HRM Accuracy?

[ednegroni]

First of all, sorry if there is a thread on this already but since I'm on my iphone I couldn't find a search option.

Regarding the HRM, I want to know how accurate it is when it is active. I'm in the market for a HRM and I was looking at the Band since it is more than just a fitness tracker.

Anyway, my choice will be a Polar, Mio (Alpha 2/Fuse) or the MS Band. The Polar need the chest strap that I'm trying to avoid but the HRM is 99.9% accurate. Mio's watch/band are pretty accurate as well but they are pricey ($200/$160).

Point is, I won't sacrifice a good HRM for the bells and whistles the Band includes.

 

[ven07]

I think this might help you somewhat

This is how often the Microsoft Band checks your heart rate | Windows Central

Edit: I see it's your first post, so let me be the first to welcome you you can always head over to introductions and announce your arrival formally xd

 

[ednegroni]

Heh, thanks for welcoming me.

I read the article esrlier but it doesn't talk about accuracy. I've read other articles/review and one from a "fitness freak" stood out. He did multiple exercises with a Polar, Mio Alpha and the Band, and the results were not favorable for MS' product (up to 40 bpms off).

 

[ven07]

The article was actually done, because there was an issue with how accurate it was (if I remember correctly), so this is why they decided to find out when exactly it measures your HR.. if you keep the breaks in mind that it takes between checking the HR you can get a fairly accurate read, but in terms of actual numbers, I can't really help you

 

[nmercy]

Well normally I would say it is not 99.9% accurate, however the latest run I did seems to have kept fairly well with the elliptical machine I was on.... there is a weird bump up from 150's to 180's but that may have actually happened since I know I was in the 150's for a while on the machine and then up around 180's so... will need more testing post firmware update.

 

[ven07]

Well normally I would say it is not 99.9% accurate, however the latest run I did seems to have kept fairly well with the elliptical machine I was on.... there is a weird bump up from 150's to 180's but that may have actually happened since I know I was in the 150's for a while on the machine and then up around 180's so... will need more testing post firmware update.

You're timing is spot on good sir ^^

 

[DroidUser42]

Regarding the HRM, I want to know how accurate it is when it is active.

It depends. Some people find it's accurate, others find that it seems to get confused between heartbeats and motion. I'd say it depends entirely on how you wear it and your physiology.

I'd give this broad painting: It's not as good as a chest strap, but it's probably about as good as anything else that measures by looking at your wrist. It's probably not the best for hard-core fitness types, but works great for average folks looking to manage their fitness and health.

 

[Bryon Burns]

I find my band like all other optical based HRMs is highly dependant on how much you move during your activity. If you wear it too loose and are moving your arms a lot the accuracy will take a hit. This is not isolated to just the MS Band but all optical sensors. As far as the accuracy of the sensor itself when stationary or mild activity, it's spot on, wearing it a bit tighter during rigorous workouts has yielded a ~85% accuracy for me. Granted there are exceptions, as the sensor reads changes in absorbed light, some people may have denser tissue or physiological conditions that may hinder the intended functionality. If you are serious about fitness and knowing your heart rate the entire workout, then a chest strap is more suited. If you're just looking for something that lets you see if you reached your target heart rate and get some general metrics about your workout, then the band fills that role perfectly.

 

[Nate Silver]

Regarding accuracy....I've fooled around with several optical HR devices now, here's my take on it. The Band is not quite as accurate as my Mio Fuse (but darned close). Its way more accurate than my Fitbit Surge was (I returned it). Lately I've been comparing the Band, the Fuse, and my Basis Peak. They are all three generally within a beat or two of each other, though the Fuse reacts the fastest to sudden changes. Occasionally, the Band will get inaccurate, usually reading higher than it should - and this seems mostly to be in exercise mode doing circuit training type stuff. It generally settles down fairly soon though. On the treadmill or spinning, all three are almost always in agreement, and are pretty much spot-on with my Garmin ant+ strap.

 

[andrew.b]

If you don't want to sacrifice HRM accuracy for bells and whistles, don't get an optical device (well maybe the Mio I hear it's better than all the others). While I really like the optical HRM for resting heart rate and the daily HR data used to estimate calorie burn more acurately, I find the optical HRM to be pretty bad in terms of accuracy during workouts. And I've tried wearing it every which way - loose, tight, low, high on the wrist/arm, facing in, facing out. Oddly, it seems much more accurate when running than when on the stationary bike. For a while I wore the Band and a chest strap with the Polar loop to compare data and the Band was pretty good for runs, but for weight lifting or stationary bike work it was horribly inaccurate. This is the opposite of what one would predict since movement supposedly makes the readings less accurate, but I've consistently found it to be true.

Now, if MS would add support (maybe now with the SDK coming a 3rd party app can do this) for pairing a chest strap to the device, I have a polar H7 which has bluetooth, then they're really have something. Optical sensor for resting HR and daily average, chest strap for when you want highly accurate data during workouts.

 

[DroidUser42]

the Band was pretty good for runs, but for weight lifting or stationary bike work it was horribly inaccurate.

What position where your arms in while running? In a "L" shape or hanging down? I'm wondering if the Band senses movement and is able to subtract that out in certain situations.

 

[jleebiker]

Say what you will about The Verge, but this article might be helpful:
7 minutes in hell: one brutal workout with the Microsoft Band and Basis Peak | The Verge

 

[DroidUser42]

I probably should point out this thread, probably one of the longest ones on the board. I haven't had a chance to see if the new firmware did anything.

 

[nmercy]

Ok, today I "ran" on the elliptical and paid a little closer attention to the heart rate on the machine and on the band itself. It started off a little rough, but then I tightened it as tight as it would go (normally wear it looser for comfort), and it seemed to be keeping within a few beats of the elliptical hand grips about 90% of the time. The other 10% it would go above or below by 10-20 beats.