The weather data is a good addition, but in my specific case I already have easy access to that. The actual measurements from the scale would be more useful long term to me, since they have over the years suddenly changed algorithms and their ‘activity’ level settings. It won’t transmit over Bluetooth at all for weight. All my other Garmin devices (Fenix 6 and Edge 1030) sync with Bluetooth. Really interested with the body fat part of this scale, but is it any good ? Hey Ray, A roundup of the week's content along with interesting and relevant links from around the web and the most recent race results. THIS would be a feature making me buying a smart scale! Ultimately though, for me, I don’t put much value in these extended metrics using electro impedance like other scales (nor do I put much value in people using calipers, most folks screw that up – despite having done it ‘hundreds’ or ‘thousands’ of times). One problem I consistently have with the 1st generation Index is the weigh is consistency 2-3 pounds higher than any other digital scale that I compare with. Also, while on the back of the scale you’ll notice two things you can poke at (besides the springs on the battery compartment). I understood that it is possible to jump on the scale and it syncs via Garmin connect to trainingpeaks. In the case of the Index S2, it retains the same expensive price as previous, but now adds the new color display and trending information. Seems like reasonable refreshes of neglected products though I will not be replacing my original Index. I’ve been using the scale for a bit now, but also just as importantly the original Index scale for quite some time before that. Been using that smartscalesync.com for 2 years also, works great! It’s been working flawlessly for I think 2 years now syncing my Withings scale to Garmin. That would be a simple workaround. Now – what about accuracy? The model is ok and build by measurements of a lot of people where the BF correlates with weight. Owners have reported issues on forums.garmin.com Data upload problems that occurred on the original Index Smart Scale still exist with the S2. 2.4GHz only according to the documentation. My old Tanita is still doing its job, but I am still looking for an affordable replacement with connectivity, but of course needs to do its main job first. link to huffpost.com. The S2 is smaller and lighter than the previous model, with a new color display and improved sensors for increased accuracy. Hydration goes up then “measured” body fat goes down and VV. Essentially your name, but somehow only four characters are allowed. Während des Garmin Index S2 Tests stand eine Polar Balance Körperwaage zur Verfügung, die allerdings nur das Körpergewicht erfasst. I ended up turning that off because I thought the numbers were too low. Yes, scales are indeed very accurate for measuring weight, no one is denying this. (If the phone has no 3G, then BT connection wouldn’t help either) Workaround? All of that synchronicity still happens with the Index S2, but the device itself isn’t quite as revolutionary this time around – rather, it includes a handful of pleasant display updates and advanced sensors for improved accuracy. My old Tanita BC1000 measures visceral fat, physique rating and metabolic age. Ray, have you heard anything if the Google deal is going to change that? The idea here being that if you wanted to do a workout (such as a long run on a hot day), you can compare the weight metric to the previous value quickly and easily. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. While this all still happens in the app – and trend lines can be extended out to 1 year – having a quick view of your 30-day trend gives you a nice snapshot of your recent progress (or lack thereof). Basic summary: An update to Garmin’s Index Smart Scale, which measures a number of physiological metrics in addition to basic weight. One will stay at home, one there. Surprisingly, there haven’t been many functional advancements in the smart scale world over the last five years. (weight is easy, even the cheapest of Walmart digital scale can nail that), I don’t trust Garmin to have nailed the body-composition in the S2 so I’ll hold onto the Body+ until more user reports trickle in. You can certainly apply for things now, but it’s just not as cohesive one-click process as planned. WiFi scales tend to be ‘set it and forget it’, versus a Bluetooth scale usually has dependencies on having your phone nearby, the app opened, Apple or Google not having broken something in the recent update, etc… Whereas a WiFi scale doesn’t care about your phone and does it all behind the scenes. Maybe if Garmin didnt charge a fortune for their dev tools – there would be more dev’s working on their platform. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. The tweaks were to allow for more accuracy and more sensitivity in the measurements. From the review, I deduce that garmin, for example, invents fat values. Hi Ray, Any info if the scale can handle 5 GHz WiFi connections now? In your device Sent every Thursday. I got a replacement showing the same problem. Historically speaking the Index scale has done better in the US. From the article I assume this is not recommended if I want reliable weight syncing with MyFitnessPal? Indeed as you said Ray the absolute value doesn’t matter, the evolution does, but the scale won’t measure below 7%. Got a replacement from Garmin, but same behavior. No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too! I often cannot see products that people link to. So if you already have the original Index and it works fine, not really worth it to upgrade? I feel like spending some money…but only with your blessing:). But the scale has a mind of its own, and frequently switches units on me. Not good for a device that cost me > £100. I’m tempted by this, if only because I’m 100% in the Garmin universe these days since the competition has dropped away and the Fenix line has matured. Ultimately, if you’ve got a Garmin device and want weight automatically updated on your account/devices, there are not many clean options. I see nothing here to cause me to upgrade. Ultimately, my partnership there is aimed at US people, whereas my Wiggle partnership is aimed at the rest of the world. Nice review Ray. – Tweaked some algorithms related to body fat & other impedance-based measurements (based on increased sensitivity of sensors) As you mentioned a weight loss after a workout is quite artificial. There’s no technical differences between those two to my knowledge, and Garmin isn’t clear either if perhaps it was resolved by a software update that occurred moments later on the scale. While it’s unlikely your Brady Bunch is that big in your house, this is more for team scenarios where multiple athletes are weighing in. Hi Larry, I’m thinking about it tonight (I have a $10 Prime Day credit burning a hole in my pocket). Literally any time my scale gets a splash of water on top the weight units reset to default and I have to manually change it back to kg using the silly button that sometimes can’t detect a finger. S1 could not. Is the experience with the S2 different? My index 1 stopped recording body weight metrics about a year ago after three or four years of ownership. After all that’s done, it’ll display your weight one final time, and then shut itself off – waiting patiently for its 30 seconds of use each day. Alternatively, you can view more details in the ‘Weight’ section under ‘Health Stats’. Yep, I have the same issue with my 1st gen Index scale. The weight measurements were identical, however the body fat/bonemass/body water measurements were slightly different (about .3% difference). fall where it falls……….or rises, so be it…. That chart shows how useless these things are, except to give indications of the direction of change…As a canonical example your bone mass changed 0.6 lb and back in the same day… I think that is a physical impossibility. The problem is, that if you are trining a lot, lose fat and win muscels your BF prediction is wrong. Albeit, I can’t say having a color display on my weight scale next to the toilet has been a major improvement in my day to day life. As it iterates through each of these data points it’ll show an icon above to it indicating what it is, such as muscle mass below. After the initial setup, the S2 will detect and install updates automatically after your weigh-in. This new model switches to a color display that’ll show weight trending information, helping to visualize the normal day to day fluctuations. In the UK/EU/Australia/New Zealand? I’ve had a Fitbit Aria for a few years and even though it meshes nicely with myfitnesspal, I have to export CSVs from fitbit to import into Garmin, and even then it sometimes doesn’t go to Strava. I do have a problem though, I currently live in a Marriott for work and will be for the next 10 months. Undoubtedly Garmin would argue (perhaps correctly) that the newer technology/sensors/algorithms in the newer scales are indeed more accurate. The other thing Garmin says they spent considerable time on was WiFi connectivity, seeming to acknowledge some of the problems people have had with the original Index scale. That’s in addition to all the baseline bits it previously did: – Measures weight (lbs/stones/kg) My favourite application is link to trendweight.com for the smoothed graph and trend-line. If you found this review useful you can hit up the links at the end of the review to help support the site. Garmin Connect does not correct that data point if you weight in. I am in Montreal, Canada. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. I am curious if this would affect your Garmin comparisons. After all you have no interesting BF “predictions” but more a kind of second weight measurement. If I had to spend just 1 manual minute every day to get my data somehow to the Garmin ecosystem, it would already be a bad investment to buy something else. The app will ask you if you’d like to invite any other users to the scale. Not sure why Garmin is still using AA batteries. Mine were relatively thin, thus, likely less impact. Similar to things like Dexa scans/etc…. “I’ve always found it kinda funny that for a digital scale that shows a gazillion metrics based on information in your account, that it relies upon a physical switch to change the way weight is shown.” I have a Withings Smart Body Analyzer. The fuzziness of each of the readings isn’t consequential to me. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And, once this post goes live the image and codename Garmin uses will magically change to the correct product image and real name instead of placeholders (Garmin does this for all products, to minimize leaks). I am still using my Fitbit Aria, sometimes I wish it had more metrics though. Wish me luck. If anything my old Index Smart Scale is more reliable and uploads faster. Will test that. When I look at the Index 2 vs Index 1, the weight is almost always nearly identical – such as .1lbs apart. I have not checked the terms and conditions recently but historically you were never meant to upload data that was not from a Garmin device. Hi Ray – Thanks for your review. Unless by some strange miracle I have been able to hold 7% body fat for 19 straight months. A) This is for read-only access to GC data (or, utilization of the transfer API’s like workout/courses) Just to clarify, the way Garmin.com availability works is it shows it for new orders. Also, the batteries in the Omron scale do not last long. “Especially, if you have a Tanita, you have something to loose in terms of usefulness of fat readings.”. The data are in cloud anyway. I did have some initial issues trying to get the scale to pair with my Google WiFi guest network, however, once I set it for the primary Google WiFi network it worked fine. Since the deal hasn’t gone through, in theory those companies are working separately still. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Garmin Index Smart Scale, Wi-Fi Digital Scale, Recognizes Up to 16 Users, Up to 9 Months of Battery Life, Black at Amazon.com. I swim, bike and run. – Body Water Percentage The old one could just use 2.4 GHz. Garmin may or may not be trying to make life hard. I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing? Sorry Ray, literally just showed up on Wiggle, when I checked before it was out of stock. Underneath the scale are 4 AAA batteries, and four feet to be used if the scale is placed on carpet. Then, an outdoor cam. Thank you for replying (and the review as well – great reading as always!). I’m wondering if you have any comparison with first generation when it comes to differen metrics like fat percentage? It’ll ask you to confirm the PIN number, to ensure you’re not snooping on your neighbor’s unconfigured scale or something. Just to confirm: Garmin Connect will not import my legacy weight measurements ((CSV file, etc. My wife prefers imperial and I prefer metric. The body fat is vastly different than the Garmin Index Smart Scale and inaccurate. Plus will this also update the weight I´ve entered in the setup to calculate e.g. – Supports up to 16 users I am cheap like that! . So in my case, I’ve got piles of data that would show up here – and most importantly from a vanity standpoint, show up with a nice decreasing trendline over the past while. – Added ability to customize which data (widgets) are shown on scale I don’t understand why all other graphs are so bad. i could probably get my head around ignoring the number and looking at trends but really i’m not sure i can trust anything about the BF readings when the numbers are so completely, obviously wrong. You don’t need the feet if placed on a hard surface, but the batteries are required if you want the scale to do anything other than act as a paperweight. I wrestled in highschool and the difference between calipers, bioimpedence, and hydrostatic testing is crazy. Does the scale acknowledged that the weight was before or after a workout which may cause weight loss? Presentation of the Garmin Index™ S2 Smart Scale Details of the Garmin Index™ S2 Smart Scale Accuracy matters when it comes to your goals. i’m in a similar position. For example, I’ve found that for most 45-60min indoor trainer workouts I tend to lose about 2 pounds. I’ll definetely vouch for Patrick and the SmartScaleSync website. Messy, but possible, if a Connect IQ developer wanted to do it with a watch-face. But I do agree, it seems like a great example of a no-brainer type widget Garmin could add to their own watches relatively easily. Reckon you could get Doom to run on it? It fails somehow at this most basic task for the most pro-Garmin customers. Any chance your phone plan allows WiFi tethering? You can click here to Subscribe without commenting. I will give it until end of March, if its not available then I’ll go with another Withins scale after this one has given 8 years service. Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? Now, to run through what’s new on this scale, I’ve got the Index 1 and Index S2 side by side. If you’re more of a once/week or bi-monthly weigh-in person, or you are all about getting the most functionality for the least money, you can get a $30 Bluetooth scale on Amazon and manually copy the weight/fat%/muscle/bone/water values from the scale’s Bluetooth app into the Android “Weight Logger” app and it uploads a fit file to Garmin Connect with the data. Here I am thinking I need to lose some weight and I find out I am the same height and weight as the great Ray Maker!!! The Garmin Index Smart Scale is on the high end of the price range for scales that wirelessly and automatically sync your weigh-ins to an app. Which will wake it up. If the numbers the device outputs follows a consistent, rational & explainable pattern, then it may be helpful to the user simply to note that some aspect of their physicality is increasing or decreasing. In fact, you can also use apps like HealthFit to push that data elsewhere from your phone. BC1000 was 190EUR in 2011 and the BC1500 is holding the price level of 400EUR since 2009…. This is already technically possible with the S1 customers but it isn’t done. Thanks // Alex, I think Zwift only supports Nokia withings and Fitbit that’s big draw back specially for Zwift races. Use Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products. The Weight logger app keeps your previous entries so its easy to quickly update and save or upload the new data to GC. I suppose I meant being able to access this information (eg weight trend over the past 7 days) directly on the watch. Conclusion is than that S2 is somehow trying to measure body fat in contrast to S1 which is just pretending to do so. Weight trend: See how your weight has changed during the past 30 days. You will see, that your BF rises immediately! Out of the box, complete setup of the scale takes 5-10 minutes, depending on whether the device needs a software update. You would think it would be easy to differentiate between users considering that the scale is taking or making multiple measurements, but it seems they only differentiate based on weight. … or any insight into why this might be the case? There are 4 of us in the household, 3 of whom own a Garmin watch (including an account). Hi GLT. Two weeks ago, availability in the Netherlands was ‘release in Q4 2020’. Above the battery compartment lives a reset button which is used for the first-time setup but it’s also used to add it to additional wifi networks. I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for the 2020-2021 indoor training season. Now this doesn’t work with my Fenix 6 and my 530, that ain’t such a big deal since I can just sync over Bluetooth. This is basically the pièce de résistance of the Index S2 scale, showing your weight over the last 30 days, as well as progress towards a goal line (in green). This product has been unavailable for several months, from Garmin, or their resellers. It would be great to have a choice for example when the scale in a place without Wi-Fi for example on a training camp or on remote location. Especially, if you have a Tanita, you have something to loose in terms of usefulness of fat readings. And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. Could you precise the way the trending chart is computed (in case of multiple weight-ins of course)? Wer einfach nur nach einer smarten Waage sucht, wird vom recht hohen Preis eventuell abgeschreckt sein. Get all your awesome high quality DCR kit and gear here! ), I own a Withings scale (with a NOKIA tag) for already 4 years. Any idea of changes to this data? There’s also a … Though, it does seem like most of those problems have tapered out over the last 6-8 months. Now, how do I get YouTube running on that display? What about to compare the accuracy with link to withings.com? They don’t want you to be using none Garmin devices. My wife is a bit higher, in the 16% range, and measure 25-26%. I have an old withing scale, it is a little frustrating that the weight could change by more than 0.5lb when making a few measurements in in a row. 2. dry feed No, generally I was seeing about .1-.2lbs (at most). Finally, the estimate is also bad and too high for almost everyone who posts here. Another addition to the weight display is the difference between current and previous weight. I’m planning a post out on that today. – Both black and white versions (Pro Tip: The black version is impossible to keep clean, white is half-possible). That’s right! Here’s a closer look at the feet and batteries. Have you observed this or heard anything from Garmin on this phenomenon? Of which, the vast majority of that would of course just be water weight. And the price is 1/3. Seems like some sort of manuf issue. Both literally and figuratively. Maybe through MyFitnessPal? A bit offtopic question: will you have a summary about the CIQ conference? The S1 had my BF at 15% which seemed a bit low, but I didn’t expect the 24.1% the S2 shows. Quick question: does it save data in Apple Health? Do I send the S2 back just because I don’t like the number? In Healthy Edge software (desktop) Thanks in advance. You can delete weigh-ins if you want, as well as add a weight goal, which will show up on your trending charts both on the app and on the device itself: For the weight scale itself there are a few options in the Devices menu. However, some creative 3rd party apps have basically made a bridge where you can do that via a Fitbit account, but, that 3rd party app (SmartScaleSync.com) costs $15/year. Until then I would probably turn off all the widgets to get off the scale quicker. The S2 replaces the previous Index model, which Garmin … Then, I come here and write about my adventures. I used to do that many years ago as well when living in a Marriott as well. Just circling back on this for the European folks, I noticed this evening that the Garmin Index S2 scale is now showing as available on Amazon DE and NL (though, it’s oddly cheaper on DE – the NL pricing looks dorked up…as always). However, it makes sense because those scales are using some tables to look up your body fat based on resistance reading coming from scale. If that would be to difficult, could you at least do two easy checks for me? For our review of the best smart scales, we take a number of factors into consideration. I would have thought new year resolutions would have been a good marketing opportunity, lost if you can’t get the scale or even pre order it. Do you have to always log water intake in the Garmin connect app in order for the scale to tell you your water weight ? For sure after I´ve connected it correctly. Thanks for taking the time to look into my question and share the answer. I own the earlier version, and the reason I was willing to pay more was the ease of mind and simplicity. There’s no change in the metrics that are actually measured on the S2 from the original model, but the color display is much crisper. You should check out my videos. Is there any information on when to actually expect it in the Netherlands? In Europe they redirect to two different entities, but as noted, the blocking is tough. At this juncture you can step off the scale, it’s done its thing, and will flash the initials/name of who it thinks you are, based on your weight and the historical weight data it has. I think Garmin should have made a weight only scale with the wifi connect and sell that for like 50$. Having a physical switch that would fix it on one unit would be an advantage. I have a question regarding the weight trending chart. Setup. Yup, presentation will be up on YouTube next week. First up we’ll need to stick the batteries inside the S2. Is there a problem with the product or they only fabricate it with not a lot of quantity !? Man könnte bei Bedarf ja mal einen Plastikeimer gefüllt mit zB 10 Liter Wasser auf die Waage stellen. Everything else is calculated using weight and height. If you're shopping for the Garmin Index S2 WiFi Scale or any other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! Thanks for part one. Having said that, Zwift and Strava are the only integrations I’ve ever used outside of Garmin so I care much less about it than I thought I would. Garmin's newest smart scale provides more than simply weight tracking capability. Then you might want to get a Garmin Index S2 to go with it. ich habe die Index Smart Scale auch, habe jedoch ehrlich gesagt, bisher kein Gewichtsvergleich vorgenommen. . I can’t see this scale anywhere to buy. ? So you’d weigh yourself pre-run, and then again post-run. A downside to this new feature is that it has the potential to be somewhat discouraging in regards to normal daily fluctuations in your weight, but the good news is that the “difference” number is kind of small, so it’s easy to ignore. Crack open the relatively thin box of the S2 and you’ll find the scale chilling inside a paper wrapper, with a bit of instructions floating in the box somewhere. Seems to be a problem others have had per a thread on forums.Garmin.Com. “Still, I was hoping for a bit better 3rd party support here – albeit that’s not entirely Garmin’s fault.” Beyond that, for electrical impedance-based metrics like body fat, the accuracy varies quite a bit from model to model, and the value can also be a bit more questionable too. On your app screenshot, it looks like it is based on the last weight-in (blue dot) recorded per day. Her name is Bobbie, she’s from the Rock, and she’s FAMOUS! This is a slight change from the Index 1 scale, where I can simply step on. I have been comparing two different scales and I found a similar 2% body fat increase on the new scale, UNTIL one day I got on fresh out of the shower with wet feet. Moving to 3rd parties, things are super mixed. My S1 is widely inaccurate for muscle mass and body fat % (i measure the later with a medical caliper, way more accurate).