Versa Heartrate too low during exercise

[bryantlikes]

My versa seems to be off by about 50 bpm when I exercise. Here is an example from yesterday where the versa said my average hr for a ride was 100 bpm, but on Strava using a Garmin with an HR monitor it was 149 bpm average. The max on the versa was 131 while on Strava it was 183. 

Is there some way to fix this? 

Strava ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/1648515307

Fitbit summary: 

[WavyDavey]

Hi @bryantlikes,

Next time, wear the band tighter, and maybe a little higher up on the forearm. Intense exercise requires a tighter fit for HR accuracy.

[bryantlikes]

Hmmm.. I don't think it can be any tighter. And if I move it up my forearm it will just slip down and be loose. So I don't see how either of these two options are a solution to the problem. 

50 bpm is a huge amount to be off, this isn't some kind of small adjustment. Seems to me the sensor is flawed or something. 

[Ianwolp]

I have the same problem with my Versa... when I counted my heart rate after doing intervals it was over 180, but the Versa said 150... then I went to lift weights and it said 74bpm, while counting my pulse and looking at a clock I got about 120bpm.  The sitting on the bus on the way home it said my heart rate was 90...

[bryantlikes]

Thanks for the additional info. Too bad fitbit has yet to respond to this issue so no idea if it is a known issue that is going to be software corrected or if it is a hardware issue. 

Maybe I need to try a different route to get an answer. 

[Mothrasue]

It sounds like doing any exercise that involves your wrists (biking, lifting weights, etc) can affect the accuracy of the Fitbit because of the wrist movement.  Wearing it higher and tighter is the general advice.  Is your Garmin a chest strap or wristband?

Also, in the Fitbit summary you posted it looks like the highest your heart got was about 176, not 131?

[bryantlikes]

Up until April 2017 I used to have an original fitbit so I went back to compare the accuracy of that tracker versus my Garmin + HR Strap. Here is a ride from March 30th from my fitbit. The fitbit gave me an average HR of 124 while the Garmin + HR Strap gave me an average HR of 140. So still lower, but only off by 16 bpm which it much more tolerable. I would assume the technology has gotten much better with the Versa so it should be more accurate not 1/3 as accurate. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/921516839

[bryantlikes]

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@Mothrasue wrote:

It sounds like doing any exercise that involves your wrists (biking, lifting weights, etc) can affect the accuracy of the Fitbit because of the wrist movement.  Wearing it higher and tighter is the general advice.  Is your Garmin a chest strap or wristband?

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Not sure what kind of biking you do, but road biking does not really involve the wrist. I'd say running and walking involve the wrist much more. 

As for the higher/tighter advice. If I make it any tighter it will cut off my circulation. And higher, have you ever worn a Versa? Maybe if the band was elastic, but with a hard plastic band you can't really wear it higher. It simply isn't possible. 

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@Mothrasue wrote:

Also, in the Fitbit summary you posted it looks like the highest your heart got was about 176, not 131?

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You are correct. I'm not sure where I got the 131 from now, but I thought it gave me that number somewhere. Maybe I'm incorrect. 

[Cdogfishes]

I have noticed the same since I got my Versa. When I had the Charge2 and walked I would be in Cardio or Peak the majority of the time. Now I am 90% in fatburn and occasionally get it into Cardio.

[Mothrasue]

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@bryantlikes wrote:

Not sure what kind of biking you do, but road biking does not really involve the wrist. I'd say running and walking involve the wrist much more. 

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Biking requires at least some flexing the wrists and putting pressure on your hands and wrists, much more than running or walking which is just swinging your arms.  Any wrist movement is going to mess with the HR accuracy.

And yes of course I wear a Versa or wouldn’t be commenting in here.  I dont wear the plastic band because I don’t like it, but i do wear the woven band and also a Velcro nylon band from amazon which is awesome.  Both of them can easily be worn higher on the arm.  We’re only talking two or three fingers higher than the wrist bone.

[Marrrmaduke]

@Mothrasue sorry for being off-topic, but can you please share the link for the velcro/nylon band? ☺️

[bryantlikes]

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@Mothrasue wrote:

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Biking requires at least some flexing the wrists and putting pressure on your hands and wrists, much more than running or walking which is just swinging your arms.  Any wrist movement is going to mess with the HR accuracy.

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Why do you think that putting pressure on your hands or bending your wrist will mess with the HR accuracy? I can ride with no hands and it is still just as inaccurate, so I don't think this has anything to do with it. 

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@Mothrasue wrote: 

And yes of course I wear a Versa or wouldn’t be commenting in here.  I dont wear the plastic band because I don’t like it, but i do wear the woven band and also a Velcro nylon band from amazon which is awesome.  Both of them can easily be worn higher on the arm.  We’re only talking two or three fingers higher than the wrist bone.

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Just wondering, so you've tested it with the tracker on your wrist and then tested it again with it slightly higher and confirmed that this increases the accuracy? This seems really strange to me and it also seems like it would vary a lot from person to person based on many factors (weight, veins, etc). I just don't believe that buying a new band and wearing it in a weird place is going to somehow magically fix it. 

[bryantlikes]

When I used to post in these forums you actually got replies from people from fitbit. Does this no longer happen? Do I have to go through some other channel to find out what the issue is?

[seguerrero7]

I know this messages comes more than a year later but I've been experiencing the same. In my Versa 2 I seem to be always in the fat burn zone (110bpm) when the heart reader on treadmill tells me I'm about 50bpm higher. Only way to help this that I've found is stopping for about 20 seconds and letting the Versa read my pulse while completely still. It then reads it more accurately but as soon as I go back to moving, it drops again. Did you find a solution to this?

[tboylan77]

My Versa 2 has the same issue. Today on treadmill my versa read 124bpm but when I held onto the treadmills handles my heart rate read 158! I’ve read on other posts with older fitbits others too had issues when in “treadmill” workout mode. They stated to try going on the treadmill and use only “workout” mode instead of treadmill and they had more accurate readings. I’m going to try this when I go back to the gym next and see if it’s any different if not then I may go back to using my Apple Watch. I love my Fitbit for the community and challenges etc.

[Nessa1990]

I know this thread is old but I encountered the same issue. Have yous restarted your fitbit. I just did it and it works now