SatNav

[Ratae]

So anyway, I recently decided that it was time to upgrade my old SatNav.  It's a TomTom Go model which I bought years ago,  and it cost me a rake of dosh.

It has B/tooth, UK and Western Europe .... etc etc.  Unfortunately,  it's also bulky sod and you have to pay for map updates.  Anyway, I decided to sack it!

So I was scoping the new ones and was amazed to see how they'd come down in price, you can get a decent one for under a ton and they give you free lifetime map updates too.

So I'm thinking what to get,  and I was in the pub and mentioned it to Juggy 'cos he does a lot of driving,  all over the UK.

So Juggy sez..."I use my phone Rats, that Google Maps app works a treat, voice directions, lane guidance, the whole bollox. Try it "


Well dopey old me hadn't even thought about that, so I gave it a try.  Juggy was right, it works a treat. Voice guidance clear as a bell,  and if I turn on the b/tooth on my phone, the sound comes through my b/tooth speaker.

So, I rocked up at the carphone w/house, bought meself an 'in-car' mobile phone cradle for £20 and now we are cooking on gas.

Now I'm guessing that a few of you knew about this app already, but anyway, for anyone who doesn't...try it, it does what it sez on the box.

[nob]

Data charges apply don't they? My Daughter has used her Iphone for guidence but has bought a TomTom. I think the speed camera warnings helped make her mind up.

[Ratae]

Oct 7, 2015 16:08:33 GMT nob said:

Data charges apply don't they? My Daughter has used her Iphone for guidence but has bought a TomTom. I think the speed camera warnings helped make her mind up.

Nob, the satellite doesn't use data, it's really only when you are using the cellular signal to plan your journey that any data might be used and that's only when there's no wi-fi available. (I think)

Apparently there are a few apps that also have the speed cam alert, 'Waze' is one. Dunno if it's any good. Anyway, I'm a law abiding lad who always obeys the speed limit!

[banjo]

Does that mean Google allows you to store all the maps on your device? If (as I suspect) not, then you're in for a data hemorrhage as the display updates while you move along Rats.

I use "Navigator" on the Android 'phone. I'll readily admit that it's not so intuitive as my Go720, but after a firmware update, I started having to jab the TomTom screen to get it to work. You can buy TomTom maps for Navigator (about £9) or go open source maps for free. Guess what I went for!

The open source UK updates are usually about 300 Mb every 6 weeks or so. When I went to Cuba- they even had Cuba maps available for that location. Using wifi you don't use any data.

TomTom should be lynched for giving away free lifetime maps for new tackle. It's blackmail.

At the end of the day, the easiest "solution" to use is the best because you're concentrating on things going on around you right? Your wallet has a big say in this though! (and "Navigator" doesn't match up to TT in the easy to use stakes) I shall investigate the Google Maps offering now.

e&oe...

[Ratae]

Does that mean Google allows you to store all the maps on your device? If (as I suspect) not, then you're in for a data hemorrhage as the display updates while you move along Rats.

It appears so BJ. In the 'Your Places' menu there are 'Home' and 'Work' by default, then there is 'Saved Places' which is basically a favourites type list. It also shows a list called 'Places that you've been to from your timeline' which are stored automatically.

I only have a 500mb per month data allowance on my sim only £8pm plan and the satnav seems to have used very little.

Anyway, scope it yerself and let us know what you find, I'm still in the finding my way around it myself phase, BJ.

[Ratae]

So, experiments have been conducted...practical experiments!

Today I needed to go over to the shooting club, it's about 8.5 miles South of me.

Here's what I did. At home using WiFi with my phone, I set the route in Google maps, which chose the quickest route which is straight down the A6 main drag. I accepted this route (if yer tap the double headed arrow, it plots an alternate route)

But also, I took along my little 7" Asus tablet which only has WiFI. No sim card, so no cellular signal.

So my phone app navigated me right up to the gates leading into the shooting club. Parked up and went into the shop where I bought a pack of targets. Had a cup of tea and a chat in the on-site cafe, then returned to my car.

I set the phone app to guide me home from my 'present location.' But first,  I checked my data usage figure up until that moment... and wrote it down.

Then I set the same app in my Asus to do the same. Strangely, this plotted a different route.

Y'see fellas, I had this suspicion that only when deviating from a plotted route did the app need to use cellular data ... to re-plot the route.

Off I set. About two miles into my journey there's a fairly new traffic island, just outside Kibworth. As expected, the phone app told me carry on along the A6, the same way that I came.

The Asus app told me to turn left, this takes me through the country lanes.

I turned left.

My phone app swiftly re-plotted the new route.

A few more miles and there's a cross roads, the phone said straight on, the tablet said turn right ...... I went straight on.

This fellas, is where the tablet lost the plot, it needed to find another route.  A message said 'Connection Lost' ... I reckon that this was when a cellular signal was needed. No sim, no signal.

The phone app took me right up to my house. I checked the data usage. It had used 2Mbs.

My conclusion is, that it was when I changed the pre-planned route that the 2Mbs were used!

What do you fellas think?

[nob]

Try it with data turned off and see what it does, you should then know when its calling for a data signal.

Funnily enough my AA renewal came today and there was a flyer and it said they are trialling in car Wi-Fi. I had to Google, how it works .

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/11263354/AA-tests-in-car-wifi-as-it-seeks-to-leave-digital-dark-ages.html

[Ratae]

Oct 8, 2015 15:32:03 GMT nob said:

Try it with data turned off and see what it does, you should then know when its calling for a data signal.

Funnily enough my AA renewal came today and there was a flyer and it said they are trialling in car Wi-Fi. I had to Google, how it works .

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/11263354/AA-tests-in-car-wifi-as-it-seeks-to-leave-digital-dark-ages.html

I have the AA app on my phone, haven't had to use it yet! That 'in-car' WiFi sounds interesting though.

[nob]

Oct 8, 2015 15:55:20 GMT Ratae said:

Oct 8, 2015 15:32:03 GMT nob said:

Try it with data turned off and see what it does, you should then know when its calling for a data signal.

Funnily enough my AA renewal came today and there was a flyer and it said they are trialling in car Wi-Fi. I had to Google, how it works .

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/11263354/AA-tests-in-car-wifi-as-it-seeks-to-leave-digital-dark-ages.html

I have the AA app on my phone, haven't had to use it yet! That 'in-car' WiFi sounds interesting though.

The app looks good but there aint one for a windows phone as I can find.

[banjo]

I like your approach Dave. To be spot on though, you'd need to disable background data for all apps except the app in question. On Android you cannot do this because Google Play will update and you can't stop it and you can't disable background data in Android system either (other than globally). You can get firewalls but it all gets a bit silly. (Not silly if you're living with 500 Mb of course! I did that for two years because I was too mean and it got to be a right royal fag.) Nob's on the ball (no pun...) as usual- try global disabling of data. But I reckon you've got it sussed anyhow.

e&oe...

[jal]

Hi Everyone

Just bought a new TomTom Go 6100, 6" screen it comes with Free World Map Updates for life, Free Safety Camera Updates for life, it has a SD Card for Free Tarffic updates for life, and a Free case to carry it in along with the other accessaries. Bought Direct from TomTom.