“A class action lawsuit against Fitbit may have grown teeth following the release of a new study that claims the company’s popular heart rate trackers are ‘highly inaccurate’ … Researchers at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona tested the heart rates of 43 healthy adults with Fitbit’s PurePulse heart rate monitors, using the company’s Surge watches and Charge HR bands on each wrist … Fitbit devices miscalculated heart rates by up to 20 beats per minute on average during more intensive workouts.” …
I use a Garmin Forerunner 620 with chest strap heart monitor that seems very accurate. I wonder if there’s a difference in monitoring pulse on the wrist vs. the chest.
We got free step trackers at an international medical conference I attended in SF last week. They were VERY inaccurate, inflating the amount of steps taken by about 25-50%! It made me feel like I walked a ton when the iPhone apps indicated that we really hadn’t walked nearly as much as the device indicated. Oh well, it was free and I wasn’t basing any medical treatment on the step counter.
Sad that Fitbit is so inaccurate–those cost a pretty penny at $100 or so apiece. I can see why a chest monitor could be significantly more accurate than something worn on the wrist.
I have a Garmin with chest strap that I have used for a couple of years. Bought a Microsoft Band 2 a couple months ago (no chest strap just the sensor on the wrist band). I wore them both for about a week on both runs and rides. I was very pleased with how closely the MS Band tracked heart rate (both avg and peak) compared to my Garmin. Very little difference. I saw a slight difference in distance through the GPS from the Garmin. I have now ditched my Garmin for the MS Band - more convenient, doesn’t take as long for the GPS locate, can control music on my phone from my band. Don’t know about Fitbit. Never tried one.
Just got a replacement for my one that went bad and it is wildly inaccurate. The other one was better WRT heart rate, but it fell apart. Poor quality control.
I have no doubt that mine is not that accurate. But it gets me off the couch and exercising, so no real complaints here. I"ve been using Fitbits for about 3 years.
I know it’s inaccurate because I’ve fudged it myself. That said, I just pulled my three year old fitbit out of storage (thanks to the doctor writing “patient will ATTEMPT to lose weight” on my checkup paperwork and I’m determined to prove him wrong) and it still works to get my competitive spirit up (10, 067 steps today, with a couple hours to go). That after dinner walk wouldn’t have happened without the incentive, and it got DH moving too.
The FitBit and other current trackers are accurate enough for step counting. If you clap a lot or really wave your arms, you can add additional “steps”, but they are generally good enough for the purpose of getting you moving. The cheap trackers of old, which is probably what HIMom got, are worthless.
The HR function of Garmin and Microsoft band use completely different technology- as does Mio. HR function of FitBit is not at all accurate. Mio has decent technology, too.
FitBit is worth it to me for step tracking, but I use a higher end Garmin GPS for running.
If you’re worried that your steps aren’t accurate or that you’re being “gifted” extra steps, just set your target step number higher - I think the default is 10,000 but I have always had mine set for me to get a minimum 11,000/day. I figure that gives me a 10% edge to being more accurate.
That said, after a few months of problems, I’m getting my Fitbit Charge HR replaced with an Alta - no thanks to Fitbit which for me, was LOUSY at customer satisfaction! (The retailer I bought it from is going to do the exchange instead).
If I want something more “serious” I’d consult with my D/E friends here on CC!
Well, the company who gave them out was donating $100 to the event’s nonprofit foundation for everyone who tracked at least 30,000 steps, and the inflated count let me reach that total more quickly. It had a Bluetooth connection and USB port for recharging. Some of the top folks logged over 100k steps in the 1st day they had the tracker. Prizes went to the top 3 folks, all of whom were over 100k on the 1st day. I think they all ran Bay to Breakers.
The devices had no brand indicated anywhere and after 4 days my arm was reacting to the silicone, so I removed the device and bracelet.
My fitbit told me I hit 10k steps on the golf course last week. Wonder how that happened because I was riding in the cart… :-? Yeah, I know it’s not that accurate, as a friend and I will go on same walk and she always gets more steps than I do…
Not surprising to me at all. I was at Target the other day and the lady ringing me up had a Fitbit on it. She saw me glance at it and said, “I’m getting a lot of steps in even though I’ve been standing still all day!” Every time she moved her arm to bag something the Fitbit counted it as a step!
Chest straps use EKG tech to measure heart rate, which is considered the “gold standard”. Wrist sensors are using PPG. Different wavelengths of light perform differently, apparently:
On my iPhone, my pedometer app and my apple health app track my steps pretty closely to one another. It’s not a big hassle to keep my phone on me anyway, since H and others like to call me when the mood strikes and I like being available to them. I had hoped the free Bluetooth step counter would be a good way to keep track if I didn’t want to have the phone on me, but it’s so inaccurate I don’t feel the numbers mean much.
Yeah, I have to doubt 100,000 steps. A 30,000 step day is pretty stellar - that’s 15 miles of movement.
While it is a step tracker, you should also see it as a movement tracker. So, the cash register lady is going to get “credit” for her frequent significant arm movements. Movement is good!
You have to learn to be fair to yourself in what you want to measure. If I want to really hone in my “steps”, then if I’m painting I take the band off my dominant arm where I prefer to wear it and put it on my bra strap. Still get credit for steps, but not for every paint stroke.
Think of the trackers as a guide, not the holy grail.
