Live elevation gain

[rbittman]

Is it possible to see elevation gain using a third party app? (Or was that possible on the Sense 1?). I think the Sense 2 only shows floors climbed at this time. When using GPS , I don’t see any elevation information in the app either. 

Is this a feature we should ask for as a suggestion?

[JerryHam]

I'm not sure you want bad data anyway. For example, today, I have climbed our stairs twice and stayed upstairs for quite some time before going back down. My floors climbed is 0 per the Senseless 2. Yesterday in the morning I went up twice and it said 1. Then I did 3 more later and it said 4 total (should have been 5 by then). So hard to say what it is actually doing. I had gotten the Sense 2 because the Sense 1 had started showing complete and utter nonsense for floors after I had it for 6 months (like 200 floors climbed when all I did was walk around my kitchen). But Sense 2 data seems to be very bad for floors climbed just like it is terrible for heart rate. I'm not sure that getting the data into another app is worth the time since bad data has very little value. Interestingly, the Ionic was pretty good at floors climbed in the same house.

[rbittman]

My experience with floors climbed in the Sense 2  is different from yours. I have a two story apartment and the Sense 2 has been right on regarding floors. That’s in great contrast to the Versa 3 which was ridiculous, as you point out. 

But I understand what you’re saying. For hiking perhaps I need a different device. 

[t.parker]

@rbittman Fitbit never supported live elevation gain and I don't expect it will soon (I don't expect it to happen at all to be honest). This suggestion was posted in 2014 but closed by saying to use a third-party app (which isn't a solution). What I find strange is that elevation is being recorded only when  GPS is enabled which is bizarre considering that the GPS isn't used for the elevation data (there is no elevation correction or even reference altitude calibration). If live elevation gain is ever displayed it should be displayed regardless of using GPS. As a trail runner, I track my weekly elevation gain to reach the planned goal. For example, my hill repeats intervals are often designed to reach planned elevation gain during a single workout but this cannot be tracked in real time by any Fitbit. Personally, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that feature to come.

[RonaldM]

How can I put this nicely, I had a Sense not counting floors at all.

I used the SimpleFloors app to check the sensors and it worked perfectly. But it's a third party app 😇

[t.parker]

@rbittman "For hiking perhaps I need a different device." - probably yes but even for hiking you need to do some research to find a device doing what you need. My criteria involve things like a) live gradient (I want to know how steep is or will be), b) elevation plot (if following a course) so I know when uphills and downhills come, c) elevation gain and d) elevation loss (which doesn't need to be equal the elevation gain, my last bigger hike had nearly 700m of elevation gain but over 1000m of elevation loss). There are also "nice to have" features like live storm alerts (when there's a sudden air pressure change detected). The more data can be seen in real-time during activity the better. After getting myself into a bit scary situation being alone in the mountains I decided to get a standalone device for hiking with better satnav and a built-in satellite phone for emergencies (and remember not to leave climbing equipment in the car just because it looked all too easy from the ground level 🙂 ). It depends really. Most people just record the hikes but if you need real-time data to make decisions then it's better to invest in something designed for the job.

[rbittman]

Yes, since I tend to backpack solo, I’m probably going to get a PLB device like the Garmin Inreach mini. 

But I enjoy having data on my wrist too. Since a suggestion already was made for live elevation tracking and it’s now closed, I won’t pursue this further on the Sense 2. Thanks.