Active Minutes vs. Very Active Minutes

[JSP67]

Can anyone explain to me why my fitbit Zip has recorded me for 150 active minutes today and my fitbit One has only recorded 90 active minutes?

[Dominique]

It's a known fact very active minutes are much harder to earn with the One than with the Zip. Unfortunately, different Fitbit trackers don't count VAMs in the same way, although they are supposed to use the same formula.

[Heybales]

What was the step count on each?

What was the calorie count on each?

If you can narrow those figures to just the time of the activity in question, like a workout, even easier. If it's spread through the day that won't work then.

[Dominique]

Do you wear two Fitbits connected to two different accounts?! That would be highly unusual, especially for someone brand-new to Fitbit. Some long-time users (eg. @Colinm39 ) have performed such tests.

[Colinm39]

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@Dominique wrote:

Do you wear two Fitbits connected to two different accounts?! That would be highly unusual, especially for someone brand-new to Fitbit. Some long-time users (eg. @Colinm39 ) have performed such tests.

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@DominiqueTo fill you in, make it 3 different Fitbits, all clipon types on 3 different accounts, Premium on one and the others standard accounts. I finished up initially with two because my original Classic burst at the joins so I purchased the Ultra as insurance and used that as my primary. Because they were going so well I used them as testing comparative devices. Then the Ultra started to crack and separate, some super glue and the same thing, I purchased a One as insurance and made that the Primary.

Then the Classic failed at 2.25 years so I purchased a Zip to test why the VAM was so high and proved with me that the VAM is double compared with the Ultra and One.. So 2 batteries later on the Zip 5 months and 4 months respectively all are working and accurate. I get about 2% maximum variation in steps between all three when I compare them over planned rapid walks of 45 minutes and 5,500 steps

The Ultra and the One pick up perfect Cadence on the stationary bike and the Zip thinks I'm asleep.

[Heybales]

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@Colinm39 wrote:

 So 2 batteries later on the Zip 5 months and 4 months respectively all are working and accurate. I get about 2% maximum variation in steps between all three when I compare them over planned rapid walks of 45 minutes and 5,500 steps

The Ultra and the One pick up perfect Cadence on the stationary bike and the Zip thinks I'm asleep.

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I'm curious, does that mean the Zip stopped being so high in VAM compared to the others, they match on that too?

I rarely have any non-manual logged workouts, so all my time is VAM anyway.

And it's funny how many steps the Zip picks up outside even on my hip. And it's almost 1/2 the true cadence "steps".

[Colinm39]

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@Heybales wrote:

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@Colinm39 wrote:

 So 2 batteries later on the Zip 5 months and 4 months respectively all are working and accurate. I get about 2% maximum variation in steps between all three when I compare them over planned rapid walks of 45 minutes and 5,500 steps

The Ultra and the One pick up perfect Cadence on the stationary bike and the Zip thinks I'm asleep.

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I'm curious, does that mean the Zip stopped being so high in VAM compared to the others, they match on that too?

I rarely have any non-manual logged workouts, so all my time is VAM anyway.

And it's funny how many steps the Zip picks up outside even on my hip. And it's almost 1/2 the true cadence "steps".

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@HeybalesOn my walking the Zip always picks up about double the VAM. Another interesting test was on my country freeway driving at various speeds, again the Fitbit Zip was semi dormant but both the Ultra and One picked up some steps but "vibration" calories because I have no other explanation .

[Heybales]

I'm beginning to think they went with a different vendor for the accelerometer in the Zip, and from what I've read those units pretty much do it all, you just need to input some info and read the outputs from them doing the math themselves, they are their own computer on a chip.