Fenix 5 - Altimeter/Barometer Major Issues

Former Member over 7 years ago

Background:
I recently purchased the Fenix 5 watch around Christmas time. I live in Boulder, CO and do a lot of trail running, backcountry skiing, and general outdoor activities. I was a Suunto user for the past 5 years, but I wanted to give Garmin due to a variety of perceived upgrades. There are a lot of things I like about my move to Garmin, but a major issue seems to be surfacing regarding elevation reading and tracking. For the past few weeks I was under the impression that I didn't understand the Barometer/Altimeter settings and that this was likely the source of my problem. However, after trying different settings and reading information on these forums I've unfortunately concluded that regardless of what setting I have the elevation is simply never accurate.

Issue:
Inaccurate elevation reading and tracking throughout the day and during activities.

Most Recent Examples:
1) I calibrated my watch manually last night before bed. When I woke up, the elevation reading changed from approximately 5,300 ft to approximately -6,700 ft.
2) I calibrated my watch manually when I arrived at the office and since I have typed this message I've gained roughly 3,000 ft in elevation.
3) I went for a run and upon finishing my watch informed me that I gained roughly 2,700 ft when I know for a fact it was only 1,500 ft. This is really troubling since I'd hope that when GPS is on that the elevation would be accurate, but evidently this isn't the case.

On other random days I've looked at my watch and it has varied from -65,000 ft to 67,000 ft. I simply have no idea how it is even registering those types of elevations.

HELP!!!! This is a very frustrating issue. Am I correct to think my only option is to send the watch back to Garmin and hope to receive a replacement that has functioning sensors?

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

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0 Former Member over 7 years ago

Hi,

Try to remove all your Watch Face you install, if you do that... It's possible there is a bug some one...

0 rickj2903 over 7 years ago

I removed my extra watch faces and the altimeter is much more reliable.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

For all the money Garmin charges for this watch, the altimeter/barometer really should not be having issues. I too, have experienced very unreliable elevation change numbers. No word from Garmin on a fix?!?

0 dpegeorge over 7 years ago

This an ongoing issue - it goes back years.

I live on the coast, only a few metres from sea level.
Some days I'm at 60m and others I'm below sea level.

Floor counting is a joke, it is rare to have the correct number of ups & done.
??????Going onto the beach are counted as floors.

Every morning, as a habit, I fix my altimeter.

0 AllanOlesen67 over 7 years ago

I live on the coast, only a few metres from sea level.
Some days I'm at 60m and others I'm below sea level.

I wonder how often this simple fact will have to be explained:

The ambient pressure at your location will change all the time. It can happen in a few hours.

The watch uses ambient pressure to calculate altitude.

Consequently, the altimeter of your watch will have to be calibrated when the ambient pressure has changed.

You simply cannot expect any barometric altimeter to use the same alibration over several days, in some cases not even over several hours.

0 dpegeorge over 7 years ago

Yes, we are all aware of the Fenix using ambient pressure.

You got to see the funny side of my watch telling me I should be waking underwater, a possibility if the tectonic plates moved overnight.

My watch was a significant purchase and I would expect better accuracy, especially when other models don't seem to have this issue.

As a swimmer who runs, this metric is not so important but having the floor count is nice to have.

0 AllanOlesen67 over 7 years ago

You got to see the funny side of my watch telling me I should be waking underwater, a possibility if the tectonic plates moved overnight.

My watch was a significant purchase and I would expect better accuracy, especially when other models don't seem to have this issue.

I am not seeing anything funny here. I think it is pretty sad. I fear that Garmin at some time in the future will remove the barometric altimeter from their watches because too many ignorant users will not accept simple physics and instead complain about the watch.

If you think that the price of the watch has anything to do with the altitude changing a few hundred meters over a few days, you clearly haven't understood how it works, even though you claim that "we are all aware that the Fenix uses ambient pressure".

So once again: It is PHYSICS. It is not the watch. No matter how expensive the watch is, it can't beat physics: The ambient pressure at your location is not the same every day. And by this, I don't just refer to the ambient pressure measurement in the watch. I also refer to the true ambient pressure around you.

How hard is it to understand that if the true ambient pressure around you is different from yesterday, you can't have the same altitude reading as yesterday without a new calibration of your barometric altimeter?

0 jneuveglise over 7 years ago

Indeed this is physics. But the watch is running a SOFTWARE leveraging all the other sensors to estimate if the pressure changes are due to your movement or the ambiant pressure fluctuations. (At least in "Auto" mode). In my experience this software has significantly gotten worse lately leaving the watch altimeter less and less useful.

Not to mention this winter disaster when air is dry and loaded with static electricity and the watch showing altitudes of 20000m or -15000m...

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

Indeed this is physics. But the watch is running a SOFTWARE leveraging all the other sensors to estimate if the pressure changes are due to your movement or the ambiant pressure fluctuations. (At least in "Auto" mode). In my experience this software has significantly gotten worse lately leaving the watch altimeter less and less useful.

Not to mention this winter disaster when air is dry and loaded with static electricity and the watch showing altitudes of 20000m or -15000m...

This is what kills me about so many of the fervent supports of the Fenix line of products, especially this poster above stating that “physics” is the excuse the barometer is giving inaccurate readings.

Granted, I’m not a programmer, but I understand the limits of the hardware and this seems like it could absolutely be addressed via software.

The five series has a GPS and a gyroscope, in addition to a barometer. The watch has all the hardware necessary to determine whether or not it has moved locations.

Granted, there will always be edge cases, but the majority of problems regarding altitude detection in these forums are people doing relatively normal, everyday activities.

“Auto” calibration is just that, automatic. If I have to calibrate the elevation on my watch every single day, or even more, for an activity as innocuous as going for a walk, what’s the point?

I need a device I can trust, not one that is so finicky it’s supporters denegrate anyone who encounters a discrepancy with the device.

0 AllanOlesen67 over 7 years ago

The five series has a GPS and a gyroscope, in addition to a barometer. The watch has all the hardware necessary to determine whether or not it has moved locations.

OK. So the sensors discover that the watch has moved to another location. Is this new location at the same altitude or at another altitude? How would the watch know?

If the GPS is on and it has a valid signal, the GPS altitude can to some extent be used for making an educated guess about the new altitude. But the altimeter is also supposed to work when the GPS is not on, so this doesn't really solve the problem.

And by the way, I am not a fervent supporter of Garmin. But I understand the strengths and limitations of a barometric altimeter, and I am tired of seeing these posts from people who don't have a clue.