Blaze Inaccurate Distance (Even W/GPS)

[BLMBG]

I have no problem linking my blaze to my phone's GPS.  It tracks distance and route.  But it is dreadfully inaccurate.  What is the point of a device that "uses" the phone GPS when it doesn't pay attention to the distance the more capable device is registering.  Regardless of stride length settings (which should have zero impact on distance anyway, using the phone GPS instead), my Blaze always records wildly inaccurate distance compared to my phone and other workout apps.  I read that, after a few uses, the blaze is supposed to adjust based on differences it encounters between it's internal distance estimate and the real distance per the phone/GPS.  But that's not happening, and I've got lots of linked runs with this setup.  Don't need it if it can't track distance somewhere in the ballpark of reality. Help!

[shipo]

Can you post an image of an obviously inaccurate run which was tracked by the GPS tether?

Side thought: how do you have your phone set up regarding location tracking; exclusively GPS, exclusively Mobile Phone Tower Triangulation, or both?

[BLMBG]

I do not know the phone settings.  The phones track distance and route impeccably.  Regardless of what app I use.  It is only the blaze/fitbit interface that records a distance notably different than that traveled.  I have two iphones.  I've run different tracking software simultaneously on both of them (fitbit app and the other app on the same phone), and on other runs, I've linked the blaze/fitbit on one phone while I ran runkeeper or another GPS tracking app on the other phone.  I've done it in various places, and I've done it multiple times on a known-distance track.  Always off distance wise, while the track appears to accurately reflect my turns, etc.  I should be able to glance at my wrist (blaze) and see how I'm progressing distance wise, and cannot.  Real distance will be 1.0 miles, and the blaze/fitbit will think it's around .70 miles.  Puzzling.  Love the device otherwise, but this is problematic.  I'm convinced there's a way to make it function properly, but I haven't found it. 

[shipo]

So post-run when you look at the Fitbit app on your phone everything looks good, but mid-run when you look at your watch not so good?  I'm thinking you might be well served by setting your running stride length.

[BLMBG]

Not exactly.  Fitibit stays wrong from beginning through end.  Adjusting stride length should have no effect, since the tracker is supposed to be getting data from the phone GPS.  But I did adjust stride length (logical for my charge HR, not so for the blaze) to no avail.  It says it's connected when I start a run, but it is still displaying incorrect distance information. 

[shipo]

So the run track on the map in your phone based Fitbit Dashboard is incorrect?

[BLMBG]

The track is correct. The distance is incorrect, on the tracker, and on the app.  During and after a run.  The map track accurately describes the route.  It is not starting late, ending early, or skipping parts of the route.  That's what's particularly perplexing.  Everything appears to be working, tracking, and functioning normally, the tracker/app just are not listening or reflecting actual distance as reported by the phone/GPS.  This is consistent whether I run laps, a straight line, or a random course. 

[DanaReMilner]

I have the same problem. Today, I walked a trail with quarter-mile markers. I started at mile 0, walked to mile 5, then turned around and ended back at mile zero. I've done this dozens of times using my Strava app, always coming in extremely close to 10 miles. Today, I used my Blaze with connected GPS, and it came in at 9.48 miles. My Android phone's GPS is set to high accuracy, so I'm at a loss as to what is causing this.

[BLMBG]

Mine remains incorrect. cinsustently so. Running or biking.

[BLMBG]

Consistently. I should mention that my current blaze shows the same amount of distance error, failing to take correct data from the phone, as the previous blaze.

[Walthmr]

My Blaze is clocking a mile at around .75. So every mile I run or walk I lose a1/4 of a mile. I've checked it against GPS and another Fitbit and it definitely not tracking properly😡

[dlou4him]

I am having the same trouble with my Blaze tracking inaccurate mileage. The other day I jogged/walked 5.3 miles using my Map My Run App in the morning, and my Blaze read a distance of  4 miles by the end of the day without reaching my 10,000 steps.   When I had my old Fitbit, if I walked a distance of 5 miles, I would have no trouble reaching 10,000 steps.  I love my Blaze, but get very frustrated with the apparent inaccuracies.

[shipo]

@dlou4him, you need to increase the number of inches in your Stride properties; that'll fix your walking distance errors.

[bbarrera]

@shipo your answer doesn't matter, @dlou4him walked over 5 miles on a walk, and at end of day did not have 10,000 steps. The Blaze is a step counter, it failed to accurately count steps.

[DanaReMilner]

Stride length only is factored in when NOT using GPS. A mile calculated by
GPS is (should be) a mile regardless of the number of steps taken.

[shipo]

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@bbarrera wrote:
@shipo your answer doesn't matter, @dlou4him walked over 5 miles on a walk, and at end of day did not have 10,000 steps. The Blaze is a step counter, it failed to accurately count steps.

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That depends entirely upon stride length; I know a number of folks who can walk 5 miles and not hit 10,000 steps.

[amgermain]

You are not alone! The inaccuracy on this thing is completely ridiculous, it is always a 1/4 to a 1/2 mile short of what the distance actually is. I've adjusted stride length, done everything that Fitbit has recommended, and it still does not work accurately.

[dlou4him]

When using my older trackers, when I log 5 miles, it always came to 10,000 steps. Not with the blaze

Sent from my iPhone

[bbarrera]

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@dlou4him wrote:

I am having the same trouble with my Blaze tracking inaccurate mileage. The other day I jogged/walked 5.3 miles using my Map My Run App in the morning, and my Blaze read a distance of  4 miles by the end of the day without reaching my 10,000 steps.   When I had my old Fitbit, if I walked a distance of 5 miles, I would have no trouble reaching 10,000 steps.  I love my Blaze, but get very frustrated with the apparent inaccuracies.

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@shipo thought the problem statement was very clear:

- walked/jogged 5.3 miles in the morning, Blaze only shows 4 miles

- at end of day hadn't reach 10,000 steps

Pretty hard for anyone to not reach 10,000 steps by end of day if you walk 5.3 miles in the morning.

and

- with old Fitbit, walking 5 miles resulted in 10,000 steps by end of day

Stride setting has nothing to do with the problem statement.

[retailgirl]

I am new to the Blaze, previously used the Flex and I am having the same issues experienced by most here. Has anyone heard from Fitbit on a solution to this issue?  Thanks.