Update 29/03/2013: Corrected an error with the specs – the Fitbit Aria only support the antiquated 802.11b Wi-Fi standard.
I’ve had a steady trickle of new gadgets coming in recently and I was quite stoked to finally receive the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale in the mail after waiting a few months for it to be released.
As the name implies, this set of scales has Wi-Fi built in and is designed to be used with the Fitbit website. Setting up is a fairly straightforward affair with the choice of downloading a Windows or Mac OS X app for configuring the device. You do need to make sure you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the one you intend the Fitbit Aria to join before you kick off the setup though (and this is important if you have multiple Wi-Fi networks at home on different bands). Another thing to note is that the Fitbit Aria does not support 802.11n connectivity, only 802.11b and 802.11g networks.
Also, if you only have access to a smartphone or your are using an operating system other than Windows or Mac OS X you can use the online setup here
Anyway, the setup is a simple four step process once initiated. I did have to have a few goes pairing my Fitbit Aria with my 802.11g Wi-Fi network but that was after an initial test to see what would happen when trying to connect it to a 2.4GHz 802.11n exclusive network (which failed as expected). If setup does fail, just pull out one of the batteries and pop it back in to activate the setup mode. You also get the chance during setup to link the scale to your Fitbit account, confirm your existing statistics (if you have been tracking them into the site manually) or enter them in if you are starting a new account.
As far as the device goes, it’s pretty simple with a circular LED display large enough for statistics to be displayed and the ability to scroll text if required. Step on to activate the scale, obtain your measurements and once they have all been displayed simply step off. I’ll expand more on how the device works in the preview post and video though.
Anyway, to see what’s in the box and get a quick look at the device check out the unboxing video below and, if you have any questions, make sure you leave a comment!
3 comments
I belive you are mistaken, the Fitbit Aria will only connect to an 802.11b wireless network (not 802.11g or 802.11n). This is simply absurd. 802.11b technology is at least 14 years old, which is ancient in computer technology terms. No current hardware is ever release with 802.11b only capability now. Most people do not realize that allowing this device to connect to their wirelss network effectively slows down all other wireless clients to “b” speed (11 Mbps)! In my household of video and audio streaming across wireless to multiple devices this is totally unacceptable. I can’t belive that Fitbit realeased the Aria this way, it probably would have cost them pennies more to incorporate at least 802.11g capability in each device.
Author
Hmmm, you are right there and indeed very annoying. I have dug around in the past and the specs didn’t jump out at me but they are available @ http://www.fitbit.com/au/aria/specs
I run two separate 802.11n networks on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz with a legacy 802.11bg network for older devices so this is less of a problem in my household but definitely an issue for others.
Isn’t the slow down to “b” speeds only going to happen when the scale is actively transmitting?