Time for a new One?

[DeeAnn3]

I received my FitBit One for Christmas 2012 and have worn it 24/7 since then.  I Love My FB One! and have never had any major issues with it.  Only once did I have issues with it not syncing correctly and it turned out to be my laptop and not my FitBit. 

Recently, I'm having to charge more often.  I used to be able to go almost 2 weeks between charges but now I'm having to charge about every 4 days.  I'm also starting to have a few minor issues with syncing.

Is my FitBit old enough that I may need a new One?  What is the life expectancy of a FB One? 

[HeydyF]

Hey @DeeAnn3 is great to see around the Community! Sounds too bad that the battery of your Fitbit One is not lasting as it was before. To be honest, there isn't much that I can do to help you out with this issue, considering that you have your Fitbit One since almost 4 ago years ago. So I suggest you to get in touch with our Customer Support team, they will see what they can do for you. 

Let me know how it goes! Have a great day. 

[WendyB]

It had a good long run thats for sure! 

[PureEvil]

Hello @DeeAnn3,

You probably already know this since you are a Fitbit veteran, but have you tried to restart it?  It doesn't hurt to try.

[DeeAnn3]

No, I haven't tried restarting it.  I'm lucky in that I never have had to and not sure how. 

I'm willing to give it a try - how do you restart the One?   I'm sure I could research the site and find the answer but could you save me time and give me instructions.  Thanks!

[PureEvil]

@DeeAnn3,

Here you go, the restart instructions.  I would press and hold for closer to 20 seconds.  You know you've succesfully restarted it if you see the 'FITBIT 6.60' message.  If you didn't, try it again.

Oh, and I keep the low battery warnings e-mails, so I can gauge the time span between them.  It was 7 days between the last two messages I got.

I hope this helps.

[DeeAnn3]

---

@PureEvil wrote:

@DeeAnn3,

Here you go, the restart instructions.  I would press and hold for closer to 20 seconds.  You know you've succesfully restarted it if you see the 'FITBIT 6.60' message.  If you didn't, try it again.

Oh, and I keep the low battery warnings e-mails, so I can gauge the time span between them.  It was 7 days between the last two messages I got.

I hope this helps.

---

How long have you had your FitBit and which one do you use? 

[PureEvil]

I have several Fitbits since you can now have multiple paired with your account.  I mostly use the Surge while I exercise, but my main unit is the Fitbit One.  I have a desk treadmill at work and my wrists don't move while I walk, so steps won't register on the Surge.

I've had it now since...  July 2013.  I actually believe my battery life hasn't changed much...  I now sync with my phone as well (instead of just my computer when I first started), and I think that may shorten it by a tiny bit.

[SunsetRunner]

PureEvil wrote:

 I have a desk treadmill at work and my wrists don't move while I walk, so steps won't register on the Surge.

 How do you like it?  Do you feel it is beneficial?

[TandemWalker]

---

@SunsetRunner wrote:

@PureEvil wrote:

 I have a desk treadmill at work and my wrists don't move while I walk, so steps won't register on the Surge.

 How do you like it?  Do you feel it is beneficial?

---

Yes @PureEvil, I was just about to ask the same question.

[PureEvil]

@SunsetRunner and @TandemWalker,

I do like it.  I had been thinking about getting one for a few months before I got it and then I got a $100 off promotion for a Rebel Desk 1000, and I got it.  On the weekends I certainly feel more sluggish because I'm not walking nearly as long.  It also means I don't obsess with getting a workout in every day.

I set it to a very slow pace (0.9 MPH), I don't like to break a sweat while I walk.  You do have to get used to working like this.  Some observations:

• Typing is pretty easy.
• Generally using a mouse is easy.  Detail work, like moving a mouse a few pixels, is tougher to do.
• I have one of those ergonomic desks that power up & down, so it's pretty easy.  I used it as a standing desk initially, but found that walking was less stress on my hips than standing.
• Looking at stuff not immediately in front of you can be tricky.  It's natural instinct to walk the same direction you're facing.  I have three monitors on my computer, but do most of my work in the monitor in the center.
• I don't walk the entire time I'm at work, so it means that I have to put it away.  It does have wheels but they can be awkward... like pushing a grocery cart backwards.  I built a little trolley (with casters) that I slide underneath when I move it.  That makes it much easier.
• It'll definitely take more room (both when you have it set up and when you put it away).  I have my own office so it's pretty convenient, I can't imagine doing this in either a cubicle or sharing an office.

If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

[WendyB]

I would love one. But Im so un-coordianted I would probably fall down LOL.

Me cant do 2 things at once 

[SunsetRunner]

Wow!  Thanks for the detailed description.

[PureEvil]

@WendyB, I would be happy to let you test drive it. 

@SunsetRunner,  I'm happy to do it.  It's a big investment ($600) so I'm happy to give you as much information as I can.

[SueinAZ]

I also received mine for Christmas 2012, have worn it religiously day and night, and I'm suddenly noticing the same thing. I used to be able to go 2 weeks or longer between charges after the firmware upgrade awhile back but now it's suddenly 4-5 days before the battery is low.The battery should actually be lasting longer, if anything, because I started a new position in January which does not allow items like Fitbits in the office area. My One now sits in a little locker with my phone (with data turned off to conserve battery) almost all day every weekday. I charged it last week and thought at the time that it had not been very long since the charge before that but I have the low battery warning on the desktop app again this morning so something is definitely wrong. 

While I guess 3 years isn't a horrible battery life, it's also not great. Since the battery isn't replaceable I'm not sure I'll buy another One. $100 is a little steep for an activity tracker that's only expected to function for 3 years. It's bad enough that I'm buying new silicone holders and wristbands every year at $10 and $15 each. I'm more than a little disappointed because I really love my One.

[PureEvil]

Hello @SueinAZ,

Welcome to the community!

Regarding battery life...  When you turn data off in your phone, do you also turn off bluetooth?  Your phone may still be connecting to the Fitbit even if it can't upload the data, that in and of itself may be draining your battery.  If you're not comfortable turning off bluetooth, you can just log out of the Fitbit App; this too will stop it from communicating with your Fitbit.

Regarding your office policy...  I've heard of folks needing to take their Fitbits off because they are not allowed to wear something on their wrist, but I'm kind of puzzled with the One (since you just put it in your pocket).  Is it because it uses radio communications (bluetooth in this case)?  If so, this product will block that signal; though you'll need to get the Level II.  I can attest to the fact that it works.

Sadly, anything with a rechargable battery will eventually stop taking a charge.  That said, the longer the device can go between charges, the longer it will last.  While everyone has their own price point for what they're willing to spend, $100 for three years ends up being less than the price of a latte ($2.78) at Starbucks once a month...  So if you ditch one latte on the first Monday of the month, it covers your Fitbit.

I hope this helps.

[trow125]

This is great, because I was coming on the boards to ask the EXACT same question! I got my FitBit One in late 2012 as well, and am having the same issues in regards to charging and syncing. (Restarting it did seem to fix the syncing issues.)

I personally feel that 3 years of use is not bad -- I have literally used my FitBit every single day since I got it, and nothing lasts forever! I think I'm going to just keep charging more frequently for now, but if it quits working, I won't hesitate to buy a new one.

[muffy65]

The response I received back from FB Customer Service was verification it's
time for a new one. I was satisfied with that response. In the back of my
mind I knew it. I'm okay with my ONE lasting little over 3 years. We've
had a good one run!
A new ONE has been ordered and I'm anxious to receive!

[DeeAnn3]

The response I received back from FB Customer Service was verification it's
time for a new one. I was satisfied with that response. In the back of my
mind I knew it. I'm okay with my ONE lasting little over 3 years. We've
had a good one run!
A new ONE has been ordered and I'm anxious to receive it!

[TandemWalker]

Hi @DeeAnn3. Did you ever try to restart your Fitbit One, using the instrutions that @PureEvil included in his post on Feb 6? All you need to do is plug the One into the charging cable and plug the other end into a USB port on a computer, a laptop, or a USB wall charger. You're probably right, it's probably time for a new One ... Yet, I was just curious if you ever did successfully restart your Fitbit One.

TW