TLDR; pick one: a secure network with updated firmware or an Aria connected on a vulnerable network.
Earlier this week, my better half created a new virtual network on which to host all IOT Devices.
His wireless access points are all 802.11a/b/g/n, and his network uses WPA2 Enterprise grade encryption with DHCP enabled. These fulfill the Aria setup requirements; however, I could not connect my device to the IOT network nor could I connect it to the old network.
I spent four hours of my weekend troubleshooting this device and scouring the internet for knowledge base threads and discussions. This thread, though started in 2015, mirrors my problems to the T.
I contacted support and spent the better part of an hour arguing that a WAP certified for 802.11a/b/g/n was indeed compatible with for 802.11b protocols. I made the analogy that by Fitbit’s logic, a type AB+ person bleed out instead of accepting the universally accepted type O- blood. Ultimately, it was recommended that I contact my Internet Service Provider to resolve the problem.
During the time that the IOT network was deployed, firmware was also updated on the routers and wireless access points throughout the house. With the firmware update, a whole slew of vulnerabilities was patched, and an Archaic Mode was added for older, insecure devices.
Only after enabling Archaic Mode on the IOT network was I able to recognize the network from Aria configuration settings and add it.
At face value, this resolved my immediate wireless connectivity problems with the Aria; however, my gripe with Fitbit is with the protocols used in manufacturing the Aria the first place.
802.11b was superseded by IEEE back in 2004, yet Fitbit decided to use obsolete wireless protocols when designing int Aria in 2012 (and in subsequent releases up to my 2015 purchase). To accommodate the scale, I now have a considerable vulnerability on my network. It has become apparent that the Aria was not designed with current standards much less any level of future-proofing to ensure network compatibility down the road.
Worse yet, many other users do not have the luxury of deploying multiple networks to insulate themselves from these restrictive network requirements that would leave them exposed to network vulnerabilities.
Over the last eight years, I have loyally purchased the Charge HR2, the Blaze, the Ionic, and the Aria. Many of my upgrades have been with QA problems from the prior products.
I documented all of this information and updated support with my findings. I asked for concessions buying the Aria 2 which (hopefully) would allow me to patch vulnerabilities on my network via firmware updates without losing connectivity to my scale.
Ultimately, I got the same lackluster response that I should contact my ISP even though I isolated the problem.
This is precisely why I am done with the Fitbit brand. I post this experience with hopes that other users (a) get closure on this unacceptable design flaw that continues to recur the last half-decade and (b) to alert fellow consumers that money is better spent elsewhere.
When it becomes painfully apparent that Fitbit couldn’t care less about the quality of their product or customer support, maybe enough people will leave the brand for Fitbit to get their affairs in order.
