Fitbit Charge HR accuracy

kingswaychi

Hi all I've got the flex and upgraded to the charge hr for my birthday however I'm having issue with the HR monitor used at the gym expecting to see my usual calorific burn only to find hardly any calories burned. Checked online manual and says to wear higher up the arm. I have it about 4 fingers away front the crease of the wrist but it's on the last hole on the strap now (I got the small) however it's still not very accurate when my heart rate is at 168 it's only reading around 121. Can anyone offer any advise? If the HR isn't up to scratch I feel like returning it for the normal charge

kmbweber2014

How long have you had it? I think online it says to wear it two finger width from your wrist bone.

aSearch4Me

I wonder if you got a bum tracker? I've had my Charge HR for 5 days (so not an expert yet at all). I did a quick rowing session the other day with my Polar chest strap monitor & with the charge HR on my wrist, & they were only 1-4 beats from each other at any check point.

Maybe try switching arms, too? It looks like per the fitbit help page, the readings can also be inaccurate if the band is too tight (https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/Heart-rate-FAQs/?l=en_US&c=Topics:FAQs&p=charge_hr&fs=Search&pn=1). When working out, I tend to wear mine about 2 fingers away from my wrist bump, and it is loose enough that I can easily twist it around my arm (but tight enough it doesn't twist on it's own).

Also, if you were comparing with a fitness machine heart rate monitor (i.e. those touch-pads/grips on a treadmill), in my experience, those can be horribly inaccurate.

kgillis87

I'm wondering if you switch the monitor to the underside of your arm while working out - I have no idea if this will make a difference but the blood vessels are a little closer to the skin on that side, so it might pick up the pulse a little easier? Purely hypothetical. If you do try, can you let us know if it makes a difference?

retirehappy

As stated machines are very inaccurate.

I wear mine about just above the wrist, and I have the display on the underside. I also can move it around and up and down easily. IMO, some wear them way too tight and way too high. This works great for me, my Charge HR tracks my heart rate as well as the Polar chest band I had used previously.

Try adjusting the position and if you still get bad results, then call customer support for Fitbit. It could be a bad device.

wolf39us

My surge is 1-3bpm from the sensors at the gym. Dunno what's going with yours! How are you checking your heart rate? Are you lifting weights or doing cardio?

kingswaychi

I have tried it 2 fingers width from the wrist bone and also on the underside of the wrist and the readings have gone up slightly. I've only had it a week I have tried experimenting on placement and looseness but it's still nowhere near my polar hrm. I don't know whether or not to try another tracker (it was from argos) using it for cardiovascular treadmill, crosstrainer and rowing. Shall try again tomorrow at the gym and maybe call fitbit or go to argos thanks all

DanielleMesa

Maybe wear it a bit tighter?

retirehappy

catbandit2009 wrote: »

I have tried it 2 fingers width from the wrist bone and also on the underside of the wrist and the readings have gone up slightly. I've only had it a week I have tried experimenting on placement and looseness but it's still nowhere near my polar hrm. I don't know whether or not to try another tracker (it was from argos) using it for cardiovascular treadmill, crosstrainer and rowing. Shall try again tomorrow at the gym and maybe call fitbit or go to argos thanks all

If you do strength training it won't be spot on, same for rowing, they tell you that in all the promo materials. Suppposedly the Surge got an upgrade to help with those activities and biking as well.
I believe strength training, etc. is addressed in the FAQ
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy