tracker and the downloading data to the app require Internet connection.

[SunsetRunner]

Let me get this straight. I need an internet connection for my FB to sent data to my phone, which then sends that data to the FB servers, which my phone then downloads.

How stupid. Sounds like an excuse for FB to collect data to me.

Why not allow syncing to the phone WITHOUT an internet connection so current data can be monitored, then when an internet connection becomes available, upload to the servers.

[Rich_Laue]

Yup .you bought a connected device when you purchased a Fitbit, and like most connected devices like Apple and Garmin an Internet connection is needed. 

Fitbit, also is setup as a community and syncing to the Internet is required to update the challanges and leaderboard. 

[chogardjr]

Although this is "typical" behavior it is not expected behavior. No not all connected devices route data the way Fitbit does. There are many other devices that sync to the connected device, store the data, and upload once an internet connection is made. At that point the stored data is removed. 

I have also noticed that Fitbit stores the trackers Bluetooth information on the servers and once you install the app on a device, and log in, that device does NOT need to list the tracker in the devices Bluetooth setting for the sync to occur. The only way I know this is possible is if they are storing and sending the trackers Bluetooth address over the internet. 

I really hope it is highly secured as if someone was to intercept that Bluetooth address it could lead to possible hacking into the connected device. The way Fitbit stores, uses and sends data is concerning. 

[Rich_Laue]

@chogardjr 

True the tracker does not need to be paired with the phone to sync, and normally wii not. 

It is required for notifications and always connected .

Yes the communication between the tracker and the Fitbit server is incripted. The open source people have been trying to break the code for 6 years now. 

As for the Bluetooth Mac address, yes it gets sent to Fitbit. and that is why Android location services now need to be turned on during a sync. 

This was part of the Fix to close a security hole while an app requests the MAC of a BT device. 

[SunsetRunner]

I can go weeks without mobile coverage, let alone internet. I don't want to participate in any community activity and I don't want to share my targets with anyone. Where is the choice?? All I want to do is monitor my step count and heart rate. In it's current form, the fitbit and app is not fit for purpose so now the person that gave me the fitbit as a present has to return it for a refund. Would have been nice if this very important fact was disclosed in the advertising material.