Sense Bluetooth to phone range extender

[dschulpius]

Hi all,

I'm loving my Sense. It works great and I feel the data I get is pretty accurate. I have compared a lot of it to other trusted devices.  

Anyway, there is one part of the Fitbit sense I wish was better. The Bluetooth range is short in my opinion. As long as I have the phone within 20- 30 feet with no walls in-between I stay connected. Outside of that and I have to wait to get into that range to reconnect to the phone. I completely understand that this feature works as described and sold. Hopefully Fitbit will someday install a longer range Bluetooth or even total wifi conductivity in these watches. 

In the meantime, has anyone found a way to extend the Bluetooth range? I know little about this subject. There are Bluetooth signal extenders on the market. Has anyone found a way to use something like this? It would be great to just leave my Samsung Galaxy 8 on the charger and walk around the house and take advantage of the Sense's features! Am I just wishing that Santa Clause is real here? LOL!  Thanks in advance! 

[Rich_Laue]

The sense has Bluetooth 5.0 and in theory can reach up to 800 feet. In reality at best 150 should easily work. 

To get this range, your phone also has to be Bluetooth 5.0 compatible. 

[dschulpius]

Interesting. I didn't know that. However I don't I'll pop 1K USD for a new
phone. Lol. Thanks.

[dschulpius]

Interesting, I just did a little research on my Samsung Galaxy S8. It seems like it does have Bluetooth 5.0. I also confirmed that the Sense has Bluetooth 5.0.

If this is the case why do I only get 30 feet of distance (clear view) between my S8 and the Sense? 

[Rich_Laue]

Can't say. I easily get 50 to 100 feet with my S8

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @dschulpius Welcome to the Community Forums! @Rich_Laue Thanks for the input! 

Please note that for a successful sync, it is recommended to have your phone and Fitbit device close to each other. There are factors that could interrupt the syncing process, for example; any type of interference with other Bluetooth devices around. 

For more information about syncing, I recommend visiting the following link: 

How do Fitbit devices sync their data?

Keep me posted. 

[usher99]

Curiously my Ionic reached throughout my house but not the Sense--it is really bothersome. A friend found a bumper case extended the range by over 50 ft but it was really ugly.  I wish there was more information on  this phenomenon and which cases work. 

[Rich_Laue]

Amazon sells wireless Bluetooth extenders. 

[usher99]

I will look into it.  Any recommendations?  Thank you. 

[dschulpius]

I've looked around. The Bluetooth Range Extenders I've found require one of the devices to be physically connected to the extender with a cable. This is not possible with a cell phone and a watch. Maybe it's possible if the phone is docked and charging when you're at home. Not sure how practical that is. It would be nice if an extender could hookup over Bluetooth wirelessly to both devices. 

[N8teGee]

I think one thing that hasn't been mentioned here is RF interference (I believe Bluetooth uses the 2.4ghz frequency). In an ideal world we would get these great ranges, but start introducing interference and that range can be cut drastically. You could try to eliminate any sources of interference, but in today's world it's probably going to be quite difficult. 

[usher99]

Indeed. A cable connection is clunky.  Curiously my Ionic had a vastly longer range. My iPhone 12 Pro has Bluetooth 5 as I understand it. I hope there is a solution of sorts. This must be a common issue. 

[dschulpius]

Funny story (kinda). Last week I lost my Sense in the corner of my attic when I was doing some work up there. I really didn't where in the house I lost it or even off the property. I was able to find it by by walking around the house with my cell phone and trying to sync it to the watch. Good news is that I found the watch above me in the attic because I was only able to sync the app to the watch when I was below it and within a few feet. Bad news was that I had to crawl through the attic and all the insulation to recover it. LOL.

[usher99]

Just goes to show that one person’s problem is another person’s solution.  That be said if a bumper case or decent Bluetooth extender solution presented itself, would purchase it in a nanosecond. 

[DavidZz · Accepted solution]

According to this article, Bluetooth range depends on the class of Bluetooth deployed.  There are 3 classes which denote different power outputs.

• Class 1: 100 mW, 100 meters (300 ft)
• Class 2: 2.5 mW, 10 meters (33 ft)
• Class 3: 1 mW, 1 meter (3 ft)

However, I can't find any documentation indicating the power output (or class) of the Bluetooth on my Fitbit or my phone.  My guess is that these devices are probably Class 2.

[dschulpius]

Jogger,

I reserched the Bluetooth specs on the Fitbit. it has Bluetooth 5.0 that can transmit data at 2 Mbps. As far as range Longer range, Bluetooth 5.0, has a up to 240 meters (800 feet). However that's  straight clear line. Obstacles in the way cuts that down. If I go to the other side of the house without my phone or even have the Fitbit underwater, like washing my hands, with the phone right next to me, I disconnect.

[DavidZz]

dschulpius, as I said in my post above (and as stated in the article I cited) the range is a factor of the power output of the devices.  It's not a factor of the version (5.0) or the transmission speed (2 Mbps).  Yes, Bluetooth 5.0 is capable of long distances, but if the device's power output is low you won't get the longer range capability.

[DavidZz]

I read an article that says that Bluetooth on the iPhone consumes 2.5 mW.  That puts it in Class 2 (see above).  Also, on page 36 of the Sense Users Manual in the "Find Phone" section, it says that the devices must be within 30 feet of each other for this feature to work.  That also indicates Class 2.

Lastly, I tried an experiment.  I have a clock face with an indicator dot that lights green when it's connected to the phone and red when it loses contact with the phone.  I put my phone on the floor of the hallway in my building and walked away from it while looking at my Fitbit clock face.  At about the 30 foot point, the dot changed from green to red.

[Rich_Laue]

You can always go to the FCC site. Put on your model and get the specs of all the radios on your tracker. 

Your user manual also has most of this data. 

[DavidZz]

I've been researching this topic and think I have found a solution. I would like to be able to put my phone down and walk around my house without my Fitbit Sense disconnecting. Right now, I can't do that. As soon as I walk to the other end of my home, I lose the connection.

Here's my proposed solution. Since the phone and the watch are both wireless, you need to get both a transmitter and a receiver and set them up as a "repeater." I ordered 2 TaoTronics Long Range Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter/Receiver. These work as either a transmitter or a receiver, but not both at the same time. So, I'll set up one as a receiver and the other as a transmitter and I'll connect them with a long wire. I'll put the receiver in the room with my phone, and the transmitter in a central location in my home. Hopefully, that will allow me to walk anywhere in my home without my Fitbit Sense disconnecting from my phone.