Sat Nav advice

[ferny]

I'm looking for Sat Nav recommendations.

I've got a Garmin Drive 51 which started acting up 70 miles from home when I was in the Cotswolds. I'd never been there before, which was interesting! 🤣
It kept turning itself off and on and the screen kept freaking out. Now it won't turn on at all.

I need a Sat Nav which can have a route programmed on a computer and then be put on the unit, which this Garmin does (did) and I believe TomTom used to but now can't. I'm talking actual turn-by-turn routes, not just way points.

Map updates and traffic are also a must, which this one did. I might get another, but thought I'd get advice first.

[ProjectBobcat]

It might be worth checking if google maps does all of those things on your phone, I believe you may be able to save a route on your pc, and then access that on your mobile through the app. Not sure about turn by turn though.

[xbl]

Google maps does all of the above as long as you're signed in on you pc/laptop and your device.

[ferny]

Thanks guys. I've tried Google Maps but don't really like it. Plus, it relies on having an Internet connection which can be iffy and it means I can't use my phone if someone else is driving.

For normal use it's fine, but when we do the RBRR it's no good. That's what I need to route plotting ability for.

Here's a map of where we go to in 48 hours. So you can see why my first paragraph rules Google Maps out. 👍🙂

[Soopahfly]

Google Maps will do offline navigation if you download the region before you go.
Other systems I use for various things is Sygic and Calimoto.
Calimoto definitely allows you to plot online and either navigate it or export it as GPX to share.

[Rich]

As said, Google relies on GPRS once a route has been loaded, and only uses internet to give you real time traffic info. You can drive with your mobile device data turned off, as long as your GPRS is on and the route is loaded it will navigate.

[xbl]

You can download the complete UK road system on google maps, I've got Cyprus downloaded on mine as we have a villa over there but when we go over the border in to the north it sees me as out of the EU roaming zone.

[ferny]

I didn't realise you could download all of the UK with Google Maps. I thought you could only do a small portion. 👍

[timbo1956]

Jul 14, 2021 15:19:07 GMT ferny said:

I didn't realise you could download all of the UK with Google Maps. I thought you could only do a small portion. 👍

I did this in New Zealand where I had no (reasonably priced) internet, it works fine and uses the phones satnav to get you around, only problem is you won't have traffic info unless you connect to the internet

[sLowered]

Again another vote for google maps. I download offline maps before trips abroad and have the entire UK saved.

Also has a timeline feature which lets you view location history. Great for when you have a bad memory like me.

The camera locations and roadworks/road closures are not perfect. But the mapping and traffic avoidance is better the anything else Ive used. Also has a GPS speedo which helps.

[ProjectBobcat]

I would have thought Google maps would be ideal for multiple destinations, it looks them up faster than i can manage on any sat nav I've owned, and you can quickly drag and drop destination order if needed.

[Paul Y]

I might be able to help here as my business is in logistics, primarily address validation and location, so I spend a fair amount of my time working with the various maps etc.

As others have said, you don't need a separate sat nav anymore as our phone will do all your Garmin did and more plus will be constantly upto date.

None of the various systems are perfect but some are better than others.

So, in no particular order here we go.

Google maps

Its not bad but it lacks accuracy if you are looking for a particular address tending to send you to the approximate location rather than the front door. It also does not use the most direct route. On a positive you can plan a route off line and send it to your phone, believe you can have upto 120ish stops on a route, so for your use case fits the bill.

Can be downloaded so works without internet signal, uses GPS which is what your Sat Nav uses.

Bing.

Don't Bother

Apple Maps.

After a few years of being a bit pants Apple Maps is actually as good as, if not better than, Google in a lot of situations. I prefer the interface plus the voice commands actually work. Not sure on how many stops you can have on a journey but has the same ability to download to your phone and plan from your desktop.

Waze.

Basically Google Maps but with crowd sourced real time traffic updates and alternate routes. Works well, don't think you can use it from a desktop _ happy to be proved wrong - and think that there is a maximum number of stops on a journey you can program in. 5 seems to ring a bell but not 100%

Here

Again a good alternative to Google - quite popular amongst logistics - has the same functionality and features and would say if you are traveling to Ireland it has a real advantage, all of the alternatives fail miserably in the Emerald Isle.

Not sure if that helps at all and have purposefully avoided the tech side of things as I am a location bore - probably why I don't get invited to parties anymore....

In short. Use your phone with the app of your choice and save the cash for more important things like beer.

P.