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?

[Rich_Laue]

Your stride will not affect the step count. Before ypu compare milage we need to check the steps, this would not be done by comparing with another tracker, but by counting the steps with the mind.

[MassDAD]

I've watched the step count update live on my phone as I walk on the treadmill, it counts app. 2/3 of the steps I take. Walking around the house or outside it counts them all. There is no question its not counting steps accurately on a treadmill.

[vincebarron03]

I had that issue . But i found it worked good when my strap is not tighten to tight. If not try putting the hr sensor against your inner wrist . I do a 10,000 step program on my treadmill and my fitbit was only off about 400 steps. Can't really tell who off my treadmill or fitbit. Hope that helps

[coolcomfort]

Thanks for tip about placing the sensor facing the inner wrist. I will give it a try.

[rfc1995]

I agree with all your posts about treadmill (and for me it goes beyond treadmill).  Customer support is becoming worse and worse, and i've even had trouble getting the moderators to address questions now.  So I wouldn't hold your breath for that, unfortunately.

I don't know why it does that for treadmill, I have the same problem.  I haven't calculated stride, but that's irrelevant to why it incorrectly tracks steps.  And hands move how hands move when running, and neither of us are holding the rails.  Ideally, even with or without manually counting strides, it should be able to judge steps, because steps are steps, and once there is a difference, say, in distance, between the tracker's calibration and a manual input, it should be able to "learn" and "calculate" strides and distance and self correct.  Not only doesn't it do that, it doesn't give credit, and doesn't get it right.  

So yet another person with the same experience.  I feel your pain indeed.

also, it's unclear whether people are just having different experiences, or are apologists, or actual fitbit trolls, but not all the answers have the same value, in my opinion.  Some people's "solutions" tend to be rah rah fitbit and nothing else, over and over, unfortunately.  Hope that's not the case, though.

Moderator edit: merged reply

[vincebarron03]

I'm just offering what works for me. Probably why it don't give credit for medals is do to people dishonesty. How easy is it to put false info and recive credit just to beat your opponent.

[rfc1995]

That wasn't a shot at you at all. Was addressing the helpful posts by mass, and some others' postings. I think yours was helpful.

As an aside, it would, however, be a sad statement if folks manipulate results. Defeats the purpose, so i wouldn't think that happens, or not much.


Regards

[saurabhmehra]

After reading all these comments(mostly negative) I think I will re-consider the idea of buying a fitbit HR Charge. Was very tempted to buy one after seeing the dicsounts on argos/amazon .

Just a question - how does Garmin perform on treadmills?

[kalimm]

I'd just like to throw in here that my Fitbit seems to perform perfectly fine on the treadmill. Yesterday I walked 1.38 miles. Given that I average about 2200 steps per mile, that should have been around 3000 steps. Fitbit credits my walk with about 2850 steps. 

On machines and outside, my steps have always seemed to match pretty well with other tracker and with my own step counts. Not sure what the difference is but I do know that not all Charge HRs are that unreliable.

[BonnieGK]

I too am having difficulties with my nrew Fitbit HR. This morning I spent a little over an hour on an elliptical in the gym and it only counted about 1400 steps. I had to stop using the handles that swing in order to get it to register steps at all. Also having problems with stairs. Seems that it is a falling hazard, especially for seniors, if you cannot use the handrails when climbing stairs. If you use the handrails at all, it will not register that you climbed a flight of stairs. 

[BWright1175]

I don't know that mine has not counted steps while on the treadmill, but I did have issues with the smart tracking messing up my logged workouts.

I pressed and held the button to enter workout mode at the beginning of my workout... did intervals of 2 minutes running to 1 minute walking for 20 minutes.... then set it at a 3mph walk for the next 15 minutes or so, as my wife was texting me and it was too difficult to text and run at the same time 😉

Anyway... after I was done, I noticed I was no longer in workout mode... apparently the prolonged walking had cancelled out the manually started workout, though it neglected to continue logging it as a smartly tracked walking workout.

That's the only time I've had an issue, and while I don't know if it caused me to "miss" any steps, I did immediately go in and disable all of the smart tracking.

[Rich_Laue]

@BonnieGK one of the problems with the eliptycal is that your not stepping through air, but pushing on a machine that provides resistance. The miles the machinereports are based on an imaginary number that the tire turns. This will not be based on the stride, and calories will be off. 

It would be better to manually log this time.

[Jetjouster]

Yes, my treadmill count is about 30% off from normal....Heck, I can get a few hundred steps sitting at my desk typing this message out. If that is the case, I should have thousands of steps each day.

Honestly though, there should be a work around to have an accurate step count on a treadmill. You can't tell me when designing this no one said, but what about the people that walk on a treadmill? Ah forget them, they don't count! 

I mean even if they a secondary ankle attachment that bluetoothed to the Fitbit just for treadmill/eliptical use would be fine with me. I'd like to not throw this thing in the trash, I just want it to work, so if I got another little device to use while on a treadmill, fine, bring it on.

[MassDAD]

Well after some back and forth via email with Customer Service they are sending me a new Charge HR to replace this one I bought this past december 26th.  I am hoping that this new one better tracks steps on a treadmill, as I do find many of the features of this Charge HR useful.  I also have an Aria scale that is synced to my Charge HR and apps, and I religiously log my food through the FitBit app.

I am down 10 lbs since I started using my Charge HR on 12/26/15, so 10 lbs in three weeks in pretty good.  I'm really hoping I just had a defective Charge HR, I will update this thread as soon as I get my new one and get it up and running.

Thank you to everyone who has posted so far, I was relieved to see I wasn't the only one having this issue.  It seems quite a few do, and some do not.

Let's hope it was a defective tracker!  Update to follow.

[Jetjouster]

let us know and keep us posted.

[BonnieGK]

Thank you. I am new to Fitbit so I will have to figure out how to enter
manually.

[Lisilou007]

Hi I have only bought mine 2 days ago and just getting to grips with it! But I have exactly the same issues! Frustrating! I am intrigued what reply you get!

[MassDAD]

I received my replacement Fitbit Charge HR and I will put it through my typical incline walk/running workout tonight and will post the results regarding accuracy of step count. I have found that how I position my arms makes a difference in how the Charge HR is tracking steps. I used to keep my arms down at my sides swinging normally, however I have been experimenting with holding my arms up and keeping my forearms parallel with the deck surface... Like how you see power walkers keeping their arms up and pumping them back and forth. While my Charge HR has been thinking I'm on an elliptical machine, which I'm not, it has been doing a better job in accuracy... Not anywhere near it should, but better than the 60% I'd been getting. Let's hope the new replacement, and trying to keep my arms up with elbows bent and using that "power walking" method will work. Cause watching my Charge in real time miss so many steps during my workouts has been frustrating to say the least.

[Lisilou007]

Thanks for the comments. My battery ran out the other day but apparantly I was still climbing stairs etc! Had the worst night sleep too but not according to fit bit!

[Cfrey]

Looking forward to hearing how the new FitBit did...Mine is was off on mileage as well...I adjsuted my stride etc and nothing helps...please keep up posted.