Ionic Heart Rate Accuracy

[Kat_W]

Has anyone else noticed that the Heart Rate sensor is very inaccurate?  Currently my Ionic is showing that my heart rate is in excess of 120, while at the same time my pulse ox machine (a medical device) is saying it's 82.  The Samsung health app is inline with what the pulse ox is saying.  I'm not sure if I have a defective Ionic or if others are having the same issue. ( Note: Sorry if there are any spelling errors, I am tryping around my cat, who has decided to sit directly in front of the screen)

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity

[YFG]

A couple of comments on this post-which I see often.
1. I follow those 3 “requirements” in order to make my $300 technology product work properly. It still doesn’t....
2. Today during my run my HR appeared to be correct at about 138. Then in the next several running strides it dropped to 118, bounced to 125 and settled back at 136
3. How many other $300 pieces of technology do you use that require special handling in order to maybe work correctly?

[YFG]

Return it while you can. There is no real fix. I’ve had mine for 8+ months, followed all the suggestions and the Fitbit updates. Each update from Fitbit has in some ways made it worse not better. Return it!

[Ken_Smith]

Thanks very much for the tips.

I'll try that the next time I workout.

Aloha,

Ken

Moderator Edit: Personal Info Removed

[SantiR]

Hello everyone! Thanks for your continuous participation on this thread regarding Ionic's heart rate reading.

Our team has received the feedback from everyone in this thread and is working to investigate these reports further. I will share updates from the team when I hear them. Thanks to everyone for your reports and understanding.

In the meantime, I recommend following these steps/wrist placements to improve the accuracy of your heart rate. It is basically recommending to not wear Ionic to tight nor too loose. Also, to wear it one to two fingers from your wrist bone. This helps with heart rate accuracy specially for high intensity workouts. You could perform a restart on your watch as well. 

Be sure to check the whole article!

Hope this helps. Keep me posted! 

[Mark2018]

@SantiR

And how long should we still wait?

I wait for sleep states since March!

We have June!

Are they really investigating?

Sorry, I don't see improvements.

Just suggestion to restart!

I have a Ionic, not Win95/98!

I'mso dissatisfied!

Why is Fitbit not able to fix all problems?

Hopefully one day! Tomorrow! 😉

[ravissama]

My iconic show my pulse as 100 when actual is 60

[erikkai]

Sleep stats are already part of the app. I readily use them.

Sent from my iPhone

[Mark2018]

Not really! 😉

Some people have luck, some none!

[SantiR]

@Mark2018 Thanks for your reply and your feedback. Are you not getting sleep stages while using Ionic? Please check this helpful article to get some information about this and why you may not be receiving them.

@ravissama Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Thanks for sharing the experience you are having with Ionic heart rate readings. 

@erikkai I hope you're doing well! I'm glad to hear you are using your sleep stats! 

So, I just wanted to let you all know that a new firmware version for Ionic started to roll out yesterday (OS 2.1.1 or version 32.10.20). This is a progressive roll out so if you haven't received it already; you should in the following days. This version includes some fixes to bugs so please download it as soon as you get it. Check this post for more details.

Let me know the results. Keep me posted! 

[Withecr]

Wear it high and tight. It will settle down. At least 1 inch above wrist
bone and almost uncomfortably tight which is necessary to secure watch in
this position. Mine works pretty well most of the time using in this
manner. Still not as accurate as a chest strap and Polar watch but on
average it's close enough. I'm 63 yo and can barely get my HR to 150 so I
know when I'm getting >170 Ionic is not correct.

[YFG]

Interesting that you continue to push out upgrades-nothing gets better and then you continue to offer the same advice on how to wear the Ionic for best readings.

I’m also amazed at how many new $300 purchasers are willing to tolerate the Ionics failures and shortcomings—almost a year after launch.

[Mark2018]

@SantiR

Thank you.

Yes, I got sleep stages until an update.

So your article has not the possibility to help! And yes, I know this article.

And also support is not able to help.

Standard answer with information about restarts, I know these possibility since Windows 95/98.

These hardware is also Ok, my wife is wearing my Charge 2 and used also my Ionic and is wearing very loose.

Result: Sleep stages every night!

That's why I know, there was something changed in the algorithm!!!

Of course it's a software problem.

Support is not able to say, which data is missing or that the signal strenght is to low.

No gab on the dashboard.

With HR Gragh you see the heart rate!

Also message of not consistent heart rate is wrong when you realy work with HRV and motion data.

No idea when Fitbit is going to provide correct software.

Fact is: no sleep stages after update.

An I didn't change my skin color! 😉

Maybe you have the possibility and you can ask 2nd Level support or escalation team for help.

Hopefully I have full working Ionic withhin next month or two.

I'm looking foward to see good news!

[SantiR]

@Withecr It's great to see you in the Fitbit Community! Thanks for sharing the workaround that has helped you out to get the most accurate hear rate reading from Ionic. I do think wrist placement helps with this. 

@YFG I hope you're doing well! Thanks for your feedback. I contacted you via PM, please keep an eye on your Community inbox.

@Mark2018 Thanks for your reply and providing all of that feedback. I went ahead and reported this to customer support. They should be contacting you soon. Please keep an eye on your email inbox.

Keep me posted! 

[erikkai]

I think some folks are having issues while I believe the majority of users, like myself, have great results with the Ionic.

Sent from my iPhone

[jwebb72]

@Tim31415

I thought you were nuts when you mentioned cadence lock but doing a Google search, it seems that cadence lock of optical hr sensors is a real thing. Lots of threads on the Garmin forum about this too. I also found this great website page that talks about that, and other struggles of an optical hr sensor. 

http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Optical_Heart_Rate_Monitoring 

Good primer for anyone and what to expect from your optical hr sensor.

(Not to say there's not a problem with some peoples Ionic HR sensor, just generally speaking)

[Ken_Smith]

Thank you for that informative article.

Last time I went out for a run I tightened the watch and also wet it before beginning my run. I found it to be quite accurate, but the only problem was it became loose after working out for a while so I had to retighten it.

Ken

Sent from my iPhone

[Windman]

Thks for the article. It confirms that all optical pulse meters have challenges in measuring pulse dependent on contact with skin, temperature, movement, and change of pulse. However, some are much better than others. The question is if Ionic is as accurate as f.ex. the Garmin?

The Ionic, being quite heavy makes it more sensitive to movement then previous Fitbits. In addition, because it is wide and has a wide bracelet it is difficult/impossible to wear far up on the arm as for most people the circumference of the underarm increases in the region where you are supposed to wear it making the watch slide down on you arm. This sliding is accelerated if you are moving your hands causing the muscles of your underarm to flex which changes the circumference of your underarm. I have tried to put another bracelet below the Ionic to keep it from sliding, but that did not help on accuracy.

I have found that the Ionic unlike narrow and light pulse watches like the charge, works best when worn real tight. However, that restricts blood flow and reduces the pulse signal. As I have quite visible blood vessels in my underarm wearing the Ionic tight works for me, but for people not having visible blood vessels wearing the Ionic tight may reduce the pulse signal to much. 

As the Ionic is much bigger and heavier than f.ex. the charge 1, if Fitbit use the same algorithms as developed from previous watches to compensate for body movements, the result will be erroneous. That the Ionic measures pulse even if the sensors are taped is probable because the algorithms supposed to compensate for body movements.

In summary as I have claimed previously, if you use the Ionic when you are not moving or moving at a constant level of movement and your pulse is not changing much, it will be accurate most of the time. When there are large variations in movement or in intensity of training, Ionic data will be far off in periodes, like for some of the tested watches in the article and even worse. 

[lastonein]

I'm not getting anywhere with the Fitbit support staff so thought I'd turn to the community because it appears Fitbit isn't standing by there product.  I was a long term user of the Surge and had no difficulties. I'm a moderate jogger and try to get in about 18-20 miles (slow miles) a week.  HR monitoring has always been important and had no issues with the accuracy on the Surge.  When I switched to the Ionic back in Oct, 2017 my HR surged (and remained consistent) up to and above 190 for the duration of my runs.  I got so concerned I went to see my doctor thinking someone would find me dead in the street.  He ordered a stress test (to be done in a few days) and put me on a medical heart monitor that he was tracking. Bottom line, he called me yesterday to tell me I had spiked at 143BPM but didn't remain there consisitenly. My Ionic at the same time was up over 193.  That's a 50 point difference and cost me $$ seeing a doctor.  All I wanted from fitbit (watch remains under warranty) was for them to stand behind there product and replace my watch with a different model of equal cost.  No can do I was told.  They're researching this issue (for how long have they been researching) and couldn't tell me for how much longer before they could come up with an answer/solution.  I know HR isn't going to be perfect but 50 pts is a bit much don't you think.  Any suggestions?

[YFG]

Return it. They’ve been fixing this problem since the Ionic came out-NO PROGRESS!

[Mark2018]

Ionic hat a nice design.

I have no oder what is Wirkung correct. I asume nothimg.

I have hat a Charge HR and that was OK. Until Fitbit changes the algorithm for the sleep stages and didn't get data anymore.

But Ionic has also no accurate time, when you didn't synchronize twice a day or more!

Unfortunately I can't see good developmented and programmed product.

And no one from Fitbit is aware of all those problems.

Why I can say that?

Well. Nothing fixed and no statement when!

Good support is able to help and not only have nice staff with standard answer.

(Reminds me to the "4hour week")

Hopefully one day we all have correct working Ionic.

That's my wish!