Polar Bluetooth Chest Strap Compatibilty

[BlueKermit]

I'm pretty fed up with the poor HR reading and accuracy of this toy. The latest update did nothing to improve HR monitoring. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ______ (insert deity or pet) MAKE A CHEST STRAP or allow us to use our existing bluetooth compatible chest strap, mkay?

in my frustration i would use both, Charge 2, and my polar watch/chest strap and shake my head in disbelief how bad the accuracy is for this FitBit. No matter where i place it on my wrist the FitBit has a mind of it's own. I can even take it off of my wrist and out of thin air it produces a HR, that's interesting.

If FitBit would just allow bluetooth to connect to other devices then it would win my vote for reliable, trusted, a must have. but the truth is Polar and others who offer chest strap bluetooth monitoring work 200% better than FitBit.

[AlvaroFitbit · Accepted solution]

@BlueKermit Welcome to the Fitbit Community! It's great to have you here! You aren't alone in these suggestions so I invite you to vote for the option to add compatibility with a Polar Chest strap or creating a Fitbit branded one. Additionally feel free our suggestions on how to improve the heart rate accuracy:

As with all heart-rate tracking technology, whether a chest strap or a wrist-based sensor, accuracy is affected by personal physiology, location of wear, and type of movement.

When you’re not exercising, wear your device a finger’s width below your wrist bone. Fitbit’s PurePulse heart-rate tracking system is designed to be most accurate when the device is worn on the top of your wrist.

For improved heart-rate accuracy keep these tips in mind:

1. Experiment with wearing the device higher on your wrist during exercise for an improved fit and more accurate heart-rate reading. Many exercises such as bike riding or weight lifting cause you to bend your wrist frequently, which could interfere with the heart-rate signal if the watch is lower on your wrist. 
   
2. Make sure the device is in contact with your skin.
3. Do not wear your device too tight; a tight band restricts blood flow, potentially affecting the heart-rate signal. That being said, the device should also be slightly tighter (snug but not constricting) during exercise than during all-day wear.
4. With high-intensity interval training, P90X, boxing, or other activities where your wrist is moving vigorously and non-rhythmically, the movement may prevent the sensor from finding an accurate heart rate. Similarly, with exercises such as weight lifting or rowing, your wrist muscles may flex in such a way that the band tightens and loosens during exercise. Try relaxing your wrist and staying still briefly (about 10 seconds), after which you should see an accurate heart-rate reading. Note that your device will still provide accurate calorie burn readings during these types of exercise by analyzing your heart rate trends over the course of the workout.

Note that if you remove your device but it keeps moving, for example if you put it in a pocket or backpack, the device may display an incorrect heart-rate reading. To prevent this issue, turn off heart-rate tracking when the device is not in use. See below for instructions.

Let me know how it goes!

[BlueKermit]

I will turn off the heart rate tracking when I'm not wearing it. In the past I have followed all of those reccomendations with only marginal results, even switching from left to right arm. 

thanks 

[The_Basher]

I just returned mine because the heart rate was so bad during my workout. I would have kept it if there was a chest strap that I could have used. Now  I'm stuck looking to get another tracker and it will not be a fitbit.

[ColinToronto]

Yeah I got fed up with my Fitbit and bought a polar chest strap which I love. I wear both now - the Fitbit works great until I start running then it goes haywire. Ocassionally the Fitbit messes up the polar signal though ugh.

[DrWho]

Fitbit considers Polar as a competition and has refused multiple requests to read blue tooth Chest Strap. This request has been in for many years. They give a BS answer about how to wear your watch for better accuracy. I am a technologist and have read all published papers on optical sensors for HR.  Unfortunately the waveform that comes from optical sensor is extremely noisy and extracting the pulse requires lots of Signal Processing. But even with the best Signal Processing Algorithms, the accuracy is no where near a Chest Strap. A chest strap detects the electrical signal when the heart muscle contracts. This is simple and very accurate. All EKG machines in hospitals use the same method.

If any of you have influence with Fitbit, please convince them that either they should offer a chest strap or accept third party chest straps. I have already given up trying.

[Befitter4ever]

The level of accuracy is not good -- when I'm riding my trainer my Fitbit HR was at 180; I can take it manually and it's 135.  For my husband with heart issues this is key. Being able to pair his fitbit with a heart rate monitor would be the best solution.