Sense keeps dropping GPS signal during hike

[Kathyss]

I just received a new fitbit sense and on a three mile hike today, it dropped about 6 times. My partner has a surge and it recorded over three miles while mine only 2.8.

I previously had a surge and it almost never did this.

[N8teGee]

Hi @Kathyss, welcome to the community.

Are you certain the Sense lost GPS signal, as in a message appeared on the screen saying so?

The reason I ask is that all devices released after the Surge seem to measure distance using an algorithm weighted heavily on the use of the pedometer. This could at least explain the discrepancy between your husbands 3.0 miles and your 2.8 miles.

[Soyerski123]

I have the same problem. Firstly it takes about a minute to connect to GPS and then it drops the signal many times. 

[Kathyss]

Yes.
Now I restored the factory defaults yesterday and reinstalled and during a
hike today, it did not drop the gps. However, I also turned off the
bluetooth on my phone and my hiking partner's, not that that should have
made any difference, but we will see. The hike today had much more tree
cover than yesterdays.

[N8teGee]

Hopefully it was just a bug/glitch that was fixed with the factory reset. I have to say I do find my GPS on my Sense to be pretty solid, so hopefully yours will be too going forward.

Please keep us updated. 

[Kathyss]

Okay I took the watch on another walk and this time turned on bluetooth on my phone. The watch kept the GPS signal all the way. I know the phone should not make any difference but i just wanted to confirm it wasnt somehow interfering.

Anyway the factory reset and reinstall appears to have worked.

[Kathyss]

I did a factory reset and reinstall and it seems to have fixed the problem. It does not make a lot of sense, since i just got it this week and had done the first install the day before i took it out walking, but it did seem to fix it.

I have used it successfully for two days, one on a hike in a fairly dense forest.

Let me know if this works for you. It does wipe out preferences you set.

[N8teGee]

Good to hear. 

[Mshelby]

Mine is the same drops more than it stays connected.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @Kathyss 

Thanks for your detailed feedback. I had the same problem since the beginning (January) and realized, after several walks, that my phone's GPS and even step counting were more accurate and consistent than my Sense's. As I was walking along streets, I could later check the distance with Google Earth.

What I did since was just switch off Sense's GPS and use just the phone's GPS. But your experience and @N8teGee 's help made me want to try again my Sense GPS, following what you did.

Thanks.

[SunsetRunner]

I found it useful to read this older thread  on the same issue. Apparently, Sense's GPS reliability is an issue since the beginning. It works, but it could and should be better.