Are you curious about how Fitbit devices track your daily activities? Let’s delve into one specific metric that often goes unnoticed: floors climbed.
If you own a Fitbit Charge 3, 4, or 5, you may wonder if these popular models can track the number of floors you climb daily.
The answer is a resounding while Fitbit Charge 3 and 4 can track floors climbed, Fitbit Charge 5 cannot.
In this article, we will explore the fascinating world of Fitbit’s floor tracking feature, revealing how it works and how you can make the most of this valuable fitness metric. So, keep reading to uncover the secrets behind Fitbit’s ability to count your climbs and take your workout routine to new heights.
Does Fitbit Charge 3, 4, 5 Track Floors Climbed?
Yes. The Fitbit Charge 3 and 4 can track floors climbed, but the feature was removed from Charge 5.
However, their accuracies vary depending on the kind of technology each one uses. On the other hand, the Fitbit Charge 5 cannot track the number of floors climbed. Also, it does not count the floors if you go down a flight of stairs instead of going up.
How Does a Fitbit Calculate Floors?
You might think that a Fitbit counts the number of steps you climb up or down, just like it counts the number of steps when you walk. However, the technologies these devices use to do both these tasks are vastly different. To calculate how much you have walked, a Fitbit uses an accelerometer.
On the contrary, Fitbit devices that calculate flights of stairs use an altimeter to accomplish this task. A pressure-based altimeter can calculate the altitude based on the change in atmospheric pressure. The atmospheric pressure is the result of the Earth’s gravity.
The Earth pulls everything towards it, and the pull is much higher at the surface of the Earth. So, when you go up, the amount of pressure reduces. Hence, the change in pressure corresponds to the amount you have climbed. An altimeter smarty makes use of this fact. In this way, it can measure the floors you have climbed.
Does The Fitbit Charge 3 Track Floors Climb?
A Fitbit Charge 3 has an in-built altimeter. Thus, it can track the number of floors you climb. They were quite the rage when introducing the Fitbit Charge 3 after the Fitbit Charge 2. The Fitbit Charge 3 had an exciting feature – water resistance. Many people switched to Fitbit Charge 3 because they wanted a waterproof device.
While the waterproof feature worked fine, people noticed some problems tracking the number of floors. As the device could tolerate water, people went swimming. After that, the number of floors registered was much higher. Sometimes, the number could be as high as 49 floors daily.
Thus, though the Fitbit Charge 3 can track the number of floors you climb, the accuracy varies depending on your activities.
That said, the feature in itself does not cause any damage to the device. If you do not use the device for swimming and upgrade the software, you will notice that the number of floors counted is consistent. However, the solution from the company was that you could manually correct the wrong inputs.
Does The Fitbit Charge 4 Track Floors Climb?
The Fitbit Charge 4 also has an altimeter. So, it can count the number of floors you climb.
The Fitbit Charge 4 comes with a GPS. It enables you to track your location accurately. Although it can track your location correctly, the device cannot refer to the sea level. This is because the altimeter it uses to count the number of steps is not calibrated.
It only measures the elevation by monitoring the changes in pressure over a short period. Thus, it cannot give you the absolute value of altitude. It means that it cannot aid in hiking or mountaineering activities, where you need to know your exact position concerning elevation.
Does The Fitbit Charge 5 Track Floors Climb?
The Fitbit Charge 5 is the latest model of Fitbits. It has many new features that make it an exciting product. However, it does not have a built-in altimeter.
Thus, tracking the number of floors you climb with your Fitbit Charge 5 is impossible.
Due to all the inaccuracies from the previous versions, Fitbit has not included the altimeter in this version. Although people are demanding the addition of an altimeter to the Fitbit Charge 5, the company has not currently planned for it.
Buy with Accessories: Fitbit Charge 5 Advanced Fitness & Health Tracker with Built-in GPS; Bundle with 2 Watch Bands, 3.3foot Charge Cable, Wall Adapter, Screen Shield & PremGear
Why Is Your Fitbit Counting the Floors Wrong?
A Fitbit device is programmed to register a floor after a continuous motion or an elevation gain of 10 feet. So only, your device will count one floor only after you climb at least 10 feet.
For example, you climb four short flights of stairs of 5 feet each. In this situation, your Fitbit will show you have climbed only two flights of stairs. This is because, for a Fitbit, two flights of stairs = 20 feet. It does not matter how many steps you have climbed or the actual number of flights of stairs.
In this case, you have climbed 5*4 = 20 feet. This corresponds to 2 floors, according to Fitbit.
So, if you notice some variations like this, your device may be working just fine. However, if this is not the case, here are some reasons your Fitbit may not be counting floors correctly:
You are trying to measure simulated stairs
You would use simulated stairs if you are in the gym and trying to work out by climbing stairs. For this, you could even use the inclination feature of your treadmill. And you would want your Fitbit to measure how much you have climbed.
After all, you are burning the same amount of calories, right? Unfortunately, your Fitbit relies on actual variation in pressure when you climb a certain amount (at least 10 feet) of stairs. This elevation is not replicated in exercise equipment. Hence, your Fitbit cannot measure it.
So, if you want to track the number of stairs you have climbed with your Fitbit, you must physically climb them.
There is a storm
A storm or any natural phenomenon like wind can change the pressure of the atmosphere. And, if you are still walking in such weather, your Fitbit may think you are climbing stairs!
You have a broken altimeter
The system’s heart measures the number of floors you have climbed. Thus, any damage to your altimeter would mean that your device mismeasures floors or does not consider them. If so, you must take your device to an expert. They would suggest the next course of action.
Lotions on Your Hand
Believe it or not, using hand lotions may cause a problem with your Fitbit pressure sensor. It is because some Fitbit devices have a hole around the pressure sensor that you cannot close. When it comes in proximity to any greasy fluid, it could have trouble counting the number of floors correctly.
How To Correct the Inaccuracies in the Number of Floors Registered?
Even though you cannot delete the record of flights of stairs from the app, you can correct it. This requires you to cancel the extra steps or floors during the activity. Here are the steps which will help you get this done.
- Log in to your Fitbit app and go to the Today tab.
- From there, you can select the Exercise tab.
- Click on the Log Previous icon to include an exercise
- Select Driving as the exercise type but ensure that you overlap the details of the period of unwanted floors.
- Click Log or Add.
- Returning to the main menu, you will find that the floors or steps have been removed.
Thus, with these steps, you can correct the inaccuracies in the number of steps. If you face a lot of inaccuracies, you may not want to go through the process of manually fixing the count every day. In this case, you can try upgrading your Fitbit software. You must also install the latest firmware. This way, you might see an improvement in the accuracy of the number of stairs your device counts.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now know what to expect from different versions of Fitbit devices regarding the stair climbing feature. Should you come across any inaccuracies with calculating floors climbed, you will also be able to correct them. That said, you should purchase a new Fitbit only after familiarizing yourself with all its different features.
