Why does the Charge 2 not come with a USB dongle?

[MeanDean]

why in the hell does this not come with a dongle ? how frustrating to buy this product and begin to set it up ...only to find ..oh wait .....there is no dongle.?   wtf are you thinking .....so now how do i set it up ...this is my first purchase ..and with stupid thinking on fitbits part they don't ship all the hardware to set the watch up...?... this is so stupid ...i almost threw this piece of crap in garbage .....i would have if it didnt cost me 200 bucks ....Not happy .......

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Miriam85]

Does doing the restart delete all the data collected though? I've been having major issues with my tracker syncing to my phone and that is THE ONLY THING I haven't yet tried. 

I've tried restarting my phone, updating my phone (Samsung S8), makings the app was up to date, deleting the app and re-downloading it, unpairing and pairing the device, turning Bluetooth on and off, turning my phone on and off each time, leaving it off for several hours, running the battery down on the Charge2 and charging it, manually trying to sync and clicking all day sync, all permissions are allowed, it is allowed to run in the background and I've also tried force stop and clearing the cache.

This has all been in vain! I believe the restart is the last suggested option from other moderators I just want to make sure it's not going to delete all the data I have collected for the late day. 

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Miriam85, restarting your Charge 2 will not delete any data, so don't worry about that at all.

[HeydyF]

Hey folks! It is great to see you all participating here in the Community! 

Well, you are asking yourself, why the Charge 2 doesn't come with a Dongle, right? One of the main reasons is because we have noticed that most of Fitbit users prefer to use a mobile device to sync their trackers instead of computers or most  of those that use them, have new generation computers with built in Bluetooth and Windows 10 installed so they don't actually need a Dongle. There are also users that already had a Fitbit device and decided to keep the Dongle. However, if some of you need one because you don't have neither a compatible mobile device nor a built in Bluetooth computer, then I urge you to go to our online store so you can get a new one. 

If you have further comments guys, keep me posted! 

[franscop]

It's not yet understood to me. I have Windows 7 and my question is can I buy a bleutooth dongle and communicate this way with the Fitbit charge2 device ?

[HeydyF]

Hey @franscop, let me give you a warm welcome to the Community! If you get a Dongle and have a Windows 7 computer, you can complete the setup process, just remember to download the Fitbit Connect program and install it on your computer. Please go to www.Fitbit.com/Setup to do so and follow the instructions in this article to pair your Charge 2 with that program. 

Give it a try and let me know how it goes! 

[PureEvil]

@franscop,

Welcome to the community!

No, this won't work.  You can sync through just Bluetooth, but you can only do that from the Fitbit App, which runs on Windows 10.

If you want to set up on Windows 7, you'll need Fitbit Connect and a Fitbit dongle:

You may get one from the store, or you may contact support and possibly sweet talk them into sending you one.

I hope this helps.

[franscop]

Thanks a lot, you made me happy.

Gtngs

[franscop]

Another question from a new user : is it possible to track and to display your actual location, and if yes how to handle it ?

[franscop]

Thxs a lot, this answers my quetion.

Another one : Another question from a new user : is it possible to track and to display your actual location, and if yes how to handle it ?

[PureEvil]

@franscop,

It depends on how you're asking this question...

The Charge 2 hardware, in and of itself, does not have a GPS hardware in it.  There are only two models that do:

• Ionic
• Surge

That said, a number of models, including the Charge 2, enable you to use connected GPS in exercise mode, this means when you're tracking such an activity (run or hike, for instance) you use your phone's GPS and that's how it tracks your location.

Additionally, you may also use the MobileRun feature on the Fitbit App to map your exercise.

I hope this helps.

[franscop]

So as I understand it well you can track a run and display the tracked route afterwards, but it is'nt possible at all to continuesly  track and display your location in real time. Am I right ?

[PureEvil]

@franscop,

Doing this through Fitbit?  Not that I'm aware of, but, IMHO, this falls out of the scope of activity tracking.

I hope this helps.

[franscop]

It is'nt possible to install a tracking software on my Windows 7 computer. Is this normal or I should be able tot do this, and if  so pleade would you dec ribe in detail the followed procedure ? I did connect a Fitbit Bluetooth dongle and I have the Fitbit charge2 dervice.

Thanks a lot for your advice.

[PureEvil]

@franscop,

You asked a couple of questions, but in light of your recent posts, they may be interpreted in different ways:

"It is'nt possible to install a tracking software on my Windows 7 computer. Is this normal or I should be able tot do this, and if  so pleade would you dec ribe in detail the followed procedure ?"

What do you mean by 'tracking'?  This may be interpreted as simply 'syncing' (downloading the activity information from your Fitbit and pushing to the Fitbit servers) or tracking your GPS location (since you posted about that earlier).  So I'll answer each one of those separately:

GPS Location: Fitbit was not designed to continuously track your location.  Yes, if you start an activity you may enable the tracker (depending on model) or the software (Fitbit App) to track your location for that activity (run, ride, or hike for instance), but once you finish that activity, it stops tracking your location.  This makes sense.  Do I really want or need Fitbit to be tracking my bus route on my commute to work?  No.

Syncing:  Your Fitbit can sync with a Windows 7 computer.  You'll need to install the Fitbit Connect software.  However, to run this software you'll need a Fitbit dongle.  If you have a Charge 2, it did not come with a dongle in the box.  In fact, that's the entire topic of this thread.  You may order one from the online store or you may contact Fitbit support for one.  You may be able to sweet talk them into sending you one.  That said, if you have a smartphone, you don't need to sync through your computer.  You can simply sync through your phone and look at your stats on the online dashboard.  This is what most people do.

"I did connect a Fitbit Bluetooth dongle and I have the Fitbit charge2 dervice."

I assume that you're asking that since you have a conventional Bluetooth dongle, can you sync your Fitbit?  And generically the answer to that is 'maybe', the answer for you is 'no'.  Allow me to explain:

The Fitbit App can sync through just Bluetooth.  This may be the built-in Bluetooth on your device or if you're using a USB Bluetooth dongle, that'll work too.  The Fitbit App runs on Windows 10; there is no version that runs on Windows 7.

The Fitbit Connect software can sync any nearby Fitbit (even random stranger's), but it requires a Fitbit dongle (and no, a generic Bluetooth device won't work).  This is the software that you'd be installing on Windows 7.

I hope this helps.

[Rich_Laue]

I'm not sure why a subject of tracking software is brought up for a desktop or laptop computer, or what tracking software has to do with the Charge 2 .

Yes the Charge 2 can connect to a phones GPS but most laptops and certainly am desktops do not have a GPS unit in them. Besides would you want to carry a laptop on your run? 

BTW it is possible to connect a GPS to a laptop to use as a car computer that can give driving directions. .So yes you can install a mapping program that with an external GPS attached to track a laptop. 

The bigger problem I see with Win 7 is that it iscconsidered the most insecure operating system and according to Microsoft it can not be made secure and shoupdsnot be attached to the Internet if the user has any information stored that needs to be kept secure. 

[JNL767]

I have Windows 7 (no bluetooth) and I don't have a smartphone so I guess I can't use my Charge 2???

I agree with you, they should all come with a dongle. That $23 dongle probably cost $1.50 to make. I'm with you, I only have Windows 7 and a flip phone.

I don't see a way to edit or delete previous posts, which is stupid. If I were able to get my FitBit setup and connected to another computer, will I still need a Dongle to sync it to my own computer in the future?

Moderator edit: merged posts

[Julia_G]

Hi, @JNL767, if you only have Windows 7 and a flip phone you will need a dongle to sync your Charge 2.

[Rich_Laue]

I would do what others have said that they did, contact Fitbit, if your pleasant they have been known to drop a dongle into an envelope for free. 

Alternatively there is only one dongle model. and many people have an older Fitbit tyattcame with a dongle that is not being used. You are a friend could possibly have one laying around, heck I have 5 in my stash, none of them has ever been plugged into anything but a Linux based PC .

Just be care full with Win 7, Microsoft said they could not make it secure when they where supporting it. Now that it is only partially supported. It is considered the most insecure OS on the Internet. You can not find a worse OS to connect to the web. 

[DV7532]

The dongle will work with Windows 7. I have Windows 7.

[AlvaroFitbit]

@JNL767 @DV7532 Welcome to the Fitbit Community! I hope you're doing well! As @Rich_Laue and @Julia_G  said, you will need an USB Dongle to sync your tracker with your Windows 7 computer. You can purchase one from the Fitbit store at $6.95. Another possibility is that you could use a friends phone or computer to setup and sync your device. Or if you can you could use your work computer to do this and sync periodically, another option could be using your public's library computer. What I am trying to say is that you don't necessarily need to invest on a new phone or computer but it will depend on your particular situation.

@JNL767 if you have access to another computer then you can use that computer to sync your tracker but you can view your information anywhere so that means you can use your personal computer via the browser (at fitbit.com) to view your information. Additionally if you want to edit your post you can click the three dots on the top right corner so you can add any information you need.

Let me know how it goes!