Need a fitness tracker that..........

[Tom52]

..... is a wristwatch style but does not require a smart phone to see data such as steps,miles, time, calories burned, etc. DW currently has an old IPod that she clips on and it will track steps, miles walked, time, calories burned each time you reset it. She would dearly love to have a wristwatch style that does all this and maybe more such as heart rate, and maybe calories burned or steps walked each 24 hour period. Problem is she does not have a smart phone and needs something self contained.

She has been searching the internet but can't seem to come up with something that is guaranteed to work without a smart phone. She actually ordered a pair that made no reference to needing a smart phone. When they arrived they required an app but the only smart phone we have is mine and it is an older cheap Tracfone and the app would not load on it. So she had to return them.

I suppose if the fitness tracker needed an app, would the app work on a laptop computer? She just got a new laptop with Windows10 a couple of weeks ago. If the fitness tracker could work in conjunction with an app on a laptop that would probably work O.K. for her.

We were at Best Buy and they had different models including Garmin, but all seemed to require a smart phone. The in store help did not seem to know enough about them to say what if anything they will show you without a smart phone, nor did they know whether an app would work equally as well on a laptop. I am the first to admit we are not very tech savvy.

Anyone have something that would fit? Please let me know. I suppose price has a part in the decision but around $150 would not seem unreasonable as badly as she wants one.

 

[steelyman]

A Fitbit might be worth a look. I have a Versa model that tracks most, if not all, of that. If not paired with a smart phone, it loses some functionality (no GPS), but still gives interesting data. An unexpected feature is that it provides sleep stage analysis if worn in bed.

 

[Jerry1]

Time to get a smartphone? Seriously, technology works this way. Eventually, there’s no practical way to get what you want without an upgrade. We have the same problem with Amazon Alexa. At mother in laws, we have a unit so we can drop in on her and see if she’s alright. Problem is that it needs to be linked to a cell phone to work, which mother in law does not have. Luckily we were able to use my phone because our unit is linked to DW’s phone. But eventually, you need the right equipment to get what you want. I think they plan it that way.

 

[Lewis Clark]

..... is a wristwatch style but does not require a smart phone to see data such as steps,miles, time, calories burned, etc. DW currently has an old IPod that she clips on and it will track steps, miles walked, time, calories burned each time you reset it. She would dearly love to have a wristwatch style that does all this and maybe more such as heart rate, and maybe calories burned or steps walked each 24 hour period. Problem is she does not have a smart phone and needs something self contained.

She has been searching the internet but can't seem to come up with something that is guaranteed to work without a smart phone. She actually ordered a pair that made no reference to needing a smart phone. When they arrived they required an app but the only smart phone we have is mine and it is an older cheap Tracfone and the app would not load on it. So she had to return them.

I suppose if the fitness tracker needed an app, would the app work on a laptop computer? She just got a new laptop with Windows10 a couple of weeks ago. If the fitness tracker could work in conjunction with an app on a laptop that would probably work O.K. for her.

We were at Best Buy and they had different models including Garmin, but all seemed to require a smart phone. The in store help did not seem to know enough about them to say what if anything they will show you without a smart phone, nor did they know whether an app would work equally as well on a laptop. I am the first to admit we are not very tech savvy.

Anyone have something that would fit? Please let me know. I suppose price has a part in the decision but around $150 would not seem unreasonable as badly as she wants one.

I tried using a Fitbit last year. I don't recall which Fitbit model I was using. I do not have a smart phone, but the Fitbit claimed it would work well through a desktop interface.

Unfortunately, the Fitbit did not sync well with my desktop software. It would sync well for a few days, then stop syncing at all for a few days. I went round and round with their tech support. They kept telling me that they were working on a fix, but had no idea when the fix would be implemented. I gave up after about 4 weeks of frustration.

It might be working better now.

 

[EQMAN]

I have a Garmin vivo HR and you can see the current day stats and in some cases the current week. You can sync it to a computer using the USB charging cable and the Garmin Connect program you can download for free. It will also sync with a smart phone or tablet. After the sync the data get stored in the cloud so I can look at history on any of the three devices that have Garmin Connect on them. It tracks quite a bit. Heart rate, resting heart rate, sleep, calories burned, steps, miles, floors climbed, and if you tell it you are starting a walk it gives you even more stats on that activity. A bit pricey, but for me it is about monitoring my activity and improving my health.

 

[Texas Proud]

I had one of the Fitbits HR, 1st generation... crappy product, but it did work well with the computer... I just had the dongle plugged into the computer... the bluetooth did not work well... you can look for my rant on how bad fitbits are... I started a thread..



I also have a scale of theirs and it refuses to sync... I have tried many different ways that support tells me, but it refuses to sync... it has to go through wifi...

 

[broadway]

I tried using a Fitbit last year. I don't recall which Fitbit model I was using. I do not have a smart phone, but the Fitbit claimed it would work well through a desktop interface.

Unfortunately, the Fitbit did not sync well with my desktop software. It would sync well for a few days, then stop syncing at all for a few days. I went round and round with their tech support. They kept telling me that they were working on a fix, but had no idea when the fix would be implemented. I gave up after about 4 weeks of frustration.

It might be working better now.

I was at Walmart today, and being a nosy person, I asked a senior couple what they were looking for.

Turns out they were looking for a Bluetooth adapter for their desktop computer. The Walmart staff had no clue or didn't know what the couple was looking for.

The husband got a new Fitbit (model unknown) and he was trying to pair it to the Bluetooth adapter on his PC which had worked with an older Fitbit (model unknown). I told him to wait until his son arrives on Saturday before buying anything.

The husband and wife both showed me their flip phones when I told them my mother's fitness tracker paired with an app on her smartphone.

.



.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

https://www.suunto.com/en-us/

I have had one of these for many years. Use it daily. It does many, many things, is highly rated and costs. It wants to track your activity by reading data from a heart rate monitor. It also uses GPS to track how far you have gone. It does not count steps. It does not connect to a cell phone. You can download data to a PC, if you want. I do. It uses the GPS coordinates to draw a map of where you were. Of course, you can select a workout such as "Indoor Training" that does not use GPS.

 

[Bestwifeever]

You should be able to connect a Fitbit to a computer. You can google Fitbit dongle, even if you have a bluetooth-equipped newer computer and won’t need a dongle to connect a Fitbit to it—which if you do need it for an older computer, you can buy a dongle from Fitbit) for info. You could ask Fitbit about it before buying one.

If you or your DW has a tablet, it will interact just like a smartphone with the Fitbit app.

 

[Aerides]

My original Fitbit, and the original Charge - both would sync via PC. But my Charge2 requires the app. And there's already a Charge 3 so I doubt they'll go backwards.

 

[xretro]

Get her a garmin forerunner 35 does every thing she wants.

 

[Katsmeow]

Fitbits don't require the app. You may need to download the Fitbit app for your computer and then can sync from the computer. (Or your wife could just get a smartphone...)

 

[Lsbcal]

Both I and my wife have Garmin Vivofit 2 trackers. You can use Windows 10 to set it up and then look at stats on fancy displays. But really, I run a lot and all I'm interested in is how I did today so I rarely look at the PC or smartphone diagnostics. I did customize the step sizing because I wanted an accurate estimate of running mileage. I could go over the procedure if someone wants to know about it but it involves going to a track to get a good calibration.

It has a small battery inside so no need to charge. Should replace the battery after maybe 1 year although they last longer then that. It's a great little device because you can leave it on 24/7 if you want and wear it in the shower or swimming. Easy to read in all light conditions (has a built in light for night reads). Link here: https://smile.amazon.com/Garmin-v%C3%ADvofit-Activity-Tracker-Black/dp/B00RY1Z9NQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1545277300&sr=8-4&keywords=vivofit+2

Unfortunately the price has apparently been temporarily driven up probably because of seasonal and inventory factors. I think I bought mine for around $70. Here is a link to some price history on it: https://camelcamelcamel.com/Garmin-v%C3%ADvofit-Activity-Tracker-Black/product/B00RY1Z9NQ

 

[COcheesehead]

My wife wanted an Apple Watch, but not an Apple phone. This watch was perfect. She loves it. Great fitness tracker, good value and looks good.
https://us.amazfit.com

 

[broadway]

Both I and my wife have Garmin Vivofit 2 trackers. You can use Windows 10 to set it up and then look at stats on fancy displays. But really, I run a lot and all I'm interested in is how I did today so I rarely look at the PC or smartphone diagnostics. I did customize the step sizing because I wanted an accurate estimate of running mileage. I could go over the procedure if someone wants to know about it but it involves going to a track to get a good calibration.

It has a small battery inside so no need to charge. Should replace the battery after maybe 1 year although they last longer then that. It's a great little device because you can leave it on 24/7 if you want and wear it in the shower or swimming. Easy to read in all light conditions (has a built in light for night reads). Link here: https://smile.amazon.com/Garmin-v%C3%ADvofit-Activity-Tracker-Black/dp/B00RY1Z9NQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1545277300&sr=8-4&keywords=vivofit+2

Unfortunately the price has apparently been temporarily driven up probably because of seasonal and inventory factors. I think I bought mine for around $70. Here is a link to some price history on it: https://camelcamelcamel.com/Garmin-v%C3%ADvofit-Activity-Tracker-Black/product/B00RY1Z9NQ

I was at my local Walmart and they had the Garmin fitness trackers all slashed in price by 1/2. Clearing them out.

Vivofit3 , Vivosmart3, Vivosport

 

[Lsbcal]

I was at my local Walmart and they had the Garmin fitness trackers all slashed in price by 1/2. Clearing them out.

Vivofit3 , Vivosmart3, Vivosport

My preference is for the display on the Vivofit2 but there are so many different preferences out there. Clearly one-size does not fit all.

 

[Ronstar]

Like others above, I’d say get a Garmin. I track my steps, miles, heart rate without having my phone with me. Firmware updates comes with need for a smartphone. But you would need a smartphone, iPad, or computer to download to Garmin connect for more functionality such as graphs, workout summaries, etc.

 

[RunningBum]

One thing to watch for is the tiny fonts on some of those watches. Maybe it's more of a problem when running, because I don't want to pull out my reading glasses, or even carry them, while on the move. I don't know if people want to look at fitness trackers in real time while exercising. I've been able to read the numbers on all the Garmins I owned, but I tried a Suunto based on a lot of recs from friends (long battery life especially) and the secondary fields were much too small.

 

[Jimmie]

I've worn fitness tracker for nearly 5 years. Started with Fitbit, but units were not well manufactured in my opinion. I went through 3 of them in 3 years. My experience with their customer support and warranty claims was a very frustrating experience and swore to never buy again.

Switched to Garmin for last 2 years and have been very pleased. I currently have the Vivoactive HR, but just bought the Vivoactive 3 for myself for xmas present. It's on sale at Best Buy right now. Nothing wrong with my current unit, but wanted a tracker that looked more like a watch. There is a PC app called Garmin Express that works very well, but you have to use supplied cable to connect Tracker to your PC via USB port.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/software/express

 

[steelyman]

Consumer Reports might be useful. Their “Buyers Guides” can help by suggesting features to consider when evaluating different products.

 

[RunningBum]

My go-to source for running watch reviews is https://www.dcrainmaker.com/. Ray is a young guy who does thorough, consistent reviews of about every watch out there, including things like the accuracy of the GPS.

Looks like he covers fitness trackers as well, though he doesn't have a lot to say on recommending one: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/11/sports-technology-buyers-guide-recommendations.html Still, you can look for watches you're interested in and read the reviews.

Activity Trackers:

So…here’s the thing, in the past, I used to have a section here on activity trackers. But the market has simply gotten so big, and the features in general overlap each other on so many units. It’s nearly impossible to simply say “Go get a Fitbit” or “Go get a Garmin” or “Go get an Apple Watch”. Frankly, from a basic activity tracking standpoint, they’re all so similar.

Even this year with the new Fitbit Charge 3 and the competing Garmin Vivosmart 4, they’ve both near matched each other (days apart) on the underlying hardware features. One added SPO2 tracking, and then so did the other.

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