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Ionic Heart Rate Accuracy

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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

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Fitbit- a watch company and not a serious fitness company.
Fitbit-BlackBerry in waiting.
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A watch is different from a fitness tracker.....

“Just keep swimming,Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming”- Dory
If you find my answers helpful, Vote for them and accept them as the Solution!
Ionic | Charge 2 | iPad 2017 running iOS 12.1.2 Beta
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The garmin fenix watches are not perfect either. For accuracy you need a chest strap.

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So, Fitbit is in the watch business and not the fitness tracker market. That makes more sense. My Ionic keeps good time.
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It’s too bad so many uses are experiencing issues with their Ionic. I have never had anything but good luck with mine. It’s a great tool.

I find it’s just as accurate as my heart rate strap during spin class though when I wear it lower on my wrist in other exercises I can, at times, get a fluctuating heart rate reading. But it’s all about adjusting for your own personal preference and needs.
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Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the details that you've shared. I'm glad to hear that Ionic has been working great for some of you and you haven't had any inconveniences. 

 

I was reading some comments about comparing Fitbit with other brands and I would like to clarify that the data that you will get is not going to be the same because each one uses a different algorithm to track it. 

 

If you're having any issue with the heart rate information, please confirm you've followed the advice posted in this article What should I know about my heart rate data?. You can also try doing a restart to avoid any malfunction in the future. 

 

Hope this helps! 

Want to get more active? Visit Get Moving in the Lifestyle Discussion Forum.


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Thanks @SilviaFitbit

Do you think our new hobbie with Fitbit should be every day a lots of restarts and of course factory reset?

 

That can't be the right way?

 

Would you accept such an instable product?

 

Unbelievable, I gues I should also switch to Apple.

No help and no solution from Fitbit side! We are waiting since month!

Man Frustrated

Really frustrating!

End!Now free time!
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You would expect that if you were a beta tester.
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Never seen so many negative comments or moaning about a product. Some of us have no issues and the majority maybe no issues either.

 

If this was the case fitbit would be out of business.

 

Sure there are some here having issues, but do you need to be so negative?

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Thank you. I concur. I am suspicious of the repeated negativity.
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Really!? You are "suspicious" of folks who have issues with a device and come to a form to try to resolve them? What exactly is there to be suspicious about? I'm suspicious of folks who have no problem but yet waste hours on forums defending a product/company. If you don't have problems, great. But a lot of people do. How many different brands/watches have you tried? Because I've tried tried just about every one and I agree that Fitbit has serious problems with "smart" watch features and with heart rate compared to the competition. If you don't have a problem go on your merry way and leave everyone else alone. "Suspicious"?! LOL. Seriously, what the heck. 

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Sure am. I see some posters continue to try to bad mouth the Ionic and Fitbit while propping up another third party device. All the while claiming to have needed support but never seeking help from the community. Yeah I am suspicious of their motives when they come to a support forum only to sow the seeds of doubt and ridicule a company that’s light years ahead of the competition.
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@erikkai what do you mean by "help from the community" in this case? The general advice on how to wear the watch ( the one you always give to everyone who complains about HR readings )? What if it doesn't solve the problem? Does the community know any other way of solving the problem? I tried everything that have been ever mentioned here. I stopped complaining because it's pointless. Problem is simply unfixable. For some people, it may work, for others not and I believe there are many factors that could affect it. My HR readings from Ionic are mostly garbage when I exercise with higher intensity ( if not, I would probably suffer from a heart disease because you can't tell whether you're looking at a graph showing HR or earthquake reading ). I always wear it according to instructions but this simply is no help. There are few things I observe:

 

- randomness of readings

- too low readings ( comparing to gym machines and old-school pulse checking with fingers )

- no readings at all ( it was a big issue with Charge 2, now I admit, it's a lot less but still I see two dashes instead of HR reading during exercising ).

 

Resting HR seems to be fine ( and I'm glad that unlike Charge 2, Ionic can always read HR at rest, Charge 2 very often was showing me two-dashes for the longer period of times which I complained a lot too ). Surprisingly when Charge 2 actually works it really does lot better job than Ionic when it comes to reading HR during exercise.

 

I don't care about other devices as I decided to go with Fitbit for now. It registers activities, counts steps, shows me time and wakes me up in the morning. Burnt calories depend on HR, so I need to give my guess whether the shown value is more or less correct. And pretty much that's all the watch does for me. I was expecting more considering price, got less, lesson learnt.

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Obviously at $300 all of our expectations were out of line. Maybe because Fitbit promised things they can’t deliver.
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If the data you are getting out of the device is “garbage” why do you continue to use it? There are far less sophisticated pedometers that do just as well.

Have you tried moistening your wrist under the Ionic before exercise? Did you know if you wear a heart rate strap, considered one of the most accurate heart rate monitors, that you must also ensure your chest and strap are wet. This helps ensure accurate readings.

Have you tried a new band? I noticed the stock band is rather bulky and thick. I have opted for a different band from day one. Maybe that might help?

Have you experimented with switching arms - note make sure you toggle the setting in the app for the dominant arm?

Have you reset the Ionic to factory defaults then reload the OS updates? Have you turned it on and off? Like any computer, the memory needs to be purged from time to time.

Have you contacted Fitbit and executed a warranty replacement, assuming you tried what they told you?

Have you worn a heart rate strap to compare the readings? Have you tightened or loosened the band?

Hope this helps you. For me, I learned how to make the Ionic very accurate. I know how to place it correctly on my arm for each exercise. The way I wear it for Spin class is different than martial arts or walking.

You cannot expect to wear this like a watch - put it on and I am done. No, this is too sophisticated of a device for that. So you must equal the sophistication on how you use it. You must learn how to maximize the device’s efficiency given the sheer number of human variables — skin, hair, sweat, etc.

I am happy to continue helping you. Let me know.
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My Charge HR gave me HR readings that were believable. My Blaze gave me HR readings that were believable. (And pretty much identical to my Charge HR)

 

Neither of those devices required special training and/or treatment to function acceptably.

 

Fitbit needs the HR information to be at least as dependable as the cheaper devices they sell.

 

After one of the updates, my ionic improved a lot in that it stopped claiming ridiculous 200+ BPM heart rates. It now displays HR numbers that are believable most of the time without any special treatment of the device.  

 

I suspect that the hardware and its implementation in the Ionic is thrown off more by the little differences between people and the way they wear it than the cheaper devices that Fitbit sells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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@erikkai wrote:
If the data you are getting out of the device is “garbage” why do you continue to use it? There are far less sophisticated pedometers that do just as well.


I don't need a pedometer. I don't care about steps as they are not a measure of anything. I need proper fitness tracker that takes into account my HR and other parameters ( weight, height, age ), tracks activities etc.

 


Have you tried moistening your wrist under the Ionic before exercise? Did you know if you wear a heart rate strap, considered one of the most accurate heart rate monitors, that you must also ensure your chest and strap are wet. This helps ensure accurate readings.


You do the same thing again. You just repeating exactly same instructions that everyone knows. But I will answer your questions. Yes, I did try. I know how to wear chest strap as I own one too. I don't mention it though as there is some sort of allergy to other brands here.

 


Have you tried a new band? I noticed the stock band is rather bulky and thick. I have opted for a different band from day one. Maybe that might help?


No, I haven't as I don't have any other band. This band fits quite well and never had a problem with it. I can easily tighten it or loosen.

 


Have you experimented with switching arms - note make sure you toggle the setting in the app for the dominant arm?


Yes, I did. Results on both hands were different but none of them being correct during exercise. There is also a difference between Charge 2 and Ionic readings ( shortly, two trackers of the same manufacturer show different readings ).


Have you reset the Ionic to factory defaults then reload the OS updates? Have you turned it on and off? Like any computer, the memory needs to be purged from time to time.

Yes, I did. Many times. Not because I chose to but I had to because something stopped working ( for example HR reading stopped working at all one evening but after factory reset came back to normal ).

 


Have you contacted Fitbit and executed a warranty replacement, assuming you tried what they told you?

No. I bought it from a retailer in the UK. Also, I got discouraged from doing it by receiving warnings and seeing my posts deleted by moderators. It left an impression that Fitbit couldn't really care less what customers think.

 


Have you worn a heart rate strap to compare the readings? Have you tightened or loosened the band?


If you mean a chest strap - yes, I did. Also, compared readings with gym machines as well as manually checked my pulse. Unlike for many other users, in my case, the HR measured by tracker is always too low. It's almost perfect during the resting and even walking but going anywhere from that into more strenuous training it's off 20-50 beats. I take special care about wearing the watch and I correct it during the exercise when I see it's not right.

 


Hope this helps you. For me, I learned how to make the Ionic very accurate. I know how to place it correctly on my arm for each exercise. The way I wear it for Spin class is different than martial arts or walking.

Unfortunately, it's no help for me as all you mentioned ( again ) is well known for me since Charge 2. I believe it's not only for me but for almost everyone here. I realize that it works for some people, maybe even for the majority but denying there are some users for who the HR can't get right is pure ignorance. There are not bug-free products. Of course, in here you're going to see most people for who things don't work as happy users don't have a need to look for help. I don't deny that Fitbit works for many others but the thing is I don't care about that as it's me who paid for the watch, not you or somebody else and it doesn't work for me despite all the instructions. I have more problems ( like battery indicator which sometimes miraculously goes up after disconnecting a charger and watch dies when it still seems to have a few % of charge left ). I mentioned that before. Got my warnings. Need to accept the defeat.


You cannot expect to wear this like a watch - put it on and I am done. No, this is too sophisticated of a device for that. So you must equal the sophistication on how you use it. You must learn how to maximize the device’s efficiency given the sheer number of human variables — skin, hair, sweat, etc.


It's a bit insulting when you assuming you speak to the dumb person ( this is how it sounds to me ). I know more about electronics and technology than you think as this is what pays my bills. You can even find on this forum my post explaining how optical HR reading works just with using of your phone camera ( and yes, in there I was actually defending optical HR readers because the tech itself is prone to errors ).

 

I appreciate your input but unfortunately, it's like a looped message that doesn't change anything for better. The truth is, there is no solution for some users.

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I would suggest you contact Fitbit since that seems your last recourse. After all, a manufacturing defect is a real possibility.

Good luck.
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@Denodan wrote:

Never seen so many negative comments or moaning about a product. Some of us have no issues and the majority maybe no issues either.

 

If this was the case fitbit would be out of business.

 

Sure there are some here having issues, but do you need to be so negative?


Almost everyone I know in the real world that owns a Fitbit simply doesn't care, and hasn't bothered to verify accuracy. The one guy I know that has compared it to a chest strap, he knows his Surge isn't very accurate while cycling but is pretty good at tracking HR while running steady state. 

 

I disagree with you about Fitbit going out of business for this reason, because in my experience in the real world (not the online world), most people only care about steps, or step challenges, or using it as a "weight watcher," or checking out resting heart rate, or think the exercise HR "looks right," or think its cool seeing sleep stages data (which Fitbit's own research shows is hit or miss on accuracy). Just one example - my sister-in-law cuts hair in a salon, some days she gets 10,000 "steps" while cutting hair. But she focuses on the step count while walking in the morning, and pretty much ignores all the other features of the Alta HR. Thats enough to motivate her to walk 45 minutes pretty much every morning Monday - Friday.

 

Its human nature to overlook and dismiss issues, if you are generally happy with something. The Fitbit app has a really nice dashboard, making the circles green motivates some people.

Aria, Fitbit MobileTrack on iOS. Previous: Flex, Force, Surge, Blaze

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Hey everyone! I truly appreciate your feedback about the heart rate inconveniences you're having with your Ionic and I totally understand your frustration about it and I value the troubleshoot that you've performed trying to resolve it. 

 

I've already shared your comments with our team and as soon as I have any updates about it, I'll make sure to share them. There were some improvements to this and were introduced in OS 2.1, just confirm you already updated your Ionic. 

 

Once again, your understanding is truly appreciated. Rest assure that our team is continuously reviewing the Community and working to improve each feature that you mention isn't working as expected.  

 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted.

Want to get more active? Visit Get Moving in the Lifestyle Discussion Forum.


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