Treadmill accuracy issues

[MassDAD]

I have been using my Fitbit Charge HR for a couple of weeks now, and while I am finding so many aspects beneficial I have been encountering issues with accuracy regarding treadmill workouts.

Both step count and mileage in grossly under reported by my Fitbit, for instance today I did 3.83 miles of inclined walking and my Fitbit only recorded 5,608 steps and 2.4 miles.  I do not hold on to the rails at any point in my workouts and my arms swing naturally.  Every workout I've had on the treadmill I have had to delete the entry and manually enter the correct distance values, which then updates the step count.  It is winter in new England and not many brave souls are out logging miles in freezing conditions, I use my treadmill daily for workouts.

However, now I do not get credit for my manually enetered steps for daily challenges or badges.  

How can this Fitbit be so innacurate on both distance and step count on one of the most common methods of excercise?

[MassDAD]

Also, my Fitbit will not fit on my ankle... so that solution won't work for me.

Today I did 3.52 miles of inclined walking on my treadmill for a total of 60 minutes.  My Fitbti does not record distance  at all when I use my treadmill and the step count for 3.52 miles of walking was only 5,382...

Once I deleted the faulty entry and manually added the correct distance the step count was corrected to 7,188.  However, as always now my steps during my entire workout won't count toward daily challenges or badges.

Apparently no moderators care to address this thread?  How is the Fitbit so innacurrate on a treadmill, and why even though I sync my manual entry with the time stamped heart rate wouldn't my steps count towards badges etc?

Apparently in my effort to correct this glaring deficiency I now do not get credit for any of the steps I took. 

Moderator edit: merged reply

[WendyB]

Walking on a threadmill is so different than a walk outside. The stride is different. It will never match.

Also if you are holding on to the bars the accuracy will be way off. A wrist model needs to see the arms moving.

[MassDAD]

I appreciate your response, however I have stated repeatedly that I never hold onto the rails.  Also, walking for distance is walking for distance regardless of whether it be on the road, a track or a treadmill.  The fact remains that the Charge HR does not accurately (not even close) track steps taken on a treadmill, the preferred method of excercise for millions of people.  

A simple pedometer tracks steps on a treadmill, so why wouldn't a $150 tracker?  The workarounds I have found are all necessitated by the gross innacuracy of the Charge HR on a treadmill, and any manual entries needed to correct this are not counted toward Daily Challenges with friends or Badges despite my syncing them exactly to the time stamped entry made by the Charge HR.

Nowhere have I seen Fitbit advertise that these trackers do not accurately count steps on a treadmill.

[Jorgensene]

I feel your pain on this one; I got my Fitbit Charge HR for Christmas and have been using it ever since. My treadmill workouts never seem to record the same as the display on the treadmill. I too, would like an explanation/fix.

[MassDAD]

As you can see, 3.32 miles on treadmill in 45 minutes, no holding handrails and I only get 3,951 steps...

[MassDAD]

As you can see above, 3.32 miles on treadmill in 45 minutes, no holding handrails and I only get 3,951 steps...

Below is at one half mile, 550 steps!?!  Incredible.

[Rich_Laue]

Walking for distance is not walking for distance.  Your stride is very dependent on the speed that you walk, change ithe speed  .5 mph youve changed the stride.

[MassDAD]

Walking 1/2 mile on a treadmill or track is still 1/2 mile. Regardless of where you walk that 1/2 mile you're going to take more than 500 steps... I mean in what way was your response helpful? These Charge HRs are NOT accurate on treadmills, the pictures above prove it.

[Rich_Laue]

Yes if i look at yhe above pictures, and try to mske sense the rest, it looks like something is preventing the fitbit from counting steps. Does ypir Fitbit count correctly on free runs? And have ypu done a step count test while on the treadmill? 

[MassDAD]

It seems to count accurately except for on a treadmill... Which up here in New England is what most people use in the winter. I'm losing about 4,000 steps during my usual hour on the treadmill... No answer from customer service to my email yet. I wish they'd have advertised this is useless on a treadmill, I'd have bought something else.

[Rich_Laue]

I as well ss many others have never had a problem with the step count on a treadmill,  true i only have used them while staying in motels.

Are the arms moving naturally? 

[MassDAD]

I never hold onto the rails, so yes my arms are swinging. Maybe I have a defective device? It's been several days now and no reply to my email to customer service.

I have restarted my device several times, fully charged the battery... Once again today my Charge is over 3,000 steps off for my 4.32 mile treadmill workout...

[SunsetRunner]

Just a thought, but it might be worth trying a separate pedometer while on the treadmill.  There is a difference between moving on the treadmill and moving on the ground.  I believe it is more likely that the difference is the result of that rather than the result of the fitbit working differently on a treadmill.  Testing the fitbit simulataneously against a simple step tracker might be useful.  

[Rich_Laue]

Maybe a restart is needed of your tracker.

Good thought @SunsetRunner, a cheaper way would be to start the tracking function run 100 or more steps while counting them in the head. Stop running and look at the current step count.

[MassDAD]

I'm not disputing the logic, only that taking steps on a treadmill is still taking steps... one mile on a treadmill is still one mile.  If this was off by a few hundred I really wouldn't care, but to be off by over 3,000 steps a workout?  To only count 500 steps in a half mile?  

Others have posted similar issues, and yet others insist theirs works fine on a treadmill.  I've also read numerous posts where people claim Customer Service has admitted this is a known issue... Still waiting on their reply to my detailed email.

But I do thank you for replying.

[MassDAD]

By the way, today's treadmill workout was 4.31 miles and all I get credit for is 4,802 steps!!!

Ready to throw this thing in the trash.

[coolcomfort]

I have had my Charge HR for about a month now and started to notice the same step count problem when using my treadmill. So I decided to do a Step Test. Here are the results from two different tests. Test conditions were: Equipment = Treadmill, Speed = 3.3 mph, Incline = 0, Stride = normal, arms at my side moving freely.

TEST # 1 - The 1 Minute Test

Counting my steps at the speed and incline mentioned above I walk 118 steps in a minute. I did it twice just to be certain of the count. 

The Health App on my iPhone 6s - 118 steps.

Fitbit Charge HR - 74 steps (37% fewer steps)

TEST # 2 - The 30 Minute Test

Step count - 3540 (118 steps per minute X 30 minutes) 

The Health App on my iPhone - 3522 (less then 1% difference)

Fitbit Charge HR - 2354 (33% fewer steps)

I have reviewed all my settings and have not found anything to explain the large variance 

[Jetjouster]

Newbie to the HR...looked up the problem with under counting steps on a treadmill. 

The instructions to change your stride and 100% wrong, and I can not find it.

Treadmilled 3 miles on incline, showed 2

Surely this isn't that bad a product for this much money?

[MassDAD]

I'm averaging about 2/3 steps counted on treadmill, but very accurate everywhere else...