Charge HR doesn't track stairs properly

[Louiisegx]

My charge hr doesn't track stairs properly, does this happen with anyone else?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity. 

[HeydyF]

Welcome to the Community @Louiisegx! let me ask you something, it is your Charge HR counting less or more floors? Remember that Fitbit trackers that count floors have an altimeter sensor that can detect when you're going up or down in elevation. Your tracker registers one floor when you climb about ten feet at one time. It does not register floors when you go down.

I'll be looking to your response. 

[Louiisegx]

Thanks for your quick reply. It's not registering when I go upstairs at home but it will count when I walk up the hill at work?

[lgravatte]

I'm having an issue with my stairs too.  I didn't walk any stairs today nor did I walk anywhere elevated and my tracker is saying I did 9 floors.

[Louiisegx]

Have you been walking up hills or is that registering on a flat road?

[lgravatte]

This is registering on even floor while I'm at work. There are absolutely
no steps/stairs in my building. Since I arrived here at 8:30am it has
registered 17 floors.

[HeydyF · Accepted solution]

Hey guys @lgravatte and @Louiisegx! Let me explain you that your tracker measures floors, it detects floors using an altimeter, which is a sensor that calculates altitude based on atmospheric pressure. Though your tracker is designed to look for pressure changes based on elevation gains, pressure changes due to other causes—such as a gust of wind, a weather change, or opening a door—can occasionally cause your tracker to register an extra floor or two. Another factor is floor height. Your tracker registers one floor when you've gone up about ten feet, which is the average between residential and commercial floor heights. If you climb long staircases you may find that the tracker's floor count doesn't match how many floors you've gone up since the staircase was taller than ten feet.

Let me know if you have more questions! 

[Miriam1960]

I am having the same problem with floors, I used to do a maximum of 40 in a day, which would be a lot. Now I go up to 200 or 400 which is not very likely.

[Dooney]

Started using my FitBit HR charge back in May, everything working well until this past weekend. Noticed that it's registering floors even though I haven't gone up stairs. Walked through the mall and registered I had gone up 24 flights. Did the recommended cleaning and tested it on a flight of stairs...30 steps up..did not register a flight. Woke up this morning and I had done 9 flights while sleeping. Not sure what to do now???

Also, the battery life sucks, I have to charge by fitbit daily!! Finding the battery drains quickly, full charge at bedtime and only half battery this morning...not impressed!!

[lgravatte]

I find that it's easiest to charge it every time I go shower. This was
actually something I read on a fitbit forum. Not really sure if it ends up
ruining the battery in the long run or not though. Mine will last at least
2 days. The stairs are still something that blows my mind. I ended up
having a lot of issues with mine and had to have a replacement sent..I'm
hoping the new one doesn't have the same issues. Best wishes!! I really
like it otherwise. 🙂

[MlsNurse]

Like many others, I'm having inflated numbers for stairs on ChargeHR. I've read the explanations of how it works, and found it fairly accurate for my first 4 months. It is often, but not always, confused by elevators which is understandable. However, now it sometimes measures 11 flights on days I've never left my single story house. Haven't climbed any ladders. No wind gusts or weather changes here. I did open and close some doors, but not 11 times. Can you help? I would at least like the option of deleting incorrect numbers.

[NJHubba]

Yesterday my Fitbit counted the stairs in our office complex accurately. Today it missed 3 flights of the same stairs. Why did this happen & how can it be fixed?

[RobertoME]

Hi there @NJHubba, welcome aboard to our Fitbit Community. One of the reason it misses some flights is because the tracker looks for continuous motion, pausing too long when going up a flight of stairs can cause the tracker to not count the floor. 

The other reason I can think of, is moisture. The pathway to the altimeter on the back of your tracker can become clogged temporarily with sweat. So I recommend that your tracker be worn loosely during exercise and make sure there is nothing obstructing the pathway of the altimeter. For more tips visit our site: Wear & Care.

Hope this helps and let me know how it goes.

[frmrfran]

fitbit doesnt register stairs.  I do 5 or 6 before work every day and get credit for one.  But hey, I can get credit for 4 or 5 levels driving to work up the mountain.  tried to contact them and ask them to nerf it, but no success.  I Love my fitbit, I do.  But the stairs portion is junk.  I touch my hand to the ground, race up my stairs, working my arms, jumping at the top of the stair with my hand skyward.  Still, today Ive gotten 1  creit for 6 stair climbs.  Yep, I know less is more...do extra 'just in case'.  But one for six is lame.  Maybe not have the fitbit set to register office building levels, but perhaps residential homes, which are shorter, by law.  Just saying. 

[PlainE]

Who has 10-foot ceilings in a regular house?  I alway get short-changed on flights.