Ionic is not tracking accurate heart rate

[EricRSRCP]

I have the Ionic and I also wear a strap HR monitor to another watch. I have done this for years as any HR monitor on a wrist tends to not be as accurate. I have done a couple workouts with the Ionic and the **ahem** thing is off by 40 BPM pretty consistently. I can just get done doing snatches and my strap one will read 150 but the Ionic shows me at 114. Or I will be hardly moving and the Ionic will read 144 while the strap is at 123.

Is there a way to mitigate or fix this issue? What am I doing wrong with this one? No other fitbit has been this far off. 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[MarreFitbit]

Hey there @EricRSRCP, thanks for stopping by! As you may know, your heart rate may be affected by any a number of factors at any given moment. Movement, temperature, humidity, stress level, physical body position, caffeine intake, and medication use are just a few things that can affect your heart rate. Different medical conditions and medications can impact your heart rate as well.

When your heart beats, your capillaries expand and contract based on blood volume changes. PurePulse LED lights on your device reflect onto the skin to detect blood volume changes and finely tuned algorithms are applied to measure heart rate automatically and continuously. The heart-rate icon you see on the display tells you if you're in 1 of 3 heart-rate zones.

Resting heart rate refers to the heart rate measured when you’re awake, calm, comfortable, and have not recently exerted yourself. We use your heart rate data from when you’re awake and asleep to estimate your resting heart rate. For best accuracy, wear your device to sleep. 

Your resting heart rate is usually higher than your heart rate while you are asleep, so don’t be surprised if your resting heart rate is higher than the lowest number that you see in your heart rate graphs.

Your tracker can have difficulty finding a signal, typically due to the tracker's fit. For example, wearing your band tightly may constrict blood flow in your wrist and affect the signal. We recommend experimenting with how high you place the tracker on your wrist. When you're not exercising, wearing the tracker just above the wrist bone--as you would a watch--typically works fine. However, moving the tracker up a couple inches can be helpful during high-intensity exercises or exercises that cause you to bend your wrist frequently. If you haven't already done so, please review our recommendations for wear and other tips shared by @SantiFitbit. 

Note that on Fitbit Ionic, the heart-rate value appears gray if your watch is searching for a stronger reading.
 

Occasionally your device may have difficulty getting a strong signal. If you don't see your heart rate on your device, first make sure you are wearing it correctly. After a short wait, you should see your correct heart rate again. On Ionic, make sure the Heart Rate setting is On. For additional troubleshooting, see Why don't I see my heart rate on my Fitbit device?

Try the recommendations and let me know the outcome! 

[EricRSRCP]

Hi @MarreFitbit. I appreciate the detailed explanation as to how these type of heart rate sensors work. I knew all of that already thought. My question was more so why is it that the Ionic is so far off from what my Surge would pick up? I am doing the same exercises and wearing the watches in the same way. I  understand it will not be perfect, but when it gets into +/- 40 BPM or more then tracking heart rate becomes worthless.

[MarreFitbit]

Anytime @EricRSRCP! I don't want to be redundant, but I've found that the position of the tracker may affect the accuracy. I confirmed this by testing my Charge 2 with my Ionic. 

I had been wearing the Ionic in the wrong location when I got it as it was a bit big for my wrist. It must be high up on the wrist in order for it to get accurate readings. Also, I made sure that I was walking with the hands held up, not swinging at the sides.

I'd recommend taking a look at this article for some best practices on how to improve heart rate accuracy. 

Keep me posted! 

[EricRSRCP]

Who walks naturally with their hands held up??

[rminshall68]

I ran this morning with my ionic and surge ,my ionic max heart rate was 98 as my surge ,the avg heart rate was 130,so there is a problem with the ionic, not sure how to fix it .