Fitbit Sense confusion for me?

[garybrett1703]

Hello there, been away from Fitbit for a good few years now but like the look of the sense so hoping someone can guide me with a few questions. I appreciate there seems to be a lot of negativity on HR as detailed by the DC Rainmaker reviews but anyway.

1 - I know we get a 6 month trial for premium with any new device but also read that some devices now get the health metrix dashboard for free albeit 7 days data only, is that actually the case in the UK. Live chat support seemed confused this morning when I asked the question and were not aware of this?

2 - I'll only use for HIIT, circuit training, strength, yoga & walking so not really in need of gps and stuff, is the HR data really that bad? I've always worked on the assumption using Polar, Samsung & Garmin that any wrist based tracker is off and the data it outputs is at least regular giving you a baseline to work off. So I my calorie burn is 2000 today and 1000 tomorrow I know I haven't worked hard enough today. I appreciate thats more dangerous on HR when giving too low or too high readings but it is at least a baseline?

3 - The sense seem to collect a lot of data, is that data actionable at all, is it clear to read/understand and have any suggestions as to what to do with it?

4 - Is ECG & Google assistant up and running in the UK? Once activated via the app does Google assistant talk back to you or display answers on the screen?

Many thanks, I'm in the UK by the way.

[Nwasher1234]

I can't answer your questions about the UK since I'm from the US, but I did compare two 5k training runs between my Fitbit Sense and Garmin Venu. The session included walk, run, walk for 3 times and  the HR was very similar on both. Both recorded the same highest heart rate and similar average heart rate. The graphs of the heart rate during exercise were also similar. I read the same posts about the HR being way off during exercises but for me it was very close. I haven't tried other exercises though. Maybe there was an update that fixed it. I'm not sure since I just purchased mine. 

I do have the health matrix dash board without premium. It shows me some data but if I want long periods of data it is locked to buying the premium. Hope that helps!

[garybrett1703]

That's great Nwasher1234 and yes very helpful and positive

Can I clarify, as a non premium customer you still get to see HRV data in health matrix dashboard but only 7 days rather than 30 days?

Thankyou

[t.parker]

1. Don't know. I didn't activate premium.

2. Steady-state activities (run, walk) can give acceptable HR, however, if you'd like to use HR for training (for example, stay in a particular range, etc.) then Sense it's not going to be the right tool for the job. The exercises you mentioned are affected most badly and, for me, the average HR is way lower than the real one, with lots of sudden drops, unexplained spikes - pretty much randomness all over the shop.

3. All I worked with were activities and as much as basic data is presented there is a lack of good analytics tools. If you're interested in seeing totals, grouping data, comparing - it's not there. If you know tools like PolarFlow or the new Garmin Connect (modern) then it's not that level of sophistication. I didn't track anything else. I believe sleep tracking gives more details.

4. I think it is but again, I didn't try to use it myself (I'm also in the UK). The UK is on the list of countries where ECG is supported.

[garybrett1703]

Thank you, much appreciated.

1 - If you didn't activate premium can you now see the health matrix dashboard then with 7 days rolling HRV data?

3 - I'm trying to move away from Polar Flow to be honest, its really muddled up and in my opinion not very user friendly. The Ignite is great but the output is designed for serious athletes. I quite like the simplicity of the Fitbit app.

Thanks anyway.

[Nwasher1234]

Yes I can see HRV for 7 days in the health matrix. Mine says 26 milliseconds while sleeping. It says for 30 days I have to get premium. I was going to send a screenshot but I can't figure out how to attach it. 

Also I have not tried other exercises other than the treadmill  walk/run so the heart rate may be inaccurate for other exercises. I just know for the treadmill walking and running were almost exactly what my Garmin heart rate was showing. 

The sleep tracking is way better on the Sense than Garmin Venu if you're interested in that. The Sense was right on with when I was awake at night and the Garmin totally missed my awake time. 

I'm currently trying out both and trying to decide which one to keep. I like some things better on the Sense and some things better on the Garmin Venu.

[garybrett1703]

 @Nwasher1234  @That's great thank you very much, you've answered my question. I dont need premium to see the data,7 days is fine with me.

Have a good one, ill be interested to see which one you go with, Ive had the polar ignite for 18 months and looked at the venu at that time but went with Polar. Its great but the app is not so good.

Body battery on Garmin I do like👍

[Nwasher1234]

I ended up keeping the Sense. I haven't had the issues others have and hope I don't! The Venu is a great watch geared more for runners or sports enthusiasts. I really liked the way Fitbit is overall health. I am using the food tracker in the Fitbit app and Fitbit uses my data to calculate in real time my calories in and out. It seems that would be better than using MyFitnessPal and synching between that and Garmin. I am also using C25K on the watch to train for running a 5K. The sleep tracking is way way better. My heart rate compared to the Garmin was always about the same even when working out. I haven't had any syncing issues so far and I use a Pixel 4XL. I did buy the Amazon Assurion 2 year protection in case the screen breaks since I saw posts about it breaking easily.  Overall I'm happy with the Sense so far and hope it stays that way.