Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale
Product Features
Color: Black
- Accurately track your weight body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) online
- Upload your stats automatically via wi-fi to fitbit.com to see graphs of your progress
- Easy to set-up the aria will automatically recognize up to eight users
- With aria each account is password protected so you can control how much and what data to share
Product Description
-
Color: Black
Amazon.com Product Description
The Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale measures your weight, body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) to provide a full picture of your weight trends. This Wi-Fi enabled scale helps you reach your weight goals by letting you set goals, track your progress effortlessly, and stay motivated each and every day. Your stats automatically upload to your Fitbit dashboard through Wi-Fi, where you can get a more comprehensive view of your health and fitness and track your eating and exercise habits. Set up is fast; the scale can be set up to automatically recognize up to 8 users. You can check your progress from your computer or with a free smartphone app. The scale is available in your choice of black or white.
Tracks Weight, Body Fat, and BMI
To give you a more complete look at your weight management, the Aria tracks body fat and body mass index (BMI) as well as weight. Using several types of measurements helps you better understand your fitness progress. Weight can be measured in pounds, kilograms, or stones. The Aria's weight limit is 350 pounds.
Automatically Uploads Stats via Wi-Fi for up to Eight Users
The Fitbit Aria Scale uploads your data through Wi-Fi directly to your Fitbit dashboard. The scale will automatically recognize up to eight users by weight so you need only step on it to send your latest weight stats to your account. Your data on the scale remains private unless you choose to share it with other users.
Charts and Weight Management Tools
Using your Fitbit.com account, you can track your progress with charts and graphs. You can use free tools to set weight goals, log food, other activities.
Free Smartphone Apps
Fitbit offers both an Android and iPhone app so you can set goals, log food and other activities, and see your progress toward your weight goals on the go.
Get Motivated and Share Your Success
As you progress toward your weight goal, Fitbit.com awards you with badges for extra motivation. If you prefer, you can build a support network by sharing your weight goals and achievements with friends and family on Fitbit.com or through Facebook and Twitter. Fitbit's privacy settings make it easy to let you choose what to share on Fitbit, Facebook and Twitter.
Setting up Your Aria Smart Scale is Fast and Easy
You can link Aria to your home wireless network via either your personal computer or your smart phone. The scale is compatible with Macs and PCs and works with most browsers.
Click each image to see some of Fitbit's free online charts and graphs.
Compatible with Fitbit Ultra
In addition to providing insight into your weight trends, the Aria is also compatible with the Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity + Sleep Tracker (sold separately) to help you track your fitness trends by monitoring your steps, stairs, distance, calories burned and how well you sleep. Both products can be used separately or together. As a benefit, with both the Ultra tracker and an Aria scale, the data is seamlessly integrated together into one Fitbit dashboard.
Product and Warranty Information
The Aria measures 12-3/10 by 12-3/10 by 1-3/10 inches (H x W x D) and weights 4-1/4 pounds. It runs for months on four AA batteries (included).
The Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale is backed by a one-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, four AA batteries, and instructions.
Product Description
Fitbit aria helps you know where you stand and get where you want to be with your weight goals. Aria is a high performance scale, tracking weight, body mass index (BMI) and % body fat over time. After easy, wireless set-up, your Fitbit aria scale taps into your home wireless network and uploads your information automatically to fitbit.com each time you step on the scale. Automatically recognizes up to 8 different people in your home, sending their info to separate accounts at fitbit.com. At fitbit.com you’ll get a complete weight management system to help you set weight goals, keep on track and achieve your targets. On your computer or smartphone, you can view charts and graphs of your weight trends over time to keep you on track. To keep you motivated, fitbit.com lets you set goals and earn badges, and then connect with friends and share that information as you see fit. You can also log food and activities, then use Fitbit’s food plan tool to guide you to how many calories you can eat and still meet your weight goals. And when combined with the Fitbit wireless activity sleep tracker, you’ll really get a 360-degree view of your health and fitness, making you more aware of your daily activities and encouraging you to make small changes that can add up to big results.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 48 people found the following review helpful
By dhinmn
Color Name:White
I bought the Fitbit Aria scale since I had already been using a Fitbit Ultra and have been tracking steps, distance, calories burned, flights of stairs climbed, active score, and sleep stats with my Fitbit Ultra already. This Aria scale integrates in nicely on the Fitbit.com site, and the weight and Body Fat% stats show up in the dashboard right below the steps and other stats. You can then drill down further to get the individual measurements over time and see some charts over time too.
One thing to note: setup was very easy, but you do need to use a WIFI connection to do the setup (i.e. if you try to do the setup over a Ethernet wired computer that does not also support WIFI, the setup won't work). I brought a laptop that was running over WIFI into my bathroom to do the setup and that worked great. I already had an account on Fitbit.com so that made setup even easier. Setup only took a minute or two - you just need to know your password for your network since you will enter it during the setup procedure. My network uses mixed mode 802.11 b/g/n and WPA2 encryption, and the scale connected no problem.
The thing I really like about the scale is that you can earn weight badges for every 5 pounds lost, so that is motivating to see on the Fitbit site and in your email inbox. These show up under your accomplishments section on the site, in the same place that your steps and flights badges are if you have a Fitbit step tracker too.
As far as accuracy is concerned - I do see a very slight fluctuation in the weight and BF% numbers when I take repeated measurements. I have found that when I stand in a certain way, I can get consistent readings though. Otherwise the weight may fluctuate by .2 pounds or so, and the BF% by .2% or so. The important part is tracking the rate of change, and that works great on the website.
I added my family members and that was easy to do (and you can have a total of 8 people registered to the scale), you just need to send them an invite and then they log in to their Fitbit accounts and accept and then they can use the scale too (they need Fitbit.com accounts too see their results online). You can set privacy so that others can't see your weight and BF% results, and you can specify privacy by groups (i.e. friends Vs public). You also assign a 3-character name to each person (MOM, DAD, initials, etc) and then the scale will send the data to the right account for each measurement.
The scale also has a guest mode, so if somebody that is not registered to the scale weighs themselves on it, the data will post to your account under GUEST. That is a little stealthy I think.... the people won't know their weight was just recorded. And note that you can delete measurements from the website too, for those guests if you want or even your own if you maybe take a measurement at night right after eating and it is several pounds higher than your morning measurement. I typically only keep my morning measurements and delete any I take later in the day.
As for value - I do think it is a little overpriced. At maybe $99 or $79 it would be a great deal I think, but if this allows me (along with the Fitbit Ultra) to finally achieve my weight loss goals then I guess I'd have to say that the price was worth it!
There is not much for a printed 'owners manual' included so that my offset some people, but you really don't need one since the first step is to go to the [...] site and you will get all the info you need there.
All in all, I am really pleased with this scale. It sure is keeping me honest with my weight loss goals since I have my account opened to my family members to see so it offers built in accountability. Thanks for reading.
(Note that I do not own the Withings scale so I can not make any comparisons of this scale against that one)
Update: since people were asking - I bought the scale at a local store since they became available in stores prior to Amazon having them available online. Amazon started selling them on 4/30/12, but I bought mine locally on 4/24/12 and have been using it since. I am an avid Amazon shopper but in this case I didn't want to wait!
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By R. Hernandez
Color Name:Black|Amazon Verified Purchase
*Packaging & Contents
-The scale comes in a small box within the retail box. The scale comes ready to be put on the floor, just take a plastic tab from the battery compartment. Inside there is a flier that gives you the website to do the setup.
*Setup
-EASY!! I see many reviews complaining about the setup. Not my case. This are the steps I took.
-Took scale out of the box and placed it in the floor without turning it on.
-Downloaded the setup software from the fitbit website to my macbook and run it.
-Logged into my previously created fitbit account.
-I turned on the scale by quickly stepping on it and steeping off.
-Then the software on the computer asks you if you want to use the wifi network you computer is using, and that's it. It will automatically find the scale and use your previously stored password to set it up. (if you have other wi-fi networks close to you, remember to put the scale as close to your router as possible. Your router has to be b/g compatible.)
*Scale
-I ordered the black glass scale and it looks good. When you step up, it weights you and recognizes the user to give you a fat %. Online you can look at your BMI and fat vs. lean mass.
Guests users will only see their weight because there is no height to calculate a fat%.
I think it is very accurate when it comes to fat% by "bio-electrical impedance analysis" versus my skin fold calculations.
*Important note:
It's important that you weight yourself at the same time everyday. I would recommend as soon as you wake up as a good daily reference. The Bio-electrical analysis depends on the electrical conductivity of your body (fat is not a good conductor). So remember that if you are dehydrated your conductivity is less (increasing your fat%), or if you have to much water in your system it will increase your conductivity (decreasing your fat%).
This is not a medical equipment, don't expect an exact result.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:White|Amazon Verified Purchase
*Edited to try to add a web link that Amazon does not delete and to add BMI observations*
Fitbit has the exact approach that I am looking for in fitness devices: worry free. I embraced the fitbit pedometer philosophy of set up and then update a journal wirelessly. It works for me.
So when the FitBit Aria was introduced and I got past the sticker shock, I realized it was a necessary addition for me given my lifestyle and infinite fitness procrastination. Rather than manually entering weight numbers (what a chore!) this gadget inputs it for me.
Yes, it makes a difference. It also helps that it is very sleek looking and sexy (for a scale). And it seems to work from a quite a distance (dependent on your wifi network strength) and does not require any other antennas.
Why four stars? Because it galls me to admit that the simple action of input weight numbers manually is often too much for me. But for that e-link, there are lower cost options like "Eatsmart Precision Plus Digital Bathroom Scale" ($36.95) or the fancier "Ozeri Touch 440 lb Digital Bath Scale" ($48.95); both are well reviewed. That is over a $70 premium for an e-link.
Setup is very easy, I don't understand what problems other reviewers are having. The issue may be that getting to the actual download site is not as intuitive as it should be. You can use any of these options listed at this link (I hope this link gets thru the Amazon link police. If not, simply google "Aria Scale Set-up Questions" and select the fitbit link).
help.fitbit.
com
/customer/portal/articles/516145-aria-scale-set-up-questions
I think that the link above is far more useful than the "manual". I used the PC zip file and there was no issue.
There are a couple of things that are not intuitive but still easy:
1. If you have multiple users you have to set up on one account and then send emails to invite the others. Up to eight fitbit users can hook up to it. The steps are as follows:
(i) Administrator is the first person set up
(ii) Administrator has to send an email invite from the dashboard
(iii) The new person has to accept email invite
(iv) The new person has to go on the scale and take a measurement - it will log as "guest" on the web log
(v) then the administrator has to go into the measurements on their FitBit account and assign that new "guest" weight measurement to the new person (there is a pull-down menu option). Maybe the person can self-assign at the scale but if that option was available we missed it and had to go back to the admin's account.
(vi) After that, all future weight measurements go just to that person.
(vii) Note that the person's privacy settings do apply but only after the administrator has assigned that measurement to that person.
2. The scale figures out who is on the scale and confirms by displaying the initials after it gives you the weight and body fat in percent (BMI).
3. If the scale can't figure out who you are then it asks you to choose from options. so far it easily identifies everyone so I have not seen this actually in use.
4. if you are not one of the registered people then it will assume you are a guest and simply mark you as such.
5. you can't see the other's weights unless they share it (guests do not have that option).
6. it seems to have a great wi-fi range so I have not had issues with that.
7. it is not intuitive how you get to the scale from the dashboard. under devices (right hand side under "app gallery - learn more" icon), there is a "Devices" panel. In rather light letters you will see that "Scale" has been added to the right of "Tracker" (if you have a FitBit pedometer). That is how the administrator (the first person to set up) can get to the scale settings.
8. BMI is a little gimmicky in my opinion. Consumer Reports will not even rate BMI scales because the technology is inherently inaccurate. Even the best BMI bathroom scales have a 5% error margin or more. My friend did the water immersion BMI test (the current "gold standadard" for BMI measurements) and compared to her (another brand, not Aria) highly rated scale at home and found it had 5-6% error. For the Aria, I don't know its accuracy but after using it for nearly two weeks I would say that I have seen a 5% fluctuation that I cannot entirely explain. Now that I am following the tips below, it seems to be giving a steady and more consistent reading. Consistent does not mean accurate. If someone has more data on Aria BMI accuracy then please do add your comments.
TIPS FOR BEST BMI READINGS
a. Best to use BMI to measure progress as the readings are not entirely accurate. Reviews on other BMI scales have linked BMI quality to price, so maybe Aria is more accurate than most.
b. Measure yourself at the same time of day and under the same conditions. Some advise to drink the same amount of water one hour before each measurement and most advise to not do it when dehydrated (like after exercising). I just do it first thing in the morning.
c. If you are so inclined, try the BMI gold standards "DEXA Scanning" or "hydrodensitometry" (water immersion). I am not that fanatical. Honestly, for me, even 5% accuracy is just fine. Those other tests go for $40 - $75 and can be done at health clubs and doctors' offices.
- Accurately track your weight body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) online
- Upload your stats automatically via wi-fi to fitbit.com to see graphs of your progress
- Easy to set-up the aria will automatically recognize up to eight users
- With aria each account is password protected so you can control how much and what data to share
Product Description - Color: Black
Amazon.com Product Description
The Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale measures your weight, body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) to provide a full picture of your weight trends. This Wi-Fi enabled scale helps you reach your weight goals by letting you set goals, track your progress effortlessly, and stay motivated each and every day. Your stats automatically upload to your Fitbit dashboard through Wi-Fi, where you can get a more comprehensive view of your health and fitness and track your eating and exercise habits. Set up is fast; the scale can be set up to automatically recognize up to 8 users. You can check your progress from your computer or with a free smartphone app. The scale is available in your choice of black or white.Tracks Weight, Body Fat, and BMI
To give you a more complete look at your weight management, the Aria tracks body fat and body mass index (BMI) as well as weight. Using several types of measurements helps you better understand your fitness progress. Weight can be measured in pounds, kilograms, or stones. The Aria's weight limit is 350 pounds.Automatically Uploads Stats via Wi-Fi for up to Eight Users
The Fitbit Aria Scale uploads your data through Wi-Fi directly to your Fitbit dashboard. The scale will automatically recognize up to eight users by weight so you need only step on it to send your latest weight stats to your account. Your data on the scale remains private unless you choose to share it with other users.Charts and Weight Management Tools
Using your Fitbit.com account, you can track your progress with charts and graphs. You can use free tools to set weight goals, log food, other activities.Free Smartphone Apps
Fitbit offers both an Android and iPhone app so you can set goals, log food and other activities, and see your progress toward your weight goals on the go.Get Motivated and Share Your Success
As you progress toward your weight goal, Fitbit.com awards you with badges for extra motivation. If you prefer, you can build a support network by sharing your weight goals and achievements with friends and family on Fitbit.com or through Facebook and Twitter. Fitbit's privacy settings make it easy to let you choose what to share on Fitbit, Facebook and Twitter.
Setting up Your Aria Smart Scale is Fast and Easy
You can link Aria to your home wireless network via either your personal computer or your smart phone. The scale is compatible with Macs and PCs and works with most browsers.
Click each image to see some of Fitbit's free online charts and graphs.Compatible with Fitbit Ultra
In addition to providing insight into your weight trends, the Aria is also compatible with the Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity + Sleep Tracker (sold separately) to help you track your fitness trends by monitoring your steps, stairs, distance, calories burned and how well you sleep. Both products can be used separately or together. As a benefit, with both the Ultra tracker and an Aria scale, the data is seamlessly integrated together into one Fitbit dashboard.Product and Warranty Information
The Aria measures 12-3/10 by 12-3/10 by 1-3/10 inches (H x W x D) and weights 4-1/4 pounds. It runs for months on four AA batteries (included).The Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale is backed by a one-year limited warranty.What's in the Box
Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, four AA batteries, and instructions.Product Description
Fitbit aria helps you know where you stand and get where you want to be with your weight goals. Aria is a high performance scale, tracking weight, body mass index (BMI) and % body fat over time. After easy, wireless set-up, your Fitbit aria scale taps into your home wireless network and uploads your information automatically to fitbit.com each time you step on the scale. Automatically recognizes up to 8 different people in your home, sending their info to separate accounts at fitbit.com. At fitbit.com you’ll get a complete weight management system to help you set weight goals, keep on track and achieve your targets. On your computer or smartphone, you can view charts and graphs of your weight trends over time to keep you on track. To keep you motivated, fitbit.com lets you set goals and earn badges, and then connect with friends and share that information as you see fit. You can also log food and activities, then use Fitbit’s food plan tool to guide you to how many calories you can eat and still meet your weight goals. And when combined with the Fitbit wireless activity sleep tracker, you’ll really get a 360-degree view of your health and fitness, making you more aware of your daily activities and encouraging you to make small changes that can add up to big results.Most Helpful Customer Reviews45 of 48 people found the following review helpfulBy dhinmnColor Name:WhiteI bought the Fitbit Aria scale since I had already been using a Fitbit Ultra and have been tracking steps, distance, calories burned, flights of stairs climbed, active score, and sleep stats with my Fitbit Ultra already. This Aria scale integrates in nicely on the Fitbit.com site, and the weight and Body Fat% stats show up in the dashboard right below the steps and other stats. You can then drill down further to get the individual measurements over time and see some charts over time too.
One thing to note: setup was very easy, but you do need to use a WIFI connection to do the setup (i.e. if you try to do the setup over a Ethernet wired computer that does not also support WIFI, the setup won't work). I brought a laptop that was running over WIFI into my bathroom to do the setup and that worked great. I already had an account on Fitbit.com so that made setup even easier. Setup only took a minute or two - you just need to know your password for your network since you will enter it during the setup procedure. My network uses mixed mode 802.11 b/g/n and WPA2 encryption, and the scale connected no problem.
The thing I really like about the scale is that you can earn weight badges for every 5 pounds lost, so that is motivating to see on the Fitbit site and in your email inbox. These show up under your accomplishments section on the site, in the same place that your steps and flights badges are if you have a Fitbit step tracker too.
As far as accuracy is concerned - I do see a very slight fluctuation in the weight and BF% numbers when I take repeated measurements. I have found that when I stand in a certain way, I can get consistent readings though. Otherwise the weight may fluctuate by .2 pounds or so, and the BF% by .2% or so. The important part is tracking the rate of change, and that works great on the website.
I added my family members and that was easy to do (and you can have a total of 8 people registered to the scale), you just need to send them an invite and then they log in to their Fitbit accounts and accept and then they can use the scale too (they need Fitbit.com accounts too see their results online). You can set privacy so that others can't see your weight and BF% results, and you can specify privacy by groups (i.e. friends Vs public). You also assign a 3-character name to each person (MOM, DAD, initials, etc) and then the scale will send the data to the right account for each measurement.
The scale also has a guest mode, so if somebody that is not registered to the scale weighs themselves on it, the data will post to your account under GUEST. That is a little stealthy I think.... the people won't know their weight was just recorded. And note that you can delete measurements from the website too, for those guests if you want or even your own if you maybe take a measurement at night right after eating and it is several pounds higher than your morning measurement. I typically only keep my morning measurements and delete any I take later in the day.
As for value - I do think it is a little overpriced. At maybe $99 or $79 it would be a great deal I think, but if this allows me (along with the Fitbit Ultra) to finally achieve my weight loss goals then I guess I'd have to say that the price was worth it!
There is not much for a printed 'owners manual' included so that my offset some people, but you really don't need one since the first step is to go to the [...] site and you will get all the info you need there.
All in all, I am really pleased with this scale. It sure is keeping me honest with my weight loss goals since I have my account opened to my family members to see so it offers built in accountability. Thanks for reading.
(Note that I do not own the Withings scale so I can not make any comparisons of this scale against that one)
Update: since people were asking - I bought the scale at a local store since they became available in stores prior to Amazon having them available online. Amazon started selling them on 4/30/12, but I bought mine locally on 4/24/12 and have been using it since. I am an avid Amazon shopper but in this case I didn't want to wait!23 of 24 people found the following review helpfulBy R. HernandezColor Name:Black|Amazon Verified Purchase*Packaging & Contents
-The scale comes in a small box within the retail box. The scale comes ready to be put on the floor, just take a plastic tab from the battery compartment. Inside there is a flier that gives you the website to do the setup.
*Setup
-EASY!! I see many reviews complaining about the setup. Not my case. This are the steps I took.
-Took scale out of the box and placed it in the floor without turning it on.
-Downloaded the setup software from the fitbit website to my macbook and run it.
-Logged into my previously created fitbit account.
-I turned on the scale by quickly stepping on it and steeping off.
-Then the software on the computer asks you if you want to use the wifi network you computer is using, and that's it. It will automatically find the scale and use your previously stored password to set it up. (if you have other wi-fi networks close to you, remember to put the scale as close to your router as possible. Your router has to be b/g compatible.)
*Scale
-I ordered the black glass scale and it looks good. When you step up, it weights you and recognizes the user to give you a fat %. Online you can look at your BMI and fat vs. lean mass.
Guests users will only see their weight because there is no height to calculate a fat%.
I think it is very accurate when it comes to fat% by "bio-electrical impedance analysis" versus my skin fold calculations.
*Important note:
It's important that you weight yourself at the same time everyday. I would recommend as soon as you wake up as a good daily reference. The Bio-electrical analysis depends on the electrical conductivity of your body (fat is not a good conductor). So remember that if you are dehydrated your conductivity is less (increasing your fat%), or if you have to much water in your system it will increase your conductivity (decreasing your fat%).
This is not a medical equipment, don't expect an exact result.8 of 8 people found the following review helpfulColor Name:White|Amazon Verified Purchase*Edited to try to add a web link that Amazon does not delete and to add BMI observations*
Fitbit has the exact approach that I am looking for in fitness devices: worry free. I embraced the fitbit pedometer philosophy of set up and then update a journal wirelessly. It works for me.
So when the FitBit Aria was introduced and I got past the sticker shock, I realized it was a necessary addition for me given my lifestyle and infinite fitness procrastination. Rather than manually entering weight numbers (what a chore!) this gadget inputs it for me.
Yes, it makes a difference. It also helps that it is very sleek looking and sexy (for a scale). And it seems to work from a quite a distance (dependent on your wifi network strength) and does not require any other antennas.
Why four stars? Because it galls me to admit that the simple action of input weight numbers manually is often too much for me. But for that e-link, there are lower cost options like "Eatsmart Precision Plus Digital Bathroom Scale" ($36.95) or the fancier "Ozeri Touch 440 lb Digital Bath Scale" ($48.95); both are well reviewed. That is over a $70 premium for an e-link.
Setup is very easy, I don't understand what problems other reviewers are having. The issue may be that getting to the actual download site is not as intuitive as it should be. You can use any of these options listed at this link (I hope this link gets thru the Amazon link police. If not, simply google "Aria Scale Set-up Questions" and select the fitbit link).
help.fitbit.
com
/customer/portal/articles/516145-aria-scale-set-up-questions
I think that the link above is far more useful than the "manual". I used the PC zip file and there was no issue.
There are a couple of things that are not intuitive but still easy:
1. If you have multiple users you have to set up on one account and then send emails to invite the others. Up to eight fitbit users can hook up to it. The steps are as follows:
(i) Administrator is the first person set up
(ii) Administrator has to send an email invite from the dashboard
(iii) The new person has to accept email invite
(iv) The new person has to go on the scale and take a measurement - it will log as "guest" on the web log
(v) then the administrator has to go into the measurements on their FitBit account and assign that new "guest" weight measurement to the new person (there is a pull-down menu option). Maybe the person can self-assign at the scale but if that option was available we missed it and had to go back to the admin's account.
(vi) After that, all future weight measurements go just to that person.
(vii) Note that the person's privacy settings do apply but only after the administrator has assigned that measurement to that person.
2. The scale figures out who is on the scale and confirms by displaying the initials after it gives you the weight and body fat in percent (BMI).
3. If the scale can't figure out who you are then it asks you to choose from options. so far it easily identifies everyone so I have not seen this actually in use.
4. if you are not one of the registered people then it will assume you are a guest and simply mark you as such.
5. you can't see the other's weights unless they share it (guests do not have that option).
6. it seems to have a great wi-fi range so I have not had issues with that.
7. it is not intuitive how you get to the scale from the dashboard. under devices (right hand side under "app gallery - learn more" icon), there is a "Devices" panel. In rather light letters you will see that "Scale" has been added to the right of "Tracker" (if you have a FitBit pedometer). That is how the administrator (the first person to set up) can get to the scale settings.
8. BMI is a little gimmicky in my opinion. Consumer Reports will not even rate BMI scales because the technology is inherently inaccurate. Even the best BMI bathroom scales have a 5% error margin or more. My friend did the water immersion BMI test (the current "gold standadard" for BMI measurements) and compared to her (another brand, not Aria) highly rated scale at home and found it had 5-6% error. For the Aria, I don't know its accuracy but after using it for nearly two weeks I would say that I have seen a 5% fluctuation that I cannot entirely explain. Now that I am following the tips below, it seems to be giving a steady and more consistent reading. Consistent does not mean accurate. If someone has more data on Aria BMI accuracy then please do add your comments.
TIPS FOR BEST BMI READINGS
a. Best to use BMI to measure progress as the readings are not entirely accurate. Reviews on other BMI scales have linked BMI quality to price, so maybe Aria is more accurate than most.
b. Measure yourself at the same time of day and under the same conditions. Some advise to drink the same amount of water one hour before each measurement and most advise to not do it when dehydrated (like after exercising). I just do it first thing in the morning.
c. If you are so inclined, try the BMI gold standards "DEXA Scanning" or "hydrodensitometry" (water immersion). I am not that fanatical. Honestly, for me, even 5% accuracy is just fine. Those other tests go for $40 - $75 and can be done at health clubs and doctors' offices.
