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What Can Cause GPS Accuracy Issues on My Fitness Device?
The quality of the GPS signal on your Garmin® device can affect the track location, pace values, and distance recorded in your activity. This FAQ provides information on what can affect the quality of your GPS signal.
GPS Drift
This is the difference between your location and the location recorded by your device. Consumer-grade GPS receivers (such as the ones Garmin makes) are not 100% accurate. This will usually cause a difference between your actual location and your recorded location.
GPS location accuracy is around 3 meters (10 feet), 95% of the time on Garmin devices. This means, at any given time, your device will save your location within 3 meters of your actual location. If your device is recording a GPS location every second and you do not pause an activity while standing still, your device can record up to 180 meters (590 ft) in just 1 minute. When in an area with degraded GPS signal, your device can record even more distance while stopped. The distance recorded while standing still is a representation of GPS Drift.
Environmental Factors
Using your device in environments with interference like the items listed below can block the device's ability to directly receive GPS signal. This can result in a poor GPS track as well as the device having a difficult time providing you with an accurate pace value which may fluctuate quite a bit by jumping around instead of being a steady value.
Tall buildings
Large groups of people
Dense tree cover
Examples of GPS Drift and Environmental Factors
Select an option below to reveal examples.
GPS Indoors
The image below shows a track recorded by an Edge cycling computer that was turned on and recording in a building. This illustrates what it would look like if you were to record GPS while standing still in a highly degraded GPS environment.
Stopping Without Pausing During an Activity
This image shows a runner that stopped for a short amount of time without pausing their activity. You can see that the device continued to record GPS points while the person was stopped. This added some additional distance to their trail run activity.
Poor GPS Signal Due to Environmental Factors
In the example below, the device was recording an activity in an area known as an "Urban Canyon". The tall buildings significantly reduce the GPS signal to the device causing a degraded signal due to poor visibility of the horizon and GPS signal refraction caused by windows on taller buildings. This results in a poor GPS track and pace value.
How Can I Improve GPS Distance and Accuracy on My Garmin Device?
The information below will help you take steps to improve inaccuracies with accuracy, distance, or pace. Be aware that environmental factors cannot be completely overcome, and GPS drift is a natural occurrence.
Choose an option below to reveal details.
Wait a Few Moments After Acquiring a GPS Signal
When a device initially displays that GPS is ready, it means that the device has picked up the minimum amount of satellites needed to get your location. Waiting a few moments after your device finds a signal will allow additional time to communicate with satellites before you start moving for your activity. This practice, also known as GPS soaking, allows for your device to communicate to additional satellites, creating a stronger bond and helping to reduce degradation of GPS signal.
Soaking GPS
Select an activity.
Wait for the GPS ready message or GPS indicator to turn green.
Wait 2-5 minutes before you start the timer for your activity.
Turn on Auto Pause
Recording GPS while stopped is one of the biggest contributors to inaccurate distance in an activity. Setting your device to pause when you are stopped can greatly reduce the amount of additional distance recorded. For instructions on enabling auto pause refer to your owner's manual.
Enable Every Second Recording
Some Garmin devices offer the choice between Smart Recording or Every Second Recording. This setting refers to the interval at which GPS data is recorded into an activity file. While Smart Recording takes up less memory, Every Second Recording provides a more defined track log of your activity for the most accurate position, distance, and speed information.
In general, this setting can be changed from your device's Settings > System > Data Recording menu. For specific steps or to confirm if this feature is available on your device, consult your owner's manual.
On some fitness devices you can enable a secondary satellite constellation or additional satellite settings to allow your device to more quickly acquire a satellite fix. This can help maintain satellite connection in degraded signal situations where the environment may be a factor. If you are experiencing issues with speed and distance due to degraded GPS signal, enabling a secondary satellite constellation or additional settings may help. Refer to your owner's manual for instructions on how to change GPS settings.
NOTE: Enabling a secondary satellite constellation will use additional battery power when using GPS on your watch
Examples of Secondary Satellite Constellations:
GLONASS: Short for Global Navigation Satellite System, GLONASS is a Russian satellite-based navigation system that works alongside GPS (Global Positioning System) to provide position information to compatible devices. With an additional 24 satellites to utilize, GLONASS compatible receivers can acquire satellites up to 20% faster than devices that rely on GPS alone.
Galileo: On December 15th, 2016 the European Commission announced that the European satellite system Galileo will start offering its initial services. Over the next few years, Galileo will increase the number of satellites from the existing 18 to the full operational capacity of 30 satellites.
Other Satellite Settings:
NOTE: These settings do not exist on all devices, see your owner's manual to see what GPS settings options your device has.
All Systems (Multi-GNSS): Enables multiple satellite systems including: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, Beidou, and IRNSS (NavIC). This offers increased performance in challenging environments and faster position acquisition than using GPS only.
All (Multi-GNSS) + Multi-Band: Enables multiple satellite systems on multiple frequency bands. This allows for more consistent track logs, improved positioning, and fewer multi-path and atmospheric errors when using the device in challenging environments.
Auto Select: Enables the watch to use SatIQ™ technology to dynamically select the best multi-band system based on your environment. The Auto Select setting offers the best positioning accuracy while still prioritizing battery life.
Use Distance and Speed Recording Accessories
Sometimes you may not be able to avoid degraded signal caused by environmental factors. Sensors available include wheel speed sensors and foot pods. These sensors will override GPS when calculating speed and/or distance. Many companies offer these type of sensors for purchase that can be paired with most Garmin devices that support them.
Reduce Environmental Factors
The first step to recording accurate GPS data is to reduce distortion and degradation caused by environmental factors. GPS works best when there are no obstructions above 15 degrees over the horizon. Avoid the following when recording activities:
Tall buildings
Dense forest or canopy
Canyons
Using GPS in a dense group of people
Using GPS indoors
Using GPS underwater
For more information on troubleshooting GPS, see the Related content below.
