(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)(#1 REVIEWER)Update:I wanted to update my review now that I''ve been using this for quite some time. I cannot believe I have a full home gym and I have done almost nothing else but use my treadmill since buying this...I have to FORCE myself to do any strength training now and even when I do I only do part of one and then get on the treadmill... I love this thing! I can''t wait to use this each day...if you have a "down" day and then you decide to draw a route on Google maps taking you through a bad part of a New York and then Central Park, it changes perspective! Last night, through Google maps, I ran on the sidewalk beside a homeless woman sitting beside her cart under a blanket, then a woman dressed to the nines walking her poodle, I passed buildings and vans covered in graffiti and then I did a workout through beautiful Central Park and saw gorgeous trees and looked at the stunning sky scrapers...and I felt quite fortunate and realized my worries are nothing and the good scenery lifted me as though I was on vacation. Time FLIES when I workout like that! It''s people watching without ever being seen and without ever leaving your house and you never know what''s around the next corner! I run through tunnels in New York without fear of traffic or worrying about safety or carrying money or getting cold running through mountains in Colorado, and carrying no keys either! I can run through Hawaii and never get hot. I run in Beverly Hills and admire the stunning landscaping and beautiful shops. I run near the Grand Canyon. I LOVE Google maps!! I feel like I take a vacation every single day while working out! When you are on the street, you can choose "street view" and it looks like you are right there on the real street because you are, through Google maps. If you draw a map over a forest, it switches instantly to a bird''s eye view setting when you look down on the land like a treadmill God or something! LOL. Even if I watch TV I keep glancing down to see where I''m running...it feels like being outside somewhere new each day for my run, yet enjoying TV and airconditioning at the same time. If this isn''t a motivator, I don''t know what is. I ran up the mountains yesterday and the treadmill automatically adjusts to the real topography and the incline was SO steep! The roads were marked as "closed during winter" on the mountain I mapped out. It was gorgeous! You can also choose "World Tour" and ifit will map out great routes for you...like Rome, Hawaii, Death Valley, Central Park etc. I''ve worked out on treadmill after treadmill and machine after machine and never before has it been FUN until now. --it''s so addicting no one knows what they are missing til they get it as it''s just not advertised well. I love passing vendors selling wares in Paris, or a speaker in the park in England...I''m just blown away of where I "vacation" each day. I don''t want the workout to stop!
Original review:
Look, I was already in love with my treadmill and I thought it was fine on it''s own. I spent days trying to figure out what the heck ifit really was that it mentioned hardly at all in a hard-to-read flyer enclosed with the treadmill as well as on the Amazon website about the machine. The website said vague things such as "You can map out a route anywhere in the country, including a 5k route you plan to be a part of, and run it on your treadmill via Google maps. Imagine the advantage that will give you!" I thought to myself "Absolutely none, viewing a map will do nothing for me. How silly." But I ignored this pitch and was, instead, a sucker for the workouts I was reading about with Jillian Michaels (no thank you to the workouts with Elizabeth Hasselbeck) on the ifit site so I bought the ifit wifi--a module only compatible with a few manchines, of which my treadmill is one. (ANd this module incidentally is way cheaper on the ProForm site then anywhere else I saw it, including on Amazon (and I do compare everything) I''ll get to more about the workouts in a minute but first let me touch on this part of ifit:
GOOGLE MAPS:
What this REALLY does is you can look at a map on street view...the street scene-on your notebook computer or ipad, which sits comfortably in a slot on my machine OR some machines have the screen built in to the machine...the graphics I''m sure are better if you have a machine where you are viewing it straight from the computer though. My ipad works great on my tredmill to view this. The wifi module connects your treadmill or elliptical or whatever to the wireless internet site of ifit. My computer screen showing the info is perfect but it''s not built in to my treadmill. I have the Proform 995) You can have the map zoom in wherever you want on the earth. I first picked Paris. Then I sketched out a route I felt like running with my finger (or mouse). I picked any random street because I don''t actually know Paris streets. Then you upload it with a click to the machine via the wireless wifi. So get this, I begin running and I''m running down this street in Paris not from satellite view but ON the streets. Since Google has a van that tapes the streets through most of the world, it utilizes these BUT it also utilizes the terrain maps so THE INCLINE ADJUSTS AUTOMATICALLY AS THOUGH YOU ARE RUNNING THE REAL STREET IN EVERY WAY! Now, it''s not flawless; the images aren''t rolling like a film (this could be what she means by images but this has nothing to do with the workouts, just Google maps and those images are up to google.) but more like the videos (sorry for this analogy) you see when there is a camera in some bank and a crime and they are showing it on tv, but of course this has better color graphics...they have slight gaps in between the images so if you passed a person you might see them in one step and then the next image flashes up and they are sitting down on a bench. But it''s still fun when I''m watching tv and running to look down and see where I am in Paris NOW on that street or highway, and if I run faster, how much faster I get to the end of that street--while enjoying the view of the shops and cafes I passed along the way! If you are training for a race, you aren''t training by looking at a map but training in the comfort of your own home to the incline of the route too! I thought there was no way they would have my parent''s street on there as it''s a small town but sure enough, I mapped it out on the map and I was running past their house! One image flashed to night time and cars were coming at me on this busy street. Next street I turned on it was daytime again---it doesn''t do it via real time, but pretapings from Google. Kind of funny. I can then name that map "Parent''s house" and simply touch that route to do that one again rather than re-mapping. I can also race myself next time I run it and see if I can run my folk''s neighborhood in less time. I have a steep hill by my house...I ran it on my treadmill!
RUN IN YOUR BRA WITH STRANGERS:
Okay that got your attention. I do run in my workout bra and shorts at home. I don''t choose to do this out of my house though I know some do--but it sure is cooler. Not only can you run with friends and race them if they have ifit (you pick the route and see your images and times as you all run the route on the screen, no one actually sees your image at home) but ifit also has it''s own races and prizes. Not confident to run a 5k? Here''s your incentive. You can pick workouts that train for a 5k in 8 weeks or whatever. There is a countdown on the ifit website and then wirelessly all machines signed up will find themselves in a location (the one coming up is in Central Park) You will then get to run a REAL race with all entrants timed while seeing and feeling the inclines of Central Park, and prizes are things like $1,000 or fitness wear. Yet you never leave your home and your cup of water is always handy. This was advertised nowhere. I found it after I bought the ifit wireless module and that''s pretty cool.
YOUR ACTUAL CALORIE COUNT AND PROGRESS:
With the ifit wireless module that is compatible with this machine, you have a private account with a password (your spouse needs never know you put on those last 5 pounds, he can have his own account free on the same module with his password) Here you type in your height and weight and age etc. Now when you run, the machine reads out caloric burn that is quite accurate. I wear a bodybugg to measure my true caloric burn and surprisingly this did not overcompensate as many machines do, it was very accurate. If you don''t have the ifit module, the machine still gives a ballpark calorie burn but it was higher than I burned because it was an average of what is burned in that time period at that speed not knowing if I''m male, female, petite or big. This also gives me goals to meet. Monday my chart showed I made 107% of my goal in working out via working out a bit more but I have to keep going to meet my target for the week. It is an incentive.
GET JILLIAN MICHAELS TO TRAIN YOU, DIRT CHEAP.
Here is a poor selling point on the ifit website. I thought for sure, reading the whole site, I had to buy the ifit module then I had to purchase each workout I wanted after that. There are workouts for sale all over the website but apparently it''s for some older machines that didn''t have the wifi module. Because it did mention some workouts with the ifit wifi I thought I''d wait and see what I got with that (if any) then buy the other workouts later. Had I known all workouts were FREE when I bought this after I paid for the module, I would have snapped it up even sooner. Everything on the site is explained as though you are already familiar with it rather than explaining what you get and what it does. So here''s what it does:
I pick my level and training program on the ifit website and then what workout I want. I chose to workout with Jillian at level 2 in a weight loss program for 8 weeks. (I will progress each workout to a higher level slowly.) So this is automatically uploaded to my machine wirelessly and it knows my height and weight and age and Jillian is gonna kick my butt and we are gonna see the burn. I turn it on and she tells me to visualize that fat melting off. (Her actual voice through my speakers.) She pushes my incline up without being there (it''s programmed to do so)and tells me then that "You can do this; here''s a quote to motivate you...." It is funny when it just speeds up a little and she tells me to not give up when I''m not really going too fast at all. But still, when I was feeling tired I have to say words and quotes are good to hear, in addition to my music, or the tv I''m watching. I seem to get her voice when "she" is about to change the incline of my machine or speed to coach me through. ("You CAN do this!") Why Jillian sounds so mad at me in everything she says? I can''t answer. Ask Jillian. Best yet? The machine automatically has my next workout ready for me the minute I turn it on the next day or a few days later. And I progress at the proper pace to increase either calorie burn, endurance, train for a race etc. However, if you want to skip a day of this and simply run on the Google maps, etc you can do that too. Elizabeth Hasselbeck is the other trainer. I can''t tell you how she is as a trainer because I already know she''d likely irritate me if I heard her (LOL) so you''ll have to discover those workouts on your own. This is the workout I''m doing right now, there are many others to choose from. All at no cost after you buy the wifi module that you plug into this machine. Why don''t they tell you this?
It also automatically keeps up with my calorie burn each week, each workout and my nutrition plan as well if I care to enter it.
I have to say this motivated me. Normally when I''d say in my head "Ive done enough; I can stop now" I instead said "My workout isn''t over yet that was planned for me; I can do this". Most are just 20 or 35 min so I CAN do them; and even if I''m distracted and want to quit and go pick up that pile of clothes in the corner, I didn''t and had far more energy to pick them up afterwards.
SET UP OF THE WIFI MODULE:
This is what took away a star for my rating. I wish they would test market how their instructions work in real life and avoid some frustration. They need a manual with better instructions. It''s not hard to do, but when there is a glitch, you don''t know what it''s supposed to be doing or if it''s doing it. For example, I got my module all set up on the computer, went to my machine, put it in as instructed, I see a green light flashing, then it says it''s not connected, do it again, green light flashing then red light, I go to google the problem solving and it says red light means it''s not connected. So I try again. Many times. The next morning someone is at customer service and it turns out there was some glitch and she gave me fast instructions on a manual set up. This could all have been in a how-to guide to avoid frustration--but it wasn''t. Then she explains the red light is ok. You''ll sometimes see that and it will come back on as green. (So mine may have been working all along that second time but I wasn''t told what to look for.) She also told me what the screen should be saying if it was doing it right and what it was doing wrong if it said something else. Now granted, this probably works flawless for most people but I did have a glitch in my module which she confirmed, and the instructions were so basic. Just detailed instructions would have saved me again. But their customer service was great and she got it going in mere minutes. Unfortunately, when I began the task after receiving my module in the mail the evening before, customer service was closed and I sure wanted to use it so I tried to for hours! Test market with real people to see if the instructins work and frustrations may end. It''s not as hard to set this up as it seems. And I didn''t even know what an SSIN was...had to google it...things like that for non-computer wifi people that they are asking for would help too. Once I knew what that was code for I knew just what it was. And even though mine had a glitch I could have hooked it up in mere minutes the night before had the instructions been detailed.
Conclusion: This takes me from the same workout every day and me trying to toy with the speed and incline to preparing a different workout for me every day that progressively challenges me so that I increase my burn and or endurance and it avoids "muscle memory" which winds up burning less calories as your body adjusts to doing the exact same workout daily. For example, yesterday "Jillian" set my incline much higher and I suddenly got a better calf workout. Today the incline was lower but my endurance increased due to a varied speed. Each day I get better at my training because of a new workout loaded and ready to go. And if I don''t feel motivated for that, I can take a jog through a hill in Hawaii with Google maps and see the ocean beside me. Now that changes everything as far as motivation when you are doing a new workout every night, without having to think about it or talk yourself into it.
I bought mine in conjunction with a new treadmill. The day after I bought the treadmill I thought I would spend the time and go ahead and hook it up. First of all, there is no instruction booklet but only a single sheet that tells you how go online for the instructions.
You have to first get the console "activated". This entails hooking it up to your laptop (or desktop) via USB while it downloads, updates, and checks your wireless connection. This was my first problem. I have had wireless for two years. After it spent about 20 minutes updating, it then said that it was checking my wireless connection. As Murphy''s Law clearly states, the console could not locate my wireless. Even better, it gave about five of the most common reasons this occurs. It went from the simple "check that your router is plugged in", to the more difficult to understand, which was something like "make sure that your SSID is displaying its code". I had no idea what this meant or how to check, so I spent about 20 minutes googling this, only to find that it''s in the router installation book, which I hadn''t seen (or used) in about two years. I kept having it re-try to establish a connection, all to no avail.
Naturally I installed this on a Sunday, so when I called support for help I naturally got a recording that says "please call back Monday-Friday . . ." So I was stuck with a $100 unit that I couldn''t use. Well, on that same support screen I happened to see a "log" tab. Mind you there is NO help on the main page to tell you to check here, only those five "common" reasons that it can''t establish a connection. So I''m about an hour into the install at this point, and when I look on the "log" tab, it says in text that it can''t establish a connection because one type of security is checked ("wsp" I think), but another was found ("wep" or something). So I then spend about 30 minutes trying to understand what this means, and ultimately find that it has to do with encryption on my router. I learn about how wep is suggested to be less secure, so I start trying to switch to WS2. When I switch this on my router (through my computer settings), I no longer have internet service. So, I go back to wep security which re-establishes my internet but still won''t connect to my console.
So the log says that I have selected WS2, but I never "selected" anything during my install. So I start looking around for some sort of page which has check boxes that maybe I can switch. This takes about 30 minutes as I''m looking both through the router settings and on the iFit program. No luck. Then, I see there is a button to establish your connection manually. I click this on a whim, and sure enough there is a spot to enter my wireless name and pass code, as well as a drop-down box for security type. I type in the name and pass code, select WeP, and . . . no connection. The last thing I can think of (before throwing it against the wall) is to type my router''s name in all caps. And suddenly it says "your console has been configured and is ready to use". I was so in shock that I just kind of remained calm rather than celebrating. At this point I was about two hours in to the install.
Ok, after this stage, you are to insert the console into your exercise machine and allow it to update. Here''s the kicker. The instructions state that this process can take two hours. I though surely there must be some sort of status bar to tell you how it''s going. I found an iFit video online, but all that she demonstrates is that you insert the console into your exercise equipment and then leave it for up to two hours. Well, I knew I had a strong internet connection, so I wanted to see how it was doing by monitoring its status. All the instructions said was that if the green light is flashing, it is installing updates. So I googled "status bar during download of ifit updates". What''s interesting is that the google result suggested I visit the iFit install FAQ''s, complete with half of the answer that I was looking for, such as "to monitor the progress of the installation of updates, look for the". However when I actually went to the page, there was no question or answer even close to that. So after about 20 minutes I just left it to update. I then kept coming back to check on the update, and would see a solid green light that flashed about 7 times every 15 or so seconds. I took this to mean it was still updating. So I left it. THREE HOURS later I was still coming back in to check, but that same flashing pattern was occurring.
Finally I gave up and unplugged the unit, then hooked it back up to my computer thinking I was doing something wrong. It immediately brought up the install screen (where it checked my wireless connection, etc). I then realized that it must have been giving some sort of "I''m working correctly" status by flashing seven times. I then plugged it back into my treadmill, it flashed rapidly for a while, then began the mostly solid-green status.
OK, so I wanted to get some kind of workout in during what I had left of Sunday. So I went to my laptop and drew a line through my hometown that I wanted to run. I then wanted to find out how to watch myself run on Google Maps. There are NO INSTRUCTIONS on how to do this. However, when I googled it, google returned a portion of the answer that again led me to the iFit FAQs, and again, the complete response was no longer available in the FAQs. Finally, I figured it out based on some small print that appeared only on the page that comes up after you draw your own route. However, the "click here" that you actually look for is outlined in gray, and set against a gray background in the upper right-hand corner of any iFit page. Not clearly visible. And, this button (to see your workout in Google Street View) only appears AFTER your workout starts!!! So if you''re like me and immediately start at a jogging speed, you still have to be able to manipulate your mouse (if you have a laptop for viewing) after you are running.
My summary of the console is this . . . It is VERY FUN to use, once you get it up and running. You may have an easier time installing it than I did, depending on your treadmill, computer, and router issues. I have about 20 years of computer experience, but am in no way an IT person. So a lot of what I encountered made no sense to me as to how to go about installing the console. But once it''s up and running, it''s a neat program and should help motivate you in your exercise goals. I give it three stars for it''s functionality, but would happily give it zero stars for ease of installation.I had my treadmill for about 2 months before I decided to buy the Ifit. Most of the reviews are not glowing and I wasn''t sure I wanted to deal with the IT headaches everyone talked about...especially since I use Mac products. But, the positive reviews won me over and I ordered it. Naturally, my Mac didn''t have the operating system needed, so I installed it on my PC at work. I called customer service and they said to obtain the IP addresses on my home Mac computer and Ipad, along with the router IP address and configure the Ifit manually. It was pretty straight forward and when I took the Ifit module home, it connected immediately to my router. There was no firmware download that took hours. I drew my first map and it downloaded right away. I can log into the website with my iPad, start the map, go to the live workout on my iPad and have a Google map street view as I run. Yesterday I ran in Paris, went past the Eiffel Tower and other scenes. Tomorrow I will be running in Rome. I have to admit, it''s pretty cool just using the Google map feature. I will be running a 10K with Elizabeth Hasselbeck...eventually, or working out with Jillian Michaels. I also have to add that I called Ifit customer service twice...on the weekend, and they were prompt, nice and a great help. My only negative so far would be the lack of directions for using all of the features. It would be nice to have an on-line manual or have a manual sent with the product. There is a Q & A on the website, which helps, but I''d prefer to just call customer service. Overall, I highly recommend this item to use with a compatible piece of gym equipment (I have a Proform 505 treadmill).
UPDATE: Six months later and iFit updated their website to supposedly something new and more user friendly. It has been a week since the upgrade and I now have a paperweight. I am no longer able to connect to the website, none of my history is there, I can no longer use my iPad to see my workout in progress and iFit won''t update their (apparently) futile attempts to resolve the problems. What an embarrassment for this company. Did they actually do this with competent IT people? Please do NOT buy this product based on my previous review. And don''t waste your money on any exercise equipment that uses iFit as you will have spent a lot of money for a large and heavy paperweight. If they ever get things working again, I will update this review. But, as of right now, this is a disaster of a product!
UPDATE: Going on two weeks since the upgrade and what a debacle. Simply put, this item and their new website is junk. Don''t buy any exercise equipment that has iFit capability...it will be a total waste of money.
Read Best Reviews of Proform Ifit Module Here
Updated 1/11/13 As you can see below, I gave this product a very unkind review. Not only was I frustrated with the product, but my experiences with technical support were shockingly bad. I''m fairly certain that I was the last person they would want to voluntarily speak with directly.So imagine my surprise when I DID get a call from someone from the company who had seen this review yesterday. (Don''t worry (blank), I won''t give out your name or number.) I have to admit that the call went along way to making me feel better about my experience. He took the time to hear my history with the product, my experiences with technical support, and he offered a sincere apology for what I can only imagine was one of the worse customer services stories he''d probably ever heard.
He also offered me the name and number to one of his senior staff for technical support once I was able to install a new console (which they facilitated in getting to me.)
I''ll continue to update this review as we move forward, but I would like to thank (blank) and (blank) for their calls.
I would give this product a zero, but that doesn''t seem to be an option. The module does not work at all! Now here is the crazy part...I''ve called support 5 times over a span of two weeks. I waited a full week before making the sixth call because I was promised a new module which never arrived. On the sixth call, I very politely asked to speak with a supervisor. The attendant asked for my information so she could provide it to her supervisor when transferring the call. And then...SHE FORGOT TO PUT THE CALL ON MUTE! I heard the entire conversation between her and her supervisor. First, I heard her lie about my attitude on the call (saying I was belligerent.) Then, I heard the supervisor tell her that she should not put the call through. And to top it all off she openly admitted that the product was faulty and did not work (isnt that fraud??) and that she should just get me off the call any way she could. When the attendant returned to my call (after I heard her rehearsing how she was going to deal with me) I informed her that I had heard her entire discussion with the supervisor and that I wanted the supervisor on the phone...now!!
This product does not work and they know it. After looking at complaints online, this has been an issue since 2010!!!!! Do not buy this. It is a waste of your time, money, and intelligence.
Want Proform Ifit Module Discount?
I have been using ifit since March. Up until recently, I would have given this five stars, and recommended without reservation. However, ifit decided to "upgrade" their website. Since that time the workout in progress feature has not worked. This is the feature that allows you to view your workout using Google Streetview. The workout in progress feature is why I purchased the treadmill with the module, and signed up for the subscription. Without it, it is worthless. Since there has been no indication of when this will be resolved, I cannot recommend purchase of this item.Save 52% off
0 comments:
Post a Comment