Accuracy of activity recording

[YurtGirl]

I am considering purchasing an Up, but read a couple of reviews stating the activity recordings were waaaay off. Here is a quote from one as well as a link to the full review.

For those of you that have the product, are you experiencing the same inaccuracies as the reviewer?

"Bottomline- If your arm isn’t moving, you’re not working out. What if I spin? You’re not working out. Stair Climber? Better be swinging those arms! I sat on my couch for 3 minutes watching TV waving my arm around… apparently I walked 0.25 miles and took 486 steps, but this morning I did 4400 steps on a stair climber, with my hands on the heart rate monitor- the UP didn’t record a single step, in fact it cancelled the timestamp for the workout, it thought I was inactive the whole 30 minutes and assumed I accidentally put it in workout mode. "

http://halfpeeledapple.com/2011/11/review-first-impressions-of-the-jawbone-up/

[Connor]

Yes, I emptied the dishwasher, watched some football, ate supper, and then played Xbox. I walked half a mile through all that! Seriously though, I'm thinking of picking up a Fitbit and returning this thing.

[YurtGirl]

Thanks for your response!

I have an original Fitbit and find the step count to be extremely accurate. I was interested in Up because there is less chance of losing it and I like the vibration alarm feature. However, if the pedometer is highly inaccurate and picks up arm movements (my Fitbit is worn on the body, so I think that accounts for the greater step count accuracy), then it kind of defeats the purpose. Disappointing to say the least.

[EchoLaughter]

Ya rule of thumb, if you're wrist isn't moving - the device isn't tracking.

At the gym, I've taken to wearing the UP on my ankle.

(It actually seems to be more accurate on my ankle than on my wrist as it doesn't count all the random arm movements I make).

Works perfectly for me.

[EchoLaughter]

Ya rule of thumb, if you're wrist isn't moving - the device isn't tracking.

At the gym, I've taken to wearing the UP on my ankle.

(It actually seems to be more accurate on my ankle than on my wrist as it doesn't count all the random arm movements I make).

Works perfectly for me.

[caitlinrogers]

I'm going to have to disagree with the review that you found.  I have been sitting at my desk for about 10 minutes in which I did sync my band right when I sat down and I just did a little test after reading your post.  I waved my arm around like crazy, in all different directions trying to make it think I was running and then I did another sync.  My steps for the day were exactly the same just as it should have been if it were calculating by steps.  Although, that poses the question of what if I am sitting doing workouts that really only involve my arms?  Does that mean it's not going to track any of my movement since my my legs aren't moving?  I hope to get a better understanding of how it is tracking as well so I can make better use of the band because otherwise, what was the point of buying. 

I'm staying optimistic about it though because it's still new to me and I am still learning how to really use it. 

[maggiefeb4]

It really sucks. I am returningmine today. I brushed my teth and it logged that in as forty steps. Crap.

[YurtGirl]

Thanks for all the replies! Hopefully Jawbone can make some tweaks to increase accuracy and add a way to measure your natuaral stride. I remember Fit Bit did this and my step counts are highly accurate.

I really like the form factor of Up and the alarm features. I have a Jawbone speaker and they have enhanced the software since I purchased it, so I am sure that they will be tweaking Up as well.

I just wanted to get some user feedback to see if you all were experiencing the same inaccuracies as the reviewer.

[notin]

Nothing is truly accurate at tracking everyone's movements... Pedometers don't work for my friend because he's a smooth walker (yes, that's walker not talker ) because they work on the up and down movement and my friend tends to glide more. If you move your arms around a lot when you're not exercising, this might not be the right thing for you. Or you can simply put it on your non-dominant hand... I put mine on my left hand this morning while brushing my teeth because I thought about the amount of steps it might think I was making with al lthe vigorous movement. (the way I brush my teeth, I would have added another half mile  )

You basically have to be smart about how you use ANY exercise tool you buy. When on something like the stair climber, putting it on your ankle or waistband might be a better choice. Wearing it on your non-dominant hand most of the time might be a better option. Or just plain taking it off before you do something like playing XBox where your hands are going to be doing lots of movement, but you're generally not moving much else. You wouldn't put a pedometer on your wrist if you were on a stair-climber, would you? At the same time, you wouldn't use a pedometer to try to gauge how your arms are moving.

[karmaronin]

It's not a perfect pedometer, but that just doesn't bother me. Does it really matter if I did 8000 or 8500 steps? As long as I'm in the ballpark, that's what is important. It's the ease of use and the combination of features that make this a great band. I don't have to remove it in the shower. The sleep monitor is really cool and I like the reminders to get up and get moving when I've been sedentary too long.
This is a brand new product. I'm sure there will be improvements over time, but I'm very pleased with my purchase.

[EchoLaughter]

I just got back from a 2 mile walk - the UP logged 2.02 miles.

Perfectly fine for me.

- When I use a bike or anything that doesn't use my hands I wear it on my ankle and it works perfectly.