daily distance calculations not accurate

[walkingsue]

I walk the same exact distance/route everyday but my FITBIT ONE records it differently everyday.  The actual mileage is 4.45 miles, and some days the ONE says 3.8, 4.0, 3.9, just not always the same.  Is there a problem with my FITBIT ONE???

[Baltoscott · Accepted solution]

Hi @walkingsue -- Your One is fine.  It calculates distance based on your stride length.  You can improve accuracy by adjusting stride length in settings on your fibit app. (In your case you might just bump it up by about 10-15% since that seems to be how much it is off based on your daily route).

As to why the distance varies a bit over the same known length -- that is because your stride length varies all the time (unless you are a robot!).  Some days you are more tired than others, or you are walking with someone else and change your natural gait to match theirs; or perhaps you push yourself a bit harder or less hard and your stride increases or decreases accordingly.  

If you take your phone with you on the route, you can start a walk or run activity with the app and it will use your phone's GPS to record the distance and let your One count the steps.