How to: Setup your Fitbit Aria

[FitbitCommunity]

The simplest and quickest approach to setting up your Aria scale is by installing and running the setup software from here.

If you are unable to complete the setup with this software, we recommend using the web-based setup as a secondary alternative. Complete instructions for this process can be found in this help article, along with the instructional video below.

Setting up your Aria via the Web-based Method

For assistance with putting your Aria in "Setup Active" mode, please consult this post.

If you are unable to complete the setup process using the above information, check this help article for more setup tips. For further assistance, please contact our Support Team at http://contact.fitbit.com or join the discussion in our Aria Community forum. Be sure to provide as many details as possible about where in the process you are getting stuck and what error you are encountering.

[thedriver]

The aria scales use 802.11b protocol (an old and rather **ahem**ty protocol to be using). They really should have been configured with 802.11g at the very least, even thought 802.11n had well and truly been released when the Aria scales were produced.

This means that you need to have 802.11b protocol enabled on your wireless network that the scales will connect to.

This was my experience.

I downloaded the Windows software to my wifi enabled laptop and ran that, but could barely use it because the program wouldn't even display properly in the non resizeable windows! Totaly crap! See pics below...

Setup

Setup1

Setup2

And then it FAILED!

Tried again and it failed again.

So I tried the web setup method, but this also FAILED. After connecting to the Aria Scale's wireless network, my browser couldn't find the web page.

So I resorted to using my phone. Thank fully that was mostly easy. But even then, the instructions on this page tell you to "click here" to start the setup. Well seeing as I'm likely reading it from my computer, I'd rather have the actual URL typed out so that I can type into my phone please!

I went through all of this when I setup my Aria scales last year or maybe even the year before. Surely these problems should have been fixed by now.

Moderator edit: merged reply

[Sillybilly114]

I had the same problem with the windows not being able to be resized today as well. I tried via my iPhone 4S, my iPad Air & my computer multiple times. Finally when I clicked on something I couldn't quite see half out of one of the frames it worked after 2hrs of trying.
I got a tooth pulled out today at the dentist & it was less painful!
I tried it out & I have to manually submit the data to the App but hoping that's just a minor glitch and will sort it's self out as I do NOT want to go through that again!

[SunsetRunner]

I found this extremely easy to setup once I tried to set it up using the fitbit app on my iPhone. It took no more than 3 minutes for the complete set up. I say, open up the app, go to add new device and set it up from there. By far the easiest way. I tried to follow the directions as they said on my computer and was quickly getting frustrated.

[Mcore]

Hi! @krazykanuck, I appreciate your clarification, my apologies for my misunderstanding. @petercarp and @SunsetRunner thank you for sharing your experience and what helped you to setup the Aria scale.

I understand that sometimes the setup process is demanding and it requires of many specifications in order to connect the scale with a router or mobile device, however, all of your comments and feedback, like what @thedriver and @Sillybilly114 shared are very helpful so I can forward this to our team members.

Have a good week!

[dnight139]

So I spent 1 hour trying to set this up and to little success.  We are using it at our office and what I found was that the best way to connect (barely) was to use it through my iphone.  HOWEVER, it was unable to connect to any of our secure wifi networks.  I checked our settings on the router and found that we are using 802.11 b/g/n with the channel set to auto with WPA Personal.  It still could not connect to the network.  I found that the only way to get it to see the wifi was link it to an open network, which is stupid.  The other issue I found was that using the download setup program you are unable to resize the window so half the information is unreadable and hte program itself is pretty much unusable, this should be an easy fix!

[margiem]

After trying everything, the powers that be decided my scale was defective and shipped me a new one. I had spent hours and hours and hours on different occasions trying to set up the first one. The new one set up in about 60 seconds! Obviously there was indeed a hardware problem with the first scale.

[GSV3MiaC]

---

@thedriver wrote:

The aria scales use 802.11b protocol (an old and rather **ahem**ty protocol to be using). They really should have been configured with 802.11g at the very least, even thought 802.11n had well and truly been released when the Aria scales were produced.

This means that you need to have 802.11b protocol enabled on your wireless network that the scales will connect to.

---

I really don't understand why they didn't implement push-button WPS, at least as an option. Push a button on your router, push one on your Aria, job done. I did get mine setup after a ten minute struggle, but you really shouldn't need a Masters in CompSci to do the job (my dwelling being wired for Ethernet, WiFi devices are the exception, and none of the PCs speak WiFi to the network unless something is broken).

[Justdoit15]

I finally gave up after trying for weeks...got a new modem, wrote in and asked questions, tried everything possible. Got with Customer Support - no help there. They came back with suggestions of what I have already tried over and over. I wrote and told them exactly what was going on but the response was always a kind of generic response - NEVER a solution. Finally, I did what I should have done awhile back....I RETURNED THE PIECE OF JUNK!!! YES, I am angry! This is not a good product and definitely not good customer support. So, save yourself trouble because who is to say once you do finally get it going is it going to work properly or will you have to go through the crap all over again!!!

[bigiain]

My advice on setting up  a fit bit aria is to request a refund and send the junk back.

Its not worth the effort

What an utterly dreadful interface - I will not be buying any fitbit product if this is their idea of an acceptable product.

[MatthewFitbit]

@bigiain Sorry to hear you've had a difficult time setting up your Aria. You didn't post any details - can you let us know specifically where in the Setup Process you're getting stuck? If you give us some information, I'm sure we can offer assistance.

[Suzieq_65]

when trying to setup my Aria,, it goes through all the stages, accepts my internet connection,, then on the last pop up screen thats says 1. take out battery and replace after 10 secs, 2. remove tab. 3. turn over and check to see if it say set up

I turn it over it there is a message thats says V36 then says my internet connection, then Tap to Change, then it shuts down completely,, and will do nothing from that point,,, according to my dash board it has sync'd with my profile but the dang thing will not do anything , nothing displays on screen etc,, please help

Thank you

[petercarp]

So many people are having problems with this set up and it seems clear that it is a product defect that it will only work with the really old 802.11b standard.

Why don't they simply issue a software or firmware update?

I will no longer recommend this product to anybody.

[sandypdot]

Set up for my new FitBit Charge HR was a breeze and I feel in love immediately as it synced with my phone & laptop. THEN... the Aria. I've never ever experienced more frustration with a tech set up than with this. Please, FitBit, could you please FIX the issues I'm reading about and now experiencing before putting this out on the market for people to try? The web-based setup crashed my computer, then crashed my Chrome, then even crashed IE. Tried it on my phone - would not connect even though I'm practically sitting on my router. I'm not going to try and reconfigure my router and try to work through some of the solutions I'm reading online. Just don't sell it until it;s ready to be actualy used by real people, not super tech nerds who can crack into routers and reconfigure through all the steps. Thank goodness I purchaed this locally and it is going back asap.

[MatthewFitbit]

@sandypdot Sorry you've had a difficult time setting up your Aria. Do you know where in the setup process you got stuck with your phone, or what error message you received? If you can let us know the details, I'm sure we can help you get your scale connected. 

[petercarp]

All of the postings by the Moderator want us to give them more information about why THEIR product does not work properly.

Good products do NOT require complex instructions or difficult interactions. This product is a deeply flawed product that should only be sold as a Beta test product to people with technical skills and a lot of patience.

[MatthewFitbit]

@petercarp Troubleshooting begins by understanding where you got stuck. Aria setup can be a challenge, so knowing exactly where in the setup process you ran into trouble is important. The purpose of this thread is to help customers complete their setup, so hopefully you can see why it's a common question.

If you can state which setup process you were using, which step you were on in the process when you got stuck, and what the error message was, we should be able to assist.

[sandypdot]

When it would try to connect to the Aria network my Chrome browser would crash. I tried multiple times. I tried IE and it crashed when trying to connect to the Aria network. I tried to set up with my phone & when I tried to connect to Aria the error message was that the signal was too weak. I have no issues with the Fitbit and have never had issues with anyone or anything connecting to my network. Why is it so hard to connect the Aria & why does a second network have to be created? Taking this Aria back today - way too hard to set up. Cautioning others to be aware also.

- Sandy

[rrlangjr]

Mathew we all have been thought the issues and have been posting what we tried over and over again. Would be much easier just to fit bit fix the problem and move on. Repeating ourselves really doesn't solve the problem.

[MatthewFitbit]

@sandypdot Thanks for those additional details. A browser crash is probably indicative of an unrelated problem. You might want to make sure you're using the most recent version of Chrome, and that any unnecessary add-ons are disabled, in case they are conflicting. If you continue to experience a crash, you can try a different browser.

The error you encountered using your phone may indicate that you were too far from the scale during setup, or that the scale was too far from your router. Make sure the Aria is right next to the router - within a couple feet, ideally. You can of course move it afterward, but during setup it needs to be as close as possible. From there, follow the Web-Based Method detailed here, and just take it slowly. Make sure you proceed through each step carefully, and give the scale plenty of time to connect. If you make a mistake, you'll need to begin again.

@rrlangjr While I understand that the Aria isn't the easiest device to get setup, the instructions and video posted above should get you connected. If you're not succeeding, there are reasonable troubleshoots that typically resolve the problem. It does take a bit of patience and technical knowledge, but we're happy to assist if you are able to provide the specific details.

[rrlangjr]

Mathew I tried for over a month following all the videos instructions and ideas in this website. Only solution would be open my network ( that will never happens) or buying an outdated router, also not viable. I gave returned the aria, and until fit bit fix the problem I will not buy another or recommend it to anyone. Is a software update issue, get a coder on the job and the problem will be fixed really fast.