Charge 5 - GPS not accurate

[SPL-BR]

Built in GPS on Charge 5, not accurate at all! 

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[DavideFitbit]

Hi, thank you for sharing this information about the trouble you've been experiencing with your Charge 5, @SPL-BR.  

If the GPS is getting disconnected during your activity, the Charge 5 may track different information for the the distance or the map may be inaccurate as well. Before considering other options, make sure to follow the steps suggested in this article. 

All devices with GPS sensors require a direct path to GPS satellites to calculate location. A weak GPS signal might affect the accuracy of your route and other activity data. Your device uses your step count to calculate distance until it finds a signal, so the total distance calculated for a workout may be slightly less accurate when GPS isn't available for the entire time. In particular, please make sure of the following: 

• That you are  in open sky and moderate trees
• Adjust how you wear the tracker when you want to use GPS 
• Make sure the Location in your phone settings is set to Always or All the time for the Fitbit app (if you're using connected GPS)

If you continue to experience the same behavior and your GPS is getting disconnected, make sure to try following the steps listed in this article to complete a restart, as this has been useful for other users experiencing something similar. 

I'll be around. 

[SPL-BR]

David:

Have tried everything listed above. Charge 5 continues to be erratic. Continually disconnecting. 

See below the huge difference between Fitbit and Garmin. Have been using Fitbit for years starting with a One. Used Garmin for GPS tracking without the need to carry your phone along. Got the Ionic for the built-in GPS but it has never been as accurate as Garmin. The Ionic is much more accurate than the Charge 5 but was looking to upgrade along with Premium. Fitbit seems to be getting worse not better!

 Fitbit Charge 5

 Garmin Forerunner 245

[CherishedVitali]

The above was helpful, but I am still having issues with my Charge 5 counting my steps accurately.  I use mine indoors, doing my exercises in my home and walking laps.  It seems to be very laggy when counting my steps.  It is also overly sensitive when counting my sleep hours (clocking hours sleeping when I was only watching T.V.).  Does cloud cover affect reliability of the device?  Which GPS setting is the best to use indoors?

[Wibby]

Hello @CherishedVitali 

You shouldn’t be using GPS indoors - it’s for outdoor exercise.  That could be what is affecting the accuracy of your stats.  

It’s better to just turn it off unless you’re planning to go on a walk outdoors and need to map the route.

 I hope that helps a bit.

[DavideFitbit]

@SPL-BR @CherishedVitali Thank you for your replies and for confirming that you already tried the steps suggested earlier. 

If you're still having trouble to track your GPS activities, I recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team for further assistance. The best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected. 

@CherishedVitali I would only add that as @Wibby mentioned earlier, it's not recommend to use the GPS feature indoors, because these devices with GPS sensors require a direct path to GPS satellites to calculate location and a week signal might affect the accuracy. In the case that you're also experiencing this problem outdoors, I do recommend that you continue the communication with Support for further instructions. 

Thank you for sharing your feedback about this feature as well. The team of developers continues to work to improve the quality of products and services. 

See you around.