False steps

[harrypotter2]

When you clap for your child it counts as steps.

When you brush your teeth it counts as steps.

When you play the piano it counts as steps.

Why can't fitbit make it right?

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

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@harrypotter2 wrote:

When you clap for your child it counts as steps.

When you brush your teeth it counts as steps.

When you play the piano it counts as steps.

Why can't fitbit make it right?

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I think they do get it right. How often do you clap your hands? As a percentage of your day's total steps, the few that would be added would be so small they'd be negligible. Remember it's not claiming to be 100% accurately tracking every single step. Even those trackers you put on your ankle have errors and the Ionic offers so much more.

As for brushing your teeth, make sure to either not put the Ionic on your dominant arm, or make sure to have the settings know it is.

Playing the piano... can't help you other than add that when I'm playing guitar I crush my daily total if I don't remove the Flex from my right wrist. Gigging is the only time I get to beat my daughter's challenges. 

[harrypotter2]

thanks for the info

[Rich_Laue]

This is simply because the tracker being on the arm is monitoring arm motions. 

[SunsetRunner]

Haha yeah 16 steps for washing my hands 🙂 Still activity I guess 😄

[Andrew103]

As others have said, the Fitbit tracks steps by your movement. Normally, as you walk, you swing your arms in time with your stride. If you wear the tracker on your wrist it will count each arm movement as a step as it assumes these movements are in synch with your stride. However certain other hand/arm movements might be counted as steps, e.g. clapping. For example, I get great step counts on the days when I wash the three family cars! 

If you want to ensure it only counts actual steps, I guess you could try wearing it around your ankle?

[SunsetRunner]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

Haha yeah 16 steps for washing my hands 🙂 Still activity I guess 😄

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Sure, buddy... "Washing your hands." (wink wink, nudge nudge)

[KDX]

LOL. Good one.

[Rich_Laue]

It actually will not count every arm movement as a step but it needs to have 5 consecutive movements before steps are counted. 

Have you tried different arm settings. Setting it as if it was on your dominate atm, even if it isn't can help weed out false steps. 

[Colinm39]

I lose about 10% steps everyday doing domestics, walking on carpet at home and shopping.. Any I gain for other types of hand movements help nullify my loses. Sleeping I only average about 30 steps which is normally a bathroom break, so Fitbit is excellent for me for not gaining steps while asleep.  Even using the computer, hardly detectable and I have my Ionic set to non-dominant, mainly because I'm ambidextrous.

The same with floors. Where I live during my walking I have marginal 9 floors and 2, that I always get, When it's windy I pickup my loses because of the air movement across the altimeter.. I have average 3.6 floors/day for the last 12 months

[SunsetRunner]

@SunsetRunner haha it would register a lot more than 16 steps 😄 😉