Top 10 Waterproof Fitness Trackers Reviewed and Rated

Using your fitness tracker is easy, most of the time, but if you don't know the basics you could actually make some mistakes that could make the data inaccurate. We will share with you some basic rules to follow when wearing your tracker in order to optimize your results.

First things first, the numbers you see on that screen will never be completely accurate, and they should always be taken with a grain of salt. We're not saying that you shouldn't trust your tracker, we're saying that you shouldn't take every number you see there by heart, and should instead figure out just how accurate your watch is before you get to use it, or after you've used it for just a few times. The location you wear your tracker on could, in fact, affect the numbers the watch shows you. The way the watch fits around your wrist makes it more or less accurate. When you're not working out, and are just doing whatever you do normally, the watch should rest just one finger above your wrist. The fit must be tight to some degree, but don't let it constrict your movement and circulation. The little LED light that gauges your heart rate and calories burned should not be visible - your skin should cover it, for the most accurate results. When you exercise, the tracker should be as close to your skin as possible without affecting your exercise. Keep it two fingers above your wrists this time.

Make sure that you've warmed up properly before you exercise, and once you're warmed up, start your tracker. This way, you provide it with the most accurate data, and it can make a really precise assumption. If you see that your tracker has stopped measuring what it needs to, or it's failing to track your exercise, it's a good idea to stop briefly to give it time to get back on track. Before you put your tracker on, make sure that your skin is clean and dry. Also make sure to take the tracker off from time to time, to let your skin breathe, and to keep it safe from rashes. You should also keep your band and the tracker clean, by washing it down with water and a little bit of mild soap. If you follow everything we listed here, we are sure that your watch will work just the way it was intended to!

The accuracy of your fitness tracker is almost solely based on one little thing - the LED light that shines when you can't see it do its magic. This little light measures your heartbeat, by sensing the flow of your blood through your illuminated skin. This measurement then helps the tracker gauge your heart rate, calories burned, and everything else in between. The pedometer is an old invention, and they simply sense the movements you make when you walk. If you're unsure whether the pedometer you have is accurate or not, you can test it - get the counter to zero, and then walk 50 steps. If the number you see on the screen ranges from 45 to 55, that is considered acceptable, and you've got a pretty accurate pedometer. If the numbers are different, then you probably shouldn't rely on your tracker to gauge your steps. The built-in GPS, if your tracker has one, can guide you through the water or woods, or through the city, and it can tell you where you've been, and how fast you were going. Their accuracy depends on how good the signal transmitted is.

When in the water though, the accuracy of some waterproof fitness trackers changes. This is simply because it's much harder for the watch to keep track of everything while submerged in water! This is because there are a lot more factors affecting the results, like the motion of the water and its temperature. We're not saying that there isn't such a thing as an accurate waterproof or water-resistant tracker, we're just saying that you have to be extra careful on how you use your watch, and make sure to not overuse your watch in water, and the results will be more or less precise.

A lot of fitness activity trackers advertise the fact that they are water-resistant. Only a few actually claim to be waterproof. This causes a lot of confusion in the minds of potential buyers. So, can you take your water-resistant activity tracker into the pool with you? And, what is the difference between a device being water-resistant and waterproof?

A fitness tracker that is water-resistant is very different from one that is waterproof. Water-resistant trackers give you the lowest level of water protection. The design of the tracker has been specifically created to make it difficult for water to get into the inner part of the unit.

An activity tracker will not be affected by water. So, rather than trying to keep water out of the device, the mechanics will work perfectly well regardless of the level of water penetration.

As of this writing, however, there is no industry standard as to just what constitutes a waterproof device. Without a standard, the door is left open for inferior quality. Something could be listed as waterproof when it is actually only water-resistant.

There are a number of abbreviations that you need to know about in order to make an informed decision around this area:​

IP: ​IP stands for ingress protection. It refers to a standard set up by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Ratings such as IP67 are commonly seen on Fitness Tracker packaging

The first digit in the IP rating addresses the ability of the device to stop dust from penetrating. Zero is the lowest category and six is the highest. The second addresses the ability of the fitness tracker to stop water from getting in. Zero is the lowest category here, with 9 being the highest.

ATM: ​ATM stands for atmospheres. This measures the water depth pressure a fitness tracker can withstand when you are swimming. A rating of 5 ATM means that you can safely go down to 50 meters underwater.

Fitness trackers with an ATM rating of between 1 and 3 are not considered safe to take into the water.

As you already know, your fitness tracker is filled with many neat features that make exercising fun and exciting! From the most basic functions, like the pedometer, to the most advanced tracking programs, your fitness tracker is a device rich with data that makes keeping track of everything at least a thousand times easier.

Besides the pedometer, the watch has many more apps on its plate to offer you. One thing that every device can certainly do is connect with a different device. It can do that either through ANT+, Bluetooth, or wi-fi. All of these ways to connect your tracker are pretty stable and precise, provided that the watch is near the device it needs to be connected with. The further away you are the harder it is to transfer the data! The tracker usually also lets you connect a chest strap heart rate monitor, to make tracking your heart rate even more precise. If you connect your tracker with a phone, you can then receive notifications from your phone on your watch to stay connected with important people all day. You can also download apps provided by the tracker's company to see your data. Some watches track your sleep - this is a handy function, but you should know that it's not so accurate, it's actually the least accurate function of all of them! The number of calories you burned is accurate, but only if the heart rate monitor is accurate too because the watch needs that data in order to estimate your burned calories.

The battery life of your waterproof fitness tracker is something you should definitely check before you opt-out to buy it. Most of the time, fitness trackers last at least 24 hours before they need to be charged, and some can even last 6 months or a year! The battery life matters because you don't want your tracker to turn off every day or even less - it's inconvenient when you need to charge it all the time, no matter how fast it gets charged. You can also lose some valuable data if it decides to shut down while you're monitoring something.

There are some things you can try to do if you want the battery to last longer. The number you see advertised for battery life actually shows you how long it can last if you use it as little as possible, which is just not the reality here. You will be using your watch every day, and the battery will drain faster than that. The number of features you use at the same time will affect your battery, and the more you have turned on the faster it will drain! So if you want to prolong the life of your tracker, do not use a lot of features if you do not need to. The vibration patterns and sounds your watch makes can also shorten the battery life. Of course, you didn't buy the tracker to not use it, so what you can do to make it last longer is to turn off the light on your display, tone down the brightness, and make it turn off as soon as you stop using it. The display is something that will not affect your experience with the tracker, and you can set it this way to make your battery last longer. All-day heart rate tracking and sleep tracking also drain your battery life. All in all, there are a lot of things that affect the battery, you just need to make sure that it's charged enough for when you want to use it and you will have zero problems.