GPS Problem

[07713]

Hi,
my Band started to act weird today.
i went for a run and started GPS, i also got a lock within like 20 seconds...
after the run, i wanted to watch the path i ran on my phone, but the app said"Turn on GPS on Band to enable distance and splits metric" for thatspecific run...
I tried it again, and now i have 2 runs with GPS enabled, but the app says, i did'nt.
so, i can get a perfect GPS lock according to the Band, but when i sync with the app, i don't have any Data....
Had anybody had an issue like that?

thank you very much.

ollie

 

[mfm77]

That's happened to me as well - actually happened on Wednesday. At first, I couldn't get any signal in an area in which I have run before, so I rebooted the Band, and it eventually found the signal. My guess is that GPS lost its signal at some point and never got it back, since I have measurements for 2 out of 5 miles of my run on Map My Run. I went out today for a 7 mile run, and when the Band couldn't find the GPS signal, I restarted it, and that seemed to work since the Band tracked my entire 7 mile run.

The GPS usually works, but it sometimes can be hit-or-miss when it comes to finding and keeping a signal. That's the main drawback to having GPS built into the Band as opposed to pairing with your phone and using its signal. Mine works 9 times out of 10, but I still am frustrated whenever I run a long distance and don't have the proper metrics saved. I'm prepping for my second marathon in October, so every metric counts. My data sync also has been wonky lately, so I'm hoping a software update will cure both problems. Band 2 also might be out soon, too...so that'd be another cure.

Be patient with the GPS; if it really gets to be a problem, you can exchange the Band for another one. That, however, only should be a last resort.

 

[07713]

The problem is, once it happens it is there for good.
the only way to fix it then, is to reset the Band, otherwise it won't be able to display the data on the phone, even if the Band tells me that it has a GPS lock...
I'm on my 2nd Band already, the first one had the same issue but way more oftern (once every week).
I thought now i'm fine with the replacement, but now after 5 weeks it starts to behave the same...

 

[lolguy]

Sorry to read that. I've actually been pretty amazed with the GPS accuracy as well as heart rate during exercise. I cycle with a Garmin Edge 510 and chest strap and distances are within 1/10 of a mile for a 30 mile ride. Average heart beat is within 3 BPM, too.

 

[Paolo Ferrazza]

I can tell you how I fixed this problem: do not use the keep searching while I run feature, let it find GPS and then start your run.
Hope it works for you too.

 

[mfm77]

Just as a follow-up (and not a good one, I might add), I did a 4 mile run this morning close to my home (I've run there a million times) but had trouble getting a GPS lock. I didn't start running until it locked, which took two times telling me that it couldn't lock. It finally locked, but I noticed that my usual first mile was longer than normal according to the Band. I was worried that the GPS had lost its signal, and sure enough, when I synced the run to the Health app, I got the "Turn on GPS" message that the OP spoke of in his first post. I'm going to try a reset before going out for a bike ride tomorrow, so hopefully that will fix the issue. If not, I'm not feeling too confident about it going forward.

 

[Penecho]

I can tell you how I fixed this problem: do not use the keep searching while I run feature, let it find GPS and then start your run.
Hope it works for you too.

Made the exact same observation. My GPS did not work too from some point and I had to reset the Band...

 

[mfm77]

I reset my Band (again), and that seemed to fix the GPS issue - picked up a signal immediately after pushing the button. I hope the next iteration of the Band has a better way to deal with that problem.

 

[07713]

I sent my Band back to MS for repair (again) and now i switched to a Garmin Vivoactive and im loving it so far!! I guess im gonna sell my Band replacement, once it is back.