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

[Denodan]

you people think only fitbit has he issues? Its wide spread and here is just one example.

Garmin also has optical hr accuracy issues.

https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/health-fitness/vivosport-aa/1298501-hr-monitoring-accura...

And another post, on  poor hr.

http://athletictechreview.com/2017/06/17/garmin-fenix-5s-heart-rate-accuracy-review/

You guys crack me up and feel hard done by with fitbit, but hr issues are common with optical hr sensors.

 You guys are looking to fitbit to make it perfect, your asking to much as many, not only fit it are having hr issues, above are just to examples it's not just confined to fitbit.

Moderator Edit: Format/Merged User Posts

[MariusH]

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@Denodan wrote:

And another post, on  poor hr.

http://athletictechreview.com/2017/06/17/garmin-fenix-5s-heart-rate-accuracy-review/

You guys crack me up and feel hard done by with fitbit, but hr issues are common with optical hr sensors.

 You guys are looking to fitbit to make it perfect, your asking to much as many, not only fit it are having hr issues, above are just to examples it's not just confined to fitbit.

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The ionic is far from perfect.

This morning I went for a calm and easy  22km bike ride with the Ionic and a Polar H7 from a friend.

 Results:

Ionic average HR 127 and 802 Cal

H7     average HR 88  and 327 Cal

[Denodan]

Well mine looks pretty close. The time was almost 19m mins, not 18. The calculator was a close guess. So not to bad I think and an average of 20kph ride ar 6.20km bike ride.

The calculator and my graph are close, not perfect, but close enough to be usable 

You need the above calculator mate, both those calories posted are wrong. The ionic ro high and polar maybe to low. But none will be perfect as none are getting an exactly accurate hr.

Moderator Edit: Merged User Posts

[YFG]

If there are that many problems with optical HR why did FB choose it? An indicator of a lot of bad decisions around Ionic?

[Denodan]

Well all you guys moaning about the ionic hr accuracy, I did include just 2 web pages stating problems with Garmin HR accuracy, seems as many issues as ionic and would bet other hr accuracy issues with other brands, so it's not limited to fitbit.

These watches are meant to be a guide only and taken with a grain of salt as none are accurate with all actives, and functions, everyone has its faults. And every optical hr sensors all fail when pushed.

Think mine works well and  my ionic GPS stands up well to my garmin GPS bike computer and phones GPS.

[MariusH]

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@Denodan wrote:

You need the above calculator mate, both those calories posted are wrong. The ionic ro high and polar maybe to low. But none will be perfect as none are getting an exactly accurate hr.

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Denodon

The used Polar H7 was checked in the sport hospital during a VO2 test and identiical.

I changed to the Versa with the same problems in the first 10 km of the ride.

Fitbit agreed that the HR is not correct :

""Hi Marius,

We want to thank you for contacting us about your Versa's Heart Rate discrepancy issue. We appreciate that you are bringing this to our attention.

At the moment our engineering team is aware of the situation regarding the issue, and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we suggest you keep very pending on the future updates.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing. We appreciate your patience and look forward to getting you back on track. "

The big question is what is as quickly as possible??

[Denodan]

What a joke, dont you know that reply is not from a human but a computer generated reply  keep hearing the same reply all the time, as it's no human sending the reply but computer.

Well at least my results are not wild like yours as my calorie results are pretty close to accurate, so would mean my ionics hr would also no be to far out.

Moderator Edit: Merged Users Posts

[MariusH]

Go to the sport hospital and you will be surprised!

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@Denodan wrote:

Well at least my results are not wild like yours as my calorie results are pretty close to accurate, so would mean my ionics hr would also no be to far out.

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[Denodan]

Yes, it's a common practice, you will notice that all the replies people are getting are practically the same and there are many compaines use computer generated replies.

Many compaines get so many emails it's easier to have a computer generate the reply.

[YFG]

I never had a HR problem like like this with my Garmin. Wildly fluctuating HRs, HR drops as my intensity goes up and then jumps 8 pts back to where it was—-ridiculous.

I bought the Ionic because it had all the basic features + battery life and music storage. Guess what... I discovered FB Ionic can’t do basic features right, battery life is not as advertised and the music feature is stuck in the 90s with the Zune and that’s being generous. Rather than return it I believed the FB hype that they were releasing updates to fix the issues. They released updates and took 2 steps back each time. I think the FB Ionic team came from the Blackberry.

[Denodan]

The new fenix 5, from reading is crap, the vivofit 3 has hr issues also.

There are reports that the older optical watches are better and the issues are much more common in the newer models, which seem to be taking 2 steps back.

[Rob5496]

Ok,I started this thread when I got my ionic at launch and I have persevered as I do like the fitbit app and I have owned 2 charge hr a charge 2 and a blaze but ENOUGH is enough and it's now being returned. It's just too innacurate!  And before certainregular posters start ranting how wrist monitors arnt accurate....yes im aware of their limitations, im not a fool ,but this one is the worst I have ever had,huge spikes! Huge drops, titally wrong readings, completely unreliable ( and yea I have compared it to lots of types of tracker) 

Add to that poor sync, poor fitbit pay in UK and oh yes ,what about my spo2 sensor? Worst 300 quid I have spent.

Fitbit you have lost a regular customer

[Denodan]

Good another moaner gone, not all of us are having wild hr issues.

My issues used to be bad syncing and not connecting to bluetooth but the updates have fixed this. My hr accuracy has been ok and not wild, the old fashion taking the pluse has been within 5 bpm accuracy after doing any workout, so nothing like the moaners here are experiencing. Think half them just hate fitbit as it was not up to their expections. I love mine and the info has been within acceptable limits, while the calorie counts have been a little high are still within acceptable limits.

A calorie calculator I found and inputted the info, on a 6.20km bike ride my calories calculated were only 10 calories above what it should be, meaning my hr is pretty good on my ionic as it gets the calories from your hr input and if this is put by miles then your calories will be also. My ionic is pretty good accually and proved its worth, and pretty accurate GPS also.

We want more postive comments, not the moaners here putting it down. Simple answer if you don't like it, stop moaning and get rid of fitbit and dont come here. We are all not experiencing issues.

[MariusH]

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@Denodan wrote:

The new fenix 5, from reading is crap, the vivofit 3 has hr issues also.

There are reports that the older optical watches are better and the issues are much more common in the newer models, which seem to be taking 2 steps back.

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The vivoactive 3 can be pared with a chest strap for optimal dynamic exercises to have the best results!!

https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/health-fitness/vivoactive-3-aa/1281911-vivoactive-3-hear....

According specialist at our sport hospital this is the best solution for high level biking .

[Denodan]

You cannot beat a chest strap, as Garmin knows optical are not that great, are great as they can pair with chest straps 

[Rob5496]

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@Denodan wrote:

Good another moaner gone, not all of us are having wild hr issues.

We want more postive comments, not the moaners here putting it down. Simple answer if you don't like it, stop moaning and get rid of fitbit and dont come here. We are all not experiencing issues.

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Ok Denodan, I started this post for people who are having issues with HR tracking and while your input that yours is fine is good to hear there are many people not sharing your experience. We are not all deluded and don't understand how these work and their limitations and we come to forums like this for many reasons however to be abused or badgered by a clear Fitbit Fanboy isn't one of them. Can I suggest than rather than telling "moaners" to go, that you be the one that goes and just enjoys your perfectly functioning Ionic! You have made over 40 comments on this thread (possibly more but I couldn't be bothered reading any more) so I believe you have made your point on multiple occasions ,so get a grip...get a life and stop hijacking a help thread for your own self promotion as the all knowing Fitbit / every other form of tracker Guru. We all get your point now, and I for one have had enough of your constant, smug, condescending input on this subject. 

[MariusH]

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@Denodan wrote:

You cannot beat a chest strap, as Garmin knows optical are not that great, are great as they can pair with chest straps 

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So the Vivoactive 3 + chest strip  is a optimal solution for a biker like and high level atleths

[erikkai]

Wow! I am glad to see more positive comments about Ionic but I hope civility can remain. I love my Ionic and I partly credit it with helping me get into the best shape of my life. But I know any device will never be perfect.

Simply put, it’s a tool among many. My readings have never been that horrible but I, too, have experienced some fluctuations.

I think some users are frustrated because Fitbit’s communication has been horrible. There would likely be less “moaners” if Fitbit provided 1) more updates to their progress and 2) clearly articulated what each of their OS releases contained along with a backlog of proposed fixes/enhancements.

I will end with this: I feel the Ionic in the way I utilize it is as accurate as to be expected, even rivaling my chest strap. But I also tailored the device on how I use and even place it on my arm based on my needs. If I had simply put it on my wrist and expected it to be perfect then I think I would not have been as successful.

Good luck.

[SantiR]

Hello everyone! Thanks for your continuous participation on this thread. 

I just wanted to remind you all that as per the Community Guidelines we must "Be Considerate" when we post our comments. Please be polite and respectful in your interactions with other members. Your opinions are always welcome, but personal insults and harassment is not acceptable.

Let's keep this conversation on topic.

See you around! 

[MariusH]

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@SantiR wrote:

Hello everyone! Thanks for your continuous participation on this thread. 

I just wanted to remind you all that as per the Community Guidelines we must "Be Considerate" when we post our comments. Please be polite and respectful in your interactions with other members. Your opinions are always welcome, but personal insults and harassment is not acceptable.

Let's keep this conversation on topic.

See you around! 

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Hello

SantiFitbit

What is your opinion on:

" I think some users are frustrated because Fitbit’s communication has been horrible. There would likely be less “moaners” if Fitbit provided 1) more updates to their progress and 2) clearly articulated what each of their OS releases contained along with a backlog of proposed fixes/enhancements." ?

Please reply

Marius from the Netherlands.