# Sleep trackers (fitness bands)



## albion (15 Jan 2015)

I was reading up on the Mi Band
http://www.techlech.com/wearables/xiaomi-mi-band-review

I'm quite interested in sleep monitoring, only finding out after all these years that my sleep is(now controlled) dramitically interrupted by my allergy response system. (asthma if I attempt to label it).

Anyone using one or similar? It sounds like a useful £12 investment.


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## fossyant (15 Jan 2015)

Got a jawbone Up 24 for Christmas. It's quite good with sleep patterns, light sleep and deep sleep. Also monitors steps per day.


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## Stephenite (15 Jan 2015)

I have a Garmin Vivosmart. It's a fancy step counter, and very good it is too for giving that extra kick/motivation. We can go into later if you like, but to answer the post:- The sleep data you get is limited. My sleep pattern is crap so that is what, originally, drove me to buy an 'activity tracker'. I, then, saw the other advantages, so plumped for a more fancy version. I haven't looked at your link yet. Vivosmart works by monitoring wrist movement. See below: - The 10 minute period of non-movement is REM sleep. The spike at 6am is taking my toddler to the toilet. It's basic but other than connecting electrodes to the brain how you could get a better image of one's sleep, i don't know. What does @fossyant 's jawbone do?


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## Stephenite (15 Jan 2015)

That http://www.techlech.com/wearables/xiaomi-mi-band-review is 100th the cost of my Vivosmart!!! Buy it.

I like the social side of things though. There's a really good fb group for Vivo, and it seemlessly fits in with the Garmin universe.


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## david k (3 Feb 2015)

Stephenite said:


> That http://www.techlech.com/wearables/xiaomi-mi-band-review is 100th the cost of my Vivosmart!!! Buy it.
> 
> I like the social side of things though. There's a really good fb group for Vivo, and it seemlessly fits in with the Garmin universe.



Sleep tracker from iPad app, looks different on pc, some more informtion


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## albion (8 Feb 2015)

After nearly two weeks with the Mi Band I have to say I am well impressed.
The design is very good being a long, near waterproof capsule that slots into the silicon wrist band(band too short to strap to ankle). I popped the capsule out after 10 days(37% charge left) to slot it, 2 prongs first, into the small USB extension. A full charge seems quick, taking about 1 hour. 


The sleep data showing is only like the pic above from David K, recording/showing only what it thinks is good sleep, light sleep and wakefulness it comes across as reasonably accurate. 

For a week I got well into using the step tracker which seems, at least from my mileage observation, quite accurate. This was to my detriment though, in that the enthusiasm caused me to do enough walking to set off my arthritis pains good and proper. I've again stopped doing anything like a 6 mile walk, knowing from experience a few more will leave my ankle/shin area in such pain that it will take another 12 months of recovery.

The steps, calorie counts etc in the app are obviously for guidance only but I reckon it is a great exercise motivator for a flexibly able person. There are also some DIY utilities around that let you pull the data into spreadsheets, not that I will likely bother.


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## fossyant (8 Feb 2015)

My Jawbone has packed up. Started with the wake LED stopping, then the unit failed to work. Just dead. Got it going again by factory reset, but it died again. Still hissing about getting a return. Boots.com aren't responding, Boots the shop won't exchange, only refund (we picked them up for £49.99 not £99.99 from Boots.com). Jawbone support have responded so I've emailed off the serial and receipt. They will know it's probably not working as the units sync with the phone and a central database.

Unfortunately, the Jawbone forum is full of folk with multiple failed units.


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## gbs (9 Feb 2015)

Sleep Cycle app does the job although I am sure what to do with the data!


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## Joffey (10 Feb 2015)

Anyone have any idea where you can buy a Mi Band in the shops in the UK?


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## albion (10 Feb 2015)

I went and bought mine from Deal Extreme. It got sent recorded 7 days delivery from Holland.

My only complaint is that somehow I paid in dollars rather than £ and paypal took an extra 50p for the privilege.


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## MrGrumpy (11 Feb 2015)

Using a Fitbit flex just now, not sure if it is worth it over the iphone health app, the step count seems fairly accurate allbeit it registers steps whilst cycling as well. However like all of these bands its the trends that matter? Anyway what I have trended is the amount of Km I walk in day at work, alot for someone who has a desk job and off the tools  #skiving


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## stephec (11 Feb 2015)

Joffey said:


> Anyone have any idea where you can buy a Mi Band in the shops in the UK?



Thanks Joffey, I was wondering that as well, saved me asking



albion said:


> I went and bought mine from Deal Extreme. It got sent recorded 7 days delivery from Holland.
> 
> My only complaint is that somehow I paid in dollars rather than £ and paypal took an extra 50p for the privilege.



And thanks to you Albion for answering.

Just bought one now.


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## Joffey (17 Feb 2015)

Just ordered one for myself - $18... bargain


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## stephec (12 Mar 2015)

stephec said:


> Thanks Joffey, I was wondering that as well, saved me asking
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Now it's finally arrived does anyone know how to get hold of English instructions for it?


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## albion (12 Mar 2015)

Got mine here

http://files.xiaomi-mi.com/files/Mi_Band/Manual_Mi_Band (EN).pdf


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## stephec (12 Mar 2015)

albion said:


> Got mine here
> 
> http://files.xiaomi-mi.com/files/Mi_Band/Manual_Mi_Band (EN).pdf


Fandabidosi.


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## Joffey (14 Mar 2015)

Been wearing mine about a week now, seems to tell me I do more steps that my iPhone tells me I do, and I thought my iPhone was too high :-/

Sleep tracker is pretty good but it seems not to be able to track naps during the day, it only logs your nightly sleep, but it seems pretty accurate with that. I'm gonna give it another week or so but I'm tempted to bosh it on eBay and give one of the Garmin ones a go instead.


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## fossyant (15 Mar 2015)

My replacement Jawbone Up24 was delivered promptly from their Support Team. My wife's jawbone is working great still, and my current one has been through a fair bit of sweat tests. Mine is waking me up, or at least it's the get out of bed alarm.


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## MrGrumpy (15 Mar 2015)

My Fitbit flex is going on eBay worked out that the iPhone is just as useful.


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## steveindenmark (15 Mar 2015)

Stephenite said:


> That http://www.techlech.com/wearables/xiaomi-mi-band-review is 100th the cost of my Vivosmart!!! Buy it.
> 
> I like the social side of things though. There's a really good fb group for Vivo, and it seemlessly fits in with the Garmin universe.



WOW...I am not but being funny but the idea of a social side to sleep tracking, has to be the basis of a joke. I am so pleased I was born in the time where you had to get out of the house to have a social life. But I appreciate times have changed. Best of luck with tracking your sleep.


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## albion (15 Mar 2015)

You had best sleep on that one Steve.

Distance on mine is fine, which is only inaccurately if you height leg length ratio are extremely average.
Sleep tracking is certainly better just using a smartphone.


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## Andrew_Culture (15 Mar 2015)

I use the sleep tracker app on my iPhone, but only as an alarm if I actually have to get up super early for something. 

I have a toddler who jumps on my head every morning at about the same time. That seems to be a very effective way of being woken up.


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## Stephenite (19 Mar 2015)

steveindenmark said:


> WOW...I am not but being funny but the idea of a social side to sleep tracking, has to be the basis of a joke. I am so pleased I was born in the time where you had to get out of the house to have a social life. But I appreciate times have changed. Best of luck with tracking your sleep.




Would anyone be interested in a virtual sleep-over?


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## Joffey (25 Mar 2015)

Update on my Mi Band - found the steps a bit inaccurate so I gave it to my GF who liked the sleep monitoring. I bought a Garmin Vivosmart and have been wearing now for a day...and I love it! Notifications are brilliant, can link up with my 510 HR and Speed / Cadence stuff, links it all with Garmin Connect and passes the info to MyFitnessPal. Only shame is the sleep monitoring analysis doesn't go into my iPhone HeathKit but I can live with that as the info isn't much use.

Mi Band is a great piece of kit for the money, no question, but if you spend a bit more you will be impressed!

(PS Garmin Vivofit 1 is 50% off at Wiggle atm)


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## Stephenite (6 Apr 2015)

I see that Garmin have updated their server-side software. Their activity trackers now automatically detect sleeping and waking.


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## fossyant (9 Apr 2015)

My Second UP24 died. Jawbone support is a joke. Got offered the cheap crap Up Move with a complimentary strap. It's a £40 replacement for a £100 device.

Got to see if boots will take it back for a refund as the replacement was red not black (because they had no black replacement bands).

My wife's still works but I you have a tenancy to sweat a bit when riding your bike it will die. And that's winter sweat levels. I think one summers day would kill the up24.

Avoid the Jawbone devices. Their support forum is full of faulty units.

Feel sorry for my wife as she bought it me as a present. I'll never touch Jawbone stuff again. Poor support then offer you a cheap replacement. I've had about 10 weeks use in the last 20 weeks of having a device.


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## albion (9 Apr 2015)

Still using my Mi Band. Still getting a lot of walking done, though have done little to no cycling of recent.
It seems 90% to 100% accurate for distance, though obviously it would be dead easy to calibrate to exactly 100% if need be.

The only niggle was losing one walk, which I hope/assume was caused by a reset that happened when I clunked it into the metal door catch on arriving home. It has not missed a beat otherwise.

Today was my longest for a long while, 20.08 km in just over 4 hours.


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## Saluki (9 Apr 2015)

albion said:


> Still using my Mi Band. Still getting a lot of walking done, though have done little to no cycling of recent.
> It seems 90% to 100% accurate for distance, though obviously it would be dead easy to calibrate to exactly 100% if need be.
> 
> The only niggle was losing one walk, which I hope/assume was caused by a reset that happened when I clunked it into the metal door catch on arriving home. It has not missed a beat otherwise.
> ...


Can you link the Mi band to a gps tracker as well? Sync it to a garmin or mapmyride or similar?


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## ufkacbln (9 Apr 2015)

The problem is the accelerometer

I have the Vivosmart as an update for the FitBit One

The difference is staggering

Yesterday in the bike the Vivosmart was telling me that I was sedate and the "Move" alert was reminding me to move

Meanwhile the Fitbit On records 3,000 steps and 20 floors for the same journry1


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## J1888 (10 Apr 2015)

So far so good on my Jawbone Up24...scared that it'll pack up at any time though!!

Fyi they're bringing out a new one


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## J1888 (10 Apr 2015)

Here it is 

https://jawbone.com/store/buy/up3?color=black


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## albion (10 Apr 2015)

Saluki said:


> Can you link the Mi band to a gps tracker as well? Sync it to a garmin or mapmyride or similar?


I bought it initially to use as a sleep monitor.

If I did not have it I suspect I'd really be using my GPS smartphone for step/distance count.
It has no GPS so any linking would be a bit pointless, would it not ? For cycling the band is near pointless, though I suppose one could get to use it for a battery sapping continuous data transfer cadence, if that software existed.


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## fossyant (11 May 2015)

Finally after a month of saying I wanted an exact replacement a new black UP24 has arrived. Stupidly I will see if it actually lasts by not using it when riding and keep it sweat free. Hmm
PS don't get your hopes up for the UP3 as it's been delay after delay. It's still not out


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## fossyant (11 May 2015)

Oh just synced the new band and it says I've been without one for 53 days. Add in the last one and out of 5 months it's only worked 3 months.


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## pauldavid (11 May 2015)

I've had my jawbone up24 since christmas, used it every day for everything other than when in the shower or bath obviously and it's been faultless.

Really useful and gets quite addictive trying to keep activity levels up and beat previous targets.


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