What is a smart band?

What is a smart band?

Sporty people benefit greatly from a smart band. This smart bracelet follows your operations closely. For example, the device counts the number of steps and measures your heart rate. In this guide, you will get to know what is a smart band and its main functions.

What is a smart band?

A smart band is a watch that you wear during sporting or daily activities. The smart band measures various things that are the result of physical exertion, such as the number of steps taken, the heartbeat, the calorie consumption and the distance traveled. Main functions of a smart band are to track and analyze your movements during the activity or exercise, for example, a walk in the woods, cycling to the supermarket, swimming laps in the swimming pool or fitness in the gym.  The exact measurement functions differ per smart band. Many (web) stores use a different name as an alternative to smart band, for example fitness (arm) band, fitness tracker, activity tracker, sport wearable or sports watch. So it’s not quite the same as a smart watch.

Robust housing

Don’t you shy away from doing your weekly running in the pouring rain? No problem, because most smart bands have a weatherproof housing. This makes the device also resistant to sweat. Many brands make the bracelet from silicone and provide a waterproof display with an aluminum or plastic watch case. Very handy for those who like to dive into the pool. Smart bands are available in all kinds of colors, so that the bracelet fits seamlessly with your sport outfit. Make sure you purchase the correct size for (S, M or L). Certain sports bracelets are only available in a universal size.

Measuring is knowing

Every smartband is capable of measuring various things, although the measuring functions present depend on the product used. The simplest models have a pedometer and heart rate monitor board. If you want more information, consider a copy with a GPS chip. With this you keep track of the distance traveled and the current speed. Moreover, you can often read the route afterwards. Those who enjoy hiking in the mountains can consider a smart band with a barometric altimeter.

Information on display

The vast majority of smart bands have a display. The better models use a razor-sharp OLED screen, so that the information displayed is clearly visible. In addition to a digital or ‘analog’ clock, you can consult various data along the way, such as the heart rate, the number of steps taken and the calorie consumption. Based on this, you can adjust the training intensity if you wish by, for example, switching on a gear or by taking it easy. Of course, the information available on the display depends on the smartband used. Smart bands that do not have their own display show information within an app on a linked smartphone.

Bluetooth

Many recent smart bands can be connected via Bluetooth to a smartphone, so that you receive incoming notifications on the screen. The advantage of this is that you don’t have to take the smartphone out of your pocket. Certain sport wearables can also access the smartphone’s GPS chip via Bluetooth.

Ease of use

The operation of a smart band differs per product. Models with a large display almost always have a touch screen, so that you can easily adjust the settings, for example. Cheaper activity trackers usually have buttons on the side to operate the device. Since these keys usually represent multiple functions, their operation takes some getting used to. For example, you use the buttons to set a stopwatch or alarm clock. During sports activities it is useful when you can control music from a paired smartphone.

Sporting goals

Extensive smart bands often offer a function that allows you to set sporting goals. For example, indicate that you want to burn four hundred calories during a sports session or take ten thousand steps on a day. As soon as you reach this goal, you will receive a notification on the smart band as a reward. In short, a nice way to stimulate an active lifestyle.

Payment function

Manufacturers are trying to further develop smart bands by adding useful functions. There are already products with which you can pay with a built-in NFC chip at a wireless payment terminal, for example via the services Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay. Useful, because the average runner or mountain biker does not have a wallet in his pocket. With an integrated payment function you can still buy a sports drink on the road. Fitbit Pay offers the possibility to link a Maestro card or Mastercard credit card. Major banks currently support this initiative. 

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