Heart Rate too high.

[Andy43]

I've had my Versa Lite for a few weeks and it's great apart from the HR monitor. It works well at rest and its readings tally closely with my own manual readings. But a brisk walk will have the Versa showing 120 or 130 bpm, compared to around 80 bpm when taken manually.

This might be of no concern in itself, but will it make my calorie reading artificially high?

I've already tried wearing the strap more loosely and more tightly (tighter is better) but it still over-reads.

[Marrrmaduke]

@Andy43 I would assume brisk walk is more than 80. What's your resting heart rate? What's the average heart rate recorded by Versa during Walk exercise? What's the peak value? Can you please share some screenshots? THx!

[Andy43]

Hi Marrrmaduke and thanks for taking an interest.

I've just taken a look at today's walking graphs and the longest is just over one hour. My speed will have been 120 steps per minute as usual. This is about as fast as I can walk without looking stupid or breaking into a run lol.

Peak HR is shown as 128 bpm and the average is 108 bpm.

My resting HR is normally around 55 to 60 bpm and my Versa always gets this right.

BTW, I'm on heart-slowing medication following a heart attack.

What I really want to know is why I can look at my Versa during a walk and it will tell me my HR is 128 bpm, but a manual reading taken at the same time gives 80 to 90 bpm.

Thanks.

[Marrrmaduke]

@Andy43 I will be honest... I am surprised that you're reading 90 when almost running. I would guess the 120 range would be more accurate. But you do mention the medication. Personally I never had issues with Versa's HR tracking. I compared it to chest strap and to other trackers (my posts are probably still flying around on this forum). Nevertheless, it's not a solution for you. I am wondering if your manual reading is correct? Also, is the reading off only when exercising or also when you're resting? Can you compare it with other device or even simply loan the tracker to your friend and see what their manual vs Versa's reading is. Basically, I would like to figure out i it's a device issue or more body-related. Of course you can always reboot the tracker several times, sensor as well. To do that, please open Settings app on your Versa, scroll down to Heartrate and toggle it OFF and back ON several times with a reboot of Versa in between (press and hold the left and bottom right buttons until fitbit logo appears).

ETA: Other things to try are changing the wearing position on your arm and tightness of the band.

[Andy43]

Hi Marrmaduke, thanks for that.

Re the manual readings, I've been doing them for years so I know they are correct. My method is the same as my doctor's - time 15 seconds on a watch and count my wrist pulse in that time. 15 pulses equals 60 bpm etc.

My brisk walks are just that, not almost running. And of course my meds hold my HR down. I can get up to 120 (manually taken), but I have to try hard.

Resting HR is mostly correct (around 56 to 60), but I've just watched the reading rise from 57 to 90 in a few seconds while I was sitting still!

I wouldn't be too concerned about this, but the bad readings will influence my calorie burn reading and make me think I am burning fat and in 'cardio' when I'm not.

I have cleaned the sensor and tried adjusting the tension and position of the Versa Lite on my wrist, but it makes little difference.

I've spent the last half hour researching this problem and there are literally hundreds of complaints just like mine dating back to the spring of last year. As it seems this issue is common and has not been cured, I feel this device is not up to scratch and it will be returned for a refund.

Many thanks for your efforts.

[Marrrmaduke]

@Andy43 Re spikes aka HR jumps from 57 to 90. Spikes are normal - Versa measures HR all the time and kinda recalibrates the readings. You may not see it even on the chart as the reading would have to be actually 5 min or longer I believe. It won't impact the averages or calorie burnt either as algorithm used by Fitbit will pre-clean these outliers. Now, constant 120 bpm readings when they should be 90 are entirely different story. Yes, the calorie burn will be higher but not terribly so. I would like to figure out why you'e getting such readings. We can try a few things, but I will also request screenshots of HR readings (check how to post pictures in the post here😞

1. As weird as it may sound, change the arm on which you wear your tracker
2. Change the position of the tracker - higher, lower on your arm
3. Change the tightness of the band
4. Run a test experiment with your friend. Make them wear the tracker and record the HR while measuring it manually.

I think we need to figure out if it's the tracker itself. If yes, you might have to contact Customer Support.

ETA: I forgot to ask, would you happen to have any tattoos or skin marks that could impact the readings?

[Andy43]

Marrmaduke

I've already tried re-starting the Versa Lite and turning the HR off and on. Several times.

Also changed arms and tried moving the device to different position. higher up my arm makes the HR monitor stop working. BTW, I wear it on my left wrist, which is my dominant hand. I have changed this in the settings.

The band will not stay high on my arm anyway, it works its way down unless I have it tight.

There are no tattoos on my arm or any other marks.

Re the spikes from 57 to 90 being normal. Maybe, but when it spiked it stayed at 90 for several minutes before it slowly came down to 64. That can't be right, and it did it while the watch was on the desk!

This watch seems to have a mind of its own, we don't need screenshots to see that.

Please don't get me wrong, I see you are trying to help, but after reading 18 pages of similar complaints it's looking pretty hopeless.

[Marrrmaduke]

@Andy43 Okay, there's not much really I can say to that. Re running any types of statistics based on the feedback from users on the forum... You know, people who post here are in search of help. They usually have some problem and they are trying to find a solution to it. So having 18 pages means... nothing. Have you actually checked how many users are happy with the product? No, because there's no data for it here. They do not post. I am sorry that you seem to have a problem with your tracker, but yes, if you want to understand why something is happening, first thing share the log. You do not need to post anything, of course. At this point, I can advise a factory reset or returning the device if possible. Please note that factory reset (restoring your tracker to factory defaults) will wipe your Versa, so please sync first. You will also need to delete your tracker from your Paired Devices list in your phone Bluetooth settings. You can perform factory reset by going to Settings on your Versa, scrolling down to About and tapping Factory Reset. Once Versa resets to factory defaults, you will need to set it up again by adding it as a replacement device in the Fitbit mobile app.

[Andy43]

Marrmaduke.

Thanks for your help so far, but I've lost patience with this thing. I don't think paying well over £100 for a product that misbehaves almost from day one is acceptable, and neither do I plan to re-start, re-boot and factory-reset my new device every few days because there's a hardware or software problem that should have been detected and fixed before launch.

It's a real shame, as I searched for quite a while to find a good quality, good looking and acceptably small watch (most are too big for my wrist) which would help me keep fit without a load of fiddling.

It just isn't good enough. A £100+ product should just work. If it's misleading me as to how much exercise I'm getting, then it won't do.

I've arranged a return to Amazon and it goes back tomorrow. Once again, thanks for your efforts.

[AD1971]

See the solution here if you're still having issues: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Versa-Versa-Lite/Heart-rate-readings-too-high-in-Fitbit-Versa/m-p/35...