If you get "WIFI ERR", the scale's broken!
I was really excited to get this scale and start my new video fitness blog today. Unfortunately, it's broken. I guess I should have bought it a month ago, but I assumed it would work out of the box.<br /><br />  The first thing you notice when you take it out is the build quality and aesthetics are exquisite. It seems really solid and well made, with a smooth glass top that would fit in elegantly with any bathroom. They're available in black and in white. I actually wanted the white more, but the rounded spots where you put your feet are actually off-white, like a cream color - which you can't see in any photo on the site but is really apparent in person. You can see it a bit in this photo: [...]<br />Also, the digital display on the white one is a cheap-looking black-on-grey that just smacks of 'original Gameboy', compared to the sexy light blue-on-black of the black model.<br /><br />  Setting it up was an exercise in futility. After 40 minutes of trying, I was ready to pull my hair out.<br />First off, know that YOU CANNOT SET IT UP WITH A WIRED COMPUTER. If you're hooked up via an ethernet cable, you need to switch to a wireless device like a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or newer desktop with wifi. This is because you'll be asked to switch from your regular wifi network to a temporary "Aria" wifi network (the scale itself acts like another computer in the network), and then back again. I wish this weren't necessary, but since I got the thing to interact with my smartphone it wasn't a huge deal.<br /><br />  From my Android smartphone, I navigated to the setup page on the Fitbit website and followed the simple, direct instructions on the site PRECISELY. I did this many times. I can connect to the Aria wifi network in my smartphone wifi settings, but NOT in the list of available networks on the scale setup page. The scale itself reads "networks detected" at first, and finally "wifi err". I should note that my wireless network works perfectly with my Chromebook, smartphone, and my housemates' devices.<br /><br />  I tried many things which didn't work. Finally, I contacted Fitbit. They got back to me in under 24 hours, which was nice, and let me know that it was pretty cut and dry: "wifi err" on the device means a hardware malfunction; there is no ambiguity there. The nice support agent gave me two options - I could return the unit myself and get a new one at the Best Buy I purchased it at, or I could keep my current scale and they'd mail me a new one, free of charge. I thought that showed great integrity and customer service, although it should not have happened in the first place. I asked whether this happens a lot with these scales and he said "much more than you'd think".<br /><br />  Why not just use the scale for my weight and body composition, you ask? Without saving your user profile to the scale - which requires communicating to the Aria servers - it only gives you your weight and says you're a Guest user. A $20 scale can show my weight just the same.<br /><br />CONCLUSION: First impression was great, except I got a lemon. I can't draw a fair conclusion as I don't know how many units are broken out of the box. I'm looking forward to getting a new one and amending my rating. For now, it's 0 stars for not working, 2 stars for great style and design and great customer service.
Rating: 2 stars