Distance comparison

[SunsetRunner]

Hi,

I use my fitbit surge for running but when I compare the distance with Endomondo application in my cell phone the difference is almost 1km. My complete distance is 6km, so it makes almost 17% deviation. When I look on the picture, the track is just clear and accurate every each loop with Endomondo but I definitelly can't say that about what I can see in Fitbit application.

Is there any way how to improve the GPS accuracy or GPS frequency scanning?

Is there any problem with my watches or this is just a general problem for all fitbit surges?

Thanks,

PetrS

[SunsetRunner]

1.

Today 1300m difference from 6000m. I understand that GPS does the best within such a small space inside the watches but then software should be able to handle that. What about a manual drowing of the track called let's say "my tracks", then to suppress variations if GPS is not so accurate?
2.

I would post a picture of a track from today as per Fitbit Surge but it is no longer displayed in the Fitbit application or on the web. Do you know where it disappeared?
3.

I don't understand why I can't sync with the mobile application when I'm temporarily out of signal or data. I understand that the application is written like that, and everything is immediatelly synced also with web page but to me it is nonsense.

[Stjärnblom]

Well, so could I! Sadly, the errors I get are 15 times larger.

Stjärnblom

[shipo]

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@Stjärnblom wrote:
Well, so could I! Sadly, the errors I get are 15 times larger.

Stjärnblom

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I just completed my second day in a row on the 10.15 mile loop at lunch; once again my Surge measured it at 10.14 miles.  Looking back at my log entries for this particular loop, I see probably 80% of them reporting within 0.05 miles of the measured 10.15 mile distance.  At the top end it measured 10.22 miles one day, and at the bottom end there have been four days within a few hundredths of 10.05, the lowest being 10.04 miles.

Then there was one run, on a very cloudy day when the foiliage was at its peak, when my Surge apparently got lost at about the 6-mile mark.  The map shows a big red squiggle at that point with the final mile markers all on top of each other and ending with a total distance of 9.86 miles.  I can only assume my calculated stride length took over when it came to determining how far I ran that day (this at least makes some sense as most of my runs are negative paced, with my stride length increasing every mile).

Given how consistent my Surge and my wife's Surge are, I find myself wondering what you're doing which might inadvertently skew the results.

[Stjärnblom]

OK, so I have problems that you don't have. Well, maybe my Surge is brokebn
somehow. Then again you describe the problems getting the thing to start
sometimes. Others describe similar problems.

I really don't have the patience to find out. I like the idea of the Surge.
I've tried to get it to work since June, but as soon as I think I've
applying the right workarounds it lets me down again. So, this is it. I
give up! It's not worth it.

[shipo]

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@Stjärnblom wrote:
OK, so I have problems that you don't have. Well, maybe my Surge is brokebn
somehow. Then again you describe the problems getting the thing to start
sometimes. Others describe similar problems.

I really don't have the patience to find out. I like the idea of the Surge.
I've tried to get it to work since June, but as soon as I think I've
applying the right workarounds it lets me down again. So, this is it. I
give up! It's not worth it.

---

The only problem I referenced regarding getting the tracking started sometimes is no different than what I've experienced with other true GPS devices (i.e. portable Garmin units).  To that point, I have a high-end Garmin unit for our cars, and there are some days where even it can take several minutes to establish a lock to the satellites, and there have been several occasions where, mid-trip, the Garmin has lost satellite lock.

Given how similar the issues are between my Surge, my old Garmin Forerunner, and my Garmin NAV unit for our cars, I think your biggest concerns are quite simply the nature of the GPS beast.

[Stjärnblom]

That's part of it, yes. But that's not all.

When my Surge has started GPS and I start to run, it usually loses the
position. Right when I start it, which happens so often I think it's a bug.
It happens even if Surge has been on, with GPS, for ten minutes.

Then I run for two minutes or so, and the Surge finds the position again.

This new position is 500 meters or so from the original position. Yet,
Surge assumes that I have spent two minutes in this new, second, position.
Why not use the original one? Yes, I didn't run in a straight line, but
that's a much better approximation than to just use the second position.
This is what I call bad design.

Neither of these problems can be blamed on GPS.

[shipo]

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@Stjärnblom wrote:

Neither of these problems can be blamed on GPS.

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Agreed, I suspect your Surge is broken.

[shipo]

@Stjärnblom, I had a thought while I was out on my daily lunch run (measured at 10.11 miles by my Surge today); based upon your user ID, it looks like you might be from a Scandinavian country; how many degrees North Latitude do you live?  I ask because someone once told me the further once gets away from the equator the less precise GPS becomes.  I've never researched that phenomena, but it might be worth a bit of study.

[Stjärnblom]

Interesting information! Yes I live in Stockholm, about 60 degrees north.
When Surge works, and tracks my runs, it's not way off. At least that's not
my main problem.

[shipo]

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@Stjärnblom wrote:
Interesting information! Yes I live in Stockholm, about 60 degrees north.
When Surge works, and tracks my runs, it's not way off. At least that's not
my main problem.

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The problem, as it was described to me, is the satellites are constantly moving relative to your location and sometimes they're in a great position for surface based GPS units to lock on to, and other days they are not.  Also, the further north (and south as well I suppose) you get the lower on the horizon the bulk of the satellites, this in turn means pretty much any obstruction, even a low hedge row might be enough to block some of the satellites.

Just speculating...

[Gibbs1218]

I have always found that my fitbit, whether the charge or the surge under-states distance outdoors.  I know about how fast I walk-- between 14 and 15 minute miles.  After a 45 to 48 minute walk, the fitbit measures anywhere from 2.18 to 2.39.  If I'm walking with Nike run on, that app records about 3.34 for the walk.  If I use runkeeper, it's approximately the same as Nike run over the same course.