my device started counting too many steps, and floors
Learning how the sensors work may hep you avoiding some of the troubles. Steps are detected by the accelerometer, so any bumps, jumps, or hand shaking or swinging can trigger the detection of steps. You can avoid it for example by keeping the watch in the pocket, or attaching it to the ankle, when you know your arms will be much more active than your legs. Or starting an activity that blocks steps counting while driving over a bumpy road (you can use for example the Indoor Cycling activity or the Driving activity for that purpose).
As for the elevation - that's the weak point of Instinct. The sensor port is near the wrist, and can get easily blocked when you bend the wirst, if you do not wear the watch 2-3 cm above the wrist, as recommended. And it can also get stuck with sweat, moisture, or dirt. The sensor can be also easily influened by wind or air flow.
And then, there is the eternal problem of elevation vs. atmospheric pressure - both of them have the same effect on the pressure sensor, so when both the elevation and the atm. pressure change, the device has no chance to find out where the pressure change comes from. So it tries recalibrating itself with the help of the GPS, but it often results in an even worse result, because the vertical accuracy of GPS position is in the range of tens of meters. In some case you can avoid the confusion by hard-setting the altimeter to the Barometric mode (when not changing the elevation), or the Elevation mode (when quickly changing the elevation and preferring to ignore the atmospheric pressure changes), but none of it is ideal.
As for the elevation - that's the weak point of Instinct. The sensor port is near the wrist, and can get easily blocked when you bend the wirst, if you do not wear the watch 2-3 cm above the wrist, as recommended. And it can also get stuck with sweat, moisture, or dirt. The sensor can be also easily influened by wind or air flow.
This is true for the old Instinct, but not for Instinct Solar.This is not the location of the sensor, but the problem of the chipset.There is no altitude problem on the new chipset.
This is true for the old Instinct, but not for Instinct Solar.This is not the location of the sensor, but the problem of the chipset.There is no altitude problem on the new chipset.
The port is identical at both models, so the problem with it is the same at both of them, too. And the hardware is different only at the GPS, the pressure sensor did not change AFAIK.
I had the old Instinct and there was a big problem with the altitude, it's a full forum.Instinct Solar has a new chipset, the same hole and there is no problem with altitude.It is completely reliable and does not fluctuate.So what is it?Probably not important, the main thing is that it is reliable.
As I wrote, physically the port, the sensor, and the chipset of the pressure sensor are identical. What changed on both models is the firmware. They made some improvements, but as you can see, there are still people having problems with it on both models of Instinct. Personally, I did not have much problems with the elevation on the standard Instinct, because I knew how to work around the common problems, and that may be the case for you too, now with Instinct Solar, after the experience with the basic Instinct.
Yes, the firmware has changed, but as I wrote, they also have other chipsets, which also changed the battery life and added oxygen measurement.With the old Instinct, the problem with height was really constant, dry, wet, humid, summer and winter.I didn't have a single height problem with Solar, even in extreme conditions.That's important to me.There were various improvements to the old Instinct, but none of them worked, there are a few threads about it.I'm glad it works now, I don't care if it's chipset or firmware.
They changed the GPS chip, and added the PulseOx sensor. The pressure sensor did not change, and unlike the GPS it does not require any chipset (except of a trivial AD convertor), it is a very simple electronic device converting pressure to voltage. The conversion to elevation is a purely software matter.
Perhaps your old Instinct was defectuous - I do not have, and did not have the problems you mention with the elevation at the old Instinct.
