Does Surge "Elevation Change" count going downhill?

[spenceridge]

When I was at the highest point on a hike my Fitbit Surge showed 97 floors.  I walked down the hill...it showed 99 floors.  A little while later, it showed 104 floors.  It looks like "Elevation Gain" increases while going downhill.

Is that the way the Surge is designed or do I have a problem?

Thanks!

[WendyB]

It should not be counting while going down hill.

Was it windy as that will cause an increase in floors.

[spenceridge]

Thanks WendyB!

There was no wind or change in weather.

This has happened consistently....I believe over 8 days of identical hikes.  The elevation floors keep increasing as I go downhill.  The elevation from top to bottom on one part of the hike is 300-400 feet actual.  Another part of the hike has a 400-500 foot elevation change...actual as measured using a Topo and contour lines.

I don't restart the Surge daily, but I restart it frequently.

[WendyB]

Interesting I would keep a look out and if it stills does the same I would contact support as they can look into your account

Contact Support
http://help.fitbit.com/?cu=1

[spenceridge]

Thanks again WendyB!

I powered off and then back on my Surge.  I checked....I have the latest firmware.

Today I went mountain biking and used the BIKE mode on my Surge....and not the HIKE mode.  When I got to the top of a hill, I checked my elevation by iPhone....28 floors.  I rode down the hill...over 100 feet elevation loss; I checked my iPhone...result 28 floors...no change.

Therefore the BIKE mode on my Surge does not count elevation going downhill.  It works as I thought that it should.

I'll contact support and see what they say about my HIKE mode.

[spenceridge]

I called support.  The tech said that she couldn't explain my problem and would send it to a higher level of tech support.

She repeated what you said....The Surge should not count up while going downhill.

I plan to restart my Surge and repeat the hike maybe tomorrow while watching the elevation gain on my iPhone.

I got a case number for further investigation.  Here's part of the email I received from Fitbit Support:  "Your tracker detects floors using an altimeter, which is a sensor that calculates altitude based on atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing elevation, so the tracker calculates elevation gain based on the reduction in atmospheric pressure. Your tracker registers a floor when it detects continuous motion combined with an elevation gain of 7 to 10 feet.

Your tracker may give you credit for extra floors for a variety of reasons. Occasionally your tracker may detect pressure changes unrelated to elevation gains, such as a gust of wind, weather change, or opening a door. Exposure to excess moisture can also result in extra floors being counted. This happens if the pathway to the altimeter on the back of your tracker becomes temporarily blocked with sweat or water. We recommend that your tracker be worn loosely during exercise."

There was no wind, weather changes, or doors opening.  There could have been excess moisture as it was over 90 degrees and I'd been walking up hill for 15 minutes.  I wonder where the altimeter pathway is?

[spenceridge · Accepted solution]

I repeated the same hike watching the floors on my iphone during the downhills.

I wore my watchband one notch longer or looser...to keep from blocking or clogging the altimeter port.

Before I started, I gently cleaned what I think the altimeter port is with alcohol.

RESULT:  during downhills...one about 400 feet down and the other 300, the Surge did not count up a bit.

On one flat stretch at the top of the hill, two floors added to the total.

On another flat stetch towards the bottom, three floors added to the total.

Therefore, I believe that the Surge is working normally.  It only counts up when going up.  I think that it is normal for altimeters to be a little inaccurate at times.  I believe the error on my hike was around 5 floors or 50 feet....and that's about 5% error...not bad.