Good HR trackers
-
Anyone have any suggestions as to good pedometers/HR trackers that are explicitly not Fitbit? I have a few issues with my Fitbit:
1.) It's always visible; it slips past the sleeve of dress shirts all on its own. This constantly bothers me and I'm always trying to adjust it. Fitbit's distinctive look is good for their branding, I suppose, but to me it's ostentatious, like "Hey, look at me, I have a Fitbit!" Something with a watch form factor would be better if it has to be on my wrist, with something tailored for runners being optimal.
2.) Fitbit's quality just... isn't any good. Every Fitbit I've had has had the same problem after about a year-- the rubber of the band starts to "bubble" away from the screen. The first time this happened I got a replacement (and to be fair to their customer service, that was outstandingly easy) but then it happened to the replacement even faster, I couldn't be bothered to go through the process a second time, then it happened to the next model up I got. I give up.
3.) Fitbit uses Bluetooth to sync without any way to turn it off. This means I can't wear it when I'm in a couple of my offices, and once I take it off I'm liable to forget to put it back on for a while.
That being said, I like the step tracking, I think it's fairly accurate, I like the heart rate/VO2 tracking a lot, I like(d) the reminders to move (they stopped working after a few months and I have no idea why), and I like the guided breathing sessions (though I need them much less than I think some of my coworkers do :P ). I have a Fitbit Aria and a few years of data on my Fitbit account, so switching ecosystems is going to be fairly annoying to me.
I get the sense that finding all of those things in another product is going to be difficult, but Fitbit's been around for a while so maybe competitors have caught up. And some of them I'm sure I'd be fine with ditching after a while.
-
@heterodox if it's just a pedometer you're after, and your phone is Android: https://www.google.com/fit/
-
@pjh said in Good pedometers:
@heterodox if it's just a pedometer you're after, and your phone is Android: https://www.google.com/fit/
I've seen that but don't know how accurate it is and most importantly it doesn't have the heart rate tracking. That's probably the most important requirement for me.
-
@heterodox said in Good pedometers:
That's probably the most important requirement for me.
I suggest you change the title then ;)
-
it's not just a pedometer, and it is flipping expensive for a pedometer but it's so fucking handy......
I use that: pedometer, heart rate, notifications, media control, available airplane mode which doesn't stop data collection, and so much more
the STYLE: https://store.google.com/product/lg_watch_style is cheaper, but it lacks the heartrate and GSM modules. but instead it's thinner, has interchangeable watch bands, and slightly better battery life (compared to using GSM on the Sport, it's about even stevens if you turn GSM off.)
-
@pjh said in Good pedometers:
@heterodox said in Good pedometers:
That's probably the most important requirement for me.
I suggest you change the title then ;)
That said...
-
@accalia said in Good pedometers:
available airplane mode which doesn't stop data collection
Sweet! That's a major requirement too and it's not listed as a feature but if you have it, I trust you. Is the HR tracking continuous or on-demand? It doesn't seem to say.
-
Ah - ignore that previous post - seems they've taken it out:
Google fit does not automatically collect data from the heartbeat sensor, it did for a short period of time but the action was disabled as Google wanted to improve its function, perhaps it will come back later with Android Wear 2.0
If you have a Moto Watch with Moto Body enabled, this does collect HR data automatically throughout the day. You can also set Moto Body (download the app for your phone) to sync the data to your Google Fit account as a workaround.
-
@pjh said in Good pedometers:
How would it get that from my pocket?
ETA: @pjh said in Good pedometers:
Ah - ignore that previous post - seems they've taken it out:
Oh. Done.
-
@heterodox said in Good HR trackers:
@accalia said in Good pedometers:
available airplane mode which doesn't stop data collection
Sweet! That's not listed as a feature but if you have it, I trust you.
Well the device is a full android device in its own right, so the watch is responsible for all the data collection in the first place. the BT is just a sync feature. you can even add a SIM card so it doesn't rely on your phone to get data from it to google fit (and to get mail and stuff).
@heterodox said in Good HR trackers:
Is the HR tracking continuous or on-demand? It doesn't seem to say.
with the default watch faces it's on demand, however you can download other watch faces from the store (most are free, but some cost a couple of bucks), several of them allow scheduled monitoring (every N seconds sort of thing) so i think the answer is "no, but also kinda yes"?
-
@accalia said in Good HR trackers:
Well the device is a full android device in its own right, so the watch is responsible for all the data collection in the first place. the BT is just a sync feature. you can even add a SIM card so it doesn't rely on your phone to get data from it to google fit (and to get mail and stuff).
Hmmm. With the Fitbit it's responsible for all the data collection in the first place and it queues everything locally but it still assumes it can sync whenever you want and that can't be turned off. Everything assumes I want it to be always connected, whereas I'd be perfectly happy if I had to use a cable to sync. I understand I'm in a niche here. I'll look into it a bit more.
@heterodox said in Good HR trackers:
with the default watch faces it's on demand, however you can download other watch faces from the store (most are free, but some cost a couple of bucks), several of them allow scheduled monitoring (every N seconds sort of thing) so i think the answer is "no, but also kinda yes"?Hmmm. If it's not designed to be continuous, then I would imagine making it continuous would sap the battery by quite a bit. On-demand and continuous monitors are pretty discrete and this sounds like the former. But I'll still check it out; thanks for the suggestion. :D
-
@heterodox said in Good HR trackers:
then I would imagine making it continuous would sap the battery by quite a bit.
it would at that. However i find that a 2 minute interval is pretty decent for getting rough trends and appears to only drop battery life by an hour or so.
so yeah it does increase the discharge rate but not thaat much. the watch still lasts easily from 0615 when i wake up to 2000-2100 when i start getting ready for bed, longer if i don't go into the basement too long as that causes the GSM to disconenct and start searching for signal which drains battery like a bugger.
-
@accalia said in Good HR trackers:
so yeah it does increase the discharge rate but not thaat much. the watch still lasts easily from 0615 when i wake up to 2000-2100 when i start getting ready for bed, longer if i don't go into the basement too long as that causes the GSM to disconenct and start searching for signal which drains battery like a bugger.
Yeahhh, I'm used to devices that last for a good week, so I may want something less than a full-featured Android device.
-
@heterodox said in Good HR trackers:
@accalia said in Good HR trackers:
so yeah it does increase the discharge rate but not thaat much. the watch still lasts easily from 0615 when i wake up to 2000-2100 when i start getting ready for bed, longer if i don't go into the basement too long as that causes the GSM to disconenct and start searching for signal which drains battery like a bugger.
Yeahhh, I'm used to devices that last for a good week, so I may want something less than a full-featured Android device.
fitbit's the only real contender in that space i've found.
we used to have pebble but then fitbit bought and murdered the brand a week after the buyout announcement.
check out https://misfit.com/ ? their trackers are BT enabled on a pull sort of schedule thing (not sure how they manage that but wwhatever) they do lack heartrate but on the upside they're powered by a CR2032 and last fucking months on a battery.
also you can wear them as a necklace to get a good core mass read which will be far more accurate than a wrist mounted unit, especially if you're like me and talk with your hands.
but then you did say the heartrate was a requirement which brings us back to Fitbit for about a week on a charge (ish) or a smart watch with two days if you're licky and turn off all the wiffy bits and have the screen not always-on reducing its effectiveness as a smartwatc to about nil....
me thinks you miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight just possibly have to compromise on something here........ sorry. :-(
-
@accalia said in Good HR trackers:
me thinks you miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight just possibly have to compromise on something here........ sorry. :-(
Sigh. No, I know. :(
The only thing I won't compromise on is continuous HR monitoring and not "bubbling"/looking shitty after about a year of use. If I have to charge more often, so be it, but I'd also like to not have to constantly take it off/put it back on when I'm in secure areas.
Checking in with a family member as well who's tested Microsoft Band and a lot of other smart watch products. (He's the "gadget guy" for his workplace.)
ETA: Something like this would be perfect if it just had HR tracking as well. Gives an idea of what I'm looking for. Something simple.
-
@heterodox said in Good HR trackers:
The only thing I won't compromise on is continuous HR monitoring and not "bubbling"/looking shitty after about a year of use.
hmm. if that's your real requirements then.... you're really only looking at the fitbit, which has the bubbly issue, or a smartwatch with a heartrate sensor.....
i had the moto 360 smartwatch before the LG one i listed above. it was fantastic and looked great a year later when i accidentally smashed the screen right properly. buggered her up all to heck with that one. but up till that point it was going strong and working fantastic. none of the smart watches do continuous monitoring of heartrate but they can do polling with decently tight intervals (with the right "watchface")
you might wait for missfits first full smartwatch: https://misfit.com/vapor/ it's supposed to be out soonish, and misfit does pride itself on battery life so it might exceed expectations there..... but it's also their first full fat smartwatch so......... ?
-
Garmin makes some fitness trackers as well, but I can't vouch for their quality.
-
@hungrier said in Good HR trackers:
Garmin makes some fitness trackers as well, but I can't vouch for their quality.
But at least you'll know where you're going ;)
-
Okay, cool, looks like any Android Wear device supports Airplane Mode: https://support.google.com/androidwear/answer/6056901?hl=en. So any Android Wear device with continuous HR should meet my requirements. That opens up a lot of options.
-
@heterodox said in Good HR trackers:
Yeahhh, I'm used to devices that last for a good week, so I may want something less than a full-featured Android device.
I don't track my fitness because my entire life at this point is basically just waiting to die, but I know from a friend who owns it that Microsoft Band will go 2-3 days between charges. Not sure about the build quality though, but it might be worth a look.
-
@blakeyrat I had a Band 2. The rubber strap sliced itself apart on the mounts to the watch itself.
-
@raceprouk said in Good HR trackers:
@blakeyrat I had a Band 2. The rubber strap sliced itself apart on the mounts to the watch itself.
I'm on the 2nd replacement right now - and the current one shows signs of cracking exactly where the previous ones did.
Also, the app used to do the actual tracking currently has network issues - it seems that the server is offline for whatever reason.
Finally, according to Reddit, it's out of stock anyway and anyone with problems will receive a refund instead of a replacement.
-
@rhywden said in Good HR trackers:
Also, the app used to do the actual tracking currently has network issues - it seems that the server is offline for whatever reason.
so......... situation normal for Microsoft?
their chaosmonkey probably changed the URL, but no one noticed because while they have a chaos monkey they don't have the monitoring nor technical resources to handle it.
-
Came to this thread expecting Human Resources trackers. I r disappoint..
-
@tsaukpaetra said in Good HR trackers:
Came to this thread expecting Human Resources trackers. I r disappoint..
Me too. I can in here to say that all human resources software is fetid shit. I R Disappoint.
-
@heterodox Do note that any wrist-mounted HR sensor will be wildly inaccurate most of the time. I have a Motorola 360 gen 2 and it gives me pretty random readings (because it's not super tight and isn't fixed right over a major blood vessel). The only really accurate ones are the chest-band sensors, but you wouldn't want to wear one of those most of the time.
-
-
@benjamin-hall said in Good HR trackers:
@heterodox Do note that any wrist-mounted HR sensor will be wildly inaccurate most of the time. I have a Motorola 360 gen 2 and it gives me pretty random readings (because it's not super tight and isn't fixed right over a major blood vessel). The only really accurate ones are the chest-band sensors, but you wouldn't want to wear one of those most of the time.
I got a chest band sensor one time and the fucking thing beeped regularly, I guess in proportion to pulse though not right on, since beeping every second would have been insufferable. I figured, oh, this is a stupid default setting but there must be a way to stop it-- looked in the manual-- nope, there certainly was not!
That was surely a
.
-
@heterodox That must have been a safety feature: if it stops beeping, then you know you are dead.
(inb4: bad ideas thread is
)
-
Incidentally, what model Fitbit are you having trouble with? I have that problem with a never-ending series of Charge HR's.
I'm thinking about moving to a Charge 2 because the (proprietary) interchangeable band isn't fucking glued to the damn electronic unit and therefore shouldn't have that problem, and even if they somehow do, Shirley these Chinese knockoff bands won't.
-
@remi said in Good HR trackers:
That must have been a safety feature: if it stops beeping, then you know you are dead.
-
I've been through several:
- Fitbit Force - sent it back with recall, bothered my skin
- Withings - i had a lemon, sent it back
- Misfit Shine - liked it, lost it because it fell out of it's strap at some point.
- Garmin VivoFit - watch battery, and water proof, liked it button stopped working after a year or so (though that is longer than any of the others i had)
-
@weng said in Good HR trackers:
Incidentally, what model Fitbit are you having trouble with? I have that problem with a never-ending series of Charge HR's.
I'm thinking about moving to a Charge 2 because the (proprietary) interchangeable band isn't fucking glued to the damn electronic unit and therefore shouldn't have that problem, and even if they somehow do, Shirley these Chinese knockoff bands won't.
Charge HR, Charge HR, then Charge 2. (Sorry, the band does still have that problem somehow.)
-
@heterodox I'd be very interested in whether the chinesium bands on Amazon do the same. I wouldn't be surprised if they're better - Fitbit's materials choice is just THAT bad.
Maybe I'll give it a shot.
Of course, I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the XL base band because Fitbit doesn't like fatties wearing their fashion accessories.
-
@weng said in Good HR trackers:
@heterodox I'd be very interested in whether the chinesium bands on Amazon do the same. I wouldn't be surprised if they're better - Fitbit's materials choice is just THAT bad.
Maybe I'll give it a shot.
Of course, I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the XL base band because Fitbit doesn't like fatties wearing their fashion accessories.
Obviously. If only thin people wear them, then of course it was Fitbit that made them thin! </magical thinking>
-
@tsaukpaetra said in Good HR trackers:
@benjamin-hall said in Good HR trackers:
chest-band sensors
Kinda want...
I had one about 30 years ago - back when I was into bicycle racing... No idea what happened to that - it's probably in the bottom of some box that was never unpacked after moving (20 yrs ago).
-
@remi said in Good HR trackers:
@heterodox That must have been a safety feature: if it stops beeping, then you know you are dead.
(inb4: bad ideas thread is
)According to the in-home sleep study, the damn device kept screeching out "Check System" almost every 15 minutes.
Apparently, my life signs aren't consistently maintained when I'm sleeping.,...
Google Store
