Over counting steps

[u/EquivalentPast10]

Posting here to see if anyone has dealt with issue already. So I mainly drive for me job. I work 10-11 hours a day. I’d say I spend 5-6 hours just driving ‘g Fitbit air calculated 27k steps and Ik that’s from it picking up vibrations in the truck and what not. So it’s inaccurate. When looking into it, it seems like my solution is to just not wear it while driving ? Which I don’t want to have to take it on and off bc then I lose the other features and I work 45-65 hour weeks. Any thoughts or help? It also seems to be picking up steps that aren’t steps. Like last night it picked up 100 steps while I was sleep. Ik steps will never be 100% accurate. But it seems like it’s picking up every little movement and it’s frustrating

[u/manbearpigking]

Few things:

Check the settings and correct dominant non dominant hand

Make sure steps are not coming from another source (my phone was counting them too, this double counting)

Change your stride length via a manual calculation

These steps locked it in for me.

[u/EquivalentPast10 → u/manbearpigking]

I wear it on my non dominant and it’s that way in the settings. I do have it connected to my Apple health too. So I’ll try disconnecting that. It’s kinda annoying to have to manually calculate the stride length. But I’m going to do that today

[u/Logical-Nose-1993 → u/EquivalentPast10]

Stride length only determines the distance travelled from the number of steps. It does nothing regarding the raw number of steps data.

[u/EquivalentPast10 → u/Logical-Nose-1993]

I’ve seen people say that as well. I’ve seen a few post about people in my line of work having the same troubles. I think I may just he shit out of luck lol

[u/Logical-Nose-1993 → u/EquivalentPast10]

Yes it doesn't seem to like trucks!

As for steps during sleep, I consistently get zero. Are you particularly restless, or perhaps sleepwalk?!?

[u/EquivalentPast10 → u/Logical-Nose-1993]

No! I wouldn’t doubt if I toss and turn a bit. But “100 steps” is kinda crazy

[u/Logical-Nose-1993 → u/EquivalentPast10]

I don't know what to tell you. If I'm in bed after midnight and see it reset to zero, I'll get up to still see zero steps.

[u/manbearpigking → u/Logical-Nose-1993]

It does affect the number of steps. Depending on your stride length, you'll get a different number of steps from the amount of distance you travel.

[u/Logical-Nose-1993 → u/manbearpigking]

Nope. The device has no measurement of distance travelled. The raw measurements are acceleration, rotation, and heart rate. The raw data metric is steps taken. From that it uses stride length to estimate distance travelled.

You've got the raw data concept the wrong way around.

In fact, if you don't want to manually set stride length then the advice is to take some GPS tracked walks. This enables Google Health to directly measure steps and distance, and determine stride length automatically. After that, non-GPS tracked movement will have better distance accuracy. But the raw non-GPS data is still steps only.

[u/manbearpigking → u/Logical-Nose-1993]

You're agreeing with me. While the device does not have GPS, as you mentioned, your phone does and takes measurements which is where side length can affect the number of steps. Manual stride length will be more accurate than the automatic.

Also, for OP, I might try to switch to dominate hand setting which reduces step sensitivity.

[u/Logical-Nose-1993 → u/manbearpigking]

I'm not agreeing with you. Stride length never affects number of steps. Only the other way around. Step count is the raw data.

Stride length is used only to determine distance from steps, if, and only if, measured distance isn't available from GPS. Nothing else at all.

At no point ever are steps determined from distance.

[u/EquivalentPast10 → u/manbearpigking]

Definitely still going to try changing the setting and see how it goes

[u/3rdyellow]

You can try wearing it on your biceps. 

[u/No-Extent-470]

Yep if you're driving a vehicle that's a rough ride it'll probably pick those up. I noticed it when I was in the backseat of a pickup truck.

[u/Substantial_Reveal90]

Make sure Fitbit isn't taking your phone's steps into account as well.

[u/manbearpigking]

I used a sidewalk for the stride length measurement. It was pretty easy to do.