Really? My Fitbit is pretty good with step counting. I often find myself counting my steps and watching the Fitbit app to make sure its counting with me. That being said, if I ride with SO in his 18 wheeler, and lay down in the sleeper in the back, the jolting and jarring around often registers as steps on the fitbit.

I have an older Fitbit One that I clip to my bra. My sister had one of the newer wrist worn ones. She said she didnt like it because unless you swung your arms,it doesn't count steps. So grocery shopping or pushing a stroller was useless to her step count.

I use Pedometer Step Counter on my phone. I don't know how accurate it is. Most of the walking I track is feeding the horses, which requires multiple trips back and forth because they are so spread out, due to the rain and mud, and takes me from a minimum of an hour to two hours, twice a day. I include feeding the pigs that are back in the woods. Today just doing that took me almost an hour and 53 minutes, according to the app....4 miles.

All of these devices produce data that are approximations and the variability of the results speaks to that. They're not precise nor intended to be.

Pick one source and use it relatively. The days it says you have less activity, you've had less activity. And if more, more. The absolute numbers will never be something meaningful.

Well I know THAT. It just struck me as odd how far apart they were some days and almost identical on others. As I said before, it does not bother me, as I do not use the data they give me in a way that a lot of people do. As in, to calculate calories burned or anything like that. I use them for fun. (And gift cards) :)

I just know, it makes a a difference, if you programmed your step length. I use just my fit bit.

Moni

It may depend on how you carry the various things. When I used a Fitbit when I drove it counted my arm movements. When I carry my phone while out and about I think it counts movement of any type since it varies if I have it in my coat or pant pockets.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 that has the Samsung Health app. I know for sure it isn't accurate. It lives in an Otterbox holder that is clipped to the pocket of my jeans. I kind of thought that may affect the accuracy. The Otterbox is fairly heavy, and then a couple of layers of denim between it and my body might 'muffle' the count somehow, maybe? I don't know, I just know that it's kind of funny that occasionally when I check it at bedtime it says 0 steps. And I KNOW I've been up and about most of the day!

But, like you, I don't depend on it for anything, just my own amusement.

Rusty

My first Fitbit was a Fitbit Zip (which is worn clipped to your waistband, or bra). Set my stride length on it, and it seemed to do ok for the most part, but there were times when I know it was way off. And, after a while I wanted to be able to track my heart rate, too, so Hubs bought me a Fitbit Alta HR. That thing also tracks your sleep, and it is notoriously bad at it. If your wrist doesn't move for a certain length of time (I'm not sure how long, though), it decides you're asleep. So, if you're sitting quietly reading a book, for example, it will log the time as sleep time.

My Alta HR is also horrible at tracking steps. After getting a cardiac stent last year, I went through cardiac rehab, and during each session I used a NuStep (recumbent cross trainer). I liked it so much that I bought one (you can only buy them directly from the company). I also got a chest strap heart monitor, because a chest strap monitor is very accurate (and, my heart rate from it shows on the console display of the NuStep, so I don't have to worry about looking at my wrist, or holding onto anything to measure my heart rate). The machine display shows the number of steps and the distance. At the end of each session, I take pictures of the display so I have a daily record because the NuStep app shows a monthly & lifetime total. There's a daily graph for intensity, heart rate, and pace (steps per minute), but you don't get the exact numbers from the graph. My Fitbit Alta HR has never, ever, matched what the machine shows for steps or distance. A prime example: the NuStep showed I had done 8,304 steps. My Alta HR showed I had done 7,046 steps. That's not an insignificant difference. And the 8,304 step count was accurate.

I think my Fitbit works perfectly. I do between five and six miles a day, but the reason I know it's accurate is I check it when I get on the treadmill and run two miles and that's exactly what the machine and my Fitbit say I did.

Just finished todays walk:

Fitbit: 10118 steps/4.49 miles/ 672 calories burned / 90 active minutes

Map My Walk: 10589 steps/5.25 miles/ 821 calories burned / 86 active minutes

Samsung Health: 8939 steps/ 4.04 miles/ 558 calories burned / 88 active minutes

Interesting....

Lindsey, if I am not mistaken, the Alta was one of the models that did not/does not record steps unless your arm moves sufficiently. I prefer the clip models. They seem to be phasing them out, so i am stubbornly clinging to my One.

Lily, my fitbit and my treadmill differ a little bit on distance, but as Moni pointed out, the fitbit goes on your programmed stride length. So that doesn't really bother me. When i had a small portable stepper/elliptical, it was dead on as far as steps.

AmyLou, click on the link I provided, above, to look at the NuStep machines. While it is true that you don't *have* to hold onto the handles while doing the steps, I always do. The only time I let go is to take a drink of water from my water bottle, and I generally will grab the bottle with my left hand. I wear the Fitbit on my right wrist.

I did. I am not doubting you. I was just offering an insight.

I agree with Elmer, nothing can be totally accurate. The only way I think you can know for sure is if you take a route that you can drive. You will know for sure that that walk is x amount of miles.

I think with steps, you can take longer ones, shorter ones etc.

I use the Accupedo app. The other day I was hula hooping and it counted steps. Most that that was just standing and hooping, so I took that with a grain of salt.

I agree to use just one. If you can drive the route maybe you can see which is the most accurate.

The 10,000 steps is a fun challenge. And, it is a challenge. Even if i do two long walks with the dog, it still doesn't come naturally. At the end of the day, I still have to walk around to get to my goal.

I actually do 500 plus more steps as that gets me to five miles.

My fitbit died and I replaced it with another fitbit and there's clear discrepancy between when the old one said I completed the mile vs. the new. When I walk with another who also has a step tracker, there are big discrepancies between theirs and mine. I figure close enough. Right now, my current one is consistent with what I clocked in the old days as a mile using the car odometer. The most important part is to stay active.

I use a pedometer app on my phone. I really only do it for fun, but it's interesting to watch. I had to calibrate my stride length, which was kind of difficult to do. It is most accurate for distance when I am running, walking it is off because of the stride length. I just use it as a general datapoint so I know if I've done enough.

I put it on there a couple of years ago when I was working outside during a very active summer. My boss's husband had surgery and was out of commission, so she and I mowed grass for a summer like there was no tomorrow. There were many, many days when I had 25,000 steps!

I returned my Fitbit after noticing it adding steps while I was sitting and moving my foot.