GPS Accuracy Issues

Straight comparisons to AW4 and Garmin FR935, the Instict has a distinctive "wobble" and also has cut distance pretty significantly (along with significant variation off actual path). Has anyone noticed the same? DCRainmaker seemed to notice the same as well.

(The only tracks I have so far start/end at my home so I won't be posting the tracks, but I'll try to get something else this weekend.)
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago
    Here is an activity i did yesterday from my apartment to the park across the street and back.

    https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3115956799

    Settings: GPS only, 1 second recording.

    I am getting similar and consistent results so far. And the distance is the same as my 5x gets on this course. It's always within a few hundredths of a mile.

    Have you tried GPS only?
  • Somebody from Garmin also checking this Forum? I am also disappointing about that. My previous FR735XT was much more accurate on the GPS recording.
    Can somebody from Garmin please give Feedback if this is just a Software Issue and can be fixed?
    Otherwise I would think about to return the Instinct and get something from the competitors range.

    Thank you!
  • Somebody from Garmin also checking this Forum?...
    Otherwise I would think about to return the Instinct and get something from the competitors range.

    Thank you!


    I don’t think that if anyway someone from Garmin reads forums your threat will be heard, so you can already pack your Instinct and get something from another manufacturer (anyway there is no competitor). But first of all record one the same activity with all four additional settings (GPS only, GPS and GLONASS, GPS and GALLILEO, Ultratrac) with combination with every second/smart recording and get a reference device or sattelite map as reference and then complain about the quality of recording. Just saying it’s bad I’ll leave you is not productive.
  • fab0ne

    The most important thing to do to get a good signal is to keep your software update to date. This isn't only your firmware, but also EPO software.

    Extended Prediction Orbit (EPO) files allow GPS devices to predict where satellites will be in the sky, which reduces GPS acquisition time. With updated EPO files on a device, instead of taking 2-3 minutes to find GPS signals, it will usually take 5-10 seconds.

    EPO files expire and are usually only good for a range of 3-14 days. In order to keep the EPO files updated, sync the device regularly.


    Another thing that helps is to make sure that you get a GPS lock before you start your activity. When you choose your activity, your device will start looking for a GPS signal. When it acquires a good signal, it will display a check mark to let you know.


    If that doesn't work, reach out to us through our Product Support channels (phone, email, or chat) so that we can work with you directly.
  • Been happy with my gps results so far. Have done a number of trails and viewed them on a map to check acccuracy...been happy so far.
  • Hi all. I have just bought an instinct which I love the design of. A couple of teething problems though. Bike ride was fine, good track but running I have very poor track drawn, constantly off road, jaggly lines and cutting off corners, this on 1 sec recording trying all the gps permutations. I always wait for the tick on gps and have tried runs in locations 300miles apart. Is this a software issue? It's making my Apple Watch look exemplary with it's track smoothing. The distance recorded is always ok, under recording slightly if anything which I don't mind as th AW overestimates and it always feels like I'm cheating. I'm using 2.60 firmware. I really want to recommend this watch to a fell runner friend as it is perfect for her but feel embarrassed showing her my Strava activities.
  • Hi all. I have just bought an instinct which I love the design of. A couple of teething problems though. Bike ride was fine, good track but running I have very poor track drawn, constantly off road, jaggly lines and cutting off corners, this on 1 sec recording trying all the gps permutations. I always wait for the tick on gps and have tried runs in locations 300miles apart. Is this a software issue? It's making my Apple Watch look exemplary with it's track smoothing. The distance recorded is always ok, under recording slightly if anything which I don't mind as th AW overestimates and it always feels like I'm cheating. I'm using 2.60 firmware. I really want to recommend this watch to a fell runner friend as it is perfect for her but feel embarrassed showing her my Strava activities.


    did you read Post #5? Was your EPO actual before run? Were there syncs with GC or GE before run?
  • Of note, there are a couple of other things to try that I have observed with my Fenix 5.

    1. Try the other wrist, or rotate the device on your wrist 180 degrees so the orientation towards the sky is different. Reception of the GPS signals may be better, they may not. Worth a try.
    2. Keep phone in opposite pocket of the wrist you are wearing the Instinct on. I have noticed that my phone signal will mess with the GPS reception. The best practice is to leave the phone at home.
    3. The track is only as good as the reception capability of the area in which you are wearing it. Obstacles that block line of sight to the satellites will not be used for the "fix". The broader the degree of visibility, the better the fix.
    4. Have the watch on your wrist in such a way that it can "see" the sky. Don't let it flop pointing downwards.
    5. Use GPS plus Galileo, I find that provides "just enough" to be better than GPS alone at the sacrifice of a little more power draw from the battery.
    6. Sync to your phone before an activity to get the latest EPO information.
    7. Wait a few more seconds after the GPS gets a lock to try to acquire a few more satellites.

    Of note, I notice that my Samsung S9 seems to track very well compared to the Fenix 5, but on closer inspection, the Samsung uses a lot of intelligence on the phone to "correct" the path. Apple is likely the same way. Meaning if it sees a road, it will preferentially follow it rather than cutting corners regardless of what the GPS says, much like a vehicle GPS. It will also intelligently "smooth" the track based on the available mapping data. It appears to make assumptions like "I have taken 10 steps in this direction" and "Weak GPS Fix" and will use a combination weighted between the two measurements to decide where you really are, aka "Dead Reckoning". The wrist-worn devices do not have this immense level of data to draw upon, nor the compute power to do the same with dead reckoning, Some sacrifice must be made to maintain battery life.

    I used to gripe about GPS accuracy until I looked closer at the tricks played by phones. We have come to expect GPS to work just like we experience on our phones, but our phones have amazing compute power and data resources to pull from that a little wearable does not. I expect some of that is merged into Apple watches, and why they seem to behave so well. Also why their battery life is frankly terrible.

  • Of note, there are a couple of other things to try that I have observed with my Fenix 5.

    1. Try the other wrist, or rotate the device on your wrist 180 degrees so the orientation towards the sky is different. Reception of the GPS signals may be better, they may not. Worth a try.
    2. Keep phone in opposite pocket of the wrist you are wearing the Instinct on. I have noticed that my phone signal will mess with the GPS reception. The best practice is to leave the phone at home.
    3. The track is only as good as the reception capability of the area in which you are wearing it. Obstacles that block line of sight to the satellites will not be used for the "fix". The broader the degree of visibility, the better the fix.
    4. Have the watch on your wrist in such a way that it can "see" the sky. Don't let it flop pointing downwards.
    5. Use GPS plus Galileo, I find that provides "just enough" to be better than GPS alone at the sacrifice of a little more power draw from the battery.
    6. Sync to your phone before an activity to get the latest EPO information.
    7. Wait a few more seconds after the GPS gets a lock to try to acquire a few more satellites.

    Of note, I notice that my Samsung S9 seems to track very well compared to the Fenix 5, but on closer inspection, the Samsung uses a lot of intelligence on the phone to "correct" the path. Apple is likely the same way. Meaning if it sees a road, it will preferentially follow it rather than cutting corners regardless of what the GPS says, much like a vehicle GPS. It will also intelligently "smooth" the track based on the available mapping data. It appears to make assumptions like "I have taken 10 steps in this direction" and "Weak GPS Fix" and will use a combination weighted between the two measurements to decide where you really are, aka "Dead Reckoning". The wrist-worn devices do not have this immense level of data to draw upon, nor the compute power to do the same with dead reckoning, Some sacrifice must be made to maintain battery life.

    I used to gripe about GPS accuracy until I looked closer at the tricks played by phones. We have come to expect GPS to work just like we experience on our phones, but our phones have amazing compute power and data resources to pull from that a little wearable does not. I expect some of that is merged into Apple watches, and why they seem to behave so well. Also why their battery life is frankly terrible.





    Thanks for the reply, I actually flipped my AW upside down and got better results a while back as the online teardown showed where the gps reciever was (the side nearest the crown) so will try with the instinct (not sure where the gps antenae is on that one though). I dont run with the phone but have been wearing the AW (non cellular) on the other wrist so not sure if that would interfere (looking for wifi maybe?)
    I am very active so am syncing every day with Garmin Connect.
    So it's better to stand in a clear area before aquiring a lock? Does the gps only use satellites which it initially locks to or does it still look for others during an activity? I'm not giving up yet so will try different situations. The weather on my last 2 runs has been heavy cloud with damp drizzle (typical UK!) which won't help so hopefully there will be a better conditions soon.
    I'll probably keep both watches because for some reason the AW3 is crazy good at recording open water swimming, bizarrely good for something so notoriously hard to track.

    ***Update*** Just been out again today, clear sky, gps + galileo...awful results. I'm beginning to think I have a defective unit, am considering sending back.
  • Well...

    My case too, for the moment.

    I've just bought the Instinct and did a first short walk in my neighborhood.

    As seen here: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3667421998 I've walk on the left sidewalk and then return on the right sidewalk on the way back but the GPS is totally off like 5-10m

    GPS Only, Smart Update not 1min Update as Settings.

    I've received some updates today though GC app so I will give a try today again.