Unreliable step count and heart rate sensors

I've had my watch for 3 days now and the step count is notably low compared to what I would expect from my Fenix5 I "upgraded" from. Today it's reading zero steps and running around waving arms around trying to get something to register and it's still showing zero.

Yesterday I went for a pool swim and similar situation, zero meters.

Sounds like an accelerometer issue.

sorry - really not experiencing either of those issues. my daily step count pretty much matches what I used to get with my F6x.

If not hardware issue, I have to wonder if you are wearing the watch tightly enough. I have noticed that if I wear it very loosely it will reduce the step count as I think the accelerometer is not as reactive (maybe why HR also doing what it is). In some ways the watch strap just feels too narrow for the size of the watch, especially as the F6x 26mm just seem right for it. Do think that a 24mm probably would have been better sizing - but I digress.

ps - your first run almost looks as though its matching the cadence but impossible to see without comparing to cadence graph. For your runs try overlaying HR with cadence to make sure especially with first run it isn't picking up cadence.

Would also maybe suggest trying latest beta to see if that resolves the issue, and if not then would contact support.

Thanks for your reply. I don't think the reduced step count is caused by not wearing the watch tightly enough. When I take off the watch, the strap (as well as the circle around the heart-rate sensor) clearly leaves a mark in my skin.

Concerning your suggestion to compare the heart-rate graph with the cadence, I suppose you mean the runs where the heart rate is wrong? Anyway, I tried it for a recent one in the plot below. I wouldn't say there is a strong correlation, but let me know what you think.

Based on the changelog, I doubt my issues will be fixed in the new firmware, but I will wait until the stable version is released and see what it gives.

Maybe a stupid question, but have you updated the firmware on it since you bought it?

I have no of your issues...

Yes, I'm on the latest stable version, 7.35.

I did a reset before the run and it started recording steps normally before and during the activity!

Firmware was updated when I first setup the watch.

Hopefully whatever the glitch with the accelerometer was causing zero steps was the same issue for the swim. 

Will check that out today. 

Your cadence looks as bad as your HR. You have those straight lines as well as data points above them. Something definitely isn't right. Would suggest rebooting watch if you haven't already done that. If that fails then a hard reset. If that fails then a system reset (will of course wipe or your settings so you may want to back them up if you have defined screen layouts etc that you don't want to lose.

Alternatively maybe go with the beta - it isn't going to make it worse - only likely to make it better - and if worse well you probably would have to reset anyway if you have to go back down to official.

or would raise a ticket with Garmin support. The guys take a couple of days to get back but are usually pretty responsive and good with dealing with the issue (though sometimes you do have to refocus them as they do work occasionally seem to work off a script. They have always managed to resolve all my F6x /Server sync issues in the past).

I don't think the cadence is as bad as you state. For runs that I also recorded with my old Vivosmart HR+, the cadences look quite similar. From the plot in my previous message, I would estimate that 95% of the data points fall in the 170 - 182 range, which is not that large. It's also clear that cadence is faster during the second half, which is in line with my pace. The stretches where the pattern is less coherent mostly correspond to parts that are not straight and flat (for example bridges, unpaved roads, ...). Anyway, the HR problem is far worse, as is the step count when not recording an activity.

I already reset my watch once (loosing all settings indeed), but that didn't solve my problem.

I have also contacted Garmin support Belgium. They told me on 22 March that they opened a case for their engineers to investigate this issue, but no solution so far...

I will follow your suggestion and try the new beta.

Unfortunately, no improvement with the beta firmware (8.14):

City trip to London last week provided an excellent opportunity to check if the step count problem persists in FW 8.14:

So, on a good day my Epix can record up to 80% of my actual steps, but on a bad day only 24% (and I'm not even counting the days where step count and HR froze).

Updated to public beta 8.15 in the mean time, and the HR problem shown in my previous posts is still there.

If nobody else has these problems, I can only conclude that I bought a flawed watch.