Charge 2 on ankle

[hamerke92]

Hey guys! 

i just got the fitbit charge 2 for my birthday and i was wondering if i could wear it at my ankel?

I'm a nurse so i can't wear it at work which is like 8houres of my day already 😕 would it count correctly if i wore it there? 

And otherwise any tips for how i can wear it/keep it with me while it still counts steps and stuff?

thnks!!!

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @hamerke92. I've worn my fitbit at my ankle now and then. It seems to be fine. I've also placed my FItbit device in a pocket that rests near my hip. That will capture the movement, too. Naturally, it is best to wear it on your wrist, but we do what we have to do. 

It is possible to have more than one device on your account. You may want to consider purchasing the Zip or the One which can even be tucked into a bra. 

[WavyDavey]

Wearing it on my ankle would make me feel like under house arrest! Haha.

Is the tracker able to determine heart rate at all when worn this way?

Edit: Just gave it a try, and it seems to track heart rate OK. I might leave it on there during today's workout and see what it reports.

[hamerke92]

Thanks a million!!! 😄

[WavyDavey]

The tracker seemed happy with being on my ankle. The heart rate data from the workout looks consistent with no drop-offs. However, I did get a nice scratch on the screen. Not sure if it scratched against a seam in my pants or I bumped into something. Because of this, I'll probably just leave it on my arm. Oh well.

[sparky48]

I tried wearing my Charge 2 on my ankle when using a stairclimber machine at the gym because I didn't get steps counted on my wrist due to lack of movement.  I now get step count but my HR is higher than actual (compared to a Polar HR monitor).  It measures HR around 175 while my Polar records it correctly at around 130.  

Is there a best way to wear on the ankle?  I wear it facing outward with the buckle at my achilles tendon.  Reading that another user scratched his on a seam, maybe it should be worn facing inside, but under a sock. 

Thoughts?  I want to also capture "steps" and HR when biking. 

[Jameskane]

Hello!

I have the Charge 2, I am starting BoxFit classes which involve sparring, bag work and fitness drills.
Because of the 'beating' the charge 2 will take on my wrist I want to wear it on my ankle. I will be activating the 'KickBoxing' manual tracker for these sessions! 

Will it track my HR & Steps accurately?
Could I wear it on my wrist?

Kind Regards
James 

[SunsetRunner]

I wear the Charge 2 on my ankle while spinning. The heart rate is too high. I get 220 when it should be ~155, so the calories burned ends up too high as well. Today it registered 1,020 calories, while Zwift said 580. (They agree with wrist-based measurements.) But the step count is accurate. It would be nice if you could specify left, right wrist or ankle. 

[Shaks]

Since four years I have been wearing my Charge, then Charge HR and now Charge 2 on my ankle only during bedtime. This is because I tend to sleep with my hands under my head and I don't want to inject the Bluetooth radio waves straight into my brain.

Ocassionally when I need to dress for a formal occassion, I wear my dress watch and during such times I wear the Fitbit on my ankle to avoid wearing wrist accessories on both hands.

I use a Milanese loop strap (steel) and wear the tracker on the inside about two inches above my ankle to get a firm and flat contact for the HR sensor.

So far all my sleep and heart rate data has been consistent.

[Bobby_D70]

I pretty much wear mine in my ankle everyday, then at night move to my wrist. 

Why? I don’t seem to get credit for all my steps when on my wrist. My arms are not always swinging when I walk. Pushing stroller, mowing lawn, carrying items - arms don’t move naturally and I don’t get credit for steps. 

Depending in what I’m doing, it may or may not be covered under a sock. 

I do move to wrist for sleeping. I just find that more comfortable. 

My philosophy is to simply stay active/moving and I let that be the driving force in my weight loss goals. So I really don’t know if heartrate, calories or other stats are off or not. 

When end I first started wearing it in my ankle, I could barely get it to fit (large band), it’s now loose while wearing clasped in the 2nd eyelet. Guessing the band has stretched as much/more than my ankle has gotten smaller. 

[KPete46]

Zip doesn't work well unless the pocket is low or you hang it in some fashion down your leg.  Fitbit Charge doesn't work when pushing a grocery cart.  You must be swinging your arm.  

[Summerbiby]

I wear it on my ankle with a sock over it while I play rugby. 

My heart rate is measured way higher on my ankle. It even brought my resting heartrate up this week after wearing it there. I get a higher step count on my ankle and when I haven't been working out, it's thinking I did due to the inaccurate heart rate on the ankle. 

Overall, I will only wear it on my ankle during rugby practice so I don't lose out on my steps/workour goals. However, the ankle is not accurate for heartrate. 

[SunsetRunner]

I agree, @Summerbiby. On the ankle, the HR is not accurate. But, like you, I wear a fitbit device on my ankle during certain activities, such as when I’m on my paddle boat, spending an hour or so paddling all over the lake. This is the ankle band I use. It easily and securely holds my Flex 2 or Alta HR if I remove the strap. 

[brandonbass0328]

The heart rate still worka

[SunsetRunner]

Yes, it still gives me a heart rate, too, @brandonbass0328. But it is not consistent with the HR I see when the device is on my wrist. That’s fine with me because I only keep an eye on my HR to watch for when/if it goes up too high. 

[AlvaroFitbit]

@brandonbass0328  Welcome! It's good that the community is growing! Please take into consideration that the tracker was designed to be worn on your wrist and get a heart rate reading from there. As @SunsetRunner said you can still get a reading when worn on the ankle but it may not be accurate.

Let me know how it goes!

[jimmyrr]

I always wear it on my ankle. Due to using a treadmill and or spinn class. I have millions of steps and thousands of miles and mine is just fine. 😊 Jimmyrnr on Fitbit 

[Skipwinch]

I wear my charge 2 on my right ankle everyday due to surgery and braces I have wear on both hands.  It will track your steps just fine but I have found that I run extremely high on the HR. I was hoping for an update to counter.  I always check it manually after to cross check.  Good luck

[kvens]

I wear charge 2 on my wrist, not tight.

I infrequently win the weekend warrior and workweek challenges (that measure steps)   Now, allowing for the fact the I an not lazy and frequently work out, it seems the winners wear theirs on their ankles.  

So...is there a large difference in the counting of steps when wearing on ankle vs wrist ?  I realize there only settings for left or right wrist on the dashboard, and that Fitbit does not recommend officially wearing on ankles.  With that said, looking for an answer.

Thanks much

[Skipwinch]

Thank you I gave it to someone else. They have no problems

Sent from my iPad