Why an Accelerometer?

The most accurate pedometers on the market today are Accelerometers. Accelerometers also test more accurate than spring-levered pedometers.  An accelerometer pedometer doesn’t have any moving parts so it is silent while you walk.  A pedometer with a spring-levered mechanism will make a clicking noise while counting steps.

The accuracy on a spring-levered mechanism becomes a problem if they are not worn in a verticle position. This happens with people who have a larger body shape and/or waist measurement.  It can also happen to those who walk at slower speeds. The great thing about an accelerometer is that it can be worn at any angle of tilt and still be accurate. It’s also more user-friendly. It filters out incidental movement like crossing your legs or sneezing, being bumped. The accelerometer pedometer has a 5 second delay to prevent recording false steps and then starts counting at the 6th second so that the step count stays accurate.

While the Digi-Walker or mechanical pedometers had to be worn on the waistband at a vertical angle for accuracy, the accelerometer can be worn on the waist, on the wrist, in a pocket or hang from a lanyard around the neck (this depends on the model and the brand).

If there is a drawback to the Accelerometer Pedometer it is that it will use more battery power than a normal pedometer battery. Careful selection of your accelerometer is important as you want a model that will go into “sleep mode” when inactive which will help to save battery power. Depending on the accelerometer, your battery can last well over a year and is easy to replace.

Check out the pedometer page for more information and to see our Accelerometer Pedometers.