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Total distance per day

5858725

Hi all, this morning my watch counts 854 total steps till now, walking in downtown, and Garmin Connects tells me 0,7 km as total distance till now.

How this distance being calculated? What step length does it take ?

Thanks!

  • 0

    It depends on how vigorously you are walking. The watch constantly tries to estimate your pace based on cadence and energy.
    You can make it more accurate by doing walks outdoors with GPS enabled.

  • 0 in reply to ovekvam

    Thanks for your reply! Sure I can make more accurate by doing walks with GPS in order to calculate an average step length, but I wonder if this is important as step length during walk can change constantly all along the day depending on the kind of walk you are doing , so the total distance per day will be always very approximated. Do you agree? 

  • 0 in reply to 5858725

    It will never be accurate, no. The best bet for distance accuracy is probably a foot pod like Stryd.

    Garmin tends to underestimate my speed when I am fast, and overestimate my speed when I am slow.

  • 0 in reply to ovekvam

    honestly, I do not care so much about the distance if I do not set any activity. So it was just curious to understand how the watch calculate. Thanks for your replies!

  • 0
    5858725 said:
    What step length does it take ?

    Not sure, but you can override the step length (for walking) in Connect if you want:

    https://support.garmin.com/en-SG/?faq=RAsAiDCmNM2mxSkOcPQCQ8

  • 0 in reply to flowstate

    Hi!, yes I saw that but actually I did not explore. Thanks

  • 0 in reply to 5858725

    Np. To address your q about what step length it normally uses, I think a long time ago, the Connect website would actually show you the default step length (which was used if you didn't customize anything), but it doesn't do so anymore.

    It's possible that it estimated your step length from your height (and maybe it still does so), but I have no idea.

    I will also point out that Garmin will never use Stryd and other foot pods as a source for steps.

    It will use the newer Garmin HRMs (HRM-PRO and newer) as a source for steps if you are not wearing the watch, but I have no idea if this is more accurate than the watch itself, and I doubt anyone wants to wear their chest strap all day anyway. (It is a nice feature for when you record an activity while not wearing the watch, so you can get still get credit for your steps.)

  • 0 in reply to flowstate

    My FR255 gets steps and speed from the HRM-PRO when I am wearing the watch in a running activity. I would assume it would do the same with a foot pod, but I haven't tested.

  • 0 in reply to flowstate

    I went in Connect web, I looked for it everywhere, but I did not find the default step, as you say, it doesn't do so anymore.

  • 0 in reply to ovekvam
    ovekvam said:
    My FR255 gets steps and speed from the HRM-PRO when I am wearing the watch in a running activity. I would assume it would do the same with a foot pod, but I haven't tested.

    Trust me, it wouldn't. The fact that the foot pod is not used as a source for steps by Garmin has been discussed for many years.

    But you don't have to believe me - very easy way to test if you also own a foot pod:

    1) Wear HRM-PRO, but not foot pod. Do not wear watch. Started timed activity. Walk/run around for several minutes (stay in range of the watch *). Stop and save timed activity

    2) Wear foot pod, but not HRM-PRO. Do not wear watch. Started timed activity. Walk/run around for several minutes (stay in range of the watch *). Stop and save timed activity

    In the case of 1), you will have more than 0 steps during the activity. (Note that your HRM-PRO must be paired with Connect on your phone, and it must sync with the phone before you get those steps).

    In the case of 2), you will have 0 steps during the activity.

    Note that steps is not equal to cadence (for Garmin's purposes). Ofc in both cases you will have cadence (instant and average) for the activity. But only in the case of 1) will you have steps for the activity in the daily steps graph which count towards your daily step total.

    [*] actually you don't really have to stay in range of the watch, as the HRM-PRO will count and save steps anyway, and it makes no difference for the foot pod. But it's just for the purposes of this test, to account for the fact that maybe the foot pod could be counting steps (but it won't).

    As a matter of fact, it is an advertised feature of HRM-PRO and later strap that they will count steps (and other "all day activity tracking data") while you are not wearing the watch, save this data, and sync it back to Connect afterwards.

    Note that the old straps, like HRM-RUN, support measuring cadence during a run, but also are not used as a source of steps.

    Finally, HRM-PRO is still not used as source of steps during an activity in *real time* - it only ever counts steps if you are not wearing the watch (whether in an activity or not), then syncs them back to Connect.