Versa Lite Heart rate and workout accuracy

[Franks5K]

Hi all,

I'm using a Versa Lite and have found that while the heart rate data when relaxed seems accurate, it is completely unresponsive when exercising. My Max heart rate is 198 and resting is around 50. It tracks well while asleep but if I cycle or run, it just sits at 90-100bpm. I also cycle with Garmin heart rate strap and this is very clear and shows me immediate heart rate data all the way up to my max.

On top of this, I left my house for a cycle having done 5000 steps that day. When I arrived home from my cycle 1.5 hours later, My heart rate hadn't moved from ~90bpm but Versa had logged over 10,000 steps while cycling! 🙂

I never used to have this issue with my Apple Watch and really want this Versa to offer the same reliability in terms of data. Can anyone suggest a fix?

Thanks

[Franks5K]

I think my Versa Lite is broken. It doesn't log heart rate while riding my bike - Using a dedicated Garmin heart rate strap, my true heart rate will sit at 150+BPM and enter all my cardio zones like usual, while my Versa Lite watch makes up readings in the realms of 90-100bpm - completely inaccurate. 

It's also not possible to sync an outdoor ride from Strava back to Fitbit (which contains all my metrics such as GPS distance, Heart rate, Cadence, Power meter values etc) because Fitbit doesn't pull any of this important metric information when syncing from Strava to Fitbit. So in essence, after 5 hours out on the bike cycling, Versa and Fitbit think I've walked 25k steps!? and not exercised in any of the upper ranges of my heart rate so my Active Zone Minutes are logged as zero.

It tells the time well though so that's a plus I guess? 🙂

[Franks5K · Accepted solution]

For anyone that's interested, I found out all the answers through some extensive Reddit reading. Basically, all theses optical wrist sensors used to monitor HR are nothing more than a gimmick with exception to Apple's iWatch which has the most accurate sensor available. The one used in FitBit devices is very poor and actually gets worse the more you move - ridiculous in a fitness device sold which requires you to move in order to raise your heart rate.

I've also found the step counter is really poor in FitBit devices. I did 200 steps this morning before getting on my bike and riding to work. Heart rate never changed from my usual resting rate but I did log 4000 steps while cycling? FitBit also doesn't support the data from 3rd party apps such as Strava or the data from a HR chest strap which is accurate so you can't even bypass the inaccuracy if you wanted to.

All data is completely pointless, FitBit is sadly nothing more than a toy and shouldn't be used for anyone who is mildly interested in doing more than logging steps daily and telling the time.

I really don't want to go back into the Apple eco-system so if anyone can recommend a device worthy of accurate data such as Garmin/Polar etc, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks

[Heybales]

Some people have total accuracy with optical sensors up to 200 bpm - therefore it's not the device that is broken.

Merely that on some people the ability to read accurately over a certain point fails. The device has limitations. Just like a scale that says it's good up to 300 lbs, and even before then accuracy is only1 lb many times, despite the fact it gives readings in 0.2 lb increments.

Just limitations.

I've seen many up at the 130/140 level, just stops there much like yours did. A few others it totally lost a reading when the HR went too high for them, no data sadly.

Sometimes the suggestions of moving to upper arm work well - if you can get it to stay.

Sadly if your arm reads poorly with the Fitbit, it likely will with the Garmin too, and Polar. Unless their placement of the dual sensors just happens to work better for you. Might investigate that distance on the Apple and compare. I'd be curious if there really is any real difference in strength of light.

But that Garmin & Polar is an eco-system designed for exercise first, daily activity tracking added secondary.

Compared to Fitbit designed for daily activity tracking including exercise, but not designed to be your 1-stop for deep exercise stats for like training.

You need like trainingpeaks.com or sporttracks.mobi in that case.

Time for research:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/11/sports-technology-buyers-recommendations-guide-2020-2021.html/

For Fitbit it does sound like the wrong tool was grabbed for the job desired.

But for majority it'll do more than what you think.

[Franks5K]

I think it's more to do with the quality of the optics and perhaps the strength of the light. 

My Apple watch which is a Gen 2 so an old design around 5 years old, has two HUGE green optics (left and right) used for calculating heart rate and it does it with superb accuracy throughout a sweep of resting to max intensity while exercising. Compared to the Versa which has a tiny, cheap looking single bulb with very weak output and you start to realise that the FitBit is more geared to people who have zero interest in their health data.

I also have issues with the Versa and it's step logging. I go for a 2 hour cycle and it congratulates me for completing over 10,000 steps.

The only thing the Fitbit excels in is battery life. 4 days is great compared to Apples 18 hours! Once Apple get to multiples of days and have quick charge where you can gain enough charge while in the shower to sustain a days use I might then consider going back to Apple *SHUDDER*.

I wear a chest HRM during exercise so it would be great if Fitbit would allow a user to connect to it, but they don't. Failing that, it would be great if Fitbit would import the accurate data logged via my Strava account - but they don't. 

All signs point to a company that isn't 'that' interested in fitness data accuracy. I just wish they'd stop marketing their products as such.

Thanks