New Altimeter app wrong

[mooseuk]

Loaded up the new Altimeter app.

Looks very nice, but it shows my current altitude as -61 meters (no I am not currently in death valley).

The display also shows the GPS calculated altitude as 82 meters which is correct.

Also displayed is the Bar: 1020 kpa.

Anybody else with the same problem, or do I need to return my fitbit because of a faulty pressure sensor?

[BeRoyalKC]

Have you compared to the barometric pressure on your phone or on a weather site?  There are many things that can affect the reading.  Mine is off by about 600 ft...likely because I'm inside, but it seems to match up with my phone.

[SunsetRunner]

Tested: Phone app said 602 ft. Fitbit app said 598 ft.

[mariossp]

Try plugging the charger and setting it down for a minute, i think it calibrates this way.

[MK301167]

My altimeter shows + 100 meters above see level, gps results are precise. 

[Rich_Laue]

Have you tried the Jps app? 

[SimonRJ]

The altimeter app most likely references pressure altitude that does not account for local weather.  Therefore is will most likely display an altitude based on 29.92 inches of mercury at all times.  

To show actually height above sea level, there has to be some kind of adjustability to account for local pressure changes due to weather.   

[Rich_Laue]

In the past on an airplane the pilot asks the control tower for their altitude.. 

Let's see what the altitude app info says. 

[MK301167]

Altimeter results - Samsung Gear S3 - 85 meter vs Ionic - 194 meter. Samsung results are correct.

Same time and place.

[mauser416]

I'm having a similar problem.  My readout is expressed in feet rather than meters.  Pressure is expressed in kPa. 

I concur that there may be errors in the elevation indicated as this appears be based on barometric pressure but it does state that it uses GPS to provide a more accurate reading. 

The dial indication on the left side indicates an elevation of ~50 ft i.e. +50 ft.  The upper portion of the scale is blank a lacks the tick marks as well as the "50" and "100" ft markings.

[SunsetRunner]

Another thing to bear in mind is that a lot of these apps aren’t from Fitbit but rather independent developers. As such it is difficult to assess the level of testing of features and not really Fitbit’s fault if they don’t necessarily work as expected.

[MK301167]

This is correct. Maybe Fitbit can make altimeter app, that would be nice 🙂

[Rich_Laue]

When it comes to altitude for pilots, the GPS can not be used as a primary device. Due to altitude accuracy problems 

[ShortyHarris99]

Yes I noticed the exact same problem.  The digital readout on the right side was off.  The bar graph on the left side was more accurate but it did not always seem to display correctly, sometimes it was blank.  It needs more work, I just can't understand why FitBit did not include this functionality on the Ionic to begin with.

[w3scott]

where do you download the altimeter app?

[Rich_Laue]

 it will be found under the ionic settings/apps/all apps tab 

[JantjeM]

One of the reasons I bought the Ionic was to monitor my altitude after diving.  I got the Altitude app which was giving totally inaccurate readings, like -50m when above sea level.  I noticed other people also complained about this.   Is there an app that provides accurate altitude readings that I can rely on? 

[Whistler888]

“Is there an app that provides accurate altitude readings that I can rely on?”

I have the Altimeter app on the Ionic for general interest only.  Have not found any Fitbit  App that provides accurate altitude readings that I would rely on.  The Ionic has a sensor but the developer uses the internal GPS.  Would recommend you try it out and see if it is accurate enough for your purposes.

[Rich_Laue]

Hello @Whistler888 I'm not sure who the developer of the Altimeter app is. However I'm general for the public the Gos is not considered accurate enough for changes when the unit is moving.

The Barometer with it's many drawbacks, and the need to frequently be calibrated is still considered more accurate and why pilots are not allowed to use GPS as their primary altimeter.

This really presents a problem since we are unable to calibrate the Altimeter on a Fitbit and we want to see our altitude while moving. Now add that Fitbit has a small antenna which compounds problems.

One thing nice about the AW is that you can calibrate their Altimeter

[Whistler888]

Rich it is by Marco Castiello.  Search Altimeter and it will pop up.  He talks specifically about barometric vs GPS and his reasoning.  I am just reporting this.  Personally I would not ever trust GPS or the Ionic for any accurate altitude reading.  Just too inaccurate.  But for general interest comparisons -> the values are interesting for checking variances.