Connectivity difficulties between Aria and Comcast/Xfinity routers

[JuanJoFitbit]

Hi everyone! It has come to our attention that some users are experiencing issues with syncing/setting up Aria scales with Comcast/Xfinity routers and we are currently reviewing. 

There is a workaround that has helped most users. For this, follow the instructions below:

• Log into comcast/xfinity account
• Once logged in,  visit https://internet.xfinity.com/more
• Edit wifi settings under "Additional Settings"
• Click on 2.4 frequency edit button.
• Select g/n, hit save.
• When the screen refreshes, click edit again, select b/g/n and hit save. 
• Stand on scale
• Continue with the regular setup process

Thank you all for your patience. Any update available, I'll make sure to share it in this thread.

[Stone520]

Don't waste your time with them. Just reading these is enough time to waste.

[Texmex01]

So I just tapped out of this battle, and ordered a RENPHO, maybe one day if FitBit gets their act together I will return

[JuanJoFitbit]

Hello everyone! Please stay tuned in this thread and our team will post a solution when available. Thank you!

[techgirl233]

JaunJo. I don’t think you are a real person just an auto response.  This problem is almost a year old.  No one is working on a fix. 

[Dave-in-Decatur]

---

@techgirl233 wrote:

JaunJo. I don’t think you are a real person just an auto response.  This problem is almost a year old.  No one is working on a fix. 

---

But suppose that @JuanJoFitbit is a real person, trying to make a living between the rock of Fitbit management and the hard place of, well, us? Does JuanJo deserve to be called a robot for saying what they're told to say? (Have any of us ever had to do that at our jobs?)

I participate in a number of forums like this, and it bothers me sometimes when people (including me!) start slinging around terms like "moral turpitude" and accusations of lying. Fitbit loused up with the WiFi technology on the Aria scale, maybe through cheaping out, maybe through lack of diligence. I used the word "incompetence" myself. Actually, I said "dueling incompetences": don't forget, Comcast played a part in this. But when we take out our aggravation with products not working like they should through accusations of bad faith and evildoing--well, what does it get us? Is it fair? Does it accomplish anything beyond making us feel better? (And really, how much better does it make us feel?)

Personally, I doubt that there is a feasible fix for this. But what do I know? IAC, what benefit would Fitbit get from telling us they're working on a fix if they weren't? If they wanted to profit from this, they'd say, "Buy an Aria 2." Do they want to keep us hanging around so we won't buy a Renpho? What for? They've already got our money for the Aria--what do they care if we buy a scale from someone else? So maybe they are working on a fix, even if I personally can't imagine what it could be.

So I guess I'm just saying, can we dial it back a bit? Thanks, all, for thinking about it.

[techgirl233]

Sorry you are right, I was a little strong. It's just that I opened a
ticket with fitbit and spent time doing several things they suggested even
though I knew they would not work. Also fitbit techsupport admitted to me
that the only fix they had was to use my phone as a hotspot. This is never
mentioned by the moderator and the repeated instructions posted are always
the old ones that no longer apply. But you have schooled me that is for
sure.

[Jerzydeb]

Pretty Sure either JuanJo is a real person, or else it's an account that's accessed by customer service to send answers, or non-answers, whatever the case may be.

We are all dialed in on this thread, but if you see all of JuanJo's responses (click on his/her name) you'll see most of the issues he/she deals with are directly related to the Aria scale.

I loved his/her answer to this one

yesterday - last edited 4 hours ago by JuanJoFitbit

My Aria 1 shows errors when measuring (Sensing, thinking, ERR) after only 14 months of usage and all the help team could advise was to buy an Aria 2 because warranty is only for 12 months.

This seem to be a recurring problem from what I could read on this forum and I think Fitbit should do something about it and treat it's customers a bit better when they know that their products are not reliable. 

His answer was.... sorry, warranty is only 12 months, buy an Aria 2.   

I am suggesting to everyone that they look into the Renpho ... for the price, it is worth the peace of mind, plus I would never sink money into a FitBit product again, their quality control has gone way downhill, customer service is no longer there, and they don't support the products they've already sold.  They had a good run - I myself have purchased 2 scales and numerous watches over the years, but because of the issues I mentioned, FitBit will no longer see any of my money.

[Jerzydeb]

My Aria 1 shows errors when measuring (Sensing, thinking, ERR) after only 14 months of usage and all the help team could advise was to buy an Aria 2 because warranty is only for 12 months.

This seem to be a recurring problem from what I could read on this forum and I think Fitbit should do something about it and treat it's customers a bit better when they know that their products are not reliable. 

His answer was.... sorry, warranty is only 12 months, buy an Aria 2.   

I am suggesting to everyone that they look into the Renpho ... for the price, it is worth the peace of mind, plus I would never sink money into a FitBit product again, their quality control has gone way downhill, customer service is no longer there, and they don't support the products they've already sold.  They had a good run - I myself have purchased 2 scales and numerous watches over the years, but because of the issues I mentioned, FitBit will no longer see any of my money.

[Dave-in-Decatur]

---

@techgirl233 wrote:
Sorry you are right, I was a little strong. It's just that I opened a
ticket with fitbit and spent time doing several things they suggested even
though I knew they would not work. Also fitbit techsupport admitted to me
that the only fix they had was to use my phone as a hotspot. This is never
mentioned by the moderator and the repeated instructions posted are always
the old ones that no longer apply. But you have schooled me that is for
sure.

---

I may have been a little more "schooly" than I meant to be. Thanks for the phone hotspot idea, though--never thought of that. But based on recent experience, I'd expect that unless I left the hotspot on 24/7 (and left my phone in the house!), the scale would have to go through the reconnection procedure every time anyway. Sigh.

[drmeiswinkel]

If we have to use phones as hotspots for these to work then there is no advantage over any bluetooth scales. Except we get to pay 6 times more!

Too many of the replies from Fitbit’s representative look rote to not question if we are being engaged by a bot.  Calling that representative of being a bot isn’t actually meant as an accusation.  It’s a reasonable assumption.  Because responses are cut-and -pasteed.  People don’t correspond that way.  At least not thoughtfully.

if it is a person that keeps answering us with the same litany, that is a testament to Fitbit having made absolutely no advancement in our case’s resoluton.  No change in methods or suggestions means that they have made no insights. And looks like have made no investmenf toward a resolve.

It would be more flattering if the support we got came from bots.

[Ssilbaugh]

I have to share an unfortunate experience.

I was an early adopter and lover of Fitbit. I had the first model of the "step counter" you offered. I outfitted my family as well. Every time a new model cam out, I upgraded. Your customer support was always extremely helpful when I was experiencing synching issues or other user-error driven issues. Once I was even sent a replacement as one of my products was deemed defective. I love Fitbit and your fantastic support...until I bought the Aria scale.

I bought an Aria about 18 months ago, excited to be able to link my weight-loss goals to my fitness habits. You can't measure what you can't track. I had problems with my scale from the beginning. However, every time I jumped on the phone with support, they were able to get it going again...for a few days. I grew tired of constantly trying to fix the scale and soon would just walk by it and think "I need to call Fitbit again and try to get this fixed." But I'm busy with work, family, etc. I'm sure you are too. Recently, I was up at 5 AM to workout and thought, "I'll call Fitbit and get this straightened out." I spent at least an hour on the phone with a support person who was pleasant and tried to be helpful. We dug into modem setting to make sure everything was spec. The scale started working again and I thanked her profusely. She made my day. And then the scale stopped working the next day. Researching online communities I saw my problem was common.

Recently I made one final attempt to fix the scale. I spent another 30-45 minutes online with another support person who tried to be helpful. She determined that my XFinity modem was the issue. I took an hour out of my day today to go get a new modem and another 30 minutes to set up the new modem and wifi. I spent another hour trying to get the Aria working to no avail. I called support again. After several minutes on the phone I was told that it wasn't actually my wifi, but that it was my scale. The sensor to be specific. Oh, and my scale's warranty expired some time ago while sitting on the floor unused. After talking to her supervisor she offered me free overnight shipping on an Aria2, if I bought a new scale. No thanks. As a final option she said we could troubleshoot the sensor issue. What did I have to lose? She asked me to take the batteries out and "shake the scale for two minutes." Really? My wife was laughing at me. I would have too. The final test, keep the batteries out and lay the scale upside down on a bed for 30 minutes then try again.

I'm beyond frustrated and will be moving my family to another provider, likely Apple or Garmin.

This was a know issue at Fitbit and I feel like I was strung along until my warranty expired and out of options.

I don't know if these micro complaints register as you're likely focused on the macro...but I wanted you to know.

Best,

Scott

[Jerzydeb]

Scott - my story is very similar to yours. My house is littered with older Fitbit watches. I too found customer service helpful .... in the beginning.

I know happily own an Apple Watch. Yes $$$$ but I am so happy with a product that works. For a scale let me suggest RENPHO from Amazon. Better than the Aria was .... when it was working.

Best of luck to you .....

Deb sent the message. iPhone sent the typos.

[SteamboatJeff]

I have the same issue with connecting to a newly upgraded Comcast modem/router combo. A simple solution is to add an inexpensive third party router with an ethernet connection and then connect the Aria through the secondary WiFi network. My comcast setup conflicts with my Dish Network service as well so the additional router is handy for that application as well. 

[drmeiswinkel]

That sounds like it works, but at the cost of additional hardware.  

Would you be willing to update the group to let us know if it stops working?  Maybe even in a week, few weeks, it it has been running reliably? 

A lot of us have thrown money and time at this with very disappointing results.  This, by my metrics, isn’t a fix.  It’s a work-around.  The fix should not involve more equipment, using phones as access points, or other circuitous solutions.

if secondary access points or cell phone are now *required*, Fitbit must inform consumers.  Fitbit must update the vendors and their sales information.  They must make that part of the packaging for all new sales and currently warranteed Aria products. 

[Sensualpoet]

"When the screen refreshes, click edit again, select b/g/n and hit save."
I am on Rogers Cable "Ignite" platform in Canada which is licenced from Comcast.

It's the same router & technology. 802.11 b is not available -- only g/n.

My cherished Aria is now a boat anchor. PLEASE figure out a work around for this.

Just so we are on the same page ... 802.11 b was ratified in 1999. A successor -- 802.11 g which the Aria doesn't support -- was ratified in 2003. But in 2016 your engineers thought it acceptable to build ONLY for a protocol that had already been deprecated for TWENTY years! I can't tell you how ANGRY this makes me feel. I hope others feel the same outrage.

[drmeiswinkel]

Plenty of us are outraged.  That isn’t moving Fitbit to action.  They haven’t done anything to fix it.  My experience with this issue dates back into March. 

No updates

No change in remedy

No customer service overtures from Fitbit

No official statements on their website

No warning from vendors that new purchases will have this issue.

This looks more and more like something dishonorable.  It’s one thing to have an issue they refuse to fix.  It’s fraud when they keep selling old inventory with known issues.

[JuanJoFitbit]

Hie everyone! We’re aware of the issue with Comcast, but may not be able to provide a fix in the immediate future. We'll continue to monitor the situation, and keep our team informed of the impact to you and other customers. We understand that this isn't the resolution you were hoping for.

[jkniff26]

I did all that ,but was not able to find additional settings. I was at the recommended Xfinity page , but "/more" was not highlighted if that helps. I guess I need to find a recycle place,because this expensive scale is a piece of trash,

[terann]

• Log into comcast/xfinity account
• Once logged in,  visit https://internet.xfinity.com/more
• Edit wifi settings under "Additional Settings"

No such thing at that website.

At the end of each of dozens of attempts to set up, I clicked on contact support, which said to email log to: https://contact.fitbit.com and it bounced back--

********************************

Your message did not reach some or all of the intended recipients.

      Subject:     Cannot connect Aria

      Sent:  8/11/2018 9:42 AM

The following recipient(s) cannot be reached:

      'https://contact.fitbit.com' on 8/11/2018 9:42 AM

            This message could not be sent. You do not have the permission to send the message on behalf of the specified user.

*******************************************

Comcast support said to contact Fitbit.

So now what?

[Timberwolf620]

You are absolutely right. If your wireless network no longer supports the ancient 802.11b wireless protocol (as in Comcast's/Xfinity's latest cable modem/router), you are SOL. Not sure this piece of crap is even worthy of serving as "boat anchor".

Forget it. This is the standard sh*t response everyone in this thread is receiving from Fitbit. I guess it's an attempt to placate all the folks that spent a lot of money on this antiquated wireless scale. If you have the latest Comcast/Xfinity cable modem/router, it no longer supports 802.11b, which is the only wireless protocol supported by the Aria. I've been waiting almost a year now for resolution; so far nothing but lip service, the "Team" is working on it. If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn that's a STEAL. Oh no, that's what Fitbit did when I purchased the Aria.

Moderator edit: merged reply

[SteamboatJeff]

Fitbit dropped the ball on this one, so I’m not defending how they are handling the Aria issue. I was frustrated too. However, if you want to get back to focusing on your personal health and put this behind you, just add a secondary WiFi network using a 802.11g (backwards compatible to b) router. Walmart sells them for under $30.