Why do I need an Internet connection

[mattes]

Took a while but I finally figured out that syncing to my android is actually broken. Unless I have an internet connection (data or wifi). 

This is really inconvinient. I spent lots of time off the grid outdoors, mountain .... And there is no connection to the interweb.

Why is Internet required? I just want t o sync with my cell and check out some of the vitals.

Is that what the fitbit is all about? What about those that are not blessed to have constant connection.

This is a serious design flaw! How long can I go without connectivity?

I have to think if the fitbit makes any sense for my lifestyle.

Moderator edit: format. 

[SteveH]

When you do a sync it takes the tracking data from your Charge HR and sends it to your phone. The phone then uses this to update the fitbit servers on the internet. So, to sync, you need both bluetooth and internet.

When you use your phone to view your dashboard it shows the data on the fitbit servers so it is only as up to date as the last sync.

Your fitbit can hold detailed data for 7 days between syncs and up to 30 days between syncs at a summary level.

For those who are out of wifi or data connectivity most of the data for the activity is still available directly on the Charge HR.

[kalimm]

This isn't a design flaw, it is just how Bluetooth works. No matter what devices you're trying to connect, Bluetooth needs some form of Internet connection (either Ethernet, phone data or WiFi). For the same reason you can't access this website without Internet, you also can't access Fitbit databases without it. Without a connection, there's no way for the two to talk to each other. Like SteveH said, a daily sync isn't necesary. If you can only sync once each week, that should be sufficient to keep all of your minute-by-minute stats.

[mattes]

thanks for the feedback SteveH.  So you are saying Instead of processing the data on the local app, its uploaded to the fitbit server. and that back to the app.

 That's what I was afraid off. Everybody has the huge cloud idea and promises it as the next best thing since sliced bread. But totally forgetting that if you do not have access to the cloud you are completey stranded with this kinda of architecture.

What about those of us that are not tethered to the net 24/7 ?

Why not providing a functionality that allows to consume the fitbit data on the Android/iphone itself.

It can be still uploaded and cloud processed later, once you are back in range.

Mat

[mattes]

>> This isn't a design flaw, it is just how Bluetooth works

Just as a matter of fact Bluetooth works without any internet connection. BT is a communication protocol that works bewteen 2 devices.  e.g. you can listen to your favorite music stored on your phone by using bluetooth headset. Or you can pair it to your car radio. No data connection /internet required.

It is certainly a nice feature that a daily sync isn't necessary. But it does not help if you want to look at your vital data when your are off the grid.

From that point I would call it a design flaw, because it limits the usability of the fitbit.

Mat

[SteveH]

I think the idea is that all the most relevant data whilst you are offline remains available via the fitbit itself. It's only the active minutes and historical data that's unavailable.

[mattes]

SteveH, I get the idea. It is just that the concept does not fit to everybodies lifestyle.

e.g. I live in the mountains where there is no cell phone coverage/internet service. Thats where the cloud server architecture fails.

Mat

[SteveH]

Agreed. Fitbit is an Internet based technology. It won't suit everyone.

[TLilley12]

So I can excercise, and come home, hook up to my wifi, and it will have what I have done on it??

[mattes]

yoiu are missing the point i am trying to make.

I don't have an internet connection at home. So I have all the data on my fitbit and have it connected to my phone and I can not access/view my fitbit exercise data.

Unfortunately the fitbit app is not able to work with the fitbit data unless you internet access.

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[Stoney722]

Fun, cuz I looked and found nothing stating that the internet was needed to sync. BT yes, it states that BT needed to be on to sync. So why does the instructions not state that the internet is needed and that BT doesn't do anything in the communication between the device and your phone? Kind of miss leading. 

[SteveH]

@Stoney722 I'm not sure that's correct. This is an extract from the Charge HR manual:

"The Fitbit apps use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to sync with your Fitbit tracker. Each time you open the app it will sync if the tracker is nearby, and the app will also sync periodically throughout the day if you have the all-day sync setting enabled. If you’re running the Fitbit app on a Windows 10 PC that doesn’t have Bluetooth, you’ll need to make sure the tracker is connected to the computer.

Fitbit Connect on a Mac® also uses Bluetooth for syncing (if available), otherwise you’ll need to make sure your wireless sync dongle is plugged into the computer. You can force Fitbit Connect to sync at any time or it will happen automatically every 15 minutes if:

• The tracker is within 20 feet of your computer.

• The computer is powered on, awake, and connected to the Internet."

https://staticcs.fitbit.com/content/assets/help/manuals/manual_charge_hr_en_US.pdf

[Petiot]

Seriously .... Internet based technology? 

What does that even mean?

The point is that internet or not, connected device or not, the app is the only way to visualise data collected by the fitbit. As such it should allow  data to be downloaded via Bluetooth and cached locally on the phone until a connection to internet is available. Of course that requires a bit more carefully coding, and being a software developer myself, I can tell you, the fitbit app is nothing more than an afterthought... 

[NoNetConnection]

@SteveHwrote:

When you do a sync it takes the tracking data from your Charge HR and sends it to your phone. The phone then uses this to update the fitbit servers on the internet. So, to sync, you need both bluetooth and internet.

When you use your phone to view your dashboard it shows the data on the fitbit servers so it is only as up to date as the last sync.

Your fitbit can hold detailed data for 7 days between syncs and up to 30 days between syncs at a summary level.

For those who are out of wifi or data connectivity most of the data for the activity is still available directly on the Charge HR.

How do I see yesterdays (or any of the last seven days) data on the Charge HR?

That is not easily "consumed" by viewing on the HR, much easier on phone or computer/laptop where you can also see other data food and water consumption.

Not everyone has internet on their phone or computer every day.

Some of the examples are for people camping or cruising

It also mean using double data, once to send data to fitbit, and then again to get it back to view it.

[SteveH]

Fair points @NoNetConnection

But as I said in post 8 of this thread: " It won't suit everyone"

If regular internet access is an issue the it's probably best to look for an alternative.

[mattes]

Think of the Charge HR as a sensor and gathers the real-time vital data, providing limited access via the the sensor display.

Unfortunately Fitbit decided to require an internet connection to consume the sensor data.

Again this an architectural decision on Fitbit's side. The phone itself provides enough power by itself to render,archive the data to provide a self-sufficient system  Storing the data at the server end (fitbit) should/could be optional.

But what can I say, for some reason Fitbit thinking is reversed. What a pitty, could a much kooler product!

[NoNetConnection]

@mattes, @Petiot, @Stoney722

Make sure you vote at Allow-Offline-syncing-Store-data-locally if you haven't already.

You never know, one day fitbit might decide it is something worthy of their time to implement.

[mit_rekab]

100% agree if I am abroad I do not want to pay for internet connect and would hope my phone and fitbit can happily talk over Bluetooth. I would not even mind if without internet we only saw this days data and allow them to squirrel away our historical data for when we are on line.

[SunsetRunner]

Actually very little data remains in the app when you're offline. We have a lovely dashboard with options, for example, that shows how many steps you've taken per hour for that day, with that history for the week. If I'm not connected to the Internet, all I get are "zeroes" across the board. Unless I keep "all day sync" switched on (which eats up the battery in both my phone and the fitbit itself), then it takes an age to sync as well. 

Locally processing the data, then uploading to the server would be much less annoying and more convenient. 

[JordanJonas]

Hi. Just wanted to let you know that this is 100% wrong. Bluetooth uses a completely separate antenna inside the phone and can work without any other kind of connection.

I havent researched this too much but this looks like a design flaw in the app. There's no reason it should be able to gather data from the fitbit over bluetooth and upload online when there's a working internet connection.