Customer Reviews

LifeSource XL-20 Wireless Activity Monitor

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have used this activity meter since last Decemeber and now give it as a routine gift. It works very well. It is able to retain information for at least a couple of weeks without downloading. It is able to take water, mud, heat, and a whole lot of knocking around. It is more accurate than any pedometer I have tried; and I've tried more than a half dozen. One problem is getting the program to load-up on the first try.

The product instructions instruct us to replace the whole unit when the battery goes dead. This includes the necessity of buying a brand new adaptor every time one buys a new activity meter. That's wasteful but I would feel better if we didn't have to buy a new adaptor every time as well. Overall, I strongly endorse the product.

Have been using this product for about a month now. I find that I get a high seeing the progress in my activities daily.

Downside, having to buy another in about 4-6 months as the battery in the monitor is not user replaceable. I Would pay for factory servicing if available and if reasonably priced to have the battery changed. THis would be the environmentally correct thing to offer.

Software can be finicky at times, but then again, my computer is almost 10 years old and that might be the problem.

My husband and I are very competitive so you can imagine how much use this device receives. Love everything about it except it's battery life. Seems like we have to buy a new one every 3 to 4 months. Yesterday mine was at 49% strength and it died. Registers as 99% now but wont upload my steps. This product needs (1) competition or (2) replaceable battery.

The Lifesource XL-20 Step Activity Monitor is a great product that is easy to use and works well. However, as other people have noted here, there is only one major problem: The device runs on a battery which (according to the company) cannot be replaced. That's very disappointing, because it means that you have to shell out $75 every 3-4 months. The company says that the battery will last a year, but I have not found that to be quite inaccurate; it's really just a few months. I suppose the company hopes to make a lot of money from selling you a zillion of these devices. I just hate to throw away a perfectly good little wireless computer just because they didn't design in a way to recharge or replace the battery.

Good news! If you have a little bit of skill with tools and a little patience and you know how to work with a soldering iron, you can re-engineer it so that you never have to buy a second one. The device is powered by a non-rechargeable 3V CR2032 Lithium Battery which costs about $2.00 at Radio Shack or just about any place that sells batteries.

After your original battery goes dead, you have nothing to lose. Remove the two clip screws and clip, then four tiny screws and the silver back plate. Carefully pull the entire battery/circuit board assembly out of the case. Remove the battery and round black plastic bracket. This will take some force, but don't be shy. On the circuit board, there are two points (on opposite edges of the circuit board, on the surface farthest from the battery) which are labeled (+) and (-). Now you need to find a way to connect your new battery to these points and you're back in business!

There are two ways to do this: 1) internal or 2) external to the case. External is best so that you can easily replace the battery (but not as water proof). To do this, get a matching coin cell battery holder (e.g. off of a trashed PC motherboard), drill a hole(s) in the black case for wires. You will later attach it to the top of the plastic case with epoxy. Then wire it to the circuit board with two wires through a hole(s). Be sure to connect the + of the battery to the + terminal on the circuit board, or you might destroy the electronics. Check to be sure that the device is working by waving it up and down for a few minutes and then get it to sync with the PC (where your Lifesource software is installed and which has the ActiLink USB Transceiver). If it works, epoxy the battery holder and screw everything back together. If not, recheck your battery connections.

Now, when the battery dies, just pop out the old one and replace it for $2.00. You'll have the satisfaction of not letting the company sell you a $2 battery for $75. For me, that's priceless!

Enjoy!

p.s. Hey LifeSource...get with the 21st Century! Your planned obsolescence strategy is out of the 1950's. Give people a way to replace or recharge the battery. Free idea for you: foot motion charges the battery.

I have the wireless Lifesource BP cuff and scale so I was excited to get the activity monitor as well. However, I was unable to get it to load. Despite uninstalling and reinstalling, this little gadget is dead. I reported it to Amazon and they sent another one in the mail. It ALSO doesn't load. Are you kidding me? What kind of terrible workmanship is this? Are the devices old annd their batteries dead? And what is the point of $50 every few months to replace a battery? Come on..green up! Guess I'm sending two of these back to Amazon. I'm very disappointed.

I am in the middle of getting my second one replaced within 10 months. Both went thru the same thing, not responding or downloading after battery gets to 50% or lower.

BAD CUSTOMER SUPPORT:

A) I called to replace the first one after having it 5 months and I was told it is not supposed to last all that long if you are active? Then why put a picture of someone running on the box?

B) I was told this time at another 3 months since I got my replacement that there was no new warranty on the new one, that it fell under the 1 year on the old one?

C) As a company that sells medical products and the importance of replacements, immediate customer support for products other than this that peoples life depend on, you would assume they would provide much better service, instead of passing the buck and having to argue with them to get anywhere.

D) When I requested a replacement the first time, I had to pay big shipping costs two ways and wait until my old XL-20 got to them before they sent out the replacement. This took a total of 4 weeks to get done. I am glad it was not a glucose meter or something desperately needed to live. POOR SERVICE!

When the monitor was working, it was nice to see all the progress on a daily basis.If they designed it to allow you to replace the battery, it would be a much better product, but after dealing with them, I do not think a lasting product was on their mind.

This works ONLY on a shoe-a man's shoe, really. The device was detected, but wouldn't load,although the website that eventually requires a subscription does, and it is a pain the the tail to put on a shoe. Unfortunately I didn't notice the shoes part until I opened it, so it can't be returned. It you want to wear it all day, and have to dress professionally, this is useless.I tried anyway.Then it would not load. I re-download the software, tried again and again.A waste of $60.00.Better low tech than no tech.

The computer has some difficulty detecting the pedometer occasionally. Although the instructions address this issue as going into "sleep mode", you need to move it to reactivate it. It takes more than a little movement to reactivate it.

The data it collects is not very comprehensive, but for the price it is more than adequate for an introduction to a first-time user.

Overall, it works, but if you want a more detailed collection of data be prepared to spend a little bit more.

My wife is very pleased with this product. She has used three other types of peds, and this one has been the most trouble free and accurate. I ordered it, we receieved it in 3 days, setup very easy, and uploading data easy to do as well. She appreciates the website that tracks her progress too. Highly recommmend this ped

You have to purchase the product, wrestle the website to register it, purchase a year long subscription with A&D to access your activity summary and then the battery dies and you're supposed to buy another monitor and go through all that again. They tell you the monitor will last up to 18 months. Mine lasted 7 months. I appreciate its accuracy but this product is a rip off.