Difference between Treadmill vs Fitbit Ionic steps and distance

[MERICKSON_2010]

I have had my ionic since January 1.  I have been actively running on the treadmill since then. I just recently noticed that my fitbit has gotten started calculating distance and steps much different than what the treadmill says (they used to be very close like less than .2 miles off).  I also notice during the day my step count has decided on the same distance walks that I regularly take. I tried to restart is there another trick

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[MarreFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @MERICKSON_2010! Thanks for already restarting your Fitbit Ionic, nice way to go! 

Were you holding onto the treadmill side rails?  If so, the tracker cannot detect your number of steps since your arm is not moving.  If you walk with a normal arm swing on the treadmill, it should count the proper number of steps and calories. 

Also, remember that if you are using the Treadmill exercise mode on the Fitbit Ionic it will use the Walking Stride Length and not the Running Stride Length for calculating distance from the number of steps.  This will cause the distance to be off substantially. So, if you are running on the treadmill, it is better to use the Run exercise mode, assuming you have correctly set up the stride lengths for Walk and Run.  But, it is important that your arms swing freely in order for the Fitbit Ionic to count steps, and not held next to the body. 

Fitbit trackers calculate distance by multiplying your walking steps by your walking stride length and multiplying your running steps by your running stride length. By default, we calculate your stride length using your height and gender. Since you have Fitbit Ionic and track one or more runs using connected GPS, we evaluate that data to automatically update your running stride length. For best results, run at a comfortable pace for at least 10 minutes. 

To measure your walking stride length:

1. Go to a track or some place where you're sure of the distance.
2. Count your steps as you walk across that distance, making sure you travel at least 20 steps.
3. Divide the total distance (in feet) taken by the number of steps to get your stride length.

Your running stride can be calculated the same way if you run instead of walk. 

To get more information about how accurate is your Fitbit Ionic, I'd recommend checking this post.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need further assistance.