inaccurate step counts on Fit Bit Charge 2

[HappyHoer]

1st day of using my Fit Bit charge 2.

I noticed after opening a casement window, that movement registered 24 steps.  When I was doing  laundry moving clothing from the washer to the dryer, using hand movements only, it registered an additional 420 steps. I have my height, weight and stride length set correctly.

Are they that inaccurate?  

I have been using an Omron Pedometer which seems much more accurate. 

thank you in advance for any help on this 

[RobertoME]

Hello @HappyHoer, welcome aboard to the Fitbit Community. I see what you mean with those extra steps. Your tracker is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running.

 When working at a desk, cooking, or doing other arm movements, a tracker on your wrist can pick up some extra steps if it thinks you're walking. Many of these situations, such as working or cooking; do include a few steps in-between stationary periods so the tracker tries to give you credit for those steps.

In other words, your tracker determines whether a motion's size is large enough by setting a threshold. If the motion and its subsequent acceleration measurement meet the threshold, the motion will be counted as a step. If the threshold is not met, the motion won’t be counted as a step. Other factors can create enough acceleration to meet our threshold and cause some over counting of steps, such as riding on a bumpy road. Equally, it's possible for the algorithm to undercount (not meet the required acceleration threshold). Examples here include walking on a very soft surface such as a plush carpet.

For the vast majority of customers, the amount of stray steps accumulated is negligible when compared to the entire day, but if the number is too high you can negate the steps. How you might wonder? the following post will give you more details.

Hope this helps. See you until the next one!

[DavidGreen]

If I simply move my arm up and down it counts steps.  No way should this be interpreted as walking.

1. Could Fitbit create a user control for  valid step rate?  Eg'. When you move less than 10 steps in 15 seconds it does not record (this step rate needs to be user controlled).  That would be good because only proper walking should count anyway; not just pottering around the house, going to the fridge to get another beer etc.

2. How about allowing the user to set the threshold that you refer to?

Many thanks

[RobertoME]

Hi there @DavidGreen, let me give you a warm welcome to our Fitbit Community. You are right and thank you for sharing this feedback with me. I'll make sure to pass your comments about the suggestions you have made. 

Your tracker in a basic form is a motion sensor that will constantly read your movements, either if you are on an activity or you are in a sedentary motion. All the sensors of your tracker work together to give you accurate readings and some times a movement can be misinterpreted as a step depending of how similar is the motions to a regular walk pattern.

Once again thank you for your comments and rest assure we are constantly working to improve the Fitbit experience.