Ionic GPS Inaccuracies

[MP4]

Hi, 

I'm a new Fitbit user, bought an Ionic on Monday and I'm having some issues with the GPS. Went on a couple of runs (at a track) and the gps seemed to be completely out both on the distance travelled and pace per kilometre.

I'm a long time strava user so yesterday I went for a run with both the Fitbit Ionic going and the strava on my iPhone running at the same time. Here are the results:

Strava - 7.9km   @ 4:15/km

Fitbit - 7.2km     @ 4:34/km

The difference of 0.7km is quite big and the difference in pace is also worrying. I waited till both had connected to gps before starting the run and I run in London where gps signal should be good. 

Is my Fitbit Ionic GPS not working correctly? Any help/advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks

Matt

Moderator Edit: Updated Subject for Clarity

[Daddsy]

Hi,

I've noticed an issue since the last update and was wondering if anyone knows if there's a setting somewhere I'm missing to turn this off. I used to be able to start finding satellites by starting an exercise and then wait for a while before pressing start, but since the last update it seems to stop, lose its lock, and go back to the menu without any warning. This is a real nuisance running races as often I get a satellite lock a few mins before the start and then press the start button as I cross the line, but now I'm finding it's often timed out by then, making me have to frantically restart the activity while running. I presume this is a power saving option, so I'm hoping there's a way to turn this off but failing that a way to revert back to the previous firmware would be a good alternative.

Appreciate any help!

Thanks 

Jon

[Winnie10]

I have had my Ionic adidas edition for about 6 weeks having previously used a Blaze.  I have concerns about the GPS on the Ionic to such an extent that I have no clue how far I am walking/running or what my actual pace is.  I am starting to train for a half marathon so need reliable results but am quite disillusioned.  Most days, I walk the same route which my Blaze used to track at 5.1-5.2 km using the connected GPS on my phone.  That same route measures 4.7-4.8km with the Ionic - that's quite a big difference. 

I went to a running track last week which is 440yds to test the accuracy and the results weren't good.  Each lap should be 0.25 miles but the Ionic tracked it as 0.24 on the first lap.  I walked 4 laps and as I crossed the line at the end of the 4th lap, it tracked as 0.98miles - I had to walk a good few yards past the line to complete the mile according to the Ionic.  This obviously distorts my pace as it thinks I take longer to hit the mile marker.  I then ran 8 laps of the track and by the end of the 8th lap, it was even further behind.

I walked a different route yesterday which the Ionic measured at 3.69 miles.  I then plotted that same route on mapmywalk.com and it measured at 3.79 - if it was just a little out, I wouldn't be concerned, but this feels like too big a discrepancy to ignore.

What can I do?  Can I return it and ask for a replacement?  Judging by the amount of posts on this thread, I don't think that will solve the problem.  I have loved Fitbit products over the years (my Ionic is my 5th different product) but now that I'm getting more serious about my training, I need better accuracy.

[TomDNA]

Is it possible that your track is not 440 yards but 400 meters?

The inside or 1st lane of an Olympic track is 400 meters (= 437.445 yards),
which is 0.249 mile. However, the 1st lane of many tracks in the USA are
440 yards (= 402.3 meters), which is 0.25 mile.

[Winnie10]

The published distance for the track I used is 440yds - that was one of the main reasons I chose that over others which are 400m. 

Today, I went out and did the exact same route as I did yesterday - the GPS tracked 3.9miles today versus 3.69 yesterday (and 3.79 on mapmywalk).

So, now I have no clue what my pace is!

[groberge]

It seems that people are having different experiences with the GPS with no rhyme or reason.

Some people have said that their GPS was fixed with one of the prior firmware updates while others (myself included) still have issues with their GPS.  I had downloaded another app onto my Ionic that was suggested by a Fitbit moderator and, although the app wasn't very user friendly and isn't one that I would use again, the measurements that it gave me when running with the Ionic were very close to identical to other apps on my phone.  This tells me that it isn't a hardware problem.

My opinion is, if you've just recently bought your Ionic, make sure that it's updated to the latest firmware and test it.  If it still isn't showing you what you expect, return it and get something different.  

I plan on getting myself a Garmin as I've heard many positive reviews of their GPS measurements.  The lack of updates from Fitbit is very troubling to me and not worth the money.

[jwebb72]

Also keep in mind that accuracy isn't going to be as accurate as you're hoping for on ANY GPS watch no matter what brand. Because of this, no GPS watch will ever give you accurate pace either. The GPS units are very low power and have small antennas. Results can be different day to day from environmental conditions. GPS watches tend to short the distance on a track because the greatest amount of error seems to be on corners, most accurate on straights. Check this out: http://fellrnr.com/wiki/GPS_Accuracy

[groberge]

While that may be true...and has been stated many times in this thread...it still stands that the Ionic is much further off than most, if not all, other GPS watches.  The GPS file itself gives the correct distance when uploaded to other sites but Fitbit's way of calculating the distance (which seems to be steps * stride) is much less accurate than using the GPS measurement itself as other watches do.

[Tunah85]

If you have the option to return your Ionic I would.

My brother just got the Garmin 735XT (slightly more money, but similar price point) and it is significantly better for serious training.  He gets so many awesome stats, and the GPS is very accurate.

https://www.amazon.ca/Garmin-Forerunner-735XT-Black-Run-Bundle/dp/B01DOJDTQ0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=...

Plus you can pair it with a chest HR to make HR monitoring even better...

I would return mine if Fitbit would let me, but sadly I bought mine back in October and believed they would have corrected these accuracy problems by now.

I guess this is another lesson in NOT buying the first GEN of anything.

[fumbling81]

Today on my morning run the GPS stopped working, and it took a whole 5 miles for it to pick back up again. I tried restarting it when it stopped but it still didn't help. I noticed that the GPS has been having issues every since the OS update. Anyone else having this problem?

[bbarrera]

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@jwebb72 wrote:
Also keep in mind that accuracy isn't going to be as accurate as you're hoping for on ANY GPS watch no matter what brand. Because of this, no GPS watch will ever give you accurate pace either. 

---

One reason to pair a footpad with your GPS watch, something you can do with other brands of GPS watches but not with Fitbit.

The website you linked clearly shows footpods have highest accuracy/repeatability/etc, plus they give accurate distance estimates on a treadmill.

[mcgas2605]

Hi Guys,

Been a user of a Fitbit Charge 2 for a long time now. Been doing some running with it. Everytime I've used it, on the same journey it's been around the same 3.45-3.55 Miles.

Today, I got a brand new Ionic for my birthday. Went for a run, it only showed 3.2 Miles and showed me running in the middle of a lake sometimes. Is this how its always going to be or is it a problem with these? I have a TomTom watch thats about 4 years old that tracks better then this does and this is brand new and cost more!

Any help would be appreciated.

Sean.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[mcgas2605]

Also, whilst im on this subject. I know the GPS can be disabled from looking online and seeing various other GPS issues.

If I disable GPS on the Ionic, can I go back to use my phones GPS like I did with the Charge 2?

Sean.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @mcgas2605, the Ionic does not use "connected GPS" the way the Charge 2 does.  Hiwever, if you are happy to run with your phone with you, you could use the mobile run.  Used in conjunction with your tracker it will take steps, heartrate, calories, etc from the Ionic, and GPS from the phone.

[mcgas2605]

OK Thanks for your reply, that’s brilliant.

Does this mean then, I have received a present that’s 4 years newer then an old TomTom watch I have. Is £130 more expensive then my Charge 2 which it has replaced. Yet it’s worse then both of them?

Sean

[Julia_G]

Hi, @mcgas2605, I guess that is a matter of opinion!  I was only addressing the question of whether you could use your phone's GPS

[Sheldoreo]

Try another couple of runs of the same route to get a sample to compare.  You never know, the GPS may have been sporadic on that particular day for whatever reason.  I won't say that the Ionic's GPS abilities are perfect, but, on mine I've not experienced any real issues yet.

[Julia_G]

@Sheldoreo, I agree! A single observation is probably not enough to write off the GPS capabilities.  Mine seems to be working well.

[mcgas2605]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies. Fair comment for saying about me using it only the once and not giving it time. I was just so used to such consistency when it came to a run. I've been doing the exact same run for nearly a year now. Been using the Fitbit Charge 2 mainly and the TomTom now and again. The runs were always consistent. Never have I had this issue until the first time I have used this Ionic.

I'll be running again tomorrow and during the week, so I'll try it another couple of times and report back on here how it’s going.

Thanks for your replies so far.

Sean.

[weasellyone]

I haven't updated the firmware since I'm worried about this - can't have it timing out the lock just before starting a race! 

Is this problem still ongoing? 

[Daddsy]

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@weasellyone wrote:

I haven't updated the firmware since I'm worried about this - can't have it timing out the lock just before starting a race! 

Is this problem still ongoing? 

---

Yes, still a problem with the latest update. Have raised it with support, waiting on a reply