Stairs not correct

[TomBlaze]

I have noticed that the flights of stairs data is VERY wrong. I usually climb stairs while driving in the car... Or at least the Blaze says so. Fit Bit customer service tells me to just change it on a computer. I bought the FitBit to do this for me. If I need to keep track if it myself I could have saved my money and used a piece of paper.

I am surprised at the solution suggested. What else is incorrect?

[Rich_Laue]

I'm surprised your not concerned about the Steps tour getting while driving.

Stairs are detected by monitoring the change in air pressure, but will only be added while walking.

When a car has bad or stiff suspension, then any step counter from any company, may give extra steps. This happens because the counter is bouncing around. 

[TomBlaze]

I am VERY concerned about the stairs being counted while in the car. I am also concerned that if the stairs are not correct then what else is not correct. It sounds like you are blaming the car instead of the accuracy of the device.

If the stairs are off then steps and pulse may be off too. So far I have no solution except to change it on my computer instead of Fit Bit claiming responsibility for a faulty product.

[SunsetRunner]

I also find the stair count very inaccurate.  I live in a three story townhome and kept track one day.  I did go up and down the second flight about 10 times or so throughout the day.  Blaze showed over 40 flights of stairs.  

[MikeF]

It's a little tenuous to claim that just because one sensor has limited capability then other sensors might also be limited. I guess it's true to the extent that everything is limited in some way shape or form but that's such a general statement as to be almost meaningless.

No one is 'blaming' anything here but simply describing the reality of the way these sorts of products work and the limitations that this implies. If you want an absolutely accurate count of the number of stairs you climb in a day then you probably need a man with TV camera following you around to record them for you so you can review the evidence later. Failing that, you need to find a compromise solution and, at the moment, air pressure measurements are the best anyone can do.

[TomBlaze]

Do you work for fit bit? Or are you simply giving your thoughts?

Thanks,
spelling and or typing errors are bc this was sent from my android device and I might be driving 😉

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[Rich_Laue]

@TomBlaze you just have to look at @MikeF's sigh and click on the link for your answer to the first question.

As for if this is his personal thoughts, well yes/no his comment is based on reality. 

The Fitbit measures the change in altitude by air pressure. Basically you take a scale measure how much the air weighs, then climb up 10 feet and measure there weight of the air again. The difference is the amount of weight change that the scale sees.

Note let's look at the scales sensitivity, the bigger the sensor the more sensitive the scale is. If you look carefully you will see a hole in the tracker, this will give an idea on how big the sensor is.

Doing a little math and thinking the actual sensor might be twice the size of the hole, we are looking at a change in pressure that's equivalent the weight of a peice of paper 1X1.5 inchs big.

Now to make things interesting let's add some wind, or the fan m the window, an approaching storm, that lowers the air pressure making the Fitbit think your gaining altitude, or on my case a negatively pressurized building, just by walking in always get one floor.

[TomBlaze]

Thank you. I am looking for a solution and to inform FitBit of the flaws so they can improve the product for the future. If my watch is flawed I wanted to see how I can get it fixed.

I can accept it if the answer is simply that the technology is not perfect.

[AndrewFitbit]

@TomBlaze It's not counting stairs, it's counting floors. One floor = a change in elevation of at least 10 feet (going up). While driving, your tracker may pick up extra data. If you want to delete the extra data, you can log a driving activity.

You can also try switching the "Dominant Hand" setting to "Dominant" in your device settings. The dominant wrist setting decreases the sensitivity of step counting and should reduce any over counting of steps when your body is not moving.

Hope that helps!

[kimhT]

my Blaze only counts about half the times I go up and down stairs at home, and that is only if I exaggerate my arm movments when I go up.  I am extremely disappointed as my Charge HR had no problem counting my flights of stairs correctly in the same house.  (Same week since my Blaze is new)

[szidlon]

Lol, I just got credit for 22, yes, 22 flights of stairs.  I live in SE Texas and the closest thing to a hill or stairs near me is a speed bump.  I've had two or three show up before, but not 22...   I don't do stairs, at all, my knees say no, no, no.