Blaze Distance Measurement is Inaccurate

[MuzDownUnder]

I have been testing the Blaze vs the Surge on my last two walks. The Blaze is not reading distance correctly using Connected GPS. Here are the detailed results from the last quite slow walk.

Unit              Blaze    Surge           Notes

Time             41:50    41:42.22      I pressed the two starts and stops within 0.5 sec

Dist               2.59km 2.20km        The 2.20 is accurate - on both walks the Flaze was well over

Avg Pace      16'07"   18'55"          The surge is closer

Hrt Avg          86         80

Steps             2953     2920            The surge step counting is a little erratic

Elevation       36.57    36.57

My phone is a Samsung S5 running Android 5.0

[Royboy50]

I have had it report my rides both too short and too long.

[Cracker65]

Anyone in this group seen any changes with the new firmware update, I'm still waiting for the firmware update to be passed onto my Blaze and was hoping for some improvement with the distance calc?

[AuntBB]

@Cracker65
I've only seen evidence of updates to the Fitbit Android app. I've seen no improvements in mileage or pace accuracy for the Blaze. With the app update, it's behaving even more oddly. If I use my GPS for directions while driving, that period of time is auto detected and logged as Outdoor Cycling activity. Outdoor Cycling is not setup on my auto detect list. To make it worse, tracking isn't remotely close to being accurate.
Have some Blaze owners received an actual device firmware update?

[Royboy50]

I have not had an update yet and still seeing the distance is inaccurate when cycling.

Regards......Roy
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world." -- Anne Frank

[MuzDownUnder]

I have just changed from a Samsung Galaxy S5 to the S7 and my distance error has halved. I was getting a very consistant +10% over with the S5 (with two different phones with 2 different vers of Android) and now I am getting +5% over distance with the S7. This was using the same Blaze over the exact same course. Definitely a phone communication issue.

[Jason212]

If you are using the connected GPS, it could be that the GPS sensor in the new phone is a bit better

[tjsplace21]

From the blaze, why is their another way it might be more accurate because its off by at least a half mile and a lot of steps. I like the blaze but ready to send back.

[MuzDownUnder]

@Jason212 If you are using the connected GPS, it could be that the GPS sensor in the new phone is a bit better

Possibly but I notice that the Blaze doesn't start the phone GPS on the Samsung S7. I can start the GPS using another app but it doesn't make any difference to the distance error. It's like the Blaze isn't actually using the phone GPS at all and relying only on the cell net location.

[tjsplace21]

I think Im going to try the Garmin, the one that looks almost like the
blaze. Lot of good reviews on it. Thx.

[jwebb72]

I've narrowed down the problem of inaccurate connected GPS, at least for me. It seams that my Blaze isn't receiving GPS data when phone is in "high accuracy" mode which uses GPS + WiFi + Cellular network for location. The Blaze connects fine with full green bars but is only using the cellular network data for location which isn't that accurate. When I initiate the exercise in the app, GPS is used and it's very accurate. When phone is in "GPS only" mode the Blaze only gets a single red bar in the let's go screen and uses steps/stride for distance but through the app GPS is used and is very accurate. Devices used for testing are: Motorola Moto E 2nd Gen running 5.1 lollipop and Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 running 4.4 kitkat.

[Royboy50]

Agree! I am looking to do the same. Really sorry I didn't buy it in the 1st place.


Best Regards,



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[tjsplace21]

I have the Garmin Vivoactive now. I like it the only problem is when inside its hard to see the screen but outside its nice and bright and the distance is accurate

[MuzDownUnder]

@jwebb72 This is the exact same problem I am seeing. See post

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Blaze/Connected-GPS-vs-Mobile-Run-Difference/m-p/1322307#M14798

I have tested this on Samsung S5 & S7 and android 4.3, 5.0 & 6.0. The error is the same on all of these. 

[kellybrak]

YES i completely agree with your recommendations.  I am on my second Blaze and have been having accuracy problems the whole time.  I've only had a couple of runs be totally accurate.  Most are too far compared to the actual distance.  I traded in a Surge for the Blaze because of the extra features and looks.  But I really want an accurate running app showing my split times.  I hope they fix the algorithms becuase this is a HUGE irritation.  I have gone back and forth with multiple "support" people and it's just ridiculous.

[trevorms]

I contacted Fitbit support about distance inaccuracies using the "Bike" exercise and connected GPS.  They replied that the connected GPS data is not used to calculate distance but rather the stride length is used for the Bike exercise.  What stride length has to do with cycling...I don't know.  This is probably the same for the Walk exercise.  They didn't say if the walking or running stride length was used for the "Bike" exercise.

Given that they use stride length for the Bike exercise (which makes no sense) even when connected to GPS, indicates that there are severe problems with the Blaze software.  Who knows what other bugs lurk in the code for these devices.

Since then I have experianced distance inaccuracies with the "Walk" exercise and connected GPS.  My Fitbit Blaze seems to be using a stride length greater than the one I set (96 cm rather than the set walking stride length of 75.8cm).  For 8767 steps, Fitbit reported my walk was 8.4km but it measured 6.78km on Google Maps...a big difference.  This is messing with my stats and does not inspire much confidence.

[jwebb72]

@trevorms The good news is that customer support has no clue how GPS connect works, the moderators on this forum do and have verified that indeed your phone's GPS is used for distance on all GPS connect exercises as long as you get full green bars on the "Let's go" screen. The bad news is many of us are having wildly inaccurate results using GPS connect. I have conceded to the fact that my phone is not 100% compatible with the Blaze and that's why I'm seeing inaccuracies, my Galaxy tablet however works flawlessly, but too large to take jogging lol. Good luck!

[trevorms]

Thanks @jwebb72 for the reply.  I have used two phones (Samsung S3 and Motorola Moto G 3rd gen) for connected GPS, both with similar results...which ties in with what you say.  If Fitbit are having these connected GPS problems on what appears to be many models of phones, then hopefully they are looking for the problem on their side rather than assuming it is not their problem.

This is the reply from Fitbit support I received regarding my concerns about the Bike exercise accuracy with connected GPS:

"We appreciate you sharing your findings with us, upon reviewing the information in our system we confirm that the bike option will take the stride length because that is the way the software was design, we will take your findings as a recommendation for our engineering team."

They seem pretty convinced that the software uses stride length rather than connected GPS for the Bike exercise.  If they are as clueless as you say, then this statement is wrong too.  Far out...this does not inspire confidence in the Blaze at all.  How close to the engineering coal face do we need to get to get a decent answer on what is going on with the accuracy of the Blaze?????

[tjsplace21]

I tried the blaze and the other Fitbit, $100 one with map my walk. Both seem to b inaccurate. I bought a garmin and still use the $100 Fitbit and Fitbit is at least half to a mile off. Other friends have Fitbit with the same results. The Garmin vivoactive and map my walk are within a couple of tenths difference so far

TJ

[bcalvanese]

For those who mention the Garmin, I would suggest you do some research first. Garmin devices are extremely buggie, and there servers go down quite often rendering millions of devices pretty much useless. They don't even post anything on the forums warning people or anything, and sometimes it goes on for days.

They also have updates very frequently and introduce more bugs than they fix, and it just keeps getting worse.

I have a $500.00 fenix3 that just sits in my drawer hoping the next update will fix all the issues, but every time it just gets worse.

There community basically consists of a forum where people mainly post there complaints about all the bugs, and Garmin does not even chime in on most of them.

I actually bought a vivoactive HR, and returned it for the Blaze because after using it for only a couple hours and 1 power walk, i started seeing all the familliar bugginess, and returned it for the Blaze within hours of purchase.

Every device has issues, but at least fitbit seems to take the extra time to fix the issues and not just keep cranking out updates that create a bunch of new ones. And at least they do not just totally ignore their customers like Garmin does.

The fitbit app and community is the best out there (IMO), and a few quirks (that I am sure will get resolved) is much better than having a device that you dont even know what will happen next.

JMHO

[tjsplace21]

So far my garmin is working fine and the fit bit on other wrist which I have been using for about 2 months still not accurate. Garmin only 3 weeks old and fine

TJ