Long rides/hikes

[lifeisgood85]

I am considering getting a band but had questions about battery life. I know that with GPS it is around 3.5 hrs, but what is the battery life with gps turned off? For long bike rides or hikes, if I put it on bike/hike mode for 5-6 hours with GPS off, will the battery last? Any idea what is the battery life with activity on? Is it 2 days in this case?

If I were to use my smartphone GPS to track my ride, is there any app which can sync bike ride route from phone and HR from MS band?

 

[James8561]

2 days is basically with no exercising and minimal notifications and watch mode on.
With GPS i'd expect 4 hours, without GPS I think you can go maybe 10 hours? IDK don't have any concrete data but the GPS is the biggest drain on that thing so without it i'd expect at least over double the GPS hours.

No there's no such app yet. Also I doubt your phone can last longer the band on GPS anyway.

 

[lifeisgood85]

2 days is basically with no exercising and minimal notifications and watch mode on.
With GPS i'd expect 4 hours, without GPS I think you can go maybe 10 hours? IDK don't have any concrete data but the GPS is the biggest drain on that thing so without it i'd expect at least over double the GPS hours.

No there's no such app yet. Also I doubt your phone can last longer the band on GPS anyway.

Thanks!
10 hours sounds good enough. My phone has lasted 5 hrs+ with GPS on.. (S4)

 

[Kronus24]

How long is your bike rides? I read numerous people getting 5+ hours on GPS on with there Microsoft band. I would assume its more the 3.5 hours but if its less the 5+ hours then get the band. Just make sure to charge it after the bike ride and you should be good to go.

 

[anon(8555314)]

I think that most of us are charging it while in the shower, and while that doesn't take it to 100%, it gives it enough juice for most days without heavy gps use. On days when I am planning a couple hours of GPS, I try to top it off all the way before heading out. That has worked for me, but I haven't tried it for more than 2.25 hours of GPS use.

Another thing you could try would be getting a small portable charger and topping it off while on rest breaks (if you take them), and to charge it immediately when the hike/bike is over. And if you were nearing the end and got the low battery warning, you could end the workout to save the data and throw it on the charger for a couple of minutes.

Edit to add: If you were going to use the "charge while walking/biking" option, a charger attached to your phone could allow it to function while charging, whereas, charging the band inherently takes it off of your wrist, and thus you cannot charge while engaged in exercise monitoring. So if I was going to explore that option, I'd maybe be more inclined to use the non-gps exercise tracking on the band with a phone on gps with one of the high-powered low profile chargers to keep it going.

 

[James8561]

It would be cool if there's a dynamo attached to your wheel so you can charge your phone while biking

Found it
http://www.amazon.com/Tigra-Sport-B...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3038237

 

[lifeisgood85]

This is cool but putting a portable charger in the bike bag also serves the purpose and is much cheaper (about 15-20$) :smile:

 

[James8561]

Initial tests of Microsoft Band's battery life - WMPoweruser
Here's some testing of the battery

 

[dan.booth]

I used my Band on a long walk for the first time yesterday and got 4 hours GPS tracking, and there's still some charge left on it today. It did occur to me to try next time with Bluetooth turned off to conserve as much battery as possible for the GPS (I already have brightness setting on low and watch mode off, maybe turn haptic feedback down to low or even off too).

 

[Kronus24]

I used my Band on a long walk for the first time yesterday and got 4 hours GPS tracking, and there's still some charge left on it today. It did occur to me to try next time with Bluetooth turned off to conserve as much battery as possible for the GPS (I already have brightness setting on low and watch mode off, maybe turn haptic feedback down to low or even off too).

So are you saying, you did a 4 hour walk and still wore the band thur the night with sleep tracking? That is just really amazing!

 

[dan.booth]

No sorry, I haven't used the band for sleep tracking yet. But I did get a full day out of it after the 4h GPS track.