Inspire 2 is greatly over counts steps

[JenniferRP]

I only wear my Inspire 2 while exercising or walking. Today I walked 1.4 miles according to Google maps (using the walking route). My device says I walked 2.78 miles. I wear my device on my non-dominant hand, and that matches my settings. The GPS on my phone is on and the same for the Fitbit. My husband and I have been comparing the Fitbit to our other devices, such as phone apps and Google, and this Fitbit is always almost double. Again, I only put the device on my wrist when I start to do exercises or go for a walk, so it cannot be counting other activities such as housecleaning, driving, etc. Is there even a solution for this or just what you get with this device? I have read dozens of other postings, and it now realizing using this for distance or steps is not usable. I am now wondering about the accuracy of other metrics I was relying on, such as heart rate. 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Julia_G]

Hi, @JenniferRP , if you think your Fitbit is over counting your steps due to hand movements, you can lessen this to some extent by continuing to wear your Fitbit on your non dominant hand but changing your setting in the app to “dominant”.  Changing the setting to dominant will make the device a little less sensitive.

If the problem is that the conversion of steps to miles is inaccurate you can improve this by calculating your stride.  If you begin your activity before your GPS is connected to the Fitbit, or if the signal drops during your activity, it will use your stride length to do the calculation, so it is worth making sure this is accurate.  You can find more information here .

I hope this helps.  Welcome to the forums!

[JenniferRP]

I have changed the setting to “dominant” and will see if that makes a
difference in my next lengthy walk.

I don’t see a conflict over the steps to miles numbers. In fact, using
steps conversion tables found on the internet, it shows that the amount of
steps I allegedly took mentioned in my post, is almost exactly the amount
of miles the Fitbit said I walked. So, that ratio appears sound. It is the
fact that the Google walking route showed 1.8 miles there and back but the
Fitbit said I walk 2.78 miles. I put the Fitbit on as I was leaving and
checked it when I arrived back home. I knew it is tracking wrong and did
this test one last time before posting about it.

Does anyone get an accurate reading or is this just an inherent flaw in
this device?

Thanks.

[DylynnB]

I'm having the same issue.  New device and it's throwing steps in like crazy.  Was going to put my old tracker on and compare the two numbers.  I'll try the dominant hand and see if that helps.  Right now, regretting my purchase.

[alexandrerodrig]

Same, i've compared with my old device that has integrated GPS and the Inspire 2 is counting around 4000 steps more. 

[JenniferRP]

I changed the setting on the app to "dominant" hand but left the device on my non-dominant side. That seems to have helped. I just completed a walk in which Google maps and the Fitbit are pretty close now. I will keep watching it to see if it really did fix it. Thanks!

[DylynnB]

I did that as well...no change.  I finally gave up and shipped it back to the vendor. 

[Julia_G]

@JenniferRP , I am so glad that my answer helped you!

[JenniferRP]

I give up. Today's test showed 1 mile more than what I walked, according to Google maps. I will looking into returning it.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi there, @JenniferRP . Welcome to the Community Forums. Thanks for the details provided in your post about the inconvenience with your Inspire 2. 

@Julia_G Thanks for your help and sharing those tips to improve step accuracy. 

@DylynnB Sorry to hear this, thanks for sharing your experience with us.

I'd like to mention that Fitbit devices have a finely-tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running. When working at a desk, cooking, or performing other activities with arm movements, a device on your wrist may add some steps. When you’re doing activities that involve arm movement—such as working or cooking—you often walk a few steps in-between stationary periods as well, so the device tries to give you credit for those steps. For most customers, the number of extra steps added by arm-based movement isn’t significant when compared to your overall stats. For more information, see How does my Fitbit device calculate my daily activity?

For additional information, see Does the wrist I wear my device on affect the accuracy? and What can I do if my step count seems inaccurate?

If you want to negate the extra steps, see How do I add, edit, or delete Fitbit data and activities?

Hope that helps.