Ionic not tracking swim correctly

[rdykiel]

I swim in a 25yd pool. My routine is 6 series of 300 yds (1800yds total). Each serie is 100yds backstroke, 100yds breast, 100yds crawl. By my count it's 12 pool lengths per series, total 72 lengths. At the end of each length I do a flip turn.

I swam a couple times with the ionic; I started the "swim" exercise (didn't rely on auto-detect) and I have the pool length correctly set up. I notice that the ionic undercounts the lengths as well as the total distance. Did anyone else experience the same and is there a workaround.

For instance this morning, I paused after each 2 series (24 lengths) to check the length and resumed. The final totals reported by the ionic were only 1350yds (expected 1800) and I don't recall the number of lengths but it was also under the expected 72.

[CopperWolf808]

Have you tried changing the swim settings? If you go to your advance setting you can change your swim settings by setting your pool length. I believe it is automatically set to 25 and the length is in meters so you can change it to yards.

 If this isn't it, sorry I don't know to much about swimming. 

[GM2]

You are partially correct.

Yes, you can change the pool length in advanced setting.

BUT, it will not store the change or allow it to implement.

This is a known problem that I have discussed with Customer Service for a week....

No current fix available...

Maybe on the next update this will be patched....

[GM2]

My experience-

I have experimented with this a bit.

You say your are doing flip turns, and I believe you.

However, I don't think you are doing them on your breast stroke.

Consequently it think it is undercounting that portion of your swim...

I believe you have managed to confuse the algorithm....

It reacts best with a regular freestyle swim and flip turn..

No issue then.

Also, if/when you do a "kick only" series, it is pretty much useless- with no arm movement Ionic thinks you are drowning..

That's why I just go for the HR info - which shows your effort - and I don't yet bother with the exercise mode until it gets sorted out....

[Fattire]

No HR measurement while swimming though right?

I found the Fitbit over estimated my length, but not by much.  When I was at my 10th length for instance it said I had done 11.  I lost count after that.  But 10% variance isn't bad.  I'm also an awful swimmer and don't do a formal flip turn.

[JohnnyRow]

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@Fattire wrote:

No HR measurement while swimming though right?

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Swim mode reportedly turns off heat rate measurement. Varying reports of HR usefulness/accuracy if don't turn on swim mode or maybe just call it 'Workout'.

[GM2]

Yes,
That is what I did with the Charge 2 before the Ionic.
It worked fine for one year and then died.
I called it "workout".
I would forget to manually stop it after the workout about half the time.
Easy to remember to start but for some reason brain fade sets in after the activity...
Good luck...

[sumthntodo]

I'm a fairly new swimmer and I was looking forward to getting my Ionic so that I could focus on my technique rather than trying to keep track of my laps and times.  I've noticed that it takes a little training for the ionic to pick up on laps.  I've also noticed that if I switch strokes, it advances a lap even if I haven't swam a true length.

The best I have been able to workaround is to try to stay consistent, which I think with your routine should be easy.  Have you figured out how to get it to give you cues every two lengths?  That is the shortest distance that it will allow a cue.  At least that gives me a hint of when it is off.  It will vibrate when it cues and I then know if it over or under counted.  Maybe you could set your cue for every four laps and it will help it notice a different of when you change stroke.  

Have you turned on your gps for your swim exercise setting?  That will help.  

I also cannot get it to change to 25 yds instead of 25 m like another poster.  

Honestly, my bigger problem is when it quits the exercise mode and I loose the workout completely.  That has happened a few times even though I now turn off notifications to ionic while I swim because I lost the workout when messages came in a few times.  I don't know why it is doing it now.

I bought the ionic just for its tracking while swimming so i'm on the verge of sending it back.  I'm happy to find others that we can share hints to help salvage our experiences.

[sumthntodo]

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@GM2 wrote:

You are partially correct.

Yes, you can change the pool length in advanced setting.

BUT, it will not store the change or allow it to implement.

This is a known problem that I have discussed with Customer Service for a week....

No current fix available...

Maybe on the next update this will be patched....

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Can you update this thread if you get a fix?  I continually try to change it and it never "saves".

[sumthntodo]

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@Fattire wrote:

No HR measurement while swimming though right?

I found the Fitbit over estimated my length, but not by much.  When I was at my 10th length for instance it said I had done 11.  I lost count after that.  But 10% variance isn't bad.  I'm also an awful swimmer and don't do a formal flip turn.

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It will track your heart rate while swimming if you aren't in exercise swim mode.

[rdykiel]

The ionic allows you to set the pool length in the settings of the swim exercise. I set it correctly to 25yd. Thanks

[rdykiel]

I do contrive a flip turn on breast stroke. Im not a competitive swimmer and I like the flipping movement. 🙂 But maybe you're right that if it detects the breast stroke it may be confused. I'll try to forgo the flipping on breast ans see what's up. Thanks

[rdykiel]

Right no HR I think although the exercise reports an HR in the summary once ended. Don't know its worth.

[rdykiel]

I turn the exercise mode on and start swimming and use the pause/restart and end exercise buttons. The display remains on the exercise all the time while I'm doing it and until I end the exercise (press pause lower right button then end upper right button then press the on-screen buttons to end the exercise - that makes 3 confirmations to end the exercise). I'll try the cues. Thanks

[sumthntodo]

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@rdykiel wrote:

I turn the exercise mode on and start swimming and use the pause/restart and end exercise buttons. The display remains on the exercise all the time while I'm doing it and until I end the exercise (press pause lower right button then end upper right button then press the on-screen buttons to end the exercise - that makes 3 confirmations to end the exercise). I'll try the cues. Thanks

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I use it the same way.  How I know I've lost my exercise mode is that I get the large blue diamond made of circles and then it just goes to the regular ionic screen.  At first I thought I just happened to hit the buttons in the right sequence, but I don't think that is likely.

[sumthntodo]

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@rdykiel wrote:

The ionic allows you to set the pool length in the settings of the swim exercise. I set it correctly to 25yd. Thanks

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Did it save?   I have done it quite a few times and when I go back in it always is back to 25m.

[rdykiel]

yes the ionic setup screen for the swim exercise reports the pool length set at 25yd

Richard Dykiel
29 Ethan Allen drive
Acton, MA 01720 USA

978 793 2265
richard.dykiel@gmail.com

[rdykiel]

Indeed if you don't flip turn on breast stroke then the lengths are counted correctly

[rdykiel]

I was able to set the pool length on the fitbit website (haven't tried on iphone app). But I also find easy to set on ionic directly, in the swim exercise settings.

[rdykiel]

I just set it to 50yd on my watch, left the screen, came back, still set at 50 yd. No issues there.