Sense tracking floors I didn't climb

[lisalou7]

My Sense is tracking an absurd number of flights of stairs I didn't climb (like 50+ flights in a day).  I've tried restarting the device twice and I'm wearing it snugly in the correct spot.  Everything else tracks with reasonable accuracy.  This will happen even when I spend all day at home where there are no stairs and temperature/humidity are controlled.  This only started in the last couple weeks and I've had my sense for months.  Fitbit customer service just says it's a known issue, they don't have any solutions and won't offer warranty coverage for it.  Any ideas? 

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[Julia_G]

Hi @lisalou7 , I appreciate your frustration!  

On the one hand, I find it pretty amazing that a little watch that I wear on my wrist can tell if I have gone up a single flight of stairs - amazing to me that it can detect the tiny differences in air pressure from just rising 10 feet.

On the other hand, the extreme sensitivity - which you need to detect only 10 feet pressure change - also means the Fitbit detects very small change in air pressure that can happen from a sudden gust of wind, if a storm is brewing, or even if someone slams a door.  Unfortunately that might give you credit for a floor not earned...

For this reason, although Fitbit includes floor counts - which work amazingly well when the weather is calm and the environment stable (no one slamming doors) the floor count is never included in calorie counting, because it can be thrown off in many ways.  

I live in England and often ride the London “Tube” (underground/ subway).  I get a lot of real “floors” from running up the escalators (yes, I try - though running is definitely an exaggeration...). I also get LOTS of fake floors from the wind whenever the train is coming into the station...

The bottom line is that many people think of “floors” as an extra metric that can be fun, works brilliantly when everything is stable, but otherwise should not be worried about too much.  Basically the altimeter is fantastically accurate, but if it is a Hurricane Katrina  coming in, the number is going to be badly wrong...That’s not a Fitbit fault.  It’s just that they are operating at the limits of technology.

My advice would be to enjoy the floor info, but not rely on it too much, and be confident that any fa,she numbers won’t be throwing off your information towards any fitness or weight loss journey.

I hope this helps.  Welcome to the forums!

[SunsetRunner]

The floor count issue is brand new and I have had my sense for several months. Moving from one room to another in the same house with no elevation or temperature change or any of the other items that you list should not count as 5 flights of stairs. This is what is occurring now and requires a fix and should not be swept under the rug.

[HJayK]

Mine is showing 63 floors so far today and I haven't gone up any flights of stairs or changed elevation, which is better than the 200 floors or more I usually get for the same.  Been indoors at home the whole time today.  Multiple threads on this issue, which is real and serious but I haven't seen anything suggesting a fix.  Incidentally, this problem started on my device maybe a month or so ago after months of correctly counting floors, at least to a reasonable approximation.  

[BlazeFS]

@Julia_G , the stair counting issue did not exist in my Versa, Versa 2, or on the Sense prior to Dec 23. I'm not expecting 100% accuracy. I get that there are many variables that can impact stair count, but 60 floors when I've climbed 2 on a daily basis is pretty ridiculous. This feature used to work and I really enjoyed it! On days where I was too fatigued, worn out, or sick to make my exercise or step goals, I could sneak in my stair goal.

Here's another thread on it: Sense is counting too many floors

I get the sense that FitBit won't or can't take this issue seriously. I've been a loyal FitBit customer for many years, but have now begun to question the reliability of FitBit and I'm looking into alternatives. I would love to be proven wrong, that FitBit is taking this issue seriously. I've heard claims that it's a firmware issue that will be resolved with the next firmware update, but I'm beginning to suspect it's a hardware issue that FitBit is not willing to admit to.

[StuManFu]

This seems to affect women more than men. There’s an open slot on side of the watch where the pressure sensor is. Hand creams get in it and gum it up. You can clean it out with a fine point wooden toothpick. Don’t put anything metal in it. I clean my wife’s every couple weeks. 

[Guy_]

@lisalou7 @BlazeFS @HJayK @SunsetRunner  - If you are interested in how your watch pressure sensor is behaving or whether you can get a more accurate floor count, try the SimpleFloors app.

It shows how your watch is affected by environmental issues such as, going room to room, upstairs/downstairs, inside to outside, changes in temperature, etc.

If it is not registering pressure changes the sensor hole could be blocked or there is a watch fault or a fault in the firmware or it is simply necessary to restart the watch..

This app is meant for checking purposes as it uses the battery a lot, but at least it will give you an idea if your watch is fine or if it is some other issue.